43049 is back in action on the Midland Pullman

Services (LSL) Class 43 high speed train Intercity Swallow-liveried power car 43049 Neville Hill hauled its first passenger service since being stood down by East Midlands Railway in 2020.

The power car was repainted into its current colour scheme at Neville Hill last year and has been used on a number of stock moves and route learning trains, but on April 13 it was used to haul Locomotive Services popular Midland Pullman train, when it worked alongside 43046 Geoff Drury 1930-1999 on the ‘Devonian Pullman’ charter from Bangor to Kingswear. 43049 was deputising for the usual Midland Pullman power car 43055, which was unavailable for the tour. This is not the first time the Midland Pullman hasn’t utilised one of its dedicated power cars; both Rail Charter Services racing green and silver-liveried 43058 and 43059 have been used to deputise in the past, with the most recent occasion being on March 9 when 43059 was used to work ‘The Whitby Jet’ tour from Stevenage to Whitby, in place of 43046 on that occasion.

The Midland Pullman luxury dining excursions were launched by LSL in 2021 and have proved to be extremely popular, with most of the advertised trains becoming sold out well in advance of their operation. The train seeks to recapture the atmosphere and service of the former British Rail Blue Pullman and Midland Pullman trains that were used on the Midland Main Line and in the Western Region from the early 1960s before being withdrawn and scrapped during the 1970s. None of the original trains survived.

Phil Chilton Locomotive Services D1944 Craftsman (47501) hauls 1Z43, the 05.14 Wolverhampton to Whitby ‘The Whitby & Esk Valley Statesman’ charter, alongside the River Esk at Larpool on the approach to Whitby for LSL subsidiary Statesman Rail on April 2, with 47614 on the rear of the train to work the return leg of the tour. This picture was taken from Larpool Viaduct, which once carried the Whitby West Cliff to Scarborough coastal route over the valley at this point but now forms a popular footpath.

Colin Wallace The Intercity Swallow livery carried by 43049 Neville Hill clashes somewhat with the Nanking blue and white colours of Locomotive Services Midland Pullman train. The train, which also featured Midland Pullman dedicated power car 43046 Geoff Drury 1930-1999, passes Hollicombe Beach, near Torquay, working 1Z50, the 05.15 Bangor to Kingswear ‹Devonian Pullman› train on April 13.