Exclusive Prototype Power Cars announced for Bachmann Collectors Club

Depicting the Prototype Power Cars from the High-Speed Diesel Train (HSDT – otherwise known as the HST), the models are available in two formats, as a twin pack containing the pair of prototype power cars in their original condition and numbered 41001 & 41002, or as a single unit finished as No. ADB975812, the number given to No. 41001 when it was transferred to Departmental use as part of the Railway Technical Centre fleet – the latter, is also available with the option of sound.

The model boasts an impressive specification, which is enhanced by separately fitted metal handrails, windscreen wipers, corridor end pipework, underframe equipment and sprung metal buffers. The chassis is built around a five-pole, twin-shaft motor with two flywheels, which drives both bogies – every axle is geared and runs in separate metal bearings, whilst electrical pickup comes from every wheel.

The lighting suite includes directional lights along with front and rear cab lights and guard’s compartment lighting, all controlled using chassis-mounted switches on analogue control, or via DCC functions when a Plux22 DCC decoder is installed.

The Bachmann Collectors Club models are in stock now and Club members enjoy a 10% discount on the RRP of these models.

The single departmental power car is priced at £179.95 or £278.95 with sound (35-111KSF – RRP £309.95). The twin pack of power cars in original condition is priced at £359.95 (35-110K – RRP £399.95). Orders can be placed now for immediate dispatch by visiting the Club website.

About the prototype

During the 1960s, in its quest for high-speed travel and reduced journey times, British Rail set about developing new trains that could run at an increased line speed of 125mph. The HSDT was one solution, and a prototype train was authorised by British Rail in August 1970, with the first vehicles delivered to the Railway Technical Centre (RTC) for testing and type approval less than two years later in the summer of 1972.

Conceived by the Railway Technical Centre, the train owed a great deal of its design to the Western Region, as many of the RTC’s design staff came from Swindon. The experimental train comprised two power cars, along with a set of carriages that would be the prototypes for BR’s Mk3 coaching stock. The power cars were built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) at Crewe Works, whilst the Mk3s were constructed at BREL’s Litchurch Lane site in Derby. Under the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) the power cars were designated Class 41, with the complete train allocated Class 252.

With the development of the Advance Passenger Train (APT) ongoing alongside that of the HST, many saw the APT as the future of British rail travel, with the HST being little more than a stopgap. However, whilst the APT project suffered repeated delays, the prototype HST had already entered service and was such a success that production versions were quickly ordered. Various changes were made between the prototype and production trains, most notably the revised front end of the power cars. A total of 95 production High Speed Trains were built and the HST went on to become one of the most successful trains to have operated on the British railway network.

With the introduction of the production HSTs, the prototype power cars were withdrawn from service in late-1976 and both entered Departmental stock, returning to the RTC in Derby where they were used to haul various test trains for a number of years. By the mid-1980s the two vehicles had been stored out of use and whilst one was later scrapped, the other, No. 41001, was preserved as part of the National Collection and now takes pride of place at the National Railway Museum’s Locomotion Museum in Shildon, Country Durham.

Your weekly World of Railways newsletter

Are you subscribed to our weekly email newsletter? Don't miss the latest news, reviews, modelling advice and competitions.