Participants started arriving at St Pancras about an hour before departure with the queue of familiar, and not so familiar, faces slowly lengthening back from the ticket barrier area towards the champagne bar (not open) area. 10 mins before departure the inwards service arrived (at 10.10 from Sheffield), and after passengers had alighted, we were allowed onto the platform to board, having been advised to join the train immediately to allow for a prompt departure. For many there was a chance to grab a quick photo of 43102 in InterCity Swallow livery at the buffer stops end. 43274 was at the far end in EMR purple, with a short rake of six coaches still carrying the livery from ex-LNER days.

We were away on time from P1 at 10.21 to for Leicester via Corby. Passing through the London area everything was much the same but the new stabling sidings at the south end of Cricklewood depot were noted on the east side. These have replaced the sidings at the north end where the new Brent Cross West station will be built in the near future; some preparatory work was underway. Also of note, the facing crossover (7m 25ch) north of Hendon Chord was confirmed to have OHLE (probably never used) - this had been previously questioned in BLN. Hendon Chord is not electrified and has always been unidirectional in the Up direction only but is shown as bidirectional on TRACKmaps 4 p9A 2018.

Continuing along the main line we passed through Wellingborough with the reinstated and extended platforms for the enhanced electric service to Corby starting in three days time. Crossing to the Down Slow line at Kettering South Jn, some recently transferred Class 360 EMUs were stabled in the extensive new sidings south of Kettering station, which itself was also receiving platform upgrades.

Traversing the non-platform, non-electrified, Down line at Corby (not used by diversions as they all call at the single platform on the Up side in place of the normal service), it was then off through the countryside at a more leisurely pace (60mph line speed). There were many photographers in the fields as we admired the views from the brick built Harringworth Viaduct (over 20,000,000 of them in the 82 arch, ¾ mile long, 57ft tall spectacular structure). The slowing for the 40mph at Manton Jn is not so noticeable these days since it was restored from a single lead to a full junction in Sep 2013. Oakham signal box, at the start of the four track section to Langham Jn, still looks like the Airfix model it is based on (or maybe vice versa). Curving round at Syston we rejoined the main line but now pointing towards London and a few minutes early. We were then passed by a southbound Meridian which we were to follow into Leicester, so those few minutes were lost again as we waited for it to clear.

At Leicester a party of camera bearing enthusiasts were waiting and the opportunity was taken for many, no doubt almost identical, photos to be taken by the tour participants. After reversal in P4 it was back to St Pancras via our outward route except for using the two new Wellingborough South Jn crossovers from the Up Slow (reinstated Wellingborough P4) to the Up Main. By now light rain was starting to fall and some had thoughts of having to divert via the 1½ mile Up Sundon Loop south of Harlington for windscreen wiper attention. However there were no such problems and we raced back to London arriving 1½ mins early at 14.18 for the train to form the 14.34 departure to Nottingham.

During the tour a very well supported charity raffle was held for (and administered by) 125 Group and many excellent sought after prizes were won by participants. Overall this event raised a grand total of £12,500.43p for Railway Benefit Fund, 125 Group and Railway Children. It was a very successful short day out covering 240 miles by HST, enjoyed by the well behaved passengers, a fitting send off to these iconic trains on the Midland Main Line. Full credit to Kev Adlam and our Society for being able to take bookings, provide enough stewards and support publicity at such short notice, and on a weekday too. The final EMR public HST from St Pancras, two days later, on Sat 15 May was the 20.02 to Leeds.