The Class 43 HST, the InterCity 125

I would be lying if I said I had no interest in this class of locomotive; honestly, it was the InterCity 125 that first sparked my interest in railways, along with the Class 47s at King's Lynn during the days before electrification along the Fenline.

Many years ago, in the 80s (yes, I am showing my age), while on holiday, my dad took me to watch trains at Bristol and Bath Spa. But we were there specifically to see the Class 43 HST.

While on the platform at Bristol, one of the train drivers kindly allowed us both into the cab and let me sit in the driver's seat. Imagine that today! Honestly, that was it—the geek inside me was unleashed, and I became a dedicated railway fan. I must have been around 8 to 10 years old. Sitting in the driver's seat is a memory I still cherish some 40 years later.

Another memory is hearing the Class 43, which, at the time, featured the Paxman Valenta V12 78.96-litre, 2,280-horsepower engines, that scream as it departs.

Anyone from that era will remember the noise.

A bit of history— the Class 43 HST was built from 1975 to 1982 with parts designed by Sir Kenneth Henry Grange at Derby under British Rail Engineering Limited, and assembled in Crewe. It has been in service in the UK since 1976 and still holds the world’s diesel speed record today.

The HST ran on the East Coast Mainline as well as on mainline services across the UK at a maximum operating speed of 125mph. Over time, class 43 locomotives have been withdrawn from service; many units have been scrapped or stored, though a few companies still use these iconic locomotives.

The last operators of these locos include Scotrail and Great Western Railway, as well as Network Rail, with their nickname 'Flying Banana', for track testing.

Great Western Railway has recently stopped using the Class 43.

Some units have been preserved, while others have been cannibalised for parts. A few ended up in storage at Ely and the Mid Norfolk Railway, with some preserved by heritage railways.

So, here we are, over 40 years later, still loving this iconic British locomotive. And let’s be honest—any one of these units shown on this page could have had a young lad from Norfolk, heading west, sitting perhaps in the seat of one of these legendary locomotives seen below in the 1980s.