SUPERSEDED PAGE

APT-P

The most Advanced Passenger Train

Probably the best train BR ever had

	Part of set 370001 in the yard at RTC in 1978 - probably being equipped with instrumentation BR Official		Built at Derby in the Locomotive Works, here's a shot of an early power car in works grey and fitted with the original modified Faiveley pantograph in the Vehicle's Lab at RTC during its acceptance testing - probably late 1977 Author's collection
	By early 1980 the BR/Brecknell Willis pantograph had replaced the original APT pantograph on PC6 48006 Author's collection		Set No: 370004 sits in Willesden Carriage Sidings, London after failing on a VIP test run from Euston Station. In early summer of 1980 the BR/Brecknell Willis pantograph had been installed on this set and this was one of its first runs. Needless to say the failure was unconnected with the pantograph!
	A view of the driver's desk - note the two cancellation buttons in front of the power handle. One was for the AWS and the other for C-APT Peter Kelly		A tantalising half frame photo of set No: 370001 at Crewe next to a Class 47 in the summer of 1980. Who would have thought that the Class 47 would outlive the APT? This was one of those Murphy's Law events when this frame happened to be the last one of the film!
	APT-P leaving Stafford - seen from a passing test train - probably sometime in 1979-80		With what appears to be one car tilted out of line - where the punters are gathered on the platform - the set departs towards London.
	Due to an extended delay in the delivery of the first trailer rake from Derby C&W it was decided to test and commission the power cars which were sitting around at Derby, having been delivered on time from the Locomotive Works. This is the Power Car test train- Test Service Car 8 housed a generator and compressor (since the trailer rake carried this equipment normally) and Test Car 5 was fulfilling its normal role. The HST power car was the only traction that could run at 125 mile/h officially - well it tried. Unfortunately one PC struggled to reach 125 mile/h so eventually the original HST PCs were used back-to-back Once at Crewe and under the knitting the HST was turned into a DVT and traction was supplied by the APT power car Author's collection
	The trailer rakes were also commissioned separately 'off the wires' with Test Service Car 9 masquerading as an APT power car Author's collection
	Once it was all together and under the wires it began to look like the real thing but it was only 2+6 cars Author's collection
	A diagram of the converted test vehicles within the APT test train trailer rake No:1. The author remembers dashing up and down the Scottish part of the WCML at various times. I was fortunate enough to grab a ride in the cab sometimes - brilliant! Author's collection
	Converting the intermediate Trailer Car S2 into a test car Author's collection		Another view inside intermediate Trailer Car S2 Author's collection
	Converting intermediate Trailer Car S2 into a test car Author's collection		The control desk at one end of the finished test car Author's collection
	The finished test car's instrumentation racks Author's collection		The view from the control desk looking down the vehicle Author's collection
	The APT-P featured at the anniversary celebrations of the Rainhill Trials where set 370003 is pictured being hauled by Class 56 No:56077 on 25th May 1980. Dave Godfrey		Bringing up the rear is driving trailer Sc48104 Dave Godfrey
	On 16th April 1980 at 1500: APT set 370004 leads 370003 at speed on a test run through Nuneaton. One of several runs that day. Graham Shaw		Here is the Testing outline plan drawn up by the Testing section - whether it was all completed without a hitch is doubtful Author's collection
	A view inside the test car during the extensive acceptance tests with the workers at the coal face Unknown		370006 on the middle road at Carlisle P Searle
	Power car Sc49004 at Carlisle P Searle		Set No 370007 leans to the curve at Dodford Road, north of Weedon Unknown
	370003 on the front cover of a BR promotional brochure from the mid 1980's BR official		Another shot of 370003 from the brochure BR official
	Set No 370004, now fitted with the BR/Brecknell Willis pantograph, heads south through Rugeley in the Trent Valley sometime in 1982 Unknown		370006 in service at Preston on 7th December 1981 Unknown
	July 1982 a shortened test APT-P comprising set No:370 004 heads south past Hademore Level Crossing, Staffordshire with the vehicle behind the power car seemingly suffering from a tilt pack failure. Richard Billinge		370005 at Euston on a test run sometime in 1981 Tom Connell

And later testing 1986

Still running on 4th April 1986 set 370001 is pictured in platform 7 at Preston at the end of a test run from Crewe. The train crew are walking down the platform and appear to be changing ends Chris Ward

370008 pictured somewhere on the WCML with a shortened rake - probably a test train - on 14th March 1984
A Stobbs

Inside the test vehicle in 1986

Chris Ward

Here are some scans from the 1981 Scottish Region APT-P Class 370 training manual. The drawings are by David Gibbons who used to illustrate the informative centre spreads of the staff newspaper Rail News and had several books of his drawings published. From memory these drawings convey an accurate impression of the vehicles and interiors.

All scans from author's collection

Here are a couple of pictures of a model of P train taken at NRM spring 2003

The driving car

The power car

And finally a few of pictures of 'P Train' in service

	An unidentified APT-P set awaits departure from Euston sometime around 1981/82 Unknown		Set 370 006 ready to depart with the 16.30 Euston to Glasgow on 7th December 1981 Stephen Wilkins
	Set 370 005 arriving at Glasgow Central Author's collection		..... and here's an appropriate luggage label

The 'City of Derby' nameplate from one of the power cars now resides on the wall inside the NRM.

If you have found this page related to the APT-P of interest, then perhaps you would like to look at a few other sites devoted to APT-P and also one to the original gas turbine version called APT-Experimental, which was tested at Old Dalby.

Gerry Bates also has a site with some photos of APT-P on OHLE uplift tests in Scotland in 1979.

And another site with photos of a class 40 hauling 370006 APT set on Leeds Whitehall triangle in early afternoon on Thursday 17th March 1983.

Click on the pictures to get connected.

E-Train

P-Train

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