They were only created as a temporary fix to cover for a shortage of rolling stock and have out-lived their expected withdrawal date by at least two years, but now time is finally up for the popular GWR Castle 2+4 HSTs, which will make their last journeys between Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance on Saturday, 13 December 2025.
Keen to pay my respects, I took a rather lengthy trip to Cornwall on their final weekday of working (Friday, 12 December) with the aim of capturing a trio of these iconic units as they passed the equally iconic semaphore signals at St. Erth, before taking a last ever ride aboard 43004/186 (GW08) from there back to Plymouth.
At the time GWR retired its HSTs from mainline working in May 2019 it held onto a total of 24 power cars, from which it created 11 four-car sets that which given the designation of Class 255 and named after Castles, in the tradition of the pre-war GWR. These sets originally worked from Cornwall as far afield as Cardiff and Worcester, but for the past couple of years those remaining have been confined to Devon and Cornwall.
The first 2+4 HST entered service in March 2018, more than a year before the end of GWR main line HST working, with the 11 shortened sets being modified, along with those going to ScotRail, by Wabtec at Doncaster, where coaches were fitted with powered ‘plug’ doors and modified to meet Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM) regulations.
Arriving into St Erth station in bright sunshine at 13.00 on 12 December I took a brisk 15 minute walk to Rosengrouse Road over-bridge (321m 46.25ch) from where I was able to photograph two of the day’s three Castle sets (GW06 and GW09) passing Britain’s most south-westerly semaphores, down section signal SE7 and up outer home signal SE68.
Withdrawal of the Castle sets was heralded by GWR more than three years ago (in November 2022), when a spokesman said that the fleet’s running costs and high carbon emissions meant that the fleet needs to be replaced, adding that: “they are by far the oldest trains in our fleet, and will have been in service on the network in various forms for some 47 years. As a result, the fleet is particularly costly to run, with a high carbon emissions footprint compared to other trains on our network.”
Replacing the Castle sets will be a 27-strong fleet of two and three-car Alstom Class 175 units formerly operated by Transport for Wales. This comprises 11 two-car units (175001-11) and 16 three-car sets (175101-116) and, in addition to replacing the 2+4 HSTs, will also appear on Exeter-Barnstaple workings and allow for redeployment of five-car Class 80x Hitachi IET units currently used on some local services between Penzance and Plymouth.
But all is not lost for lovers of these 1970s classics. ScotRail operates a sizeable HST 2+4 and 2+5 fleet under its Inter7City branding that look set to remain in service for another few years, while Network Rail and Colas Rail operate infrastructure maintenance workings, such as the famous all yellow “Flying Banana.”
Other working examples of the Class 43 (apart from those in Nigeria and Mexico) are the three pairs used for rolling stock movements by operator Rail Advent, the smart blue-liveried Midland Pullman set and others owned and operated by Crewe-based Locomotive Services Limited, while Carnforth-based West Coast Railways is now acquiring a number of the GWR power cars and coaches.
Returning from Plymouth to Reading, after my final Castle set journey – and by way of Bristol Temple Meads, due to engineering work between Taunton and Castle Cary – I decided to treat myself to sampling the GWR Pullman Dining festive Christmas menu during a rather extended journey aboard the 18.16 departure (1H96 from Penzance).
From the Christmas Menu (two courses for £45/three for £54) I can highly recommend the slow roasted Bronze Turkey and the Christmas Pudding washed down with some very drinkable Shiraz Malbec. As I have commented before, Pullman Dining is a great way to travel and talk to fellow travellers.
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