Preservation Update – August 2022

Following the lifting of Covid limitations, our volunteers have been busy with maintenance requirements on our operational set at Swanwick Junction on the Midland Railway – Butterley.  Two successful weekends of operation have built our confidence but we do need to carry out some mainline testing to ensure everything is working as we expect following maintenance works.  Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this soon.

With the long days and some of our volunteers generously using their work leave, we have commenced the massive effort necessary to revert 43044 to Valenta power.  All of the inside equipment needing to be removed now has been, with the VP185 and Brush cooler successfully removed by hired crane and transported to storage. We have encountered some unexpected issues and members have received an email with more information on these! This will require some additional activities to be carried out but we are continuing with our plan to fit the Valenta. Needless to say, none of these activities are expected to be cheap and if you are interested in helping out, please click here!

Looking ahead to other events, the weekend of August 20/21 will see us join our friends at NHR in Ruddington to display some of their rolling stock and allowing visitors to see the parts you often don’t get to see. 125 Group are proudly supporting this event, with 43044 on display. Visitors will able to see inside the cab, along with seeing what a bodyshell looks like when the major equipment is out – an opportunity that doesn’t arise often! As part of this weekend, we will be naming 43044 at 2PM on Sunday 21st.

We look forward to seeing you on the 20th or 21st for a unique perspective on HST preservation as we continue the journey to restoring a HST to Valenta power!

Funding 125 Group

As 125 Group has moved to being an active preservation group, our costs have continued to rise. Keeping four power cars and 13 trailer vehicles on the rails and in good operational condition is not a cheap activity!

If you are one of our (almost) 800 strong membership you are already helping towards our typical monthly expenses of over £5000! If you are a follower/supporter of our activities, why not join up as a member today? Donating regularly via Direct Debit is also a great way to help and provides us with more stable cashflow for planning future projects with.

Purchases from Shop125 also go a long way towards funding our activities. Did you know you can also add one-off donations at checkout? Even rounding off your purchase to the nearest £ helps. Supporting us with Buffet125 and Shop125 purchases at events and running days also go a long way with the bonus of seeing your donations in action! Alternatively, if you are shopping at Amazon, why not support us with no cost to yourself using AmazonSmile?

43044 in Executive Livery at Neville Hill

While this is something no one likes to think about, leaving us a bequest in your will is a way of helping us out in the future and leaving your own mark on the HST legacy.

With upcoming key projects such as fitting toilet retention tanks (to enable mainline passenger service), vehicle repaints and the ongoing Valenta works on 43044 your support is needed more than ever. Thank you for your ongoing support so we can continue to tell the HST story for years to come.