Meet HST designer Sir Kenneth Grange on-board The Somerset Explorer

Sir Kenneth Grange with his namesake GWR High Speed Train power car 43002 ©125 Group

125 Group is delighted to announce that our Honorary President Sir Kenneth Grange, distinguished industrial designer of the High Speed Train nosecone and Inter-City 125 original livery, will be VIP guest on-board ‘The Somerset Explorer’ Great Western Railway charity railtour on Saturday 13th May, raising funds for Weston-super-Mare Hospice.

In addition to the HST, Sir Kenneth also designed many everyday items including the Kenwood food mixer, Kodak instamatic camera, Wilkinson razor and London taxi, and was recently interviewed on BBC ‘Desert Island Discs’. Sir Kenneth will be available for photographs at Paddington before the railtour departs, and will travel on-board the outward journey, walking through the train meeting passengers, pleased to give autographs and selfies in return for a donation to charity. This is a rare opportunity to meet the man behind the look of the iconic Inter-City 125.

Celebrity power cars 43002 ‘Sir Kenneth Grange’ (Inter-City 125 original livery) and 43185 ‘Great Western’ (INTERCITY Swallow livery) with green GWR coaches are planned to work the train (subject to operating conditions on the day). A full buffet service will be available plus the on-board 125 Group Sales Stand.

*** UPDATE  –  ALTERATION TO RAILTOUR TRAINPLAN ***

Due to operational reasons, the High Speed Train can no longer run all the way to Minehead as originally planned, this has resulted in a change to some of the itinerary. The railtour will still run from London Paddington depart 08.36/arrive 18.57, Ealing Broadway 08.44/18.46, Reading 09.14/18.19 and Didcot 09.34/18.02, these times are unchanged.

The special will continue onto the scenic West Somerset Railway and will now terminate at Bishops Lydeard. Passengers have the option of joining a special connecting service to Minehead and back hauled by Diesel Hydraulic class 52 locomotive D1010 Western Campaigner, arriving back into Bishops Lydeard to connect into the return HST. Alternatively, passengers may remain on the HST for an extra return trip from Bishops Lydeard to Taunton and back, tickets will be valid. Other off-train, bus tour options are available. GWR apologise for the late notice change of plan.

Full Details and Tickets still available – See GWR Eventbrite Website HERE

Questions about Existing or New Bookings – Contact the Organiser HERE

Special Offer for 125 Group Members plus one accompanying person, £25.50 discount off the adult standard class fare giving a price of £41.00. Enter the promotional code of HST_Group_41 when booking. Note: This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, is valid for the HST all day option only, and a current 125 Group membership card must be presented on-board to validate this special offer.

Marvellous Mid-Norfolk!

The Prototype HST Power Car and 125 Group’s matching Mk3 coaches have completed a marvellous weekend of passenger running at the Mid-Norfolk Spring Diesel Gala. There were many highlights, including photo-shoot run pasts at the picturesque private station of Hardingham, working with the MNR’s resident Mk3 and Mk2 coaches with electric train supply from 41001, a trip to the current northern end of the route at Hoe and the unforgettable Saturday evening run on which 41001 hauled a combined load of six Mk2 coaches and three class 50 locomotives, working the classic Valenta power car harder than ever!

41001 Dereham MNR (c)125 Group

Thankyou to all who came along and bought tickets to travel over this wonderful weekend, we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did. The 125 Group team would like to offer special thanks to everyone at the Mid-Norfolk Railway for their excellent organisation and very warm welcome, it has been an absolute pleasure operating the Prototype HST with you on your splendid railway.

41001 and the Mk3s are today (Monday 4th April) leaving the MNR on the next leg of their Spring tour, bound for Leicester then onto the Nene Valley Railway. The HST departed from Dereham at 0615 as part of a convoy hauled by top’n’tail class 50 locomotives, running as 5Z50 via Wymondham (0722-0726), Ely North Curve, March (08/44), Peterborough (09/04), Oakham (09/36), Leicester (1028). The full schedule for the movement can be found courtesy of Realtime Trains here: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K96040/2016/04/04/advanced  These are the planned timings, routing and traction, all of which can change at short notice on the day subject to operational constraints, and the train may run early or late.