80 class power car test runs - March 2024

Following months of work to repair flood damage to the traction motors, batteries and other electrical aspects of 90, and brief tests in previous weeks to make sure that all important systems on the power car worked correctly, it was time to embark on a day of test runs to start heating up the traction motors to drive out any remaining moisture, and put the railcar through its paces.
To do this, we coupled 90 and driving trailer 749 to our 3-car 450 class set, 458. This provided a heavy load for the 80 class to haul, and the electrical pixies tell us that low speeds plus high load equals lots of amps. This will be repeated over a number of weeks and possibly months, with resistance readings and other checks being carried out to measure any improvements to the traction motors and electrics. Every time the train got to Inch Abbey, 458 hauled the return run - doing the same heating to its own traction motors along the way.
If it all sounds a bit Heath Robinson - it is! This is a recommended way to deal with the flood damage in the absence of major funding and major engineering facilities that are simply beyond us.
Before anyone says anything, 90 did get attacked by vandals in Belfast long before it arrived in Downpatrick. No work on the body has been carried out yet as were too busy with 69+749, and now the flood recovery has taken priority over all of that.
We still haven’t received any external funding, and are still working through a very complex insurance claim that even if it pays out in full won’t cover anywhere near all our costs. Our appeal is still open, we are desperate for cash to get us up and running properly again, so please continue to give whatever you can: downrail.co.uk/appeal/
Our thanks must to all donors, no matter how large or small the amount. Your generosity has been incredible in the past five months.