#4233· Class 43 (HST)

British Rail Class 43 (HST)

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail Engineering Limited· from 1975· British high speed diesel locomotive

9 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Slittingmill Crossing (2974843231): Phil Sangwell from United Kingdom· CC BY 2.0
2. St Philip's Marsh - GWR 43002 Sir Kenneth Grange: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
3. Class 43 HST 43318 Thuxton sidings Mid Norfolk railway: Norfolks disused railways· CC BY 4.0
4. 14238 MTU (6348617964): penske666 from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland· CC BY-SA 2.0
5. 43067 at Stafford - 5560981792: Tutenkhamun Sleeping· CC BY 2.0
6. 253001-Paddington-40Years-P1420375 (48235571716): citytransportinfo· CC0
7. 43014 at Kings Cross 4: Oxyman· CC BY 2.5
8. 43039 number outline: Oxyman· CC BY 2.5
9. 43048 "T.C.B. Miller MBE" at Etches Park open day (1): Harry Mitchell· CC BY 4.0

what is it?

The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train (formerly Classes 253 and 254) diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976. The class is officially the fastest diesel locomotive in the world, with an absolute maximum speed of 148.5 mph (239.0 km/h), and a regular service speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). The record run was led by 43102 (43302) and trailed by 43159.

who runs it

InterCity ScotRail Trains (2022-)Western Region of British Railways Eastern Region of British Railways

base stats

speed 201 km/htop speed
power 1.7 MWpower output
weight 70.3 tin working order
built 197made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 51 years ago, in 1975.
Top speed is 1.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 12 minutes.
1.7 MW is about 20 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
Weighs about as much as 12 African elephants (~6 t each).
17.8 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.

high-speed train: Built for 200–350 km/h on dedicated lines, like the TGV, ICE or Shinkansen.

spec sheet

built: 1975–1982
in service from: 1976
number built: 197
kind: Diesel-electric
traction: diesel
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: British Rail Engineering Limited, Crewe Works
operators: InterCity, ScotRail Trains (2022-), Western Region of British Railways, Eastern Region of British Railways
top speed: 201 km/h
power: 1.7 MW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: Bo′Bo′
length: 17.8 m
weight: 70.3 t
Dutch name: Class 43 (HST)

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q1080162, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 43 (HST) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.