ON a bright, clear April evening, a streamlined ‘Azuma’ forges its way past the large metal Druimuachdar summit sign on the down side of the Highland Main Line, the swish red and silver train’s livery emphasising its presence against the restrained hues of the Scottish scenery.
This was the 12.00 King’s Cross-Inverness, known throughout the railway community as ‘The Highland Chieftain’, running 17min late and anxious to recover as many precious minutes as possible.
The whole process of IET introduction had created doubts in the minds of observers – and not just the naturally cynical ones. Just why the Hitachi trains had become the standard InterCity replacement for the trusted HSTs was puzzling. On electric, there is no doubt that they outperformed the East Coast Main Line’s Class 91/ Mk.4 sets, but diesel was a different matter.
A nine-car formation was provided with five engines that were originally rated at 750hp each for a 430tonne tare weight. A 938hp version was then introduced for Great Western’s West of England route, where the 252mile diesel from Newbury to Penzance – including the Devon Banks – needed more power. Curtailment of electrification to Bristol and Swansea, causing more work on diesel than had been envisaged, then resulted in the uprating of all engines in GWR’s fleet to the higher figure.
Not so on the ECML though, where the 750hp version was deemed sufficient to hoist ‘Azumas’ up the 1-in-100 between Leeds and Harrogate, and over the many steep gradients to and from Inverness. Surely a small fleet of, say, five ‘Azumas’ could have been rated at 938hp with every effort being made to allocate one of them to each of the two daily diagrams using the latter route? Even if running times were to remain unaltered at the 750hp level, there would have been some in-built capacity for time recovery.
With the propensity of IETs to enter service with a defective engine, and their poor reputation for comfort, the increasingly renationalised railway does not seem focused on tackling its road and air competition.
North from Stirling
Our Druimuachdar ‘Azuma’ had left Stirling
