43044

43044 Named Edward Paxman

43044 Edward Paxman Nameplates image

125 Group is very proud to announce that we have named power car 43044, Edward Paxman after the founder of the Paxman company. Our Vice President Gary Heelas hosted the short naming ceremony at NHR Ruddington on Sunday 21st August as part of the Meet the Fleet event, joined by 125 Group member and Managing Director, Network Rail North Western Region, Tim Shoveller who kindly performed the honours.

We hope you approve of the name which is in the traditional BR style in the correct place on the body side for an Executive Livery power car.  It also features a small plaque explaining who Edward Paxman was, and his relevance to the continuing HST story.

43044, as our designated power car for Valenta power, now requires a engine top end rebuild and also the procurement of a coupling ring between the engine and alternator – more information on this will be in the next edition of One Two Five, our members magazine. If you are not a group member and would like to support our ongoing preservation efforts by joining, you can find more information and sign up here.

Preservation Update – August 2022

Following the lifting of Covid limitations, our volunteers have been busy with maintenance requirements on our operational set at Swanwick Junction on the Midland Railway – Butterley.  Two successful weekends of operation have built our confidence but we do need to carry out some mainline testing to ensure everything is working as we expect following maintenance works.  Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this soon.

With the long days and some of our volunteers generously using their work leave, we have commenced the massive effort necessary to revert 43044 to Valenta power.  All of the inside equipment needing to be removed now has been, with the VP185 and Brush cooler successfully removed by hired crane and transported to storage. We have encountered some unexpected issues and members have received an email with more information on these! This will require some additional activities to be carried out but we are continuing with our plan to fit the Valenta. Needless to say, none of these activities are expected to be cheap and if you are interested in helping out, please click here!

Looking ahead to other events, the weekend of August 20/21 will see us join our friends at NHR in Ruddington to display some of their rolling stock and allowing visitors to see the parts you often don’t get to see. 125 Group are proudly supporting this event, with 43044 on display. Visitors will able to see inside the cab, along with seeing what a bodyshell looks like when the major equipment is out – an opportunity that doesn’t arise often! As part of this weekend, we will be naming 43044 at 2PM on Sunday 21st.

We look forward to seeing you on the 20th or 21st for a unique perspective on HST preservation as we continue the journey to restoring a HST to Valenta power!