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Description
Photo from my recent trip to London.

Two HST power cars (BR class 43) idling away at St Pancras International, filling the air with their slow paced grumble (and their smoke).

This was taken just after I met up with *CJSutcliffe and ~klambert94 , as we did some mainline-trainspotting before heading off to the Underground. The two 43s we see here are painted in the livery of East Midlands Trains (EMT) who own and operate 24 of them.

I think most of you know how famous these trains became, with a story similar to that of the DB class 103. Passenger numbers were declining, with BR looking for ways to combat car and plane travel, eventually commissioning a dedicated high speed train in the 1970s. Branded as Inter-City 125 due to their 125mph top speed, they were the fastest diesel-powered trains in the world at that time, and for many years to come. The service was an instant hit, having caught the imagination of the travelling public, thus enabling BR to win back some market share from other means of transport. During the time when Maggie Thatcher was all about closing down every government-run business, it was these trains that came to the rescue of the British railway network. Many less profitable rural lines were threatened by closure following the infamous "Beeching Axe" of the 1960s, but cross-subsidisation enabled BR to keep them open for the public to use. And even though BR ceased to exist more than a decade ago, the HST still lives on, being used by a number of different operators. They are scheduled to be replaced within a decade or so, but re-engining and refurbishment programmes will ensure that they won't miss a beat until then.

Here's some promotional and contemporary footage from the early years, as well as a brilliant ad.

Description
Photo from my recent trip to London.

Two HST power cars (BR class 43) idling away at St Pancras International, filling the air with their slow paced grumble (and their smoke).

This was taken just after I met up with *CJSutcliffe and ~klambert94 , as we did some mainline-trainspotting before heading off to the Underground. The two 43s we see here are painted in the livery of East Midlands Trains (EMT) who own and operate 24 of them.

I think most of you know how famous these trains became, with a story similar to that of the DB class 103. Passenger numbers were declining, with BR looking for ways to combat car and plane travel, eventually commissioning a dedicated high speed train in the 1970s. Branded as Inter-City 125 due to their 125mph top speed, they were the fastest diesel-powered trains in the world at that time, and for many years to come. The service was an instant hit, having caught the imagination of the travelling public, thus enabling BR to win back some market share from other means of transport. During the time when Maggie Thatcher was all about closing down every government-run business, it was these trains that came to the rescue of the British railway network. Many less profitable rural lines were threatened by closure following the infamous "Beeching Axe" of the 1960s, but cross-subsidisation enabled BR to keep them open for the public to use. And even though BR ceased to exist more than a decade ago, the HST still lives on, being used by a number of different operators. They are scheduled to be replaced within a decade or so, but re-engining and refurbishment programmes will ensure that they won't miss a beat until then.

Here's some promotional and contemporary footage from the early years, as well as a brilliant ad.