Last HSTs from Paddington 18/5

The last scheduled Bristol - Paddington HST on the way out of Bath at Farliegh Down Tunnel on the climb to Box.

 

My two oldest sons & I did the 11.00 ex Westbury & the very last one out of Paddington.

A good but very sad day out

Sir Kenneth Grange was riding in the power car & we had the first & last production power cars in the set 43002 & 43198

 

Fond memories of ECML runs with them on my various Scottish postings. However my first run was very uncomfortable!
Cannot recall the year but we had docked at Rosyth as part of a NATO fleet and as we had the dreaded Navy Days over the weekend I was well relieved to have a weekend pass so off to Sussex I was bound. Arrived at Waverley with a couple of hundred others, from all NATO nationalities, ready to get the up Aberdonian to KX. However the barriers to departure platform were closed, so being good matelots we all queued up alongside the railings. Platform attendant clipped the first 15 or so tickets and said that there were not many seats on the train. In came...... not the usual gurt diesel and 12 but an HST He let 7 through then said thats it for this one. Consternation for about 5 seconds then a " feck that" and a pussers grip (naval weekend bag) went over the railings followed by our very own RPO (ships policeman). As he was our leader we all followed his example over the barriers we went and wedged ourselves in every available space on that wee train. After 10 minutes of attempts by station staff to get us off they gave up and off we went. I only managed to get a seat when we left Peterborough!! Would love to know what the passenger numbers were on that run.

 

Hi Big Al, now that sounds like a bleddy good idea, is that running for the forseeable future do you know?
Chris

 

43185 at Sydney Gardens and 43002 leaving Didcot on the final train to Exeter. A phenomenal turnout at Paddngton for the final four, had the pleasure of riding with 185 and 009 back to Paddington on the final arrival and 162 and 172 to Didcot to see off 198 and 002.

A day of real mixed emotions, They were the Age of the Train...

 

BBC 4 made a documentary "Intercity 125, the train that saved Britain's railway ". It's been broadcast twice in recent years.
Sadly it's not on Youtube except for a short four minute segment;

I spent last week in Scotland and saw plenty of former Great Western's 43s up there; some in Scotrail livery, others had not yet been repainted. At least they are still in use.

 

East Midlands have some HST sets, they're based at Neville Hill.
https://www.125group.org.uk/current-operators/east-midlands-trains/

 

No, it will be run by IETs when LNER decide to, and it's highly likely all their HSTs will be replaced by the end of this year. So if you want to do it, get a move on!

 

The service my friend rode on to Swansea had Sir Kenneth Grange leading.

So, what's the future for them? Shortening/redeployment or like so much, the scrapyard?

 

Redeployment to north of the border.

Yesterday was a manic day at Paddington. Went along for the atmosphere and to say farewell to the HST's from their home for the last 40+ years. GWR put on a great display and the planning for all sets to be in platforms 1-4 together at the same time worked well. Sir Kenneth was even there but I left before the photoshoot with him and his machines was staged. By all account he was in the cab of the last run. A deserving tribute to the man who introduced such an iconic train just when BR really needed it.

The Western terminal was heaving and I heard many comments from those in attendance comparing it to the Cross when the Deltics bid farewell in the early '80's which made me think. What will be the next iconic train/locomotive class to receive such a send off?
Even the great man sat with his back to the new kid on the block to bid farewell to the iconic HST.

 

Great, but I wish those images would open up for me: I just get a blank viewer

I'll just nip off and try a different browser... rats, no different. Oh well, nice to see the final line-up

 

How long before someone organises an HST railtour out of Paddington to somewhere they seldom or never went?

 

Pacers, specially for @Victor .

Can't think of anything that is currently iconic, especially british built.

Dave B

 

Not being at all a diesel person can I ask some perhaps silly questions?
Is it just the class 43's and DVT's being retired or does it include coaching stock?
Are they being scrapped? Will some be preserved? Is the coach stock useful for heritage use?
How many heritage lines if any could make sensible use of of one of these?

 

Whilst I can't answer all your (not at all silly, btw) questions, an HST is top-and-tailed with a locomotive; it's not a loco plus DVT like the InterCity 225 used on the ECML. Originally they were classed as a DEMU hence they bore a set/class number allocated in the 200 series and the power cars were just treated as such; it was later they became to be treated as a Class 43 locomotive in their own right (despite the previous existence of a Class 43). See the photo of 43002 Sir Kenneth Grange on this thread for that; I remember the 254 sets on the ECML when new.

I can't remember if it is ex-HST coaching stock that the A1SLT is planning to use for its own train set or not.

 

A few shots of yesterday's workings. Filmed at Shrivenham, Knighton, Lyneham and Swindon. I hope you enjoy it!

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-en...125-hundreds-bid-farewell-to-high-speed-train

 

The HST's have plenty to give before they ever see a scrap yard. When the Deltics had finished on the ECML they still earned money on Trans Pennine.
The HST's have earned there place up there with the best of em, they are fine machines

 

Bloody things Why go to theme parks for 'exciting' rides? ride a Pacer down the hill from Morley Tunnel to Dewsbury (bloody terrifies me when they start bouncing), OR, just for the ladies, a Pacer on the jointed track on the Bentham Line. I'm reliably informed it gives the ladies a.........ahem.........'cozy feeling'