Well according to Rail magazine, GTR will be retiring all their BREL 365s in the May timetable.
I have happy memories of bouncing over the Fens at 90 mph in these units. 10 years before that I'd been trained on 465s (the dc version), which were frightful and I'd expected these to be the same, but they turned out be a very different beast from the 'slugs'. Thank goodness.
Good motors, reasonable brakes, and extremely reliable (I've only ever had one die on me, which is way better than any of the other types
). They were the last generation of trains to be built without all the computerised systems which make modern ones so unsatisfying to drive.
The reason given for their withdrawl is lack of SDO (Selective Door Opening) which allows 8 car trains to call at 4 car stations like Littleport. They also cite lack of air conditioning, which is a DfT requirement for new stock.
Anyhoo I'm pleased to read that they will be kept in 'warm' (ie, powered up) storage at Crewe EMD, and there's a vague plan to run High Speed Logistics trains on the ECML.
I hope they get the chance to live a bit longer. 100% UK designed and built - they're so much better than some of the more modern units crawling around out there.
Cheers, John