The LNER Encyclopedia

Documentary just started on BBC4 about the Intercity 125 and the 'age of the train'

Here a link to it in Iplayer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... the_Train/

Repeated tonight (Saturday 15 September) at 1040 on BBC4.

http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/r6ftk ... -the-train

I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with the contents, which just seemed to be a rather tame comparison of the history of APT and HST, and Peter Parker's tenure as BRB chairman.

I was hoping for an interview with the people who were responsible for consigning APT to the dustbin in such a stark and dramatic fashion. I would like to have discovered how so much taxpayers money that was poured into the research, design and building of the APT project, (up to the point where half a dozen complete production sets of vehicles were complete), can be just written off in that way without any resignations.

I realise that the project was probably ahead of its time, but that is no excuse to just abandon everything and treat it as if it were all just a bad dream.

But of course, modern dumbed down TV is not going to ask serious questions any more. If programmes do not include people sobbing, singing out of tune, or poncing around with performing animals then it would seem they are not worth bothering with.

Ay up, SS!

You've forgotten the most galling aspect of this. The Italians took the technology, perfected it and are now selling it back to us!

Pendolino anyone?

...although arguably the most obvious and well-known feature, APT wasn't only about the tilt.

Ay up, Stevie.

Point taken, a lot of the APT power car tech ended up in the East Coast's class 91s but the expense of developing a reliable tilt mechanism was the main excuse the Govt of the day gave, IIRC.

Blink Bonny wrote:Ay up, Stevie.

Point taken, a lot of the APT power car tech ended up in the East Coast's class 91s but the expense of developing a reliable tilt mechanism was the main excuse the Govt of the day gave, IIRC.

IMHO, true enough.
But for example there's the need to keep the pantograph 'central' under the overhead wire while the carriage body tilts from side to side, though I think there may be a big difference between how that's achieved on the Pendolino copared to the APT.

But for some weird reason, what comes to my mind (tilting apart), was the APT's hydro-kinetic brake.

I always felt the failure of the APT was a totally inadequate budget, I remember reading at the time Derby had the same value budget as British Leyland had to develop the Austin Metro !!!!!! ! (not including the engine and gearbox which they already had from previous models}

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harvester was right it was attempting to be "ahead of its time" but on a pittance of a budget. Hence even simple things like automatic sliding doors jammed far too frequently.