Description
Hornby R3478TTS OO First Great Western The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers HST 125 Blue/Purple Livery (with Dual HST MTU TTS sound and Mega Base Speakers by Roads and Rails)
In excellent low use condition.
Description
Originally conceived as a cheaper, more reliable alternative to the Advanced Passenger Train in the early 1970s, the British Railways Board authorised the development of a prototype High Speed Diesel Train with two locomotives designated as Class 41. These aerodynamic power cars were constructed by British Railways Engineering Ltd at their Crewe Works and emerged in June and August 1972, fitted with Paxman Valenta 12RP200L engines, developing 2,250 hp.
The power cars, having initially been numbered 41001 and 41002, were later given the coaching stock numbers 43000 and 43001 for operating trials on the Eastern Region and subsequent transfer to the Western Region. Following evaluation and a change of name to High Speed Train, British Rail placed orders for similar trains for use on the Western, Eastern, Scottish and London Midland Regions.
When originally built at BREL’s Crewe Works, the InterCity 125 units were considered to be diesel multiple units and allocated as Class 253 to the Western Region and Class 254 for the Eastern Region. With the introduction of Trailer Guard Second (TGS) carriages, later power cars had no guard’s equipment installed and by 1987 most power cars were simply classified as Driving Motor (DM), although they still had luggage van space, retaining a window by the luggage door on each side.
Following problems with the power cars and the operational ease of removing power cars to perform scheduled maintenance, unit formations were abandoned, resulting in the Class 43 locomotive prefix being adopted. The 197 Class 43 power cars produced between 1976 and 1982 were numbered 43002 to 43198 and are officially the fastest diesel units in the world. The units have an absolute maximum speed of 148mph (238kph), which is the current world diesel traction record, set on November 1, 1987.
In 1987, for trial purposes, eight of the Class 43s were converted for use as Driving Vehicles with the Class 89 and Class 91 locomotives. The power cars were fitted with buffers and Time Division Multiplex (TDM) equipment that allowed them to directly control the other locomotive. Following the delivery of British Rail’s Mk 4 coaching stock, the TDM equipment was removed and the power cars reverted to their normal duties, retaining their buffers. During the late 1990s, twenty five of the Class 43s were updated with Paxman 12VP185L engines in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption and emissions; however these proved to be less reliable in service than was hoped.
The HST fleet has seen many changes to the Train Operating Companies since privatisation in 1993, but Class 43 driven sets continue to operate across the rail network, despite being displaced from some East Coast and West Country routes by the arrival of Hitachi’s IEP 800 units. First Great Western, East Midlands Trains, Cross-Country and Network Rail continue to operate Class 43 units and displaced units from First Great Western have been sent to Scotland, to operate under ScotRail.
Gauge |
00 |
Length |
2 x 235mm |
DCC Type |
Dual TTS Digital Sound Fitted with Mega Base Speakers |
Lighting |
Bi-directional front white (3 of) rear red (2 of) |
Period/ERA |
Era10 – Post – Privatisation and extended use in FGW Livery |
Operator/Livery |
FGW |
Designer |
Sir Kenneth Grange |
Entered Service |
1978 |
Minimum Curve |
R2 |
Motor |
5 Pole Skew Wound |
Wheel Configuration |
Bo-Bo |
No of Axles Driven |
Motorised Car – 4 driven through double flywheel and Cardan driveshafts |
Cabs |
Detailed and internal LED lighting with cab doors. On in the forward direction of the cab. |
Drive |
Drive on all axles of the motorised car using Cardan shafts coupling from motor to drive boggy gearboxes. |
Build Structure |
Plastic body and cast alloy chassis on the motorised car with plastic chassis on the non-motorised car. Roof body and bogie detailing. |
Age Suitability |
14+ years |
TTS Decoder Functional Allocation – List
This HST 125 Train Pack uses the MTU Engine Sounds. TTS decoders fitted with latest firmware from December 2019
F# |
Sound Description |
Play Structure |
F0 |
Headlight/Rear-Light |
Toggle On/Off (Loco Direction Dependent) |
F1 |
Engine Start/Stop |
Various (Toggle On/Off) |
F2 |
Horn High-Low |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F3 |
Horn Low-High |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F4 |
Brake Squeal |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F5 |
NOTCH Up |
Activates on Momentary Switch Control |
F6 |
NOTCH Down |
Activates on Momentary Switch Control |
F7 |
Return to IDLE |
Activates on Momentary Switch Control |
F8 |
Thrash |
Toggle On/Off |
F9 |
Cold Start Override |
Toggle On/Off |
F10 |
Compressor |
Plays until disabled (Toggle On/Off) |
F11 |
Cab Door Slam |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F12 |
Fan |
Plays until disabled (Toggle On/Off) |
F13 |
Horn Long High |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F14 |
Horn Long Low |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F15 |
Primer |
Plays until disabled (Toggle On/Off) |
F16 |
Slow Flange Squeal |
Plays until disabled (Toggle On/Off) |
F17 |
Driver’s Safety Device (in Cab) |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F18 |
Horn Short Low |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F19 |
Horn Short High |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F20 |
Windscreen Wipers |
Plays until disabled (Toggle On/Off) |
F21 |
AWS Test (in Cab) |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F22 |
Fire Bell Test |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F23 |
Guards Whistle |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F24 |
Guard to Driver Buzzer (in Cab) |
Plays Once (Momentary Action) |
F25 |
Aux Lighting (if used in locomotive) |
Toggle On/Off |