High-Speed Train power car donated to Welsh Railways Trust for preservation

Rolling stock company Porterbrook has donated a High-Speed Train (HST) power car to the Welsh Railways Trust for preservation.

The Trust, which is based at Bronwydd Arms near Carmarthen, has been given the the 43056 The Royal British Legion,

It will be the first HST power car to be preserved in Wales and is one of only a small number currently preserved in the UK.

The vehicle is set to be be moved to the Welsh Railways Trust base at the Gwili Railway. There it will form a cornerstone in the Trust’s ambition to create a museum which tells the stories of Welsh Railways.

The model, which was first seen in 1976, formed the backbone of services on the South Wales main line until May 2019, when they were withdrawn and replaced by Hitachi IET 800s.

‘Incredibly proud’ 

James Buckley, a WRT Trustee said: “We are incredibly proud to be preserving the first HST Power Car in Wales and extremely grateful to Porterbrook for its donation. By adding 43056 to our collection, we can tell the story of Welsh Railways from early 1874 right through to 2019.

“Our plan for 43056 is that it will be subject to six months of conservation and cosmetic work before going on public display for Easter 2022.

“It is then intended that it will be moved undercover as part of project Dan Do, which we hope will be completed by the summer of 2022.”