It’s 2024 and a new year heralds in a whole new set of railway adventures. I’m kicking the year off with something a bit special. Over at the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire, the 1 year anniversary of the High Speed Train (HST) acquisition of the 125 preservation group is taking place. The Class 43 HST 125s are named so as they typically operate at speeds of 125mph on the mainline, although a record was set in 2021 of 148.5mph making these the fastest diesel trains in the world at the time. Train operating companies have slowly been retiring these from mainline services over the past couple of years, leaving just ScotRail and GWR operating a small fleet but these are expected to be phased out in the next couple of years.
The 125 preservation group intend to preserve, restore and promote the memory of the HSTs. Non-stop services along with stopping services were on offer today running from Yarwell to Peterborough. Only in preservation however could you see 2 EMR power cars, a GWR 1st class / buffet coach and 2 LNER standard class coaches all combined together in a single train. Truly a day for the train nerds, so I hope you enjoy the pictures below as I certainly enjoyed the day.
The main attraction today is the HST however the Nene Valley Railway is a hub of activity today. Danish 656 is in the final phase of its overhaul and is being steamed up and tested in the yard today in preparation for services later in the month.
The journey gets underway, passing through Orton Mere and Overton. Getting off the train at Overton, you can see just how many projects are on the go at the railway. From the Royal Mail night train project, to the Italian Voiture restaurant and sleeper car restoration, there’s a lot to take in.
We continue on down the line to our final stop which is Peterborough.
Woodstone Wharf signal box has seen better days but notice how the semaphore signal is…missing. You may also spot something else behind the station totem sign below….a spoiler for another blog entry to follow.
