ScotRail's plans for their HSTs.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Or donated to the National Railway Museum.

[grahame]

I doubt it too. However it would be nice if the nameplates found their way to the families if, of course, they would like them.

Agree, or if the families don't want the nameplates, perhaps they could be auctioned and the proceeds given to the families ?

Rumour (uncorroborated source):

I was told all names are coming off when they go to off lease, with the exception of Driver Stan Martin and Driver Brian Cooper who's names will be transferred to powercars that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are keeping.

[John R]

That's really good news if true.

[bobm]

That list of power car names reminded me of an incident at Reading a few years back.

43179 Pride of Laira had developed a fault and a fitter was summoned from Old Oak Common to coax some life back into it.  As he clambered down from the power car, covered in grease and grime after tinkering in the engine room, he muttered to me "If that's Laira's best, I don't think much of it!" 

[Rhydgaled]

43179 Pride of Laira had developed a fault and a fitter was summoned from Old Oak Common to coax some life back into it.  As he clambered down from the power car, covered in grease and grime after tinkering in the engine room, he muttered to me "If that's Laira's best, I don't think much of it!" 

I found a list somewhere of First Great Western power car depot allocations. Not sure if it is correct, but if it is then 43179 is not really "Laira's best"; far from it, since my list shows it is allocated to Old Oak Common. Again, that might be incorrect information, so can anyone confirm?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Try this list, from the 125 Group. 

[Rhydgaled]

Try this list, from the 125 Group. 

Ah, that might be where I got my list from. Look at the 'depot' column for the so-called "Pride Of Laira"; it says "OO^▸ ((Double O) - model railway, 4mm to 1 foot scale)" for Old Oak Common.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I did, and it does. 

[JayMac]

My personal favourite power car, for no reason other than the name it carried for the last decade or so, left the West Country yesterday, 1st May 2018, for the last time. A brief stop at St Phillips Marsh, Bristol before onward to Scotland.

Farewell 43003 Isambard Kingdom Brunel. 



A few of my' spots' of IKB^▸ (Isambard Kingdom Brunel):

[old original]

Aah, that'll be the new 6+2 Fortress class,  for slightly longer journeys!!

[grahame]

From The Scotsman

Age of the train delayed by wrong kind of carpet

The swansong in Scotland of what experts have hailed as one of Britain’s best ever train fleets has been hit by delays while refurbishing the 40-year-old carriages. A union fears it will mean passengers on overcrowded inter-city ScotRail routes having to wait until the end of the year for trains which were originally due to have been introduced in March.

Problems are believed to include the fitting of the wrong carpets, which have had to be ripped out. News of the further delay to the former InterCity High Speed Trains (HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))) comes days before ScotRail plans to start running the first of its brand new electric trains – ten months late. The veteran expresses, designed by Sir Kenneth Grange, hold the diesel speed record of 148mph set in 1987. They are being phased out from the Great Western and East Coast main lines where they started operating in 1976.

[snip]

[TaplowGreen]

When it comes to the railways, they just never, ever get it right do they?

Still I suppose we've had the wrong sort of leaves/sunshine/rain/snow...…….why not the wrong sort of carpets too? 

[PhilWakely]

I notice that Scotrail have hired out a couple of their newly-acquired HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power cars to LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about). 

[Timmer]

I notice that Scotrail have hired out a couple of their newly-acquired HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power cars to LNER^» (London North Eastern Railway - about). 

Might as well as they can’t use them.

[JayMac]

The first ScotRail HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) in passenger service is scheduled to be the 0907 from Aberdeen to Edinburgh on Monday 15th October 2018.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-45800463