Turbo history

[MatthewRead]

I've been reading a lot about the Turbo cascade and its got me thinking about their history I understand when they were first introduced to the GWR they did a lot gauge clearance test and one made it all the way to Plymouth Laira depot back in 1992 could somebody clarify.

 

[coppercapped]

The August 1993 edition of Modern Railways included a photo-feature on pages 478 and 479 of the expanding areas of service of the Networker Turbos, as they were then called. One caption states

The summer timetable also saw turbos extended from Banbury to Birmingham Snow Hill and a daily through Turbo-operated Paddington-Stratford on Avon (via Oxford) service introduced.

About this time MR also published a photograph of, IIRC, a Class 165 at Darlington while on a promotional tour. I can't lay my hands on the copy at the moment but I think it was sometime in 1992.

Added in edit: I've just noticed there is a photo of the first Class 166 on test at Cossington on the Midland main line in the March 1993 edition of MR.

 

[Highlandspring]

I’ve seen reports that a 165 reached Edinburgh when they were new but never seen a photo of it, of it did happen.

 

[richw]

165001 was tested in Devon before the class entered service

http://www.totnestrains.com/class-165.html

 

[ChiefPlanner]

They did Sunday trials to Newcastle from Derby , with the footsteps removed.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I’ve seen reports that a 165 reached Edinburgh when they were new but never seen a photo of it, of it did happen.

It was Glasgow; it was being demonstrated to the Stathclyde PTE people, who reportedly complained when they saw it that nobody had told them sooner about the design because it was so much better than what they'd just ordered a load of...

 

[Highlandspring]

Sorry I just realised that my post above, which was typed in a hurry on a phone, made next to no grammatical sense whatsoever. Thinking on it now, you’re right it was Glasgow not Edinburgh!