Legendary train returns to the rails....

[nathanmallard]

....and no, I'm not talking about the Flying Scotsman!

After a 5-year long restoration, prototype HST Power Car No.41001 has returned to operation and is now touring the country, most recently visiting the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway in Scotland. Three matching Mk.3 coaches have been aquired, and it's owners hope one day it can be returned to the mainline. The prototype HST, then known as the High Speed Diesel Train, was built in 1972 to explore the possibility of building a conventially-powered high speed train to complement British Rail's flagship APT. Of course, unlike the APT, the HSDT was successful and the production HSTs are still in service today. This makes 41001 one of the most important locomotives in preservation (and yes, it is a locomotive- it can be driven from both ends) and just as worthy of restoration as the likes of Mallard and the afterformentioned Flying Scotsman.

If you're in Britain, keep an eye out- it may be visiting a railway near you soon! I believe it was also featured on BBC2's Trainspotting Live last week.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

What? Wow.....

 

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody
Nathan, thank you for posting the image of the class 42 prototype at start of this thread. Like many I have had the privilege of traveling what must be hundreds of thousands of miles on what began as the intercity class 125s, push-pulled by the wonderful engineering masterpiece that is the Class 42.

People forget that following the nessisary cuts made by Dr Breaching in the 1960s, Britain's railways then somewhat “bumped along the bottom” for more than a decade. In that period some development was needed that would get people away from their cars and back to the British railways, and the forgoing looked very improbable at that time.

However, in the mid 1970 in the west of England it was announced that the class 42 powered Intercity consists where to be introduced on the Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington route. I still remember watching the BBC report that was the first to inform us that these trains would travel at a speed of one hundred and twenty five miles per hour to have their passengers in London one hour and fourty minutes after leaving Bristol with five or six stops included.

The above seemed truely incredible at that time as BRs so called express services rarely did It seemed more than 60mph at best. The introduction of the intercity services immediately brought commuters back to the railways as it was now possible to travel large distances, carry out your business and return home on the same day.

They have also proved to be incredibly reliable and are still the power car backbone of HST services from the capital to the west of England and South Wales more than fourty years after their introduction

No, the Class 42 is not one of the great locomotives of the world, it is in my book the greatest locomotive the world has ever designed and built. The Class 42 is the locomotive that in its intercity 125 format saved a whole rail system here in the United Kingdom, putting it back at the very forefront of the UKs transport infrastructure.

And still running today.
Bill

 

[BLACKWATCH]

Like many I have had the privilege of traveling what must be hundreds of thousands of miles on what began as the intercity class 125s, push-pulled by the wonderful engineering masterpiece that is the Class 42.


Bill

Then you should know by now, that the HST (Intercity 125) is a class 43, not a 42, the class 42 was a 'Warship', a diesel hydraulic loco, built for the Western Region.

 

[nathanmallard]

I did notice that too, but I thought it more polite not to correct him.
HST TOPS code is a bit of a complicated subject- they were classed as DMUs at first, the prototype set being Class 252 and the production sets being Class 253s or 254s OR 255s depending on formation (told you it was complicated!). When they were numbered like this, all HST power cars (including the prototypes) were numbered in the 43xxx series, starting at 43000 for 41001.

 

[wholbr]

Hi everybody.
Apologizes to everyone it was class 43 not 42 as I stated. I was in the office this morning and dictated that on my smartphone while having a cup of coffee
, never had my mind fully on what I was doing. However the Class 43 powered HSTs is stii in my book the greatest design and build locomotive the railway world has ever seen

Bill

 

[BLACKWATCH]

Work & play rarely mix very well Bill, as women are always quick to inform us mere males, "only women can 'multi-task', men can't".
(we can, but we must let the poor dears have their delusion if it keeps them happy)

 

[Paulsw2]

Weren't the prototype HST power cars designated as class 41 in TOPS?

Paul

 

[BLACKWATCH]

Weren't the prototype HST power cars designated as class 41 in TOPS?

Paul

Yes, when first built they were given the classification 41, but were then reclassified as 'Sets' & given the designation 'Class 252'.
When the current HST was introduced, the sets were given 'Class 253', they were later joined together as 'Class 43' when the 'sets' started to be intermixed as coaching stock was was top 'n' tailed by locos from different sets rather than keeping the same pair of locos.