A close look at a couple of HST power cars.

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WHEN FIRST TOOK over the Great Western franchise, there were groans when the Bus turned transport conglomerate introduced its ‘Barbie’ paint scheme on its train fleet. Now I can’t decide if having a livery trumps having none at all, as is the case on today’s plain blue dip HST power car fleet. This is No. 43029 at Reading General on March 7th, 2002. Interestingly, you can just make out that this locomotive has gained a cooler group from the last-built batch of 40-odd power cars.

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Still wearing its original version of the Midland Mainline colour scheme, the well regarded tangerine and teal, HST Class 43 power car No. 43060 County of Leicestershire, forms the rear vehicle of a London-bound inter-city service on May 11th, 2005. Note the temperature-controlled Serck radiator slats on the roof, fully in the open position.