The HST 125 refuses to die

Just look what first have done to their 30 year old HSTs after a failed experiment trying to replace them.

http://www.firsthstshowcase.co.uk/gallery.php

 

Looks good assuming the things are not crammed to the gunnels.

 

Quite a few of my former work buddies work as sub contactors at various Aircraft Maintenance facilities, all over europe. Many of them are switching over from planes to trains these days. A lot of the interiors and systems that are fitted to modern passenger trains are very similar, if not direct taken from Aircraft design. looking at it the inside of the Train in your link could easily be the interior of a modern wide body passenger jet. The money isn't too bad either and i don't think that the certification and legislation is quite as strict either ( could well be wrong here though...).

 

The class 390 Pendolino's are lovely trains they are quiet, comfortable and roomy, they are also extremely quick. The intorior of them is very similiar to an aircraft. The onboard entertainment, the seats, and even the ceiling.

The problem with the trains at the moment is HST class 38? and the class 90's are well proven. Both are being reburbished but how long will the HST 125 last? I can't see them getting another 10 years life, but then its not uncommon for trains to be in service for 40 years.

I know that modern train coaches need a lot of crash testing and there is added complications in the fact that the coaches also contain the engines in modern trains rather than having an engine at the front and back.

 

I have one thing to say about IC125s versus anything more modern - look what happens when you put one head to head with a more modern design, a'la Paddington 1999, when a Thames Tinfoil came off, erm, just a little bit worse...

I know which train I'd prefer to be on in a crash, and it's not a Toyager, Penisdildo or any of those useless local service trains. As for the Adalante fleet that First have, never fear there, as they always seem to be cancelled.

As far as I can tell, if they re-engine the locos and keep a watching brief on the metal fatigue on the coaches, I can see no reason why HSTs can't keep rolling for another decade; the only real bummer about them is they're grossly underpowered - maybe they should use those EWS freight locos on them instead

 

As far as I am aware the Adalante fleet have been recalled due to major reliability problems, this one of the reasons why they are upgrading the HSTs becuase it might be a while before they go into full service.

The other problems witht he HST is the lack of tilt, which is a problem up here with all the bends and hills on the line. When I had to go up to cockermouth a few weeks ago by train it took 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to Preston (45 miles away) on an old local train, it then took 45 minutes to get from Preston to Penrith (70 miles away) that was on a Pendolino

 

Ah - but aren't most of the HSTs that used to run on the "trickier" lines now replaced by tilting trains anyway? Certainly, I only ever seem to see HSTs on the Southern franchises - do they still go up into Scotland, etc, or is that now all Vermin stock?

Those Adalantes have been trouble since day 1!

 

I haven't seen an HST 125 for a couple of years now, I have seen a few class 90s running up North though. British Midland used to run a Manchester to Euston via Nottingham service on an HST 125 but they could not compete with the Virgin west coast service.