Northern engineers bring old train ‘back to life’ at Blyth school

The Pacer train was donated to The Dales School in Blyth and lifted onto a short section of track, after it was taken out of service by Northern.

The specialist school, for children with additional needs, converted the carriages into a library and a classroom where they can learn about engineering and technology.

Experienced engineers and apprentices from Northern’s Heaton TrainCare Centre then volunteered to fix leaks in the roof, install a walkway over the track and restore the power supply in the old train.

Working over weekends and school holidays, they reactivated the wipers, headlights, signal buzzer and fan in the driver’s cab, so the children can operate them by pressing buttons which light up.

They have also restored the train’s public address system, so the pupils can make announcements on board and the school said therapists will use this "valuable resource" to develop their speech and language skills.

It comes after a monitor was installed in the cab at the opposite end of the train, allowing children to play Train Sim World 4.

The school said children can now participate in enjoyable and interactive lessons about rail safety on board the Pacer train, learn about the hazards of trespassing and consider a future career in the railways.

James Groundwater, outdoor learning teacher at the school said: “We are extremely grateful to Northern. They have shown how fantastic their organisation is by going above and beyond to help us with the train project.

“Engineers from Heaton depot have made sure the train is watertight and made it come to life."

Garry Roseby, manager of Heaton TrainCare Centre, said he is “extremely proud” of the engineers who gave up their time to create an interactive driving cab for the children.

He added: “As most of the components needed for the unit are now obsolete, the team provided materials, expertise and extra resources, while producing the relevant risk assessment to make it easy for the school to manage.

“It has also given the apprentices an opportunity to work on the legacy fleet which has served the North East so well over the years, allowing them to develop their skills on a different electrical and mechanical system.

“Our next visit is scheduled to be in late July, when we will be fitting the guttering to the train roof to reduce the risk of water entering the windows.”

The Pacer train was donated to the school by the rolling stock company Porterbrook in 2020 and Network Rail also agreed to provide a short section of track.

The school's project was featured on George Clark's Channel 4 show Amazing Spaces in 2023, and it also received last year's Love Northumberland award.

Northern operates services on the new Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington, used by more than 250,000 passengers since it opened in December.