Just a thought?

[phil8715]

In 1981 British Rail ran the 1st APT ((P) in revenue service on December 7th 1981.

Everybody who was at an age to remember the APT knew that the project was scrapped in the mid 80's due to cost.

But I was thinking if BR had built a fleet of APT units and entered service had BR not had scrapped it, now in 2011/2012 would they have been at the end of their natural lives?


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[12CSVT]

Had the APT been a success I imagine British Rail (Inter City Sector) would have ordered a production batch around 1984 to 1985 instead of giving the class 87s new pantogroaphs to raise their maximum speed (or maybe the 87s would have eventually gone to the East Coast Main Line instead of a new build of 91s). In which case any new build of electric units in the post-privatisation era (such as the pendolino) would be for the ECML rather than WCML.

Maybe the 90s would have been designed as freight only locos specifically to replace 81s to 85s.

There are countless possibilities of what could have happened if circumstances had been different.

 

[phil8715]

I must admit I was too young to be able to travel on the APT when it was being tested.

If I'm honest I hate the pendolinos with a passion they're the most uncomfortable train I've ever travelled on especially in the airline seats as they're too cramped. I'd rather travel on a 185 down the west coast than a pendolino.


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[Tomonthetrain]

390s might not have been ordered.
BR may have electrified more routes.
Voyagers might not have been ordered.

 

[Lampshade]

Having sat in the APT, I prefer the 390s. Sorry