The ‘Trying Banana’
“It was called the NMT not because it was actually a new train, but because it was intended to trial new forms of monitoring equipment”
THE Hatfield derailment of October 17, 2000 was awatershed moment for Britain’s railway, and most railway engineers around at the time would rather forget the ‘nervous breakdown’ the system experienced in the months that followed.
The infrastructure owner Railtrack went into something of a commercial tailspin, but it was clear that whatever organisation emerged in the aftermath (which turned out to be Network Rail), a higher standard of track maintenance and monitoring was going to be imperative.
Led by chief engineer Andrew McNaughton, a plan for an improved track monitoring train for the principal routes was developed. This would be able to hold its own amongst the burgeoning number of 125mph services, making it easier to find paths compared with the slower loco-hauled set then in use and, in turn, also beable to run more frequently. Consideration had been given to ordering a completely new train along the lines of a ‘Voyager’ DMU, but the need to have at least some freedom to mount monitoring kit below solebar level (unencumbered by underfloor engines), together with concerns over cost, tended to dictate another solution.
Whilst Mk.2 coaches were the ideal, because they had plenty of room underneath and might be adapted for 125mph running, it was felt Mk.3s would be preferable. The motive power would also need to be capable of running at 125mph and, luckily enough, there was a small surplus in the operational fleet of HST power cars at the time which allowed three units to be spared. Those that came Network Rail’s way from Virgin CrossCountry, however, were hardly the cream of the crop and all were in need of a full overhaul.
NMT IS BORN
The train would be known as the New Measurement Train (NMT), not because it was actually a new train, but because it was intended to serve as a means of trialling new forms of monitoring equipment, which is something it continues to do to this day. Of course, every now and then you
