Events

All about our events, visits and places to see The 125 Group & 41001

HIGH SPEED TRAIN (INTER-CITY 125) 50TH ANNIVERSARY PUBLIC RAILTOUR

The Journey Shrinker

It seems incredible that rail operation at 125 mph has been happening on the railways of Great Britain for fifty years.  It was on the 4th October 1976 that the first public trains operated at this speed, opening a complete new chapter in the operations of our railways.  It was a massive step change over what had gone before and it was all thanks to the iconic High Speed Train.

To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary, 125 Group – as custodian of one of the few remaining operational HSTs in England – is planning to operate a celebratory tour on Saturday the 3rd October 2026, retracing the routes of the initial day of operation.  Using our beautifully restored coaches and power cars, we will travel from London Paddington via Box Tunnel to Bristol Temple Meads.  After a short break, we will venture through the Severn Tunnel into Wales to reach Swansea where we will take a longer break, before returning  to Paddington via the Chipping Sodbury route – all lines that saw HST operation on that first week in October fifty years ago.

We will be offering travel in either First or Standard accommodation and our 125 Group buffet will be available for hot and cold drinks and snacks.  Every participant will receive a Commemorative Brochure celebrating the initial day and the events over the fifty years since.  You can join us for the whole day, or for various individual single legs which will all be available to book shortly through our new on-line booking site.

It will be a day to remember – and a great opportunity for another trip over the famous GWR High Speed routes in a beautifully presented InterCity 125.

Not satisfied with this exciting event, we will need to get our set back to Bury on Sunday 4th October – so what better way to do it than by recreating an operation from twenty-three years ago with “The Rio Revival”.  Hoping to start from St Pancras at a friendly time, we will run up the Midland Mainline, calling at Leicester, Chesterfield, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly.  Single fares only, as there is no return offering but what better way to travel north after the previous day’s tour?  Might even be a discount for booking both tours!!

Full details of both trips, together with fares and booking options are now available here.

UPDATED: The CITADEL Circle – 25-07-2026

125 Group are pleased to announce that we will be taking our HST to Carlisle on Saturday 25th July 2026.

Working with our good friends at Retro Railtours, who will manage all aspects of the bookings on our behalf, “The Citadel Circle” will operate as follows:

(UPDATE 21/07/2026 – TIMINGS NOW CONFIRMED AND UPDATED)

Outbound –

Departs Manchester Victoria – 0625

Crewe – 0736

Stoke-on-Trent – 0816

Derby – 0913

Chesterfield – 0935

Sheffield – 0955

York – 1053

Carlisle – 1307

Departs Carlisle – 1558

Crewe – 1834

Stoke-on-Trent – 1914

Derby – 2003

Chesterfield – 2032

Sheffield – 2051

Wakefield Kirkgate – 2135

Manchester Victoria – 2240

Return –

The train will then travel north on the East Coast Main Line and should demonstrate its full speed capability before taking the spur from Low Fell to Norwood Junction for a more leisurely run across the Tyne Valley via Haltwhistle to Carlisle for a break.

The return will be via the West Coast mainline direct to Crewe (with connections for Manchester available – these are NOT included in the fare), before completing the circle for everyone by retracing our steps to set down at Stoke, Derby Chesterfield and Sheffield. Our final set down will be at Manchester Victoria.

First Class and Standard class seating will be available on board and a counter service buffet serving hot and cold food and drinks will be available throughout.

The following fares are available:

E-Tickets will be sent out no later than a week before (for bookings before Fri 17th). We look forward to welcoming you aboard “The Citadel Circle” on the 25th July.