Repaint for record-breaker as EMR marks end of HSTs
EAST Midlands Railway has confirmed that its fleet of High Speed Trains will be withdrawn in May after almost 40 years of operation on the Midland Main Line.
Together with owner Porterbrook, the operator is marking the occasion with the repaint of record-breaking power car 43302, which has been returned to its original 43102 identity and repainted into InterCity Swallow livery. It has also been named The Journey Shrinker: 148.5mph The Worlds Fastest Diesel Train (sic).
Along with 43159, the power car broke the diesel world speed record in November 1987, when it reached 148.5mph between Northallerton and York during a test run.
Once its MML career is over, it is destined for preservation at the National Railway Museum.
EMR Fleet Director Neil Bamford said: “I personally remember as a 19-year-old, way back in 1980, going on HST commissioning runs from Derby to Darlington, putting the trains through their paces and doing various tests before they entered into service. Such happy memories.
“This is a fitting way to recognise the end for this iconic machine - a massive slice of railway heritage and history.”
Porterbrook Fleet Services Director Neil Foster said of the HSTs: “With their reputation for comfort and speed, these icons of British engineering reinvigorated rail travel between Yorkshire, the East Midlands and London.”
The power car will join 43002 Sir Kenneth Grange at the NRM, while Trailer Kitchen Buffet First (TFKB) 40732 is at Locomotion, Shildon.
Before it moved to EMR last year, 43302 had been part of LNER’s fleet. Along with its classmates, it was cascaded after Azumas entered traffic on the East Coast Main Line.
It was planned to have been withdrawn by the end of last year, as HSTs did not meet accessibility regulations that came into force from January 1 2020, but EMR received three dispensations (the last expiries on May 31 this year).