East Midlands Railway, which operates through Grantham, is the latest operator to retire its fleet of High speed trains – better known to millions as the InterCity 125.
Some workers at the company’s depot have spent most of their careers repairing, improving and tending to the engines, helping them to become a workhorse of the tracks since they came into service in 1976. But now it is time to say goodbye to an icon of Britain’s travel network.
High speed trains (HST) were the future of British Rail in the 1970s, with advertisements promising unheard of speeds and shorter journey times.
The diesel locomotive was only intended as a stopgap before electrification, especially on the ECML but has linked Britain’s cities for more than four decades.
In the last 10 years, most rail companies have replaced them with newer models, and East Midlands Railway (EMR) is the latest to follow suit.
The company’s HSTs are serviced and maintained at the Neville Hill depot in Leeds, where staff say they will be sorry to see the trains go.
- A diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail between 1975 and 1982
- It could run at speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h) hence its 125 name
- The distinctive wedge-shaped nose cone was designed by Sir Kenneth Grange
- Holds the world record for the fastest diesel-powered train carrying passengers reaching a speed of 148 mph (238 km/h) in November 1987
- On the East Coast Mainline it cut the journey time between London and Edinburgh by an hour
- InterCity rail travel was heavily promoted with TV and print adverts in the 1980s – including the famous “This is the age of the train” adverts.
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