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.

Running days in June 2022

Did you miss the chance to ride on our HST during our first operational weekend in April or maybe you just want another chance to ride because you enjoyed it so much? We’re pleased to announce that our friends at Midland Railway – Butterley have invited us to operate again over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June – so that is what we intend to do!

43048 in service at Midland Railway – Butterley in April 2022 © Andy Wade

Our operations over this weekend will be primarily using First Class Coaches and our record breaking power cars 43159 (the World’s fastest diesel) and 43048 (the first to operate in preservation at 125mph). Timetable & ticket information for the weekend can be found here.

While on board, come and check out Buffet 125 serving refreshments and snacks throughout the day and enjoy your trip in first class comfort as we operate the Railway’s Yellow timetable of six services each day. Shop 125 will also be open with a wide selection from badges to books, DVDs to postcards for you to purchase.

Other site attractions will be available should you break your journey. Why not take the chance to view 43089 at Swanwick Junction and maybe take a ride on the Golden Valley Light Railway?

Please come along and support our operation, meet the team and enjoy our early preservation operations along the beautiful Midland Railway.

125 Group would like to take this opportunity to say how very grateful we are to Midland Railway – Butterley for their continued support in both storing and using our lovely HST.