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Locomotives - Prototype High Speed train
Prototype World Beater
The High Speed Train is one of British Rail’s greatest success stories - a truly revolutionary vehicle that saved the Inter-City network. The design changed conventional railway thinking and caused disputes with the rail unions. The HST was the super train we could afford to travel on.
In the 1970s the motorway network was expanding and domestic air services were increasing in number. British Rail’s fledgling Inter-City network needed to speed up if it was going to compete. Without vast amounts of new investment in electrification, something the Conservative Government would not allow, British Rail seemed stuck.
In response, British Rail’s engineers at Derby made a vital leap and created a whole train, with power cars at each end. This dedicated unit was a lightweight power pack, geared to rapid acceleration and a cruising speed of 125 mph (201 kmh).
But it’s not a locomotive?
The idea that locomotives must be able to do more than one job had been central to railway thinking for over a century. The High Speed Train turned this convention on its head. Its whole design philosophy was dedicated to one job - high-speed passenger inter-city travel.
By designing the power cars into a whole train, British Rail’s engineers could save weight in the materials used and create a useful luggage area. New carriages that made use of the Advanced Passenger Train’s suspension system gave a smooth ride and allowed more space for passengers.
The HST cab was designed for one driver operation. The rail unions would not accept the loss of the second man’s role and forced a redesign of the cab. British Rail accepted this, rather than become involved in a damaging dispute at such a critical time.
Shrinking the Nation
In 1976 the first High Speed Trains went into service between London and Bristol. British Rail then gradually introduced these ‘journey shrinkers’ across the Inter-City network. In service, the HST proved a winner that British Rail Engineering could sell around the world.
For passengers, the HST meant frequent, fast and more comfortable trains, without paying higher fares. The HST put London only three hours from Newcastle, Bristol within two hours of London, and a long distance commuter market developed. House prices on HST routes reflected this new trend of Inter-City commuting.
British Rail reaped a rich reward from the HST. Despite Treasury restrictions, Inter-City were able to move into profit as High Speed Trains became the traveller’s choice. The Inter-City network was soon the most comprehensive 100 mph (160 kmh) train service in the world and British Rail began to win the public relations battle.
Vital Statistics
The success of the High Speed Train prototype ended the practice of using single locomotives to pull passenger trains. The HST pioneered single driver operation and showed that a modern high-speed rail service could be delivered without electrification. In service, most HST trains have covered enough miles to travel to the moon and back twelve times - not bad for a stop-gap solution.
- Object: Prototype Diesel Electric High Speed Train Power Car
- Built: 1972
- Builder: British Rail Engineering, Derby
- Cost: £800,000
- Function: High Speed Passenger Services
- Propulsion: Supercharged V-12 Paxman-Valenta four-stroke diesel engine driving two sets of electric traction motors
- Weight in running order: 68 tons (69 tonnes)
- Length: 55 feet 8 inches (17.0 metres)
- Width: 9 feet (2.7 metres)
- Height: 12 feet 10 inches (3.9 metres)
- Max Service Speed: 125 mph (201 kmh)
- Max Speed: 143 mph (230 kmh)
- Withdrawn from service: 1985
Locomotive inventory number 1988-7000
Photograph reference number NRM_CT_936526