🚄 Hornby OO Gauge Class 370 APT-P BARGAINS

We are pleased to present amazing offers across the range of Hornby Class 370 APT-P (Advanced Passenger Trains) in OO Gauge!

You can now save up to 50% off the RRPs of the 5 and 7 car train packs and the extra intermediate coach packs too! All of the vehicles are provided for you to produce any  style of APT-P - which were often seen in all sorts of different formations during their various tests in the 1980s.

The currently available models are produced from the latest version of Hornby's Class 370 tooling, first introduced in 2022, which features various improvements - such as remoulded bodyshells, improved NDM motor pivot mounts, redesigned cabs, a strengthened pantograph and redesigned lighting PCB.

What's more, they also now feature a magnetic coupling system, pre-fitted crew figures in the cabs and an improved 21-pin decoder socket to boot!

This really is the definitive model of this iconic British Rail train, and deserves a spot on your layout.

The folks over at 25KV.UK have an amazing depository of information regarding the APT-P, charting pretty much every single formation the class would have been seen in throughout its service life - and even some fantasy formations too!

British Rail’s Advanced Passenger Train project was an ambitious initiative to develop a high speed tilting train for the West Coast Main Line. The WCML features many curves which negatively impact the speed of express services and the main aim of the APT was to develop revolutionary tilt technology to mitigate this.

They started off by constructing APT-E (or Advanced Passenger Train Experimental), a 4-car set powered by gas turbines. During testing, the APT-E managed to achieve a new British railway speed record of 152.3mph whilst on test in the Western Region.

The unit was only ever intended for testing and the decision was made to switch from gas turbines to 25kV AC overhead power instead. The APT-E was sent into preservation at the National Railway Museum and the APT project continued with the APT-P…

Between 1977 and 1980, British Rail constructed a total of three APT-P (standing for Advanced Passenger Train Prototype) units at Derby Works. These pre-production prototypes were intended for testing purposes and to showcase these revolutionary high speed sets to the public.

These were the most powerful domestic trains to ever operate in Britain, with a whopping total output of 8,000hp at their disposal. This incredible power enabled the APT-P to break the previous record set by the APT-E - reaching 162.2mph - a record which stood for 23 years. Only being bested by the Class 373 Eurostar units introduced in the 1990s.

Unfortunately for the APT, development times on the project had dragged on, with 10 years of work put in and trains were still not ready for active service. Delays to the project caused issues with both the braking and air compression systems. Concerns were also raised with unforeseen problems that the tilting mechanisms may cause in case of a breakdown.

The then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, alluded to funding cuts to the project so BR management hastily pressed the APT-P prototypes into service between London and Glasgow from 1981. Further problems for the APT arose when press agents reported that the experience of riding on the trains caused them to be physically ill and mechanical issues led to them dubbing it the ‘Accident Prone Train’ - in spite of the trains setting a new schedule record from London to Glasgow in 4hrs and 15 minutes.

A report was carried out in 1981 to resolve issues with passenger motion sickness and modify the tilt system. The trains quietly re-entered service in 1984 to minimal fanfare and even though they were proven to work very well - political and managerial will to continue with the project had evaporated. The units were then sadly removed from service between 1985 and 1986.

Despite the issues with the project, the tilting technology and train design went on to inspire many other modern high speed trains. The tilt system was sold to Fiat Ferroviaria who developed it into the famous Pendolino system - in use across Europe. The Pendolino system was used in the development of the Class 390 EMU, introduced in 2002 - which some see as a spiritual successor to the APT-P.

Thankfully a 7-car APT set was preserved and can be seen today at Crewe Heritage Centre, right alongside the mainline it was intended to serve.