ICONS of sport grace the Murrayfield stadium that looms large behind Haymarket depot, yet in the foreground it is the icons of the railway that call the area home.
ScotRail is now the largest operator of the High Speed Train. They may no longer operate at 125mph and the number of coaches per train has been reduced, but these HSTs are still providing a front-line express service. While they may have been re-engined with MTU power units in the mid-2000s, the ‘43s’ still date from 1976-1984; indeed No. 43003 is the oldest operational production power car left on the main line, being delivered in February 1976. By comparison, No. 43183 is the youngest in the SR fleet, having been delivered six years later in February 1982.
The HSTs were part of a successful Abellio franchise bid which aimed to improve the quality of travel between Scotland’s seven cities (Dunfermline has since been designated a city, but the HSTs do not serve there). Branded Inter7City (IC7), the plan was for the HSTs to offer a more comfortable intercity feel to travel, replacing the Class 158 and ‘170’ diesel multiple units on longer-distance services. Gone were underfloor engines and overcrowding on the routes from Aberdeen and Inverness to the Central Belt, as well as ‘across the top’ from Aberdeen to Inverness. In turn, ScotRail was able
