A Very Interesting Day

On Monday 16th August 2004 Ledbury Railway Station visited Bristol as guests of St. Phillip's Marsh HST Depot. The invitation was to witness, at first hand, the behind the scenes complexities that enable the Hereford to Paddington High Speed Trains to arrive at Ledbury in top condition each morning.

It is about 23.00 as the train that will form the 05.55 Hereford to Paddington service arrives on the Depot. It will spend approximately two and a half hours over one of the four pits here for servicing and refuelling. The Depot shed is extremely long and bicycles are available for the servicing team if required. One power car was changed, 43035, currently approaching the camera, being replaced by 43188.

The train then moved through the wash, every train is washed every day, then into Victoria Sidings for its internal clean. The 05.55 Hereford to Paddington train is third from the right in this view, taken at half past two in the morning.

At 03.05 the Hereford train leaves the Depot for Bristol Temple Meads Station, deserted at this time of night. 43169 was the leading power car from St. Phillip's Marsh Depot but will be at the rear for the rest of the journey to Paddington. This commences at 03.55 as an "empty stock" working through the Severn Tunnel and Maindee Junction (Newport), to Hereford.

Dawn was breaking as the train pulled into Hereford at 05.10. Time for a cup of coffee from the buffet and a break for the driver before departing once more, smack on time at 05.55. Then came the highlight of the trip as we enter Ledbury Station at 06.12 to pick up the early morning travellers to London.

We were on time all the way. It seemed to take no time at all to speed through the Cotswolds to reach Oxford at 07.50. Once at Didcot the exhilarating, high speed, 125mph run to Paddington begins. Photographs do not do justice to quality of this ride and the engineering skill behind it.

And this is Paddington. The 05.55 Hereford to Paddington (on the right) has now become the 09.30 Paddington to Swansea and passengers for South Wales are now boarding. These hard working trains commonly cover 1000 miles in a day's work.

All in all, this fascinating visit did nothing but re-enforce our view that the InterCity 125 High Speed Train remains
"the finest train in the world for everyday rail travel".