HST Worldwide Success 1

 A Simple Brilliant Idea

In 1972 the prototype High Speed Train (HST) began operation on Britain's  railway. It was a stunning idea, simply a locomotive at both ends of the train - so no uncoupling, just a walk for the driver from one end to the other.

fbb remembers that some time earlier the design was revealed, complete with non working model, on the BBC's top technology TV programmes Tomorrow's World.

The presenter, Raymond Bedstead ...

... told us, with subdued stiff upper lipped awe, that the train would run at 125mph. A youthful fbb was amazed; the fastest he had ever clocked by timing the mileposts was an optimistic 90 mph!

The production version, with a new front end ...

... started operation out of Paddington. Then came the East Coast main line with trains eventually cascaded to the Midland Main line and Cross Country. fbb took a party of teenagers from his Bible Class in Sheffield for a ride to Peterborough (change at Doncaster) and even the young gells were excited and or impressed.

The Midland Main Line sets, pre and post privatisation were enjoyed between Sheffield and St Pancras.

fbb's last ride was c/o Cross Country from Birmingham to Exeter.

The ride and the ambiance was so utterly much better than a Voyager!

He also enjoyed several rides with Grand Central as guest of a certain Mr Fearnley, then boss thereof.

Occasional Great Western sets were enjoyed, also from Exeter.

As the inferior 800 Hitachi series came on stream, the HSTs were put into store.

First Great Western adapted some to form shorter 4 car "Castle" class units for secondary routes - and a great delight they were,

Scotrail did much the same with their acquired City sets.

They were, fbb tries to remember, five cars. Both shoty Scotrail and the shorter GWR units still had a loco at each end - super power indeed.

But these sets quickly fell out if favour and withdrawal came far too quickly. They were, said the DepArtment For Transpory (DaFT) far to expensive to maintain and run. So they had to go.

Some went to Mexico ...

... where they have suddenly become economic to run and where they offer good value for the rail operator!

Australia have their XPT trains which look somewhat familiar ...

... but are Antipodean through and through.

For modellers, Hornby have produced HST units in various liveries. Their latest offering is a retro box set; in the original British Rail paint scheme ...

... c/w picture of long haired sprog on the box.

Also available are HSTs in the growing TT120 range.

But for the keenest HST operator, a must have is Bachmann's set of prototype power cars (only one motorised) to allow the proud owner to add their own Mark III coaches.

Nice but pricey!

Mention should be made of Sir Kenneth Grange who designed the iconic 'nose' for the production run. 

The change was born of necessity as the Unions were not happy with the restricted front only view. Sir Ken provided a wider front screen and side glazing to overcome objections.

But rather that a necessitious bodge of the prototype, Sir Ken's front end design lifted the original lumpy slab into the realm of industrial beauty.

Sir Ken died last year but his legacy had outlasted him, even if it is in Mexico.

Particularly enjoyable was this remake of an iconic Southern Railway poster.

And here's  the original.

HSTs never ran in normal service on the "Southern".

But the story yet has a couple of twists.

More tomorrow.

   Next HST blog : Thursday 27th Nov 

Yugoslavia and/or Slovenia

And That Factory

It was a huge Yugislavian toy factory; and yes, Mehanotehnika made the equivalent of Meccano. Can you tell the difference?

Easy as the name is different.

UK Meccano was never the same when it went blue and yellow - disgaceful.

Mehanotehnika made oodles of toys, a bit like Triang in its heyday. How about a typewriter?

At the other end of the scale were cheap and nasty plastic trains ...

... for the little kiddies.

As is de rigueur these days, Mehano model railway production has moved to China but fbb has no knowledge if what became of the Izola factory. 

Maybe you could catch a bus and go to find out.

fbb has made a feeble effort at researching buses in Izola but the language problem plus an internet inadequacy challenge means that only general information has been gleaned.

There are timetables showing all stops ...

... with occasional panels like this.

This leads to this sort of thing.

See what fbb means concerning the language!

Thankfully an awful lot of the on-line stuff is in English! Also very much in pseudo English is the operator name.

fbb could not find a route map, but Izola does feature on various pages.

The buses look very smart ...

.. with a recent delivery of new motors.

Generally the buses are in better condition than in the UK.

And so to the tank wagon.

It was made in pre Slovenia days, so sometimes before 1991 and probably before the company's renaming as Mehano in 1990.

The model is "basic" made entirely in plastic ...

... with no printing on the main information panel. The chassis ...

... had a nominal but inadequate underside. The brake shoes, if applied to slow the train, would be totally ineffective as they are nowhere near the wheels!

fbb cannot identify an equivalent full size tank wagon. This VTG tanker has a passing likeness but ...

... isn't alike.

There is no sign of fbb's wagon on any present Mehano sales list, but illustrations exist if an old boxed train set ...

... with fbb's model in the upper window.

What the company is noted for today is its swish high speed train sets.

 

Here we have Eurostar ...

... TGV (France) ...

... Ouigo (France) ...

... ICE (Germany) ...

... and Thalys ...

... now merged commercially with Eurostar.

All models are to HO scale, so technically too small for UK layouts but, shhh, as the real things are much bigger (height and width) compared with the UK loading gauge, nobody will notice!

  Next HST blog : Weds 26th November 

Do You Know Yugoslavia? (1)

But First More First

Roselyn Coaches is based in St Austell and for nearly 80 years has  providing coaches, and, at one time, buses ...

... throughout the County. Their fleet is of high quality ...

... and always well turned out.

What brings the company to fbb's  attention is their response to the close-down announcement from First Bus ...

... not very well presented on-line.

Here is Roselyn.

fbb does not think Roselyn can take on ALL those being made redundant. But it is a start.

All delivered with a polite but meaningful light heartenedness.

It is a very appropriate invitation.

Perhaps Roselyn is thinking of running buses again?

===========================

Actually Slovenia ...

... which until 1991 was part of Yugoslavia. Oldies like fbb will remember President Dictator Tito in the darkest of Communist rule.

The decline of communist was far from straightforward but in 1991 Slovenia gained its independence.

Slovenua has a substantial rail network ...

... centred in its capital Ljublijana. It has mostly multiple unit passenger stock, ranging from local ...

... to "intercity".

Recent arrivals have been double deck units ...

... running alongside some quaint diesel branch lines.

There is plenty of freight ...

... with some beefy short-haul machines.

There are preserved steam specials.

Ljublijana station has a whiff of Communist brutalise architecture about it ...

... being completed in 1948 and upgraded in 1980.

Talking of stations, Wikipedia offers an article about some splended petrol stations.

Wowser!

The city has a bus station for out-of-town routes ...

... plus some smart-looking city services.

But fbb wants to leave the capital and take you here ...

... to Izola, a coastal town with one of these ...

... and a pleasant sea front ...

... and some lovely views.

In the distance you can see the Bell Tower next to the church of St Maurus ...

... up which you can climb.

But it was in Izola in 1990 that something else happened in the last year of Yugoslavia rule.

A company called Mehanotehnika changed it's name to Mehano.

There is something strangely familiar about that name?

Hmmm?

  Next Slovenia blog : Tues 25th Nov