Ever since 1922, this line has been considered secondary to something. The GER did not help themselves by building short turntables, so anything longer than a 4-4-0 had to have a very squashed tender. The gave it compact yet powerful B17s, but still seemed to consider it of lesser status until they suddenly dropped the
East Anglian streamliner on the route. BR decided to try out new stock on the route, so it first had Britannias, then Class 40s, but got lumbered with the 40s right up until electrification. They wanted to cascade HSTs there, but only when APT was in service :roll: . Eventually, it was wired instead, but ended up with second-hand electrics made spare from the London Midland. Today, I reckon 90s and MkIIIs aren't bad, certainly better than the 444s foisted on SWT or Voyagers on XC. Enjoy it while you can.
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Isn't one of the main problems with the route the fact that it has a shorter section of quadruple track on the approach to London than most InterCity routes which will presumably have an effect on reliability (something touched on in the documentary if it's the one I'm thinking of).
You could spruce up the MK3's to a pretty good standard and have modern locos, however there's still a greater chance of getting stuck behind a stopper.
That is a very good point. Really, the line needs four tracks to Colchester, but that's probably too much investment to be attractive despite it being important for containers as well as passengers. 125 mph would be nice as well, or even the 110 mph the 90s are capable of.