The Railway Trolley Trust has agreed to purchase a trolley which has been dismantled at the Nene Valley Railway, near Peterborough, for several years.

For many years the Railway Trolley Trust had known that there was a dismantled Bance two-seater trolley at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway.

The cart was a Bance Alumi Cart Mk II two-seater cart, built in 1995 with a Works number of 023, and earlier this year, in late February, the Trust contacted the cart’s previous owners and reached an agreement to purchase it.

The trolley was built by R. Bance & Co. Ltd, and Roger Bance of the company provided the Railway Trolley Trust with the following information about the trolley.

It was designed for use by one person and powered by a 4 HP Briggs & Stratton or Honda gasoline engine. Its operating speed was 20 mph, but could only move forward.

For the return trip, an operator would have to rotate it on a self-contained pivot. To reduce its weight, the carriage’s transmission used a torque converter. A similar lightweight trailer was also available.

On 5 October the chairman of the Railway Trolley Trust collected all the remaining parts of the trolley from the shed at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. They were stored short term in the Chair’s garage before being transferred to one of the Trust’s sites where they will be restored.

Very few photos of the trolley are known to exist, and if anyone has photos or videos of the trolley could they please let the trust know via their website at https://www.railtrolleytrust.co.uk

The Trust’s current plans include the development of a battery-powered drive system which can be fitted to any of the trolleys the Trust owns, primarily for trolleys without their original motors and transmissions.

The intention is to initially move it between carts as needed, but as more funds become available, build other systems to return as many carts to service as possible. The objective is also to provide it with a charging installation adapted to renewable energies.

Last year the Trust set a target of raising £10,000 for its projects. As more donations are received, they will enable the Trust to move more of its collection to its secure locations, provide additional storage for some of its oldest and most historic vehicles and move forward with several restoration projects.