CROSSCOUNTRY HAS marked the forthcoming end of high speed train operations by returning the oldest two Class 43 HST power cars in its fleet into retro British Rail colour schemes for their final few weeks in service.
The operator announced in March that its HST fleet – consisting of 12 power cars, five seven-coach Mk.3 trailer coach rakes and five spare trailer coaches – would be phased out by October (Railways Illustrated issue 243), with their diagrams expected to be covered using CrossCountry’s existing fleet of Class 220 Voyagers and Class 221 Super Voyagers. No additional rolling stock has been earmarked for cascading to the operator to make up for the loss of the HSTs.
Reliveried 43207 and 43208 have returned to their original identities as 43007 and 43008 respectively, with 43007 carrying original InterCity 125 yellow, blue and grey colours, while 43008 has been returned to the popular InterCity Swallow livery. , The two power cars were originally part of the initial batch of HSTs delivered for use on the Western Region in set train formations, with 43007 one of the power cars on set 253003 (along with 43006, which coincidentally was also repainted into original blue, yellow and grey for the LNER HST farewell in December 2019), while 43008 was originally part of set 253004 (alongside 43009, currently still in traffic with GWR).
The pair were released by Laira in their new guise from August 3. They will be used on CrossCountry HST services throughout August and September until their withdrawal, with the last scheduled timetabled services expected to take place on September 18.
A charity farewell charter has been organised by CrossCountry on September 26, in conjunction with the Branch Line Society and Modern Railways magazine. The ‘Pines Express’ will operate from Leeds to the Swanage Railway, with a second tour – ‘The Bournemouth Belle’ – then operating from Swanage to Bournemouth and return, before the train retraces its steps back to Leeds. Proceeds from the two charters will go to The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Cross-Country employee Jo Taylor, who died in 2021. The main charter to the Swanage R
