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The end of an era: diesel InterCity 125 high-speed trains no longer serve Paddington. Many readers of this magazine will, like me, feel a sense of loss with this development. Yes, we know the quieter operation and cleaner air implied by the replacement of HSTs by electrically-operated Intercity Express Trains in this busy London terminus are to be welcomed, and in all fairness electric traction is only right for such an intensive operation as the Great Western main line. And yet for many of us, HSTs have – like the Rolling Stones – been part of the backdrop to our lives.
