XC Cl 43 naming?

[Dampfmann]

Earlier today I saw 1V50 0606 Edinburgh to Plymouth passing through Wakefield. 43184 in IC livery leading. The rear power car which I could not identify at the time was in XC livery and carrying a nameplate in the centre of the bodyside. RTT suggests this was 43366. I can find no info on this. Can anyone assist?

 

[Nova1]

I believe this is named "HST 40" to celebrate 40 years of HST on the CrossCountry network.

 

[Dampfmann]

Thank you. I note that there is a video clip on YouTube of the ceremony being held at Kidderminster Station on the Severn Valley Railway.

 

[43096]

Earlier today I saw 1V50 0606 Edinburgh to Plymouth passing through Wakefield. 43184 in IC livery leading. The rear power car which I could not identify at the time was in XC livery and carrying a nameplate in the centre of the bodyside. RTT suggests this was 43366. I can find no info on this. Can anyone assist?

43366 was named on Tuesday at Kidderminster.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I believe this is named "HST 40" to celebrate 40 years of HST on the CrossCountry network.

Certainly is !

 

[Carlisle]

I believe this is named "HST 40" to celebrate 40 years of HST on the CrossCountry network.

Does that account for the 10 year gap when the Cross Country network dispensed with HSTs ?

 

[43096]

Does that account for the 10 year gap when the Cross Country network dispensed with HSTs ?

They never really stopped using them - there were plenty of hire-ins of other operators during that period.

 

[Darandio]

Does that account for the 10 year gap when the Cross Country network dispensed with HSTs ?

The gap was just over 5 years from Virgin dispensing with them to Arriva bringing them back. Some form of HST was used every year on hire during that period so technically there was never a gap.

 

[Carlisle]

The gap was just over 5 years from Virgin dispensing with them to Arriva bringing them back.

Yes your right, Challanger’s disappeared late 2003 & HSTs must’ve returned 2008/9 ish, it seemed longer

 

[43096]

Yes your right, Challanger’s disappeared late 2003 & HSTs must’ve returned 2008/9 ish, it seemed longer

September 2003 was the end of the “Pioneer” HST fleet with VXC: the Challenger sets had gone to MML (for Project Rio) in May 2003. The Arriva XC operation commenced in November 2007 and started HST operation almost straight away. The intervening years all has regular HST operation on XC services, particularly on Summer Saturdays (using sets hired variously from GNER, MML and Porterbrook), so there never really was a gap.

 

[Western Sunset]

Crikey; 40 years ago. I remember watching the first NE/SW HST arriving at Derby. The "Radio Derby" radio car was on platform 1 with the presenter doing a piece about the event. I imagine similar scenes occurred at other stations along the route of the train.