Or so they hope:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-not ... e-57863949

More:
https://www.125group.org.uk/

The preserved Prototype HST power car, owned by the NRM, has already run on the GCR(N) from Ruddington a few years back. It was put back into running order by the 125 Group who then had the pleasure of it being taken back out of their care by said NRM amongst a rash of accusations which have yet to be clarified/proven as far as I'm aware....



Given what has been going on at the GCR(N) since a visit by an Inspector from the Office of Rail Regulation last year, I think most people have been taken by surprise that 43159 even appeared there yesterday evening. Plans for the 125 Group to erect a workshop to maintain their collection at Ruddington were said to be on-hold in the Supporters Magazine that arrived here, literally, in the last few days, until the situation with the GCR(N) became clearer.

The fact it has been delivered there seems to indicate that the problems with the GCR(N) are being sorted, as there are a number of other preservation groups who are affected by the Ruddington "goings on" of the last 15 months.

what are the Ruddington "goings on"?

Their operations were shut down by the ORR following an Inspection visit last year. Details are (still) rather sketchy as to how much is ORR and how much is Covid related, as not a lot has been said publically, but all restoration work in their workshops at Ruddington was halted (which seemed to go beyond Covid restrictions), Paperwork (Records/Operating Systems) was deemed to be inadequate for operations and two bridges were condemned for rail traffic - one immediately - the bridge over the A60 road at Loughborough - and the other, at East Leake, subject to a detailed inspection before traffic could use it. There have since been changes in the Board of the East Midlands Railway Trust (who own the infrastructure) and they seem to have become very proactive in the last month or so. There seems to have been lots of "internal politics" in play within the Great Central Railway (North) Organisation (who ran the trains) with major Board changes in the past few months as well.
No rail traffic has run since spring last year due to the bridge condemnations and this obviously includes the revenue freight (gypsum) traffic that used the line providing income to EMRT.
As the A60 bridge is an essential part of the GCR reunification project, the southern operation (Loughboro' to Leicester North) are now getting involved with EMRT to try and get things sorted, though you are looking at something like £1 million (US $1.35 million) for new structures there, which is what it needs.
Special Events and some restoration activities have resumed at Ruddington in the past couple of months, but train operation still looks a long way off....

The bridges on the GCR lines are now over 125 years old and it's not just the ones on the GCR(N) which are a problem. One at Quorn on the south section had to be completely replaced last year with a new (concrete) structure that cost something like £350,000, and another one at Swithland looks as though the same will need to be done there. The Swithland bridge currently has a 5 mph speed restriction on it, but it's on a section that is passed for running commercial test trains at 75 mph, so something needs to be sorted fairly quickly.

As a footnote to the use of HST equipment after withdrawal from the main UK rail network, there are another few preserved lines that have obtained such stock since the original 2021 postings on this thread,

BUT.....There are currently some HST power cars and passenger cars sitting at Great Yarmouth docks here in the UK awaiting loading on a ship with an alleged final destination of....Mexico !
Where exactly isn't known, but sounds interesting (and it's nowhere near 1st April...). Seems others may follow if they prove to be suitable.

EDIT - Apparently there are 3 power cars and 11 passenger cars going in the first shipment

There is a FB page with images of the ship at Yarmouth being loaded if anyone is interested....
https://www.facebook.com/oliv3rphotogra ... 8129124072
Seems to be viewable by all, including non-FB members like me!

It has been suggested that they may be heading for the new Tren Maya lines out of Cancun....

The former BR HST's that went to Mexico are now entering service on the Tren Interoceano service, and this YT film has some clips taken in the last few days showing that one of the power cars vinyl wrapped in the original 1976 livery for the final runs in the UK has retained that colour scheme in Mexico!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxNoUg8v5EQ

Another batch of HST's have gone to Nigeria for use on a service out of Lagos......