That's gotta be one of the most unusual sights I've seen on UK rails. 2 buffered HST power car sets hauling freight and other passenger trains sets. Very peculiar!

It's mad to see HSTs doing this type of work but it keeps them going which is a good thing! Superb video by the way!

Slightly surreal to see HST power cars being used as, essentially, freight locomotives.

It’s great to see old hst’s not being scrapped and given a new purpose as freight trains Love to see the class 91’s used the same way

This is like something I would have created in Trainz many years ago 3:14

Great video, really interesting to!

I could imagine an unknowing trainspotter's first reaction to 2:19: The first HST power car rounds the bend, and you get excited, a HST! In a livery you've never seen before, what luck! Then the second power car rounds the bend, and something inside you breaks, "wha, what is this? are they towing a broken power car?" Then the first flat-car rounds the bend "WHAT?" And the second, "Oh I guess they're hauling freight trains now, I guess that makes sense." Then the first passenger car enters, and your mind shatters "buh wha" By the second unit and you get an idea: "Are they running Motorail HSTs? Best day ever." And as the rest of the train pass, you eventually realise, that none of that was true, that it was just an EMU transfer, you feel the excitement fade as the last pair of HST power cars pass you by, and you wonder what you were so excited about. The end.

Great video 👍🏻 I didn't realise Royal Mail still used trains. I haven't seen a mail train since I was a kid at the start of the 2000s

i see myself in this video

Great vid. Also slightly surreal to see so much overhead lines and so few electric trains

Cool those ferrywagons could end up getting to where there going very quick.

The Rail Adventure HST power cars can be seen at the Severn Valley Railway occasionally as they are using the diesel motive power depot to repair and service them. Also the weight test train you see in this video also can occasionally be seen.

What a great selection of trains... if this is where you live then consider yourself blessed!

Fantastic stuff and I love seeing the RailAdventure HSTs

i guess thats one way to move new class 777

I should imagine there are several reasons they use class 43s. Cheap to buy as effectively the main option was going for scrap. Lower route availability index of 5 compared to freight locomotives. This means they are less restricted on the routes they can use, plus should impact on their track access costs. Running light as just a 2×cl43 pair, one engine can be shut down to save on fuel. The train is top & tailed as the train has to reverse twice to access Kirkdale depot. It takes the line to Liverpool docks, joins Merseyrail's Northern Line at Bootle Junction (between Bank Hall and Bootle Oriel Road stations) on the Southport line. At Bootle Oriel Road the train reverses, passes Bank Hall to Sandhills station. At Sandhills the train reverses again to take the line heading towards Kirkby / Ormskirk for Kirkdale depot. Last time I saw it at Sandhills it was a Sunday afternoon move squeezed inbetween passenger services. It was a 2 × class 20 plus 2 × class 43 combination. Even on a Sunday six trains an hour call at Sandhills heading for Liverpool, so it had to be a slick move. The 777s are unbraked and run through piped sandwiched between braked vehicles and locomotives. The wagons being ballasted with concrete slabs to provide adequate brake force. This train will be split, hence the 777s being split between the wagons. It stopped at Walton Old Junction sidings, Warrington. The train is due at Kirkdale at 00.43 on Thursday morning, departing Walton sidings at 23.09 , running as 6Q78.

The last time I saw HSTs haul freight wagons was on my model train set when I was still at primary school 🙂 Fascinating to see it become real all these years later.

Great videos and excellent camera work. Thanks 😎👍

Fantastic catch there with the Rail Adventure lash up. Well done and thanks for sharing this video. Best regards, Colin.

At least I now know what I saw going southbound through Rugby few months ago. Grey class 43. Got my platforms back to front so was well past me by time I woke up to my mistake.

Awesome

Those class 43's joined up like that reminds me of the class 89 minus the electrical equipment on the roof!

3.42 - get the impression it was one of tthose "let's see if we can get away with justifying 4 x 43's when a 56 would suffice" moments. 10/10 for bravery.

Nice to see a postal from the new Daventry terminal

This is a great trainspotting location 👍. Lots of variety and interesting trains, haven't seen a royal mail train for years!

Nobody: younger me playing with toy trains: 2:19

I have a photo, somewhere(!) of a HST with buffers at Bristol Parkway. That long ago it was in Virgin colours and on my first digital camera!

very good presentation, thank you

British and built to last!

Awesome Mate Great Video 📹 👍

Those HST look familiar.. THE OLD EMR ones with buffers on they had those wow

Kereta yang sangat bagus, sepertinya jalur sibuk semoga di negara saya punya kereta seperti ini 👍

I saw the 4 and converter wagons parked up at Rugby as I was on route to Euston. Must have some grunt!

Awsome catch,nice one 😊

Great video 👍

The HST lash up is so chaotic

Rugeley TV always been a great spot with it's long fast straight at the northern end and curves at the southern end, with a wide open view from platforms. Was buzzing with coal MGR workings at one time but still loads of WCML varieties.

I think I saw this set up go along, was on the Canal at Milford ( Staffordshire) and was the strangest thing ever!

Nice video great camera work as usual as always I am really enjoying your lovely videos and camera work keep your lovely camera work up bye for now Philip

Nice shots! Love those Hst's!! I wish they would save all the Hst's and use them to haul other things!

Cant wait to see the 57's later today!

ICE 3Neo rides between Köln Messe/Deutz and Frankfurt a M.

Wow! 26 car train formation! Man, that sure must took a lot of power to move the 777s (which I really don’t like)

HST power cars on freight duties, some exported to Mexico, whatever next, converted to electric and back to passenger duties?

3:31 I counted it all my self 24 cars on the mega power cars

The class 43 showing the class 56 what it could have been if it'd stopped playing around with coal trains, and put it a bit more effort into going faster.

Would like to know how the numbers stack up recommissioning those HST's...clearly they do..

Haha, 2:52 very odd looking but perhaps practical on the day?

I wondered why I heard the rail adventure 125s

57009 was actually 47079 George Jackson Churchward.

Were the rear HST power cars actually being driven from the front pair or were they just idling and there to provide rear protection for the train?

1:04 sounds like a irish rail class 201

5:36 The 325 has gotten LED lights, I wonder why the 465s didn't.

777019 not 017. 017 was transferred Wembley to Walton on August 2nd as 6Q77 and has been at Southport since August 4th

Wow can you imagine if there was no TPMS active and driver decided to give the HST's full beans...? Years ago I think it was at Derby I saw a HST solo car being used as a shunter and I have always wondered what sort of speed two end to end power cars could achieve unbridled full welly.

Why do the freights seem to go through the platform lines when there are two middle lines to use?

I see comments on here saying it's weird seeing HST's hauling freight....no weirder than old EMD F units doing the same thing over here in the states. Besides, if they're still useful pulling freight, then why not? Better than cutting them up or storing them away to rot.

Those Class 43's aren't going to get much chance to use their 125 mph capability.

Why do they have barrier wagons between the loco and the new stock?

where do you go to see fright trains?

they're like ghosts :-(

Enjoy the videos but how do you know where the trains come from and where there going to

Wow! Will that be running again today by any chance?

Were exclamation marks on BOGOF this week? 😊

where did you film i was with a group at crewe

2x 2000HP diesel loco pulling 4x passanger coach on fully electrified trackline. The britcuck way of hypocrisy.

When

How do I recognise one of these HSTs on realtimetrains, and can i see them in london

I'm going to England next week, where can I see this HST freight train?

Shame that HST power cars have become unacceptable to the Unions; they seem to be an extremely flexible source of power for multiple supplications when.used in pairs.

What is the purpose of the wagons between the multiple units and HST's ? And why those wagons?

they don't look right with buffers.

Odd

SO WHERES THE LONG HST THEN ??

Pointless just use any class of locos, not a HST.

I was always under the impression that having two pantographs on the same train could cause issues with the overead line setting up a ripple type wave from the front, I assume this issue is not a problem any longer

I'm far from an expert on these things; can anyone explain why the HST/ 777 train requires so many barrier vehicles?

Shame to see them doing this but at least they’re not getting scrapped.