InterCity 125 makes Nene Valley debut
THE recently preserved InterCity 125 set – including Class 43 power cars Nos. 43045 The Grammar School Doncaster AD1350 and 43060 County of Leicestershire – made its heritage era debut on the Nene Valley Railway on July 8.
In total, five HST vehicles are now operational at the NVR and adjoining Railworld Wildlife Haven site, looked after by volunteers of the 125 Preservation group, which is headed by Craig Owen, the owner of the Swedish railcars at NVR.
The five include two vehicles from the 1972-built prototype Class 252 high speed diesel train, which were used in the ‘Jolly Fisherman’ fish and chip special.
They include Mk.3 prototype HST Trailer Standard coaches Nos. 42355 and 42357, and first-built No. 40904 production Mk.3 Trailer First Buffet No. 40904.
As reported in issue 298, the Class 43s and No. 40904 (40001) had been in storage at Long Marston pending their move to Railworld, which sits alongside the East Coast Main Line over which HSTs ran and is therefore a historically appropriate base for them. The two other vehicles have been in storage near Ely.
The power cars carry East Midlands Trains livery, the prototype Mk.3s are painted in Virgin Trains East Coast red and white, and the buffet trailer is in GWR dark green.
Seating inside the prototype vehicles has been rearranged by 125 Preservation into groups of four. The pair had an airline seating configuration before they were taken out of service with LNER, the last operator to use them. New footsteps have also been fitted to the carriage doors to reduce the gap between the coaches and the NVR platforms, which are built to a continental loading gauge.
The set worked two return trips from Wansford on the evening, as a precursor to the main launch event on July 9, which saw four returned journeys over the seven-mile line.
Souvenir mugs marking the occasion were available to buy on board.
Craig’s ambition is to have the power cars recertified for use on the main line, but base them at Railworld.
The 125 set’s next scheduled public services were Fridays, August 4 and September 1.
➜ Tickets for the September 7-17 visit to the NVR of Didcot Railway Centrebased new GWR Saint 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend for standard travel, a full-day photographic charter (limited to 30 places) and two-hour driver experience sessions (advance booking essential) are on sale now online at https://nvr.org.uk