HST BACK on the East Coast Mainline! 24/8/24

Retro High Speed Scot
Saturday 24th August 2024

It’s only a few years since you could hurtle up the East Coast Mainline on a HST in the comfort of a Mk3 but this tour brought back that luxury for a day courtesy of the 125Group.


Power unit 43089 (East Mids livery), 43159 (Midland Mainline (late) livery), 2 First Open MK3s, 1 buffet car and 5 x STD class Mk3s. I used to use Midland Mainline HSTs 20 years ago when living in Loughborough both to London and upto Manchester during Project Rio so seeing the retro paint job again on 43159 was a real treat.


Boarding at Crewe and stations in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, before travelling over the Pennines to Huddersfield and Wakefield. The train then cruised along the East Coast Mainline towards Edinburgh Waverley. Once the stomping ground of the legendary Intercity 125 train, these British Rail icons have been consigned to the history books on mainline services, so this is a very rare opportunity to sample one at high speed.

The Retro High Speed Scot arrived into the Scottish capital at around midday, giving ample time to sample the sights and sounds of Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Festival and Fringe was in full swing so streets were bustling with live performances. The train then departed back towards Yorkshire and Cheshire stations in the late afternoon, giving just over four hours to explore Edinburgh.

A tour we very much enjoyed, thanks to the 125group, Retro Railtours and Hanson & Hall for putting on this fabulous day out!


Hope you enjoy the video and thanks for taking the time to watch! Don’t forget to Like and also Subscribe for more like this!

All filmed on iPhone 12 mini.

This video is sponsored by 4Kam Train Cameras. Get a 10% discount on a camera for your model railway by using discount code RAILWAYTAVERN at checkout! Visit https://www.4kam.com/mini_wireless_video_camera.htm

#intercity125 #hst #class43 #railways