125 Group
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The 125 Group is a railway heritage group in England dedicated to the preservation of the
InterCity 125 The InterCity 125 (originally Inter-City 125) or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered High-speed rail, high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each com ...
s. The 125 Group was founded in 1994 at a time when the InterCity 125 remained in daily use and under no threat of withdrawal. In 2006, it purchased ten Paxman Valenta engines when the majority of the Class 43 powercars were repowered with a view to restoring some to original condition when withdrawn. In 2011, it reached an agreement with the
National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historical ...
to become the custodian of Class 41 prototype powercar 41001 and restore it to operational condition at Neville Hill TMD. This work was completed in 2014, with 41001 based at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). The group purchased a number of Mark 3 carriages to operate with it. These were Mark 3B variants that were compatible with 41001's electrical system and had last been operated by Virgin Trains West Coast with Class 87 and Class 90 electric locomotives. In 2020, these were sold and replaced by ex-HST Mark 3s, three from
East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
and one ex- First Great Western. During 2019, the National Railway Museum terminated the lease of 41001. Upon being withdrawn in 2020, former East Midlands Railway Class 43 powercars 43048 and 43089 were donated by Porterbrook to the 125 Group. In 2021, the group purchased a third powercar, 43044, from Porterbrook. It is planned to replace its Paxman VP185 engine with a Paxman Valenta. In June 2021, Porterbrook donated a fourth powercar, 43159, that was involved in the record-breaking run on the
East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its northern terminus at and southern terminus at . The key towns and cities of , , , , and are on the line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Grea ...
in 1987. With this former First Great Western power car having a MTU engine, the group has examples of all three engine types used by the Class 43s. In 2023 the group purchased 43025 thanks to a donation from a member of the group. This unit has since been moved to Ruddington for restoration.


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*{{Official website Rail transport preservation in the United Kingdom 1994 establishments in England