British Rail Class 252
Encyclopedia
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
unit, numbered 252001.
History
When originally built, in 1972, the prototype High Speed TrainHigh Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
(HST) units were considered to be formed of two locomotives at either end of a rake of carriages. As a result, the power cars were designated Class 41
British Rail Class 41 (HST)
The British Rail Class 41 was the original classification for the power cars of the prototype High Speed Train. However, the train was later re-classified as a diesel-electric multiple unit, and the whole set became Class 252. They were of Bo-Bo wheel arrangement.Two power cars were built, 41001...
and numbered 41001/41002, while the carriages were given numbers in the new Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
carriage number series.
Shortly after their introduction, it was decided to classify the unit as a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit. It was allocated Class 252, and the whole formation was renumbered into a new carriage number series for HST and Advanced Passenger Train
Advanced Passenger Train
The Advanced Passenger Train was an experimental tilting High Speed Train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s....
vehicles (4xxxx). Two coaches were not included in the renumbering (one Trailer First and one Trailer Second), as these were transferred for use in the Royal Train
Royal Train
A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:...
as part of its upgrade before Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
's Silver Jubilee. The power cars were allocated numbers in the 43xxx series, and the two prototype cars took the numbers 43000/43001. Thus, the production-run cars were numbered from 43002 onwards.
Ironically, the situation reversed again in the 1980s, and the production power cars were then considered to be class 43
British Rail Class 43 (HST)
The British Rail Class 43 is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982....
, as this time round no power car or carriage was renumbered. By this time, the prototype cars had been transferred into departmental (non-revenue earning) service and had taken numbers in the departmental carriage 975xxx series, so they were not involved in this redesignation, and they retained their departmental carriage numbers rather than being transferred to the departmental locomotive list
British Rail Class 97
British Rail reserved the TOPS Class 97 designation for departmental locomotives, which were used for special or engineering duties. They were therefore of several different classes, lumped together for numbering purposes. Some locomotives were converted from redundant engines, whilst others were...
.
The former 41002/43001 has now been scrapped, but the other prototype loco, 41001/43000, has been preserved as part of the National Collection, held at the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
, York. Of the passenger-carrying vehicles, all remain in use on the mainline, except for one of the former restaurant cars, which was scrapped in 1993, whilst many other vehicles since been scrapped due to other accidents.
Formation
The vehicles that made up the prototype High Speed Train are listed below, together with their current identity and use:| First Number | Second Number | Type | Converted to | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10000 | 40000 | Trailer Buffet (TRSB) | Departmental, 975984 | New Measurement Train Network Rail New Measurement Train The Network Rail New Measurement Train is a specialised train which operates in the United Kingdom to assess the condition of track so that engineers can determine where to work. It is a specially converted High Speed Train, consisting of two Class 43 power cars and rake of Mark 3 coaches... |
| 10100 | 40500 | Trailer Kitchen (TRUK) | Departmental, 977089 | Scrapped (1993) |
| 11000 | 41000 | Trailer First (TF) | Departmental, 975814 | New Measurement Train Network Rail New Measurement Train The Network Rail New Measurement Train is a specialised train which operates in the United Kingdom to assess the condition of track so that engineers can determine where to work. It is a specially converted High Speed Train, consisting of two Class 43 power cars and rake of Mark 3 coaches... |
| 11001 | - | Trailer First (TF) | Royal Train Royal Train A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:... , 2903 |
In service |
| 11002 | 41001 | Trailer First (TF) | Production TF, 41170 | In service |
| 11003 | 41002 | Trailer First (TF) | Production TF, 41174 | In service, as TS 42357 |
| 12000 | 42000 | Trailer Second (TS) | Production TF, 41172 | In service, as TS 42355 |
| 12001 | - | Trailer Second (TS) | Royal Train Royal Train A royal train is a set of carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of that particular royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages.-Australia:... , 2904 |
In service |
| 12002 | 42001 | Trailer Second (TS) | Production TF, 41171 | In service, as TS 42353 |
| 12003 | 42002 | Trailer Second (TS) | Production TF, 41173 | In service, as TS 42356 |
| 41001 | 43000 | Driving Motor Brake (DMB) | Departmental, 975812 | Preserved, National Railway Museum National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001... |
| 41002 | 43001 | Driving Motor Brake (DMB) | Departmental, 975813 | Scrapped (1990) |