Northern and CrossCountry staged a ceremony for staff at Neville Hill depot on September 23 to mark the end of the more than four-decade association between the depot and HSTs. The depot is now entirely run by Northern, but manager Andy Marden has worked with HSTs since 1987, with time spent at both Laira and Neville Hill. No. 43184 is pictured on display, while Nos. 43007/43008 were being prepped for the September 26 railtour, and No. 43304 was having a traction motor change – indicating, perhaps, that it was not being retired just yet.
CHRIS GEE
THE final CrossCountry HST in public service ran on Monday, September 18, but the preceding week had been full of interest as enthusiasts came out in force to see the last of these long-distance inter-city workings.