West Coast Record Breaking Attempt 

Shoutout to the people who made the footage of the train passing through the stations.

Train: delays 21 seconds Japanese passengers: That's very late

I love Tim's reasoning for taking a model APT with him 🤣

"It's smooth. It's quiet - and an altogether delightful experience."

The fact that Pendolino being a "tilting train" and a almost direct successor to APT is quite endearing

I'd love it if Avanti collaborated with LNER for an east coast versus west coast race from London to Edinburgh, with split-screen and everything!

That’s so bizarre seeing my dad doing the official timing. It’s so much a part of my childhood, weird how I’ve missed it! I can say with fondness and a touch of eye rolling but jeez, you bunch of dorks!

Who else saw The Man in Seat 61's video a couple of days ago, heard Geoff's voice there, and was waiting for this video?

SNCF should invite Geoff the next time they do a TGV speed record run.

Missing out by 21 seconds. That's heartbreaking

Superb video! Given that the APT exceded speed limits throughout its record-breaking run, being 21 seconds tardy while adhering to same is impressive indeed, & reflects some impressive driving by Mr Barker...

Geoff actually got me more into modern trains because I always loved train travel and steam trains but Geoff got me into modern stock and how it all works and the people who run it. Top work! PS. I'm now a trainspotter haha.

Excellent video in your inimitable style, Geoff (I've picked up some tips, I think!). A great account of a great trip - I think there needs to be a rematch next year!

"Welcome on board this Peugeot pendolino to Glasgow Central!!"

Geoff; you and I have been chums for very many years and I think that *that* was the longest rail-related monologue that you have ever let me get away with. And that's despite you editing out the really bits out too. V jolly! Almost like we had planned to sit adjacent. Maybe we should co-ordinate diaries and do some sort of rail-related video again... ;)

I kept waiting for the replacement bus to be announced.

APT had the advantage over the Pendolino. The former was, IIRC, allowed to run at up to 140mph. While the latter was limited to a maximum of 125mph. So, only missing out by 21 seconds is really impressive. Hopefully Avanti will have another go.

I remembered that when APT set the record on the line, it ignored the line speed limit and got up to 225km/h in several places, just like the Intercity 225 has done on ECML. Getting this close to the record without exceeding the line speed limit is fantastic.

I think we need to appreciate that that hero of a driver sat there and held his bladder for nearly 4 hours! What a guy!

I’d travel more by rail if it was cheaper

What a joy to watch. Slick edit and great fun, loved the natter from the guests!

Stunning video. Love it. I feel such grief about the APT. I remember the hope we had at the time for it. A cousin of mine was working on its signalling. Would have changed UK railways for ever.

Geoff, I must say, great interviews and amazing documentation of this special event, you've made a great video!

I do love and miss the Pendolino. Brilliant train. The fact it has an appearance from Tim Dunn makes this amazing video epic too.

This is one of your most entertaining videos which I've seen so far -- special occasion, the interviews with the people on board, and the anticipation of hearing the outcome of the record attempt. Great fun to watch!

This is a video ive been waiting for. I hope they have another attempt

Fantastic coverage - Thanks Geoff!

Fantastic, close shave. Worked with people on railways decades ago - a great team, dedicated, professional, humerous. Had the privilege of visiting the deeds archive archive and looking at original line plans for much legal/wayleaves work.

Tim Dunn seems such a nice guy, I'd love to listen to him talking about railways!

I've been looking forward to this video a lot.

Super video Geoff, great access to speak to all involved. Keep up the great work 👍🏼

What a great effort! But it must be said that it a bit mad that Britain developed a faster train nearly 4 decades ago, but in their wisdom at the time they gave up on it. How very British! Nearly 40 years later and the APT record still stands. I am sure that APT in the siding had a smug look on it's face whilst the Penolino shot past it was obviously aware of the 50mph speed restriction, and that that would keep the record safe.

I work at Carstairs Junction with network rail, unfortunately the 50mph speed restriction has been in place for a while, so hopefully we can get that fixed in time for another record attempt 😀

Great for James!! Good to see young blood in the railways. I'm similar. Started in the railways just after uni, at 22 in Hospitality. Became a conductor at 24 and now nearly 3 years of conducting and 5 years of service . . . Aged 26 and looking down the barrel at 27. Great job, great industry 👍 best of luck to the guy :D

Been looking forward to watching this!

Loved your presentation.... The atmosphere and energy... 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Driver was so humble and blasé about it all!

Brilliant to see people like Tim dunn on there!

21 seconds! Really! Great video. Thank you Geoff.

Thank you, Geoff. And also for 'All the stations'. In particular Corrour.

I have loved all the posts about this fantastic trip, culminating in your video! 21 seconds out is a fantastic achievement, but I didn't know it was the fastest Pendo to do that route! That could have been praised more I feel! Great video as always Geoff!

Geoff's videos always get a like before I even start watching them because you know they're always going to be good, lol.

I love the passion for the rails everyone on board seems to have on board!

@Geoff Marshall - excellent fast-moving documentary: great story, great interviews, great edit. Thank you!

Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'dour song springs to mind.

Great video Geoff, very well edited and produced with great featuring guests and shots 👍🚄

Thank you Geoff!

21 seconds thats impresive and the apt did a great job at keeping the record

Fantastic video Geoff 🙂 Big thanks for everyone making it happen 😂 Pete Waterman what a cool guy he’s looking 👍🏻

Thanks for the video, Geoff. 👍

Live in Glasgow, it’s nice to see more being done to bring us together :)

What a shame! So close and yet... Thanks for the footage Geoff. Great to see young Tim on there as I greatly enjoy the enthusiasm he has for all things railway related that comes across in his programmes. 👍 Hopefully you'll get another invitation if they try another Royal Scot run in the future? 😜 Cheers for another highly enjoyable video 🍻🍀😀

400 miles in less than four hours! 🤯 Bravo to you all!

Brilliant video Geoff, I filmed your train whizzing past just outside of rugby

I’m glad you showed the APT at Crewe. The motor car did used to be at Coventry electric railway museum before it closed down. I have seen it before it got transferred to Crewe to join the rest of it

Great vid...lovely to see the legend that is Pete Waterman 👍

Great video Geoff, you have brilliantly captured the journey for all of those who couldn’t be onboard. Glad I could contribute with an external shot and thanks for the credit 👍🏻

Fantastic video Geoff! Great to see our President Pete on there :)

Been waiting for this :)

God I can't wait until these speeds are no longer a struggle in this country and are the norm, if not the minimum. Well done Avanti and well done Geoff for a fantastic video as always.

Go on the APT, for a train that was experimental in most respects and pushed into service ahead of schedule before it was ready just shows you how fast a train it was!

Great video as always Geoff,was a pity they lost out on literally seconds!!

Off by less than half a minute... that's DAMN impressive. I wasn't sure if it was possible, what with the WCML's geography and generally being a bit outdated compared with the ECML, but the fact that "Royal Scot" came _this_ close to beating the APT's record is still astounding! Now the next step is for Network Rail to allow another attempt. After all, if they let Tornado get up to 100 back in 2017 and she broke that barrier! Imagine what the Pendilino's could do with a bit of leeway

Avanti Drivers are always entertaining us trainspotters with their nice tones

Wonderful video, Geoff! Thanks for the suspenseful editing and the interesting interviews. And I had to laugh when my face mirrored yours at the 21sec reveal 😮🤭

I knew you would do it Geoff you do every thing

Our southbound from crewe to London was broken down at Stafford as it came through, engineers had to wait to turn the power off so as not to slow down the attempt

First of all; well done to everyone involved, particularly the rail staff and commiserations on the twenty odd second deficit. Having said that, I'm kind of glad it played out this way. I have always been furious at the way British Rail management and the press treated the APT and how the project was simply cancelled on the spot and the two trains shunted in to museums. The British public were given the distinct impression British Railway engineers were hopeless and we were well rid of the APT. Twenty or thirty years later, we have to buy the same thing from the Italians! The scientific and technical understanding of 95% of the population - then and now - approaches zero. They don't understand the difference between doing the tilting thing, with digital electronics and computers, and doing it with analogue electronics. It is comparable to comparing the Mallard's record breaking run and the latest Hitachi train sets. The APT project was starved of people, resources and money, but above all; time. It was set up to fail, by introducing it on the day 'ordinary' electric trains arced to a standstill and was the worst weather in living memory. To abandon the project and more or less write off the British Railway Industry, was a dreadful, yet typical example of British management. In short, they couldn't organise a p1ssup in a Brewery - like the car industry. Where are those industries now? I shan't compare the APT with Concorde, it wasn't ever in that class, but it was similar in that Concorde was not only beautiful and very fast, it was technologically absolutely stunning. It was UNBELIEVABLY amazing. It had just four (one for each engine) digital electronic PCB's (printed circuit boards) in it - because the original chips could no longer be made and they were substitutes. Everything else was analogue. I doubt it could even be done nowadays? APT was all analogue and it is indicative of how it was viewed by BR management, by how quickly BR binned the project after the launch day. Basically the next day. Criminal and to the long term detriment of Railways in Britain. Rant off. Well done Geoff, another great one.

Omg the train looks absolutely brilliant!

Thank you so much for including my clip Geoff! I’d have loved to have been there

Great stuff Geoff!

That moment when they announce the train miss by 21 seconds

I love a heroic 'failure' Of course it is a great success. Wonderful work by everyone involved.

Aw, so close!! Still, I'm glad you all had a great day by the looks of things!

Great video as usual

Keep up with the amazing work ✅️ 👏

The poor APT, I always hoped, as I passed it every day in its siding in the Glasgow Shields Road depot, that one day we'd see it operational - nice it's only taken a few more years to progress.

Good run. 21 seconds difference and no special speed exemptions is damn good. I wish we had trains and track like that in America. I hate planes and cars. I would much prefer to take a train everywhere.

Wow. On tenterhooks to see if it was going to happen or not. Thanks for a great video.

This was unexpectedly fascinating.

I might have guessed you'd be on board. Hope it was fun.

My last time on a pendolino was in Jan 2020- went to Coventry to the transport museum- can’t wait to ride these trains again

Very nice video, it's a shame that it missed out by 21 seconds but look like everyone had a great time onboard and nice to see some lovely clips of the train passing through some areas as well. Hope they try again next year after the Carstairs area being remodelled,

Interesting video Geoff, can't believe they were 21 seconds late!

Finally a Avanti Video

Great video Geoff.

Well done Just shows how good those embryonic computers and APT train systems were if only they were allowed to be developed properly back in 1981!

Wow , doing the locomotion with Pete Wateramn..

Fantastic video. Shame it missed out on the APT record. But Fantastic to hear it became the fastest pendalino

Interesting that the Train number on the matrix display still starts VT

It's pretty clear that (except maybe for that TSR at Carstairs) the limits of the current infrastructure have been reached and the record won't be broken by more than a few seconds until HS2 is fully operational. It's not a question of APT v Pendo, it's a question of how the signals are spaced and what speed limits they allow.

I watched with interest. On the Radio 4 news, the article noted that the APT was allowed to exceed speed limits, but the Pendilino did not and stayed within them. This is an impressive run.

Huh... Guess I don't give Avanti enough love. Well played by them.

The APT is amazing, it still holds up as an amazing train!

I was watching Mark, The Man In Seat Sixty-one's video, on this epic run, and right near the end I hear a familiar voice, your's and I wondered when we'd see you video

The pendolinos got 21 seconds to go…

Tim Dunn's voice sounds like a blend of Geoff and Richard Hammond

I see Wigan, I upvote! I see interview with Pete Waterman, I wish I could vote twice.

Was on the inaugural run of the APT, with the family and my son was the youngest, 4, on board. Interviewed by the media and still have the tickets and the memorabilia given out at the time. Needless to say, have the Hornby APT in my collection and have ordered the latest version of the version.

10:56 that look is Gold Mr. Marshall.