HST power car
 

252 001 - one of the prototype power cars is in the NRM (at York? I think in the Great Hall), and it has buffers {which I remember from seeing it under test at Chippenham in 1972/3}

The reason why 8 power cars were fitted with buffers in 1987, was so they could be used as DVT's for the class 91's.

When the class 91's were first built the DVT's and MK4 coaches were not ready in time to be tested, so they fitted 8 HST's with buffers and used them instead.

i see you like scrap locos rassy

what about the NRM's 41 001 ;)

That's not a standard HST set, it's a prototype, hardly what most people would associate with class 43 - it wasn't a passenger train was it, just part of a test unit?

Not to mention the prototype isn't the full set anyway?

well its got its original Paxman Valenta, but I get the point :)

I am sure the prototype was used in service for passenger evaluation purposes?

Elecric trains have a far better performance than a diesel in the 1960,s the deltics only produced about 2600hp at the rail(depending on speed) wheras the AL6(86) 25kV loco was producing about 4000hp, the gap in performance still exists. Electric Traction does have some disadvantages and few people allow for electrical transmission losses in their calculations, however the powers source can be what Coal, Neuclear, Wind, Tidal Whatever you want.

One problem;
whenever it snows electric trains stop working.

So most of the network in Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Germany, Slovakia, Czech, Hungary etc etc just shuts down coz electric trains dont work in snow? ;)