HSTs to be preserved?
 

The 125 HST is supposed to be a nice train to ride on, but I have never done so myself.
Now that plans to elcetrify the Great western mainline have been put forwars with the intent of replacing these and with new deisel replacements being planned, will there be a movement to preserve them?
I have heard many people say that If only we knew about steams demise, we could have started to preserve them sooner.
Srely we should save a few of these.
If they become rare then perhaps Richard Branson could start a charter bussiness with them or something.
Something to think about anyway.
I think that the mark three stock will most likely stay, but what about the locos?
I know for certain that the one sharing a hornby livery will be saved as Hornby themselves will not allow such an advertisment to disappear.
What should we do?

I believe there is already a group collecting spares against the day when the time is right to launch an appeal to buy a set. It should of course remain on the mainline for charters. Would be the only Diesel I would put money into!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Didn't a businessman buy a HST have it refurbished to run a service from Sunderland to Kings Cross ?

I'm sure i saw a tv documentary about this.

Anyway i hope the dreaded boo hiss HST is preserved but i would also hope they still have a roll to play in the modern railway scene for some time yet.

But, despite your confidence, hasn't the advertisement already disappeared?
43087 has since been turned out in First Great Western colours.

Indeed.

I think it would be something of a travesty if a HST set is not preserved. It's got too much historical value.

Apart from being a record holder, it's also an officially recognised "Icon of Britain" - and the most loved and recognised train in recent history. It revolutionised the railway, probably the only modern train to do so, infact it was probably the last great "Hoo-rar" of the British Railways.

The public actually love HST's, they find them quiet and comfortable, a lot more so than modern EMU and DMUs, and when they where introduced they enticed a lot of business to the railway, saving many underused branches from closure, etc.

We owe a lot to the InterCity 125. I would suggest that at the very minimum, a set will be donated to the national collection.

I think it is the only deisel that looks good on the old GWR and the only think that is near to fitting in.
Recently I saw one and I think that seeing as people like them, and now Brush traction are refurbishing them, they have a while left.
It was only yesterday that i found out that they were still going.
It is stated on their website that they are willing to build new locos if orders are given. This is most likely on of the las remaining big scale works left along with Hunslet.

Brush Traction?

I think their main source of income now is refurbs. I think their last major loco order was the Class 60, not including stuff like the Class 57 project.

They're still there though at their origonal works in loughborough, which is nice IMO. Its just a shame they don't build new locos.

HST 125's are and always will be superb machines - look good, lovely sound, comfortable in a very dignified way with a solid feel. A real milestone in the evolution of railways in Britain.

Late last year I had the pleasure of a superb trip from Edinburgh to Leeds in a recently refurbished set which contrasted sharply with the return trip in the awful Voyager.

Steam is wonderful but from a practical point of view and to travel swiftly and in comfort, things have moved on significantly. However have we seen significant progress since the HST's - I'm not so sure.

Mike

Brush Traction ARE still in good shape, Refurbs are the main source of income and are being done for several firms, The Eurotunnel Loco fleet is steadily being upgraded, HST Power Cars are being re-engined, the odd class 57 comes in for repairs, several class 92s are being returned to working order after a long period of storage at Crewe, various of the Direct Rail Services fleet (Not class 66s) have been in for repairs. A mixed bag, but it keeps the place going.
Cheers, 62440. (A Loughborough Lad)

Couldn't agree more Mike.
I think the HST's and possibly the Class91/Mk4 sets will probably turn out to be the last quality trains built in this country.
Other than the NMT I don't see many HST's nowadays but I still get a buzz waiting for that second loco to go screaming past. Two for the price of one.:)

The fact that they are still going strong proves that they are really top class. It's essential that one at least should be preserved to demonstrate that we were still able to produce real quality in the last quarter of the 20th century and that comfort for the passenger was then paramount.

Ideally of course it would have been preferable to preserve one in original form before some of the recent refurbishments crammed in too many passengers and messed about the seat alignment with windows.

I am sure that there is a rake or two of Mk3 coaches in origonal condition?

It might be easier to preserve two HST locomotives and do some minor modifications to one of these to make a new, almost origonal condition set.

I suppose they could be restored could they not?
That is what preservation is all about, as well as keeping them in current condition.
Somehow I dont think that all modernisations are for the better.

http://www.125group.org.uk/ For all things HST including preservation

The buffer fitted fleet of Grand Central power cars are likely to be the nearest thing to an original power car as they still have Paxman engines and Marston Cooler groups, but most of their coaches are modified loco hauled vehicles, and you can tell them from HST coaches. Having said that they still have the Inter City sector seats in them. The Network Rail power cars are expected to have MTU engines fitted. They still have Paxman engines but have Brush cooler groups.

HST Demise
 

I remember seeing the first HST sets when under construction at a works open day in 1976, Derby I think. At that time they were seen as the first racehorses of the BR fleet since the Deltics. Of course they were faster and more streamlined than the Deltics, but not as aesthetically brutish as the shape of the 55s.
As for preservation, well this is a possibility, who would have thought that a Metro-Vick Co-Bo, or should that be BO-CO, would have survived in preservation. Maybe even a HST may find it's way to Sodor, who knows.