As part of a special railtour, the Severn Valley Railway welcomed a CrossCountry HST this week for a special visit on the heritage line.

The event was organised by CrossCountry in conjunction with Modern Railways, who celebrated their 40 years of HST operation and their 60th anniversary respectively.

CrossCountry’s HST Power Car Class 43 No. 43366 as named ‘HST 40’ whilst GB Railfreight‘s Class 66 No. 66799 was named ‘Modern Railways – Diamond Jubilee’

The HST arrived at Kidderminster after travelling from Leeds via Wakefield, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby and Birmingham New Street – all whilst raising money for The Railway Benefit Fund.

60 passengers joined the train at Kidderminster for just the SVR leg of the tour, which made two return trips to Bridgnorth.

“An InterCity 125 travelling along the length of our beautifully preserved line isn’t something you see every day,” said Helen Smith, the SVR’s managing director. “In fact, it’s more than 20 years since an HST has hauled a charter visit here. It’s been a pleasure to welcome this special celebratory railtour, and add our own sprinkling of heritage magic to the day.”

With a regular service speed of 125 mph, and capable of travelling at 148.5 mph, the HST power cars are officially the fastest diesel locomotives in the world. Ironically the Severn Valley Railway, as a heritage line, has a maximum speed limit of 25 mph, a fact which wasn’t lost on CrossCountry’s managing director Tom Joyner: “It means you can enjoy the trip even more; you get longer to spend on the train itself, so that’s no bad thing. When we were thinking about how best to celebrate 40 years of CrossCountry operating HSTs, we needed somewhere that represents a great day out and really has some meaning from a railway perspective, and this is it! Where else would you go?

“Not only was it an opportunity to celebrate the iconic and much-loved HSTs but also to support our heritage lines who have struggled during the pandemic. They are working railways which are major tourist attractions and therefore provide valuable support for the local economies of the regions they serve.”