Porterbrook donates iconic Class 43 HST power car to National Railway Museum

27 May 2021 | Porterbrook

Porterbrook, the rolling stock owner and asset manager,has today announced the donation of record breaking HST power car 43102 to the National Railway Museum.

In 1987 the power car broke the world speed record for a diesel-powered train, reaching 148.5mph between Northallerton and York. Decommissioned after 39 years’ frontline service it will find a new home at Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham.

The donation builds on Porterbrook’s ‘Gold’ partnership with the National Railway Museum which will see both organisations focus on inspiring the next generation of young engineers, as well as showcasing how the railway can become more accessible and sustainable.

Mary Grant, Chief Executive Officer of Porterbrook, said: “Whilst we are firmly focused on investing in the future of Britain’s railway, our partnership with the National Railway Museum shows that we also celebrate its successful past. As long-term asset owners with a fleet of 4,000 rail vehicles we are pleased to support the NRM as it explores how the railway contribute to our national life.

“Our wider collaboration with the National Railway Museum will include joint work on inspiring the next generation of young engineers as well as highlighting how the railway can sustainably contribute to delivering Net Zero.”

Judith McNicol, Director of The National Railway Museum, said: “The National Railway Museum is proud to have a strong and established relationship with Porterbrook, who have previously joined forces with us on projects such as Future Engineers, Rail Fest and the overhaul of Flying Scotsman. Porterbrook continue to work with us to engage our visitors, and in particular young people.”

“Our combined passion and resources ensure that we offer positive STEM experiences to bridge the skills gap with as many young people as possible. In the next phase of our relationship, we look forward to working with Porterbrook as a Gold level partner and continued collaboration to support the future of the UK rail industry.”

Locomotion and the National Railway Museum reopened to visitors on 19 May, following temporary closure during the Covid-19 pandemic. The donated power car will be placed by the entrance of Locomotion.

Notes to Editors

With its distinctive wedge-shaped design, created by Sir Kenneth Grange, the Class 43 HSTs, also known as 125s, have been a familiar sight on the UK rail network. The first units were introduced in 1976 and the train quickly became the backbone of high-speed rail routes.

Power car No. 43102 carries the InterCity Swallow livery which was introduced in 1987. The power car will join the National Railway Museum’s collection of rail vehicles and will go on display at Locomotion for the public to enjoy.

At Locomotion, the power car will join a collection of high-speed diesel vehicles such as the HST prototype power car No. 41001 and the English Electric DP1 ‘Deltic’ prototype.

Media Contacts

Porterbrook Leasing
Rupert Brennan Brown, Director of Stakeholder Engagement [email protected] or +44 (0)7973 950 923

Financial or corporate PR enquiries can also be directed to:

PR enquiries can also be directed to:
Portland Communications

Simon Evans, Partner - [email protected] 

Richard Brooks, Consultant - [email protected] or +44 (0)7740 858477

National Railway Museum

Simon Baylis, PR & Press Manager - [email protected] or 01904 686 299

About Porterbrook
• Porterbrook has been at the heart of the UK rail network for over 25 years and currently owns almost a third of the national passenger rail fleet
• The company currently has around 4,000 vehicles on lease or on order. Since privatisation, it has invested £3bn in 2,500 new passenger and freight vehicles, and is aiming to invest over £1bn in UK rail over the coming years
• Porterbrook works with a significant number of UK companies across the rail supply chain, investing £3 million per week and supporting around 7,000 UK jobs
• The company is also spending tens of millions of pounds in a significant upgrade of its fleets to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality over the coming years
• Porterbrook employs over 150 people of which three quarters are engineers and project managers. In addition, over a third of the company’s workforce is female including a number of our executive team which compares favourably to the UK rail industry average of 16% (source: Women In Rail)
• In October 2014, the Porterbrook Group of companies was acquired by a consortium of investors including Alberta Investment Management Corporation (“AIMCo”), Allianz Capital Partners (“ACP”) on behalf of certain insurance companies of the Allianz Group, EDF Invest and a consortium of Utilities Trust of Australia (“UTA”), The Infrastructure Fund (“TIF”) and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Pension Fund (“RBS”)

About National Railway Museum

• The National Railway Museum in York has the largest collection of railway objects in the world and prior to Covid-19, attracted more than 750,000 visitors per year
• The collection includes over 260 locomotives and rolling stock, 600 coins and medals and railway uniform, equipment, documents, records, artwork and photographs
• The museum holds an archive of over 1,400 sound items and 16 boxes of papers and photographic material from pioneering sound recordist Peter Handford
• The National Railway Museum is part of the Science Museum Group of national museums which includes Locomotion in Shildon, the Science Museum in London, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford
• All the museums in the Group reopened to the public on 19 May, 2021