For many people, HSTs are so much more than just trains – they’re part of the railway family, that’s why EMR have teamed up with AV IT Media to produce a one-off documentary, featuring a range of colleagues who have worked with these trains as well as telling the story of how they have changed over their decades of service.
These much-loved trains retired on Saturday 15th May after 39 years of service on the Midland Main Line. EMR was determined to recognise this historic moment and provide the opportunity for people to speak about what the HSTs mean to them, and how they impacted on their career and lives on the railway.
Click below to view the full documentary ‘End of the line – A HST story’ (approx. 24 minutes). It can also be viewed through the EMR YouTube channel from today (Monday 24th May).
Will Rogers, Managing Director for EMR, said: “To this day, the HST remains an iconic piece of British engineering and a much-loved part of the railway. We wanted to celebrate the HSTs, in tribute to the people who have worked on them and loved them throughout their career. A documentary is the perfect way for us at EMR to say goodbye and wish the trains a happy retirement, we hope our customers enjoy watching it too.”
Neil Bamford, Fleet Director for EMR, said: “We were incredibly sad to see the HSTs go, we know this is the “end of an era” not just for our colleagues, but for enthusiasts who have followed the journey of our HSTs through the years. For many, they are much more than just a train. They’ve become a fundamental part of people’s lives.”
The documentary will remain a permanent tribute to the HST and will be freely available online for everyone to view in their own time
EMR is also going further and producing a range of bespoke items for anyone to purchase over the coming weeks and months.
EMR have also teamed up with ‘Brixes’ to create a limited edition ‘build your own HST,’ exclusively EMR purple livery. These will be available to purchase by the general public from July 2021. There is a limited quantity of these items available so any HST fans will need to be quick to purchase.
EMR have also created limited-edition farewell pin badges that will also be available to purchase on the website soon https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/
The people who were unable to be part of the documentary shared their memories as part of a memorabilia book, which has been issued to EMR staff as a lasting memento of these iconic trains.
To view a copy of our memorabilia book in electronic form, please click here: https://issuu.com/emr_ic/docs/emr_hst_memorabilia_book_e-version
