A question about when HSTs were introduced

[whole diary]

[BerkshireBugsy]

Whilst passing the time at Reading station I started wondering about how the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) were purchased all those years ago. I can remember how long they have been around but do remember travelling on them in the late 1970s

Did they have leasing in those days ?i wonder what the book life of these were and who owns them now?

Far too much time on my hands..maybe I should read "Bradshaws" or O S Nocks "two miles a minute"!

[broadgage]

The HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) were originally built by and owned by BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)), most are now owned by rolling stock leasing companies though a handful are owned outright by First group rather than being leased.

[phile]

If my memory serves me, 1976.

[Electric train]

The HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s were built by BREL^▸ (British Rail Engineering Ltd).  Funded by the government.

The proto type ran in revenue earning service in 1975 with the production trains entering service through 76, the Western Region was the first to have HST's for the Bristol and South Wales services.

Part of the introduction was new servicing sheds OCC and St Philips Marsh.  I spent some of my apprenticeship in early 1977 in the HST shed at OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) the main event each week was a "C" exam there were not too many sets in service

[John R]

4th October to be precise. Remember going down to the Rover Way bridge in Cardiff to see the first ones pass through. That was what triggered my interest in railways.

[JayMac]

A video I found last year and uploaded to youtube.

British Rail InterCity 125 Inaugural Passenger Service 4th October 1976. This is a news report from 4th October 1976 as broadcast on 'Points West', the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) regional news magazine for the West Of England. Apologies for the poor quality. The video has been converted from a RealPlayer format, with the original being only 240x200 in size.

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

[chrisr_75]

I can remember when I was still a single figure age, seeing them at Paddington in the 80's. This was before the days of the trundle-speed departures from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) and with the original Paxman-Valenta engines still firmly in place, absolutely deafening as the rear power car passed the end of the platform flat out! 

When they were used for a while on the North Wales services from Euston, early 90's IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly), I can recall one occasion when being on a set that left Euston on a single engine after failing at the platform, and arrived in N.Wales on time and possibly made up the delay caused by the original failure - a reflection of how well (over?) engineered these trains were in the first place...

[JayMac]

Spotting as a young teen at Taunton in the mid 80s I remember and loved that deafening Paxman-Valenta turbocharger scream.

Then, girls and beer got in the way, and my enthusiasm for all things rail related waned for some years. Sadly, my interest was only rekindled at the twilight of P-V running on the Western. My last ever trip between two P-Vs was with Grand Central in 2010. Grand Central being the last passenger train operator to run the iconic engines.

Let's just hope that, along with the prototype HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power car 41001, currently undergoing restoration, a few Class 43s can be re-re-engined back to P-Vs (I believe there are a few 'screamers' squirreled away) and preserved.

The HST is an important part of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s railway history - the poster boy for BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) in the 70s and 80s. Even, dare I say, the saviour for long distance rail travel, against fierce competition from road and air, in that period. The pragmatists at the British Rail Research Division in Derby went with evolution over revolution to give us the HST. The more cavalier bods tried revolution and failed quite spectacularly with the APT^▸ (Advanced Passenger Train). In the political climate of the time pragmatism and evolution was always going to win over idealism and revolution.

[Western Enterprise]

Far too much time on my hands..maybe I should read "Bradshaws" or O S Nocks "two miles a minute"!

Ossie Nock is well worth reading for a full history of the introduction of the original HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s. Not printed since the very early 80's so a rare find. I have a copy 

Then, girls and beer got in the way, and my enthusiasm for all things rail related waned for some years.

Wasn't it always so; beer and girls, or should that be girls and beer ??!

[chrisr_75]

The more cavalier bods tried revolution and failed quite spectacularly with the APT^▸ (Advanced Passenger Train). In the political climate of the time pragmatism and evolution was always going to win over idealism and revolution.

I'd have to disagree slightly with you about the APT, it was just too far ahead of it's time. As a proof of concept it worked and the technology did ultimately give us the Pendolino and various other tilting trains across Europe. It just never really enjoyed the support of the government/economy/travel trends of the time.

I do hope that one or two examples of the class 43 can be preserved and restored back to 1970's condition as it is a very significant part of our rail history and spearheaded high speed rail travel, along with the TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) and a little earlier the Shinkansen in Japan. One HST^▸ (High Speed Train) power car really deserves a position in the NRM^» (National Railway Museum, at York and Shildon - about) along with the prototype - don't forget they broke (in 1987) and still hold the speed record for a diesel-electric train.

[PhilWakely]

I was at Bath University at that time and [whisper this quietly!] a trainspotter! Wednesday afternoons were always clear so I popped across to Swindon for the afternoon of 13th October 1976 and attached are a couple of piccies from that day....

[JayMac]

An hour long video from the early 1990s looking back at the design, manufacture and early years in service of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1EK1Md5-mc

There is much detail at the start about the technical aspects of the power cars.

From the 14 minute mark in the video there is a very high speed cab view from Paddington to Bristol TM^‡(resolve), taking up 6 minutes of the video. Average speed 1500mph! After that the focus is on the passenger comforts. That's followed by detail about the introduction of HSTs to the East Coast Main Line. Next, there are plenty of action shots of HSTs across the country as well as detail about their introduction on the Midland Main Line. Toward the end of the video there is detail about the maintenance regime.

Well worth a watch.

[bobm]

I was at Bath University at that time and [whisper this quietly!] a trainspotter! Wednesday afternoons were always clear so I popped across to Swindon for the afternoon of 13th October 1976 and attached are a couple of piccies from that day....

Interesting to see the old parcels platform behind 252 001 nearly 30 years before it became Platform 4.  What a difference that made to the Great Western Mainline.

[BerkshireBugsy]

An hour long video from the early 1990s looking back at the design, manufacture and early years in service of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1EK1Md5-mc

There is much detail at the start about the technical aspects of the power cars.

From the 14 minute mark in the video there is a very high speed cab view from Paddington to Bristol TM^‡(resolve), taking up 6 minutes of the video. Average speed 1500mph! After that the focus is on the passenger comforts. That's followed by detail about the introduction of HSTs to the East Coast Main Line. Next, there are plenty of action shots of HSTs across the country as well as detail about their introduction on the Midland Main Line. Toward the end of the video there is detail about the maintenance regime.

Well worth a watch.

Many thanks for posting this link BNM - that's my evening viewing sorted!

[JayMac]

Interesting to see the old parcels platform behind 252 001 nearly 30 years before it became Platform 4.  What a difference that made to the Great Western Mainline.

You can also see, from PhilWakely's picture of 43015, how the aerodynamics affected the diesel exhaust flow over rear power cars, coating the cab and windscreen in diesel soot.

I believe this problem was eventually addressed, but not completely eradicated, by slightly repositioning the exhausts and fitting some small cowls/deflectors. Even today with the much cleaner burning MTU^▸ (Motor Traction Unit) engines there is still often a noticeable coating of oily diesel particulates on cabs and windscreens.