Bance Alumi Cart Mk II - Two Seater Trolley

copyright: Nathan Wilson

The Trust had been aware of a dismantled Bance Trolley at the Nene Valley Railway for many years..

The Trolley in question was Bance Alumi Cart Mk II Two-Seater Trolley – Works No. 023 of 1995.

At the end of February 2024, the Trust contacted the previous private owners of the Trolley and subsequently agreed a deal to purchase the Trolley.

Roger Bance of R. Bance & Co. Ltd. has supplied us with the following information about this Trolley:

“This vehicle was designed for single person operation, used a 4 HP Briggs & Stratton or Honda petrol engine, ran at 20 mph forward direction only; for the return journey it was turned by one operative on its self-contained pivot and for lightness its transmission used a torque converter. There was also a similar lightweight trailer available.”

On 5th October 2024, our Chair collected all the surviving parts of the Trolley from Wansford Shed at the Nene Valley Railway, and these are now in short term store in his garage pending relocation to one of our bases for restoration.

The Trust is interested any photos and videos of this Trolley, as very few seem to exist. If anyone has any, please contact the Trust.

The Trust is currently working on plans to develop a Battery Powered Drive System, which can be fitted to any of the various Trolleys that the Trust owns. This is primarily being developed for the trolleys which no longer have their original engines and transmissions. Initially this system will be able to be moved between Trolleys as required, but as funds allow further systems will be built, to return as many trolleys as possible to service. The Trust will be looking at suitable renewable charging.

Fund Raising

The Trust continues to appeal for funds towards the £10k target we set ourselves last year and hopes that as we are able to share more positive news, more donations will be forthcoming to enable us to move more of our collection to our secure locations, provide further suitable storage accommodation for some of our older & more historic vehicles and make some significant progress on several restoration projects.

Donations can be made as follows:

Direct transfers to our Charity (Business) Account:

Account: The Rail Trolley Trust
Sort Code: 30-98-90
Account No: 17492768

Or otherwise, please give via our Givey account by clicking HERE

You can now alternatively use the Trust's PayPal charity account HERE.

Everyone’s urgent support would be very much appreciated.

Thank You

Everyone’s support for what we are doing and what we aim to achieve is very much appreciated.

Jonathan Flood

Chair, The Rail Trolley Trust
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes to Editors

The Rail Trolley Trust (TRTT) aims to purchase, restore & demonstrate a collection of rail (construction and maintenance) trolleys and similar vehicles, as well as associated equipment and paperwork.

Links:

Nene Valley Railway
R. Bance & Co

Created: 4 April 2025
Modified: