HST

  • Class 90 visits Swindon for electrical testing

    Class 90 visits Swindon for electrical testing

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    ONE of the most unusual movements this year has seen freshly painted Class 90 No. 90035 move from Crewe to Swindon.  The train has been put together by Network Rail’s electrification project team in order to carry out mechanical and electrical testing of the OLE between Bristol and Cardiff, although initial tests were between Swindon and…

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  • Locomotive Services buys Class 86 and 87 from ETL

    Locomotive Services buys Class 86 and 87 from ETL

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    TWO former West Coast AC electric locomotives have been bought by Locomotive Services Limited from Electric Traction Ltd (ETL). The last mainline Class 87 – No. 87002 Royal Sovereign – along with 86101 Sir William A Stanier FRS had been hired by ETL to GB Railfreight for working empty stock from the Caledonian Sleeper between London Euston…

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  • HST prototype power car receives first-class attention

    HST prototype power car receives first-class attention

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    HST power car No. 41001 was moved from its base on the GCR(N) Ruddington as 5Z50 to Leeds Neville Hill Depot on June 29, arriving at 11.24, 44 minutes ahead of schedule.  It is seen pausing at Rotherham while waiting for a TransPennine Manchester to Cleethorpes service to pass at about 09.30, before continuing on to…

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  • Final HST working was emotional

    Final HST working was emotional

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    HAVING been given your June edition by a friend who recognised me in the Paddington hosts HST farewell feature, I was the driver of 1L7, the 14.29 Swansea-Paddington. The coverage was excellent, but very emotional, and I was told Sir Kenneth Grange was aboard for some of the journey. I was even more proud to have…

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  • 300 passengers stranded on HST after landslide causes ‘major incident’

    300 passengers stranded on HST after landslide causes ‘major incident’

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    AROUND 300 passengers became stranded on an East Midlands Trains HST for hours after a diverted train was engulfed in a landslide, and a rescue train sent to assist was stopped by rising flood waters. What turned into a major rescue, involving the emergency services and Network Rail, occurred on June 13 when the Midland…

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  • Prototype HST power car withdrawn by NRM

    Prototype HST power car withdrawn by NRM

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    RESTORED prototype HST power car No. 41001 has been withdrawn from all forthcoming engagements.  This follows detection of possible engine problems during operation at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s (KWVR) May 3-6 diesel and mixed traffic gala. The power car was conveyed by rail from the KWVR to Kidderminster on May 7 in convoy 5Z89,…

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  • Paddington hosts HST farewell

    Paddington hosts HST farewell

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    After almost 44 years of sterling service, the InterCity 125 – which transformed long-distance travel for British Rail – has ended its association with London Paddington.

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  • ‘Azumas’ in service – LNER outlines service changes

    ‘Azumas’ in service – LNER outlines service changes

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    MAY 15 was an historic day for state-backed train operator LNER, which introduced the new Hitachi Class 800 ‘Azuma’ on its first revenue-earning service from London King’s Cross to Leeds and Hull. The previous day, LNER invited the railway press and other stakeholders on a trip to Peterborough to sample the train (see also feature…

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  • Mid-Norfolk Railway gala showcases new sidings

    Mid-Norfolk Railway gala showcases new sidings

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    THE Mid-Norfolk Railway’s April 5-7 diesel gala started in glorious sunshine, but the number of passengers was low.  Trains ran between Dereham and Wyndham only, but a problem with the signalling installed in connection with the new storage sidings at Kimberley Park led to delays, amounting to about 40 minutes by the end of the…

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  • End of the line for Old Oak Common HST depot

    End of the line for Old Oak Common HST depot

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    REDUCTION of the use of HST trains by GWR and the need to redevelop parts of Old Oak Common has brought the curtain down on the west London depot’s long association with the InterCity 125. The workshops and loco depot, affectionately known as ‘The Factory’, was demolished several years ago as parts of the site…

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