Class 43 TOPS Numbers

[150sprinter]

Hi all,
just curious to know, if the front HST power car is (for example) 43111, would that mean that the rear power car would be 43111, or do all the power cars have individual numbers?

Thanks,
150 Sprinter.

 

[Hydro]

They're individually numbered like locomotives are, the sets originally had an entire set number (class 253 or 254 depending on region) but this wasn't good for maintenance records as power cars could come off the set individually.

 

[150sprinter]

Thank you very much Hydro.

 

[NIMBUS]

They're individually numbered like locomotives are, the sets originally had an entire set number (class 253 or 254 depending on region) but this wasn't good for maintenance records as power cars could come off the set individually.

For several years the Western used to keep its pairs of power cars together (i.e. both power cars of 253 027 on the same rake of stock), whilst the Eastern and Scottish Regions never made any attempt to do so from the outset. Consequently, the set numbers on the nose ends of the ER and ScR power cars were quickly replaced by the power car numbers. By the mid-1980s the WR had realised the futility of trying to keep pairs of power cars together and, since then, all power cars have been independently allocated.

 

[rail-britain]

the Eastern and Scottish Regions never made any attempt to do so from the outset. Consequently, the set numbers on the nose ends of the ER and ScR power cars were quickly replaced by the power car numbers

They did try, but due to the complexity of the diagrams it was almost impossible
As an example a failed power car removed at Edinburgh, but the set would not be back in Edinburgh for several days, and the same issue occured with Bounds Green, Heaton and Neville Hill
In most cases one of the power cars was carrying the correct set number so it was best to compare both rather than relying on just one

InterCity decided to do away with this across all regions, initially the set numbers were removed but then staff had problems quickly identifying the power cars and so the numbers appeared on the nose below the windscreen
I remember there were reports of a power car fault of an incoming set into Aberdeen (one of the locations which did not have a spare HST power car)
The staff stood at the north end and quickly noticed the number did not match, so went to the south end
However, that power car number didn't match either
After several phone calls it transpired the HST was actually on its way to Inverness and someone thought the staff from Clayhills could easily make their way to Inverness to carry out the necessary repair...
The following day that HST failed at Pitlochry, the power car ended up being swapped at Edinburgh

 

[NIMBUS]

The following day that HST failed at Pitlochry, the power car ended up being swapped at Edinburgh

And sometimes a trailing power car was not replaced. On several occasions on the ECML I saw a DMB+TS+TS+TS+TS+TRUB+TF+TF+BG formation - the first time it happened I thought that I was hallucinating, seeing a blue-and-grey BG at the back of the train! That practise seems to have stopped around 1984, though.

 

[rail-britain]

And sometimes a trailing power car was not replaced. On several occasions on the ECML I saw a DMB+TS+TS+TS+TS+TRUB+TF+TF+BG formation - the first time it happened I thought that I was hallucinating, seeing a blue-and-grey BG at the back of the train! That practise seems to have stopped around 1984, though.

Agreed, never saw that practice when I was interested in the railways (about 1984 onwards)

However, I do remember being rostered on an Edinburgh relief shift and being rostered on to the Inverness - Kings Cross (heavily late) to then travel back passenger
I was expecting to see a power car replacement, but found out the spare had already been used
The HST arrived with a Class 37/4 on the front, which was then removed
Staff from Craigentinny spent about 20 minutes inside the rear power car, but were unable to restart it
The Class 37/4 was then attached to the rear and pulled the failed power car off, the only time I ever worked a HST with just one power car, quite a strange experience being at the rear and completely quiet
We then had a further delay, which I found out was them putting the Class 37/4 infront of us, rather than sending back to Edinburgh to couple up again, and we then followed it down the ECML and passed it at Heaton
As we arrived at Newcastle there was a spare power car sitting at the north end of the station, the only time I ever saw a swap at this location
By this time the train was near on 3 hours late