The British Rail Class 43 ‘High Speed Train’ is really just the nerdy name for one of the greatest trains ever to have roamed Britain’s railways; the HST. It doesn’t matter how often you travel by train, how little you care about trains, but I can almost guarantee that every single one of you has travelled on one at some point since their introduction in 1976. They are the world record holder for fastest diesel locomotive in the world. They revolutionised British Rail, and they are a favourite amongst the occasional train traveller all the way up to the most obsessed about trains. All seems very happy doesn’t it?
Well, Sunday 15th December 2019 was a sad day. The final day of the High Speed Train operating on the East Coast Mainline between Edinburgh and London. After having spent the previous day in Glasgow going on the last ever service of Scotrail’s Class 314 train, spending the night in Glasgow and riding the first Glasgow bound train from the new Robroyston station which opened that morning, I found myself at Inverkeithing waiting for the 12pm train to London. This was to be the last ever LNER HST I would travel on, and in fact the last ever
Aberdeen to London train worked by such an icon of British transport. Usually I would only be doing a quick 20-minute hop to Edinburgh, however on this particular day I was making the most of the opportunity and travelling down to Berwick-Upon-Tweed. After a few minutes of waiting, I could hear the distinctive rumble of an MTU engine and saw a flash of the red and white livery rounding the curve. 43316 and 43238 rolled in. This was a sight and sound I can remember seeing over 10 years ago. This is the final time I would see this. The train stopped, I opened the traditional slam door. The journey to Edinburgh was a final opportunity to window hang over the famous Forth Rail Bridge in this way. The cold December air was not going to deter me. As with anything, time flies when you are having fun and soon enough the train pulled into Edinburgh Waverley. There were a large number of enthusiasts dotted up and down Platform 2, and a number of LNER staff were there not only to dispatch the train, but to say a final goodbye too. I had a quick moment to jump off, take a photo of the front of the train (my last ever opportunity for such a shot) before re-boarding the train for a run down to the English border town. As we departed Edinburgh, I heard the driver blast the horn in a farewell fashion to all the enthusiasts at the end of the platform. We soon picked up speed, something these fine locomotives love to do, and I was at the window waving to the various photographers at stations along the route. As I got to Dunbar, the final Northbound HST service to Edinburgh passed me. This would go on to form the 14:00 from Edinburgh to London, the final LNER HST departure from Scotland. I took a seat on the comfortable Mk3 carriage as we turned inland and began the climb up towards Grantshouse. The slower speed, winding track and wooded valley setting appear quite similar to stretches of the Highland Mainline, a route I’ve sadly never had the opportunity to travel on. After speeding through Reston, I went back to the window to take in the fresh North Sea air. This stretch of line just north of the England-Scotland border is a favourite among drivers and enthusiasts alike. As beautiful as the scenery was, it was a clear indication of just how close to the end of this journey I was. Sure enough, 5 minutes later we pulled into Berwick-Upon-Tweed. The train stopped, I reached out of the window, and pushed down the handle to open the door. I closed it behind me, listening to the classic ‘slam’ sound for one very last time. After making my way to the front of the platform, I watched the train depart, thrashing over the iconic Border Bridge. All of a sudden, the loud noise died down and the whole place became eerily quiet. It was a strange silence. I now had a 3.5 hour wait before my train home, but
only 90 minutes to be back at the station to see the final ever Southbound LNER HST from Edinburgh. I took a walk down to the river via a path through the trees and the atmosphere made it really hit home that this was well and truly the end of an era. It was a strange feeling. The time passed quickly, and I was soon back at the station. I waited and waited and soon enough in the distance I heard the familiar grumble. Camera at the ready. The train zoomed through, with some of my mates on board at the windows waving. The back of the train passed and disappeared over the bridge and into the sunset. Once again it was strangely
quiet. I would be lying to say I couldn’t feel tears welling up in the corner of eyes. That was it. All over in an instant. Never to be seen again. Later on that night, the two sets I’d seen left London Kings Cross on their very, very last journeys to Harrogate and Leeds. I wasn’t the only one feeling so sad and devastated at such a loss.
Thankfully, even though it may be the end of LNER HSTs, others still remain in use elsewhere in the country, including Scotrail. There are other operators too, so at least I will still be able to hopefully enjoy the HSTs for many years to come.
I will stress that it is not the absolute end of the HSTs because as mentioned they are still serving elsewhere for the foreseeable future, and I’ sure a significant number will be preserved. However, the events on Sunday 15th December 2019 well and truly mark the beginning of the end of an era. Regardless of how into trains you are, join me in celebrating a triumph of British engineering beauty and hail the HSTs.
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