For what it's worth, said railbus was on a deaccession list a few years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42810&p=285497&hilit=Leyland#p285497

The Railbus Trust here in the UK were making moves to repatriate the thing, but I think the likely transportation costs and the ability to raise the money to pay for it all are the reason it's still sitting in Connecticut.
The BR production variants (2 and 3 car versions) have mostly been taken out of service in the meantime, and they have been snapped up by preserved lines here, either for "free" or relatively low prices, which doesn't help the scheme.

That railbus has a more significant history here than in Britain. If the New Haven Macks were worthy of preservation as an attempt to preserve passenger service in the absence of money and mass patronage, so was the high-speed experiment.

Admittedly, it is a niche market of interest, both to bus aficionados and trolley folks. But given something as simple as a 6BT with twins, it would be suitable for service almost anywhere on standard gauge, with any residual riding issues easily solved.

I am still a little bitter that Repton was repatriated. That was one of the finest examples of modern steam power left extant, and while she is surely in a place that better appreciates her now, she is inaccessible to all of us who appreciated what Mr. Blount did in having her here.

It gave us another good reason to go to the UK - along with the many others that have always been there. I think given your steam and preservation qualifications you would be welcomed at many places if you do a bit of networking in advance. Hopefully the doors to international travel will open again in a few months.

When I retire, I plan to spend a good year traveling the UK and the continent. As I have interests in historic railways, historic ships, lighthouses and their associated museums, it will take that much time to see a small portion of those things.

Based on a FB post with numerous photos, the first of these two units showed up and was unloaded on 4/13/21.

There are photos are on the Rockhill Trolley Museum's Facebook page.

So many questions.
It looks like they are upgrading the track to 40mph standard.
Is 2 miles enough to demo this?
Or would more row be restored.
Where is the recharge gear?

Found this: https://www.facebook.com/RiverRailPhoto ... 0181477388
"Battery life is stated to be for a range 60 miles. The cars disperses this weight by using 3 batteries. There are 2 different charging systems, a small trickle charger that requires several hours to reach capacity and a fast charger that requires a larger power infrastructure and footprint, but can complete the task in 10 minutes. The cars each weigh 32.2 tons (64,400 pounds), and are 60.2 feet (18.372 meters) long, 9.318 feet (2.84m) wide, and seat 41 passengers. They can be configured to operate in 2, 3, or 4 car sets, and have a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour."

Photo caption: "Pop-Up Metro Viva Rail Class 230 cars are plugged in to rechagre by Nicholas Brightbill on Thursday, October 7, 2021 in Orbisonia, Pennsylvania." A commenter noted: "I take it from the size of that cord this is the trickle-charge option? A 10-minute recharge would probably need a more robust cable to pass the current."

Relevance for preservation? We'll see, I guess.

They are preserved London Tube stock being repurposed. :-)

I know you're kidding, but actually if the cost came down enough I could see them used in excursion service instead of wearing out museum-quality equipment. No worse than Lackawanna m.u. cars pulled by diesels.

Am I?

Have you ever visited the Isle of Wright...
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/isle-of-wight-trains
Or better yet Alderney?
https://www.alderneyrailway.gg/alderney-railway-society

The 1938 stock on the Isle of Wight has all been withdrawn now - apart from a few cars that were preserved, both on and off the island.
The line has been rebuilt over the past year and should be re-opening from 1st November, using electric versions of the former District Line stock as used for the demonstration in Orbisonia!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-58651466