HST in the Fifth Decade by Andy Coward

£30.00

The period between 2016 and 2025 saw a huge change in the High Speed Train fleet across the UK rail network. HST: In the Fifth Decade tells the story of this fascinating chapter in the history of the iconic train fleet.

In 2016, 194 of the 197 Class 43 HST power cars were in service on high-speed routes across the UK, but by the end of 2023, the fleet had been removed from those services that had been the mainstay of their work since 1976, with those surviving examples operating regional services in Devon and Cornwall for GWR and in Scotland. The book has been carefully researched and produced with the assistance and cooperation of many people who have worked with the trains over the past 10 years, telling the inside story of this important period for the train fleet.

Preservation of HST vehicles has also seen a number of Class 43 power cars and Mk. 3 trailer coaches bought by preservationists, securing the future of these vehicles for future generations.

HST: In the Fifth Decade is a 260-page A4 portrait-format softback book, containing 23 chapters, covering all of the operators that have used the HSTs between 2016 and 2025. Written by former Railways Illustrated editor Andy Coward, the book is a comprehensive record of the HST fleet during the most recent period of its operation. The chapters are as follows: 

• Chapter 1: The story so far ...
• Chapter 2: CrossCountry
• Chapter 3: Grand Central
• Chapter 4: Great Western Railway
• Chapter 5: The GWR Castle Class HSTs
• Chapter 6: Virgin Trains East Coast
• Chapter 7: London North Eastern Railway
• Chapter 8: First Hull Trains
• Chapter 9: East Midlands Trains
• Chapter 10: East Midlands Railway
• Chapter 11: ScotRail Inter7City
• Chapter 12: Network Rail
• Chapter 13: Colas Rail
• Chapter 14: Data Acquisition & Testing Services
• Chapter 15: Locomotive Services Ltd
• Chapter 16: Rail Charter Services
• Chapter 17: RailAdventure
• Chapter 18: Romic Group
• Chapter 19: Exports
• Chapter 20: West Coast Railway Company 
• Chapter 21: Preservation
• Chapter 22: The Celebrity Power Cars
• Chapter 23: Storage & Scrapping
• HST Class 43 Power Car List