2014

SU2263 : 'Down' First Great Western High Speed Train, north of Ram Alley, Wiltshire

taken 10 years ago, near to Stibb Green, Wiltshire, England

'Down' First Great Western High Speed Train, north of Ram Alley, Wiltshire
'Down' First Great Western High Speed Train, north of Ram Alley, Wiltshire
The FGW HST125 is on the down line heading towards its destination in the south-west, possibly somewhere like Exeter.
HST (High Speed Train) 125 trains

Written by Brian Robert Marshall

The HST 125 Inter-City trains had their genesis in the 1960s and, following trials, they came into service in 1976. They are diesel-electric and benefit from a high power-to-weight ratio meaning they can accelerate rapidly to their designed top speed of 125 mph (201 kph). They have been designed to be omni-directional so they don't need to be turned round at the end of each journey. There are driver's cabs and sets of red and white lights at each end. Replacements are on the horizon after almost 40 years and millions of miles but the timescale is uncertain not least because, on 26 February 2010, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced that an assessment of the multi-billion pound, 30-year procurement plan had been ordered. If the review is ultimately favourable, the likely replacement will be the Japanese Hitachi Super Express. Following withdrawal of the Class 180 'Adelante' after a brief period HST 125s will continue to be a regular feature on the railways for some time to come.
Update March 2015: see LinkExternal link
update July 2018: the Hitachi Class 802 train sets are now in service, for the moment alongside the HST 125. Because the electrication programme has been truncated so that some lines due to be electrified now won't be for the foreseeable future these Hitachis will be 'bi-mode'. More here LinkExternal link
Update May 2019: no more HST 125s in the West Country LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Brian Robert Marshall and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Village, Rural settlement Railways Primary Subject: Railway other tags: HST125 Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Ram Alley [10] · Line [5] · South-west [3] · Train [3] ·
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SU2263, 59 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Brian Robert Marshall   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 8 September, 2014   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 12 September, 2014
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 221 634 [100m precision]
WGS84: 51:22.1810N 1:41.0263W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 216 634
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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