InterCity 125 prepares for farewell UK tour with Doncaster paint job

The iconic InterCity 125 is preparing for its farewell UK tour – with a paint job in Doncaster.
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The iconic loco and train is being repainted in its original British Rail livery of blue and yellow for the farewell tour which will take place later this month.

Rail operator LNER is phasing out the distinctive loco which first entered service in 1978 – and she wil wave goodbye with a tour of the East Coast Main Line, the route the train has served for more than 40 years.

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The train’s carriages are being painted at Doncaster’s Wabtec Rail while work is being carried out on the power cars at the Craigentinny Train Maintenance Centre in Edinburgh.

The InterCity 125 is making a farewell tour.The InterCity 125 is making a farewell tour.
The InterCity 125 is making a farewell tour.

LNER will mark the retirement of the HSTs by operating a four-day special service taking in the majority of destinations along the LNER route.

Money raised from the tour will go towards LNER partner charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The charity works to prevent male suicide and has already benefitted from more than £100,000 in donations from LNER customers donating ‘Delay Repay’ claims to help the campaign.

David Horne, Managing Director of LNER, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to express our appreciation for the decades of service from the iconic Intercity 125 on the East Coast route.

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“We recognise the huge transformation these trains gave to rail travel when they were introduced in the 1970s, and want to show our appreciation by taking them around the route one last time.

The loco is being given a makeover ahead of its goodbye.The loco is being given a makeover ahead of its goodbye.
The loco is being given a makeover ahead of its goodbye.

The tour will begin on Wednesday 18 December when the Intercity 125 HST will travel from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, and then as a special treat for those on board the train will take a special route on to Inverness. The second day will see the farewell service depart Inverness for Edinburgh with day three covering Edinburgh, Newcastle, York and Leeds before a final stretch on day four stopping all stations from Leeds to London King’s Cross.

Tickets will be available from UK Rail Tours and will include free travel with LNER on any of its services either to reach the departure station or to return home.

Tickets are on sale at www.ukrailtours.com