One of the most powerful train cars ever made in Britain is about to arrive at the Electric Railway Museum in Coventry
The Advanced Passenger Train Prototype set the UK rail speed record of 162.2 miles an hour when it whizzed along the East Coast Main Line between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh in 1979, a top speed which remained unbroken for 23 years.
Its 49006 non-driving power car, which carried electrical equipment at the centre of the train, will leave its home at the National Railway Museum’s annex at Shildon, in County Durham, for a loan spell in Coventry.
It was part of the first design to use a tilting mechanism on tight rail curves, boasting unprecedented power and informing the look of the Class 91 design, which is still in use on the line today.
The museum’s Chairman, Graeme Graves, said the vehicle was in fine condition but would receive a “cosmetic restoration” during a four-day painting effort overseen by his team of enthusiasts.
“We are absolutely thrilled that another significant artefact telling the story of electric railway traction has come to Coventry,” he added.
The car will go on show to the public as part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days festival on the weekend of September 10 2011.
- Electric Railway Museum, Rowley Road, Baginton.
