When I was about seven years old I stood on the steps of the bridge at Didcot Parkway and waved at the driver of a HST as it departed towards Swindon. The driver gave a huge wave back and sounded the horn which I remember with such fondness. From that day forward I used to love going on holiday to Gloucestershire and catching these trains to places like Cardiff and Bristol. They were the highlight for me of the family holidays. That driver made, whoever he is, wherever he is, a young boy want to become a train driver. As I grow into my later twenties I’d still love to become a train driver. It’s a pity that these are gone now, I’d never get the opportunity to drive one. I bet it was magnificent. People said they were loud, dirty and ugly but I loved them. They had such character and they truly defined the age of British Rail. Hearing their loud engines shoot past was an experience I have never forgotten. That man at the end is correct...they would have kept going and going. Beautiful trains, they are missed.
Lovely video and thank you GWR for organising such a wonderful send off. I grew up with these, and will miss them immensely. Kenneth Grange, you did a fantastic job. Looking forward to the farewell tour on Saturday.
I remember when they were introduced - state of the art! Personally, I preferred the old trains - 125s felt like goldfish bowls because you couldn't open the windows in the main part of the coaches and tbd windows were so small !
Great machines, my favourite since I saw the first one as a child, but the day had to come and things move on.... They will be hard to beat and unfortunately, the Hitachi is NOT the train to beat it 😊
I’m sad to see the end of these stalwarts of the rails , I grew up in Dawlish with them . However come on GWR ,sort this overcrowding out on the local services between exmouth and Paignton at peak times . You had two car service on at 16.50 exmouth the other Saturday when the gay pride rally was on and people got squashed in like sardines when they piled on at Exeter central -not good enough !
Thanks for all the memories Intercity 125, even with Great Western Railway, you left your long distance services several months ago... but soon... will be LNER and East Midlands Railway.... getting you replaced by Hitachi bi-mode trains like class 800s and 802s the bi-mode IETs and Azumas operating already on Great Western Railway and LNER!!!!
The horrible Hitachi heaps just go to show how well engineered and designed the 125's were - better seats, better comfort, nicer lighting, more reliable. British railways are in a mess, and GWR are one of the best providers out there at present.
Sadly not as of December 2023. The reduced 'pocket rocket' Castle fleet is now confined to Plymouth-Penzance with one daily return trip up as far as Exeter St Davids.
I didn't manage to see the last hst out of Paddington unfortunately, I've only properly seen (since being able to identify a hst) one GWR hst but times move on and so do the Railways
On Saturday 18th May 2019 over 3 previous years ago honestly is the final day of the class 43s are used on the intercity services for Great Western Railway runs between London Paddington, Wales and the south west England going to Penzance in Cornwall being replaced by intercity express trains when they have took over the class 43s after they first ran since 1976 for 43 years. Class 43s are honestly very good trains in the world however as ageing their age changes happen. Very smooth trains. In the year 2022 3 separate train companies honestly have class 43s are XC - CrossCountry, GWR - Great Western Railway and finally SR - ScotRail. Currently CrossCountry honestly has 5 of the HST sets carrying 7 carriages with a maximum number of daily diagrams are 4 a day runs between Edinburgh - Leeds - Plymouth via Birmingham New Street, Cheltenham Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St David’s, Newton Abbot and Totnes runs daily and public holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day containing 1st class in car A where car B contains composite and in car G contains standard/first class.The letter of the carriages on CrossCountry has A, B,C, D, E, F and G. Great Western Railway has 16 of the 4 car sets having maximum number of daily diagrams are 12 a day on the routes runs between Cardiff Central to Penzance via Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St David’s, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Plymouth, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway and Truro runs daily including public holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day containing standard accommodation only. The carriages on Great Western Railway has the letters on the car are A, B, C, D. A and finally ScotRail has 25 of the class 43s are 21 of the 4 car and 4 of the 5 car. Class A is first class only and the rest of the cars are B, C, D and E have standard accommodation only. Set HA22 is written off in late 2020 because the train derailed by coming off the track. On ScotRail there are 13 carriages will make to 5 coaches. This means there will be 17 of the 5 cars and 8 of the 4 cars. Class 43s currently allocated to ScotRail were previously allocated to Great Western Railway until perhaps 2019 at the latest. Operation route for ScotRail is Edinburgh/Glasgow-Aberdeen, Edinburgh/Glasgow-Inverness, Aberdeen-Inverness runs daily and public holidays except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day however perhaps runs on Boxing Day. Could class 43s stop being used for CrossCountry on Sunday 15th October 2023 and could they be cascaded to Great Western Railway when class 221101-118/142/143 finishes with Avanti West Coast and class 222001-023/101-104 finishes with East Midlands Railway by 2023. That will be a total of 27 trains hopefully to be cascaded from both operators East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast which is good to combat severely overcrowding people on the trains. Class 43s are honestly hoped to survive on the railway used for public transport until at least perhaps Monday 31st December 2035 is New Year’s Eve. By 2035 class 43s with the carriages will be over half a century is 53 years old. By 2037 class 43s will be 55 years old at the youngest age. Class 43s have one windscreen wiper going left to right. Used to used for East Midlands Trains, now East Midlands Railway and long distance Great North Eastern Railway. Slam door trains are a thing of the past to class 43s. Now electric doors. Design speed is 125 mph. 😊😊😊
Great Western railway have fallen apart, they no longer know how to run a railway, the trains don't run on time, they never have enough train crew, very often the trains breakdown, the seats are very uncomfortable, a lot of the staff I talked to don't like the company. They are very badly managed, there is just not a good thing to say about the company anymore.
What is all the fuss about. An HST is a glorified DMU. Just don't get it. No locomotive, just a rake of coaches with a motor at both ends. Crikey, I can't begin to imagine how these enthusiasts would have dealt with the end of Castles and Kings in the 60's. King versus HST? Talk about chalk and cheese!! Time to chuff chuff out of here!
What a good send off to such a beautiful Train well done GWR
Yes very true
This aged like milk
Love the HST I worked at Paddington in the 1980s traveled on them countless times .. Got 10 Hornby power cars in various liveries .. much love Hst
RIP Sir Kenneth Grange. You have left an amazing legacy for us.
When I was about seven years old I stood on the steps of the bridge at Didcot Parkway and waved at the driver of a HST as it departed towards Swindon. The driver gave a huge wave back and sounded the horn which I remember with such fondness. From that day forward I used to love going on holiday to Gloucestershire and catching these trains to places like Cardiff and Bristol. They were the highlight for me of the family holidays.
That driver made, whoever he is, wherever he is, a young boy want to become a train driver. As I grow into my later twenties I’d still love to become a train driver. It’s a pity that these are gone now, I’d never get the opportunity to drive one. I bet it was magnificent. People said they were loud, dirty and ugly but I loved them. They had such character and they truly defined the age of British Rail. Hearing their loud engines shoot past was an experience I have never forgotten.
That man at the end is correct...they would have kept going and going. Beautiful trains, they are missed.
They still run, but not from paddington
@@isaacains1044GWR should've kept the HSTs operating out of London Paddington
DFTs request for them to be replaced by IETs. Still running in Scotland@@Shadow_x12
Lovely video and thank you GWR for organising such a wonderful send off. I grew up with these, and will miss them immensely. Kenneth Grange, you did a fantastic job. Looking forward to the farewell tour on Saturday.
This is a tremendously well done video, leaving me with a lump in my throat. These are fabulous trains. Thank you for this beautiful tribute GWR!
Nice Dawlish Beach Cams cameo! Great video guys, sad to see such incredible machines go but I guess everything comes to an end eventually :)
There goes yet another piece of British engineering history and thats bloody tragic,
Look how comfy those seats look!
That gave me goose bumps at the end!
Much better trains than the intercity express train.
I Miss You HSTs Very Much 👍
Look at those seats, comfort, space
I remember when they were introduced - state of the art! Personally, I preferred the old trains - 125s felt like goldfish bowls because you couldn't open the windows in the main part of the coaches and tbd windows were so small !
I don’t wanna see the HST gone 😭
Great video. I just wish GW had stuck the original lights back on!
Great trains they were and they had a very good career going for them. Will be dearly missed.
Well done Sir Kenneth...!
Great video.☺️
Great machines, my favourite since I saw the first one as a child, but the day had to come and things move on.... They will be hard to beat and unfortunately, the Hitachi is NOT the train to beat it 😊
I’m sad to see the end of these stalwarts of the rails , I grew up in Dawlish with them . However come on GWR ,sort this overcrowding out on the local services between exmouth and Paignton at peak times . You had two car service on at 16.50 exmouth the other Saturday when the gay pride rally was on and people got squashed in like sardines when they piled on at Exeter central -not good enough !
Proud of ya Fella's 😊
And now in Mexico we are enjoying them ❤
Tip of the hat to it. The British passenger version of the American SD40-2. O say that in the way it lives on, and became an icon of railroading.
I remember I was on an iet coming back from Bristol temple meads and I saw the final hst on my journey
Thanks for all the memories Intercity 125, even with Great Western Railway, you left your long distance services several months ago... but soon... will be LNER and East Midlands Railway.... getting you replaced by Hitachi bi-mode trains like class 800s and 802s the bi-mode IETs and Azumas operating already on Great Western Railway and LNER!!!!
The horrible Hitachi heaps just go to show how well engineered and designed the 125's were - better seats, better comfort, nicer lighting, more reliable. British railways are in a mess, and GWR are one of the best providers out there at present.
I keep rewatching this. And crying absolutely love GWR. I want To work with them so badly.
The train should be in Train Sim World
Siegertyp02HD it is already in tsw. It comes with the Great Western Express add-on.
I love the little rythme from: 0:10 to 0:13
It’s been 3 years I’m still sad
Now 5
And it’s also sad to know the prototype has been withdrawn
It has nt
@@envirommc7059 Yh it has
@@SomersetTrainspotter it hasn’t , it still operates with 125 group on rail tours !
@@envirommc7059 yes it has NRM took it away from 125 Group and they didn’t use it for railtours anyway
I enjoyed riding them RIP my friend
so sad to never seen this train anly more.
There going to scotrail!!!
@@Noah-hb2mu oh
What’s going to happen now
Glad to see it the NRM
Why have to end 😫😫😢
They still go Cardiff
Sadly not as of December 2023. The reduced 'pocket rocket' Castle fleet is now confined to Plymouth-Penzance with one daily return trip up as far as Exeter St Davids.
One more week to go and a HST will never go to Bristol ever again 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Great to see a br driver walking down platform with the tea pot and his cap on
I didn't manage to see the last hst out of Paddington unfortunately, I've only properly seen (since being able to identify a hst) one GWR hst but times move on and so do the Railways
Exactly 4 years ago
The biggest mistake of GWR was getting rid of the class 43 HST
Now send them to ireland we need them and we can regauge the bogies to 5ft 3
THE GREATEST TRAINS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE WORLD!!!
BEST AND MOST UNIQUE MACHINE IN WORLD!!!
@@TheArkamedBat DEFINITELY 😂
RIP hst
Nothing has made me cry be...
On Saturday 18th May 2019 over 3 previous years ago honestly is the final day of the class 43s are used on the intercity services for Great Western Railway runs between London Paddington, Wales and the south west England going to Penzance in Cornwall being replaced by intercity express trains when they have took over the class 43s after they first ran since 1976 for 43 years. Class 43s are honestly very good trains in the world however as ageing their age changes happen. Very smooth trains. In the year 2022 3 separate train companies honestly have class 43s are XC - CrossCountry, GWR - Great Western Railway and finally SR - ScotRail. Currently CrossCountry honestly has 5 of the HST sets carrying 7 carriages with a maximum number of daily diagrams are 4 a day runs between Edinburgh - Leeds - Plymouth via Birmingham New Street, Cheltenham Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St David’s, Newton Abbot and Totnes runs daily and public holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day containing 1st class in car A where car B contains composite and in car G contains standard/first class.The letter of the carriages on CrossCountry has A, B,C, D, E, F and G. Great Western Railway has 16 of the 4 car sets having maximum number of daily diagrams are 12 a day on the routes runs between Cardiff Central to Penzance via Bristol Temple Meads, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St David’s, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Plymouth, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway and Truro runs daily including public holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day containing standard accommodation only. The carriages on Great Western Railway has the letters on the car are A, B, C, D. A and finally ScotRail has 25 of the class 43s are 21 of the 4 car and 4 of the 5 car. Class A is first class only and the rest of the cars are B, C, D and E have standard accommodation only. Set HA22 is written off in late 2020 because the train derailed by coming off the track. On ScotRail there are 13 carriages will make to 5 coaches. This means there will be 17 of the 5 cars and 8 of the 4 cars. Class 43s currently allocated to ScotRail were previously allocated to Great Western Railway until perhaps 2019 at the latest. Operation route for ScotRail is Edinburgh/Glasgow-Aberdeen, Edinburgh/Glasgow-Inverness, Aberdeen-Inverness runs daily and public holidays except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day however perhaps runs on Boxing Day. Could class 43s stop being used for CrossCountry on Sunday 15th October 2023 and could they be cascaded to Great Western Railway when class 221101-118/142/143 finishes with Avanti West Coast and class 222001-023/101-104 finishes with East Midlands Railway by 2023. That will be a total of 27 trains hopefully to be cascaded from both operators East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast which is good to combat severely overcrowding people on the trains. Class 43s are honestly hoped to survive on the railway used for public transport until at least perhaps Monday 31st December 2035 is New Year’s Eve. By 2035 class 43s with the carriages will be over half a century is 53 years old. By 2037 class 43s will be 55 years old at the youngest age. Class 43s have one windscreen wiper going left to right. Used to used for East Midlands Trains, now East Midlands Railway and long distance Great North Eastern Railway. Slam door trains are a thing of the past to class 43s. Now electric doors. Design speed is 125 mph. 😊😊😊
Why did they keep saying the last?
It wasn’t and it isn’t.
Thank God for Scotland.
Show a Scotsman a bargain.
You don’t need to show him twice.
Bring them back your new IETs are falling apart and are the most uncomfortable things ever, wish i could get a refund for how bad it was
Exactly GWR please use your logic😂😂😂
Exactly use common sense GWR
rest in peace
😭😭😭😢😥
The HSTS Are the best thing that happened to this company!! And the IET Ruined everything
Do any folk commenting here actually work on these trains? Holy moly they’re hellish.
And an IET isnt? As far as working on a train goes I would guess a HST is pretty good.
Sad 😢
why would you do this gwr :( now we have just iets with rock hard seats :(
Given the current situation, this will very probably not be true.
I am now missing them
there not gone forever u have to go to scotland to see them like edinburgh dundee or perth
Yeah and now every single TOC in Britain runs shitty trains now. Welp, time to leave trains I guess(!)
still using windows 7?
I was on one with gwr 4 to 5 months ago
Why the HST have to pass away why are they not coming back? 😭😭😭😭 We love you HST ❤
I Like The IETs. But It Is Nice For A Wave Off
To The Last HSTs From Paddington
personally, i prefer seats that aren’t rock hard
I saw one on the 23rd of December
Yeah, you saw one of the “castle sets” they still run with 4 coaches in the south west.
@@adamwalpole1180 I know because they have Newport castle and Berkeley castle
Noo, these are the best trains ever
And yet still no faster..
Great Western railway have fallen apart, they no longer know how to run a railway, the trains don't run on time, they never have enough train crew, very often the trains breakdown, the seats are very uncomfortable, a lot of the staff I talked to don't like the company. They are very badly managed, there is just not a good thing to say about the company anymore.
I saw myself in this video :,)
Country didn’t have much money what the hell are you on course they did
What is all the fuss about. An HST is a glorified DMU. Just don't get it. No locomotive, just a rake of coaches with a motor at both ends. Crikey, I can't begin to imagine how these enthusiasts would have dealt with the end of Castles and Kings in the 60's. King versus HST? Talk about chalk and cheese!! Time to chuff chuff out of here!
Okayyyyyy
@chrishalicki23 Ha Ha Ha. Choo choo!
Big deal it's just a machine.
Incity125