On This Day, 4 October 1976 - British Rail began its new 125mph High Speed Train (HST) service

[whole diary]

[Network SouthEast]

I believe when Reading is finally completed, line speed through a few platforms will be raised to 100mph.

[BerkshireBugsy]

I'm just catching up on this thread hence the late response to bobms and BNMs comments about cheese burgers and microwave ovens

I used to travel down from Banbury to Weston s mare at the weekend to meet up with the girl that was to be Mrs BB version 1 and I do remember treating myself to the aforementioned cheeseburger!

Suffice to say I remember the cheese burgers more favourably than V1 wife.

But thanks for the memories and the photo of the buffet

[paul7575]

I believe when Reading is finally completed, line speed through a few platforms will be raised to 100mph.

The Corus Rail track layout diagram (that's been referred to a few times over the last couple of years) shows the up and down mains only (P9/10) as '60/100**'.  Other platforms vary, but with nothing faster than 60 mph.

The diagram key goes on to explain that this is a 60 mph PSR^▸ (Permanent Speed Restriction), with 100 mph capability being dependent on further signalling improvements.  The latter is possibly referring to the ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) (cab signalling) upgrade planned for later in the decade.

Paul

[Thatcham Crossing]

Thanks, I'm old enough to remember when HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s used to come through at a fair rate of knots (although way below 125 I suspect). IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) it was usually on the line that used to run up the middle between platforms 7 and 8 (formerly known as 4 and 5).

[bobm]

I'm not sure about the through lines but I think the platform lines had an 80 limit.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Hello! This is my first post in the Coffee Shop, so I hope I do it correctly!

The speed limits during the latter years of the age of steam, and for the first years of the diesel era, were 75mph on the Down Main through (old) Platform 4 and 80mph on the Up Main. Speed over the turnouts for the Up Main Platform Loop (old Platform 5) was limited to 25mph.

At some point in, IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), the 80s as more and more trains stopped at Reading, the cant on the Down Main was reduced limiting the speed to 50mph; at the same the limit on the Up Main was reduced. I am not sure when this took place as I was living abroad at the time, but I'm sure somebody will know.

[Brucey]

Welcome to the forum 4064ReadingAbbey and thank you for an informative first post

[JayMac]

The 40th Anniversary of the inaugural HST^▸ (High Speed Train) passenger run is this Tuesday, 4th October 2016.

Here's that BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West news report from 1976 again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySyFzWgLt_4

Now, do GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have anything planned for Tuesday? Perhaps with 43002 and 43185. Anyone know of anything?

I note that those two power cars are due to return from York to St Phillip's Marsh early on Monday morning:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R41180/2016/10/02/advanced

[broadgage]

Did the buffet, from where you purchased your burger, look like this?

Now you are asking!  I remember the colour scheme and I remember the uniforms.  Didn't they experiment with draught beer from the buffet at one point?

Yes, I remember the draught beer in the buffet, a choice of Heineken and Whitbread Tankard IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly). And the card operated payphone. All rather revolutionary at the time.
Also a restaurant car AND a buffet, two catering vehicles.
And even in second class, the seating was all/virtually all facing with tables.
And two and a half first class coaches.

All of which would be totally unaffordable luxuries in a new train, despite the fact that as a nation we are now twice as wealthy as was the case then.

[IndustryInsider]

Don't forget the smoking carriages where you could puff away on your pipe to your hearts content, and of course all carriages were mobile phone free back then... 

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

.. and not forgetting getting locked in the toilet (the old GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) design had 1 moving part, the original design on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)’s had about 15), blowing back toilets (sitting on the loo going into Chipping Sodbury tunnel at 125 mph could be quite an experience), vestibules awash from water leaks from the evaporator tray, no air conditioning because of the wrong type of brushes in the fan motor, cracked axle boxes .. still, it all helped keep me in a job at the time!

[didcotdean]

The most memorable thing surely was the smell as soon as the brakes were applied.

[ellendune]

All of which would be totally unaffordable luxuries in a new train, despite the fact that as a nation we are now twice as wealthy as was the case then.

Ah yes like so many  things in our society today as J K Galbraith said of the USA in Affluent Society (1958):

In a community where public services have failed to keep abreast of private consumption things are very different. Here, in an atmosphere of private opulence and public squalor, the private goods have full sway.

[didcotdean]

More to the point is that the train was only one quarter loaded - and one of the other slightly later BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) reports on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) remarks on what changes have needed to be made such as lowering fares as it was losing BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) hundreds of millions of pounds in operation.

I too can easily remember the days when if you had anyone else sitting at the same table of four on an HST you might think the train was crowded. Whether this was really an efficient use of either public or natural resources at that time is another matter. Whatever, it was certainly a different age for train travel.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, one of the quietest trains of the day now would probably equate to the same number that used the average off-peak service back then.