Snap on Sunday

For this week's Snap on Sunday, a photo of something I've been itching to have a ride aboard for years! Ever since the final Valenta engined Class 43s at FGW were withdrawn I've been wanting to get my fix of them again. Unfortunately no Class 43s are currently fitted with the original Paxman Valenta, but thankfully, East Midlands Trains decided to refit their HSTs with VP185s, rather than the infamous MTU which all other TOCs opted to go for. The distinctive scream as we headed out of Leeds was fantastic, and the noise from the departure from Chesterfield was certainly godlike, and hence a video has been posted below of the departure! The MTU is just so soulless when compared to the whale of a VP185, if only more TOCs had gone down the same route (pardon the pun!)! The photo shows 43054 and 43046 on a stock move out of Derby's Etches Park Depot preparing to work a service back down to London St Pancras. I'll certainly be back for more.