Porterbrook donates historic HST power car

Recipient Crewe Heritage Centre, which now owns two Class 43s, is applying for museum status.

AS this issue of Rail Express went to press, Crewe Heritage Centre was expecting to take delivery of Class 43 power car No. 43081, after it was kindly donated by Porterbrook.

The ‘125' power car is historic as it is the 8000th locomotive out-shopped by the erstwhile Crewe Works (by then BREL Crewe). It was due to be delivered by road from Long Marston, where it had been stored for a short while after storage at Nemesis Rail, Burton, since withdrawal from service with EMR in 2020.

The vehicle, complete with a VP185 prime mover, is understood to be potentially operational and joins classmate No. 43018 (donated by Angel Trains in 2020) at the Cheshirebased heritage centre, which is currently closed to the public due to the pandemic.

The latest addition to Crewe's collection could eventually be repainted in its as-delivered blue/yellow livery, with No. 43018, which has only just been repainted in these colours (see page 36), receiving BR InterCity Executive livery.

Rail Express can also reveal that Crewe HC is formally engaged in the application process for museum status, which would help future development of the centre. Although physical expansion is constrained, not least by two rail lines (the West Coast Main Line and the Crewe-Chester link), pedestrian access could be improved by a new overbridge linking the site with land to the south, giving an easier walking route from Crewe station. The latter is about to undergo a huge transformation as result of

HS2 Phase 2a, which will provide significant funding opportunities for local beneficiaries, including Crewe Heritage Centre. Separately, Cheshire East Council is actively pursuing opportunities to improve links with Crewe town centre, which could also be beneficial for the centre.

Visitors are expected to be welcomed back over the August bank holiday – the first time since March 2020. Despite the closure, a small but dedicated team of volunteers has attended to rolling stock, including Class 47 D1842 (see page 36) and record-breaking high speed train APT-P, which has recently undergone a thorough external cosmetic refreshment.

If museum status is obtained, the centre plans to create a whole series of new interactive visitor displays.

Steve Donald Days after the franchise change from East Midlands Trains to East Midlands Railway, No. 43081 passes Cossington with the 1B51 13.49 Nottingham to St Pancras International EMR service, on August 25, 2019. No. 43050 is on the rear.