Hello all and welcome to this rather special journey video of mine. In this one, I travel on LNER's longest passenger service, the Highland Chieftain, all the way up the ECML and Highland Mainline to Inverness.

A while before this trip, I was kindly given a free return trip by LNER as I am part of FOMRS, (Friends of March Railway Station) which had it's 10year anniversary in 2019, and with knowing that their HST's are being replaced by the newer Class 800 Azuma, I wanted to have one last trip on them. So I planned a small trip on LNER's longest journey to make the most of the ticket I was generously given.

So my long 8 hour journey started at King's Cross station, leaving on the 12:00 direct service to Inverness. HST powercars hauling me up north were 43311 and 43208. The first part of the journey is nonstop to York taking roughly 2 hours. We fly through all the stations enroute however we were cautioned through what I suspect was a faulty level crossing just after Newark. As always, the yards at Peterborough and Doncaster are full of freight trains awaiting there next duties.

After York, we continue speeding up the ECML till out next stop of Darlington and then onto Newcastle where the light starts to slowly fade as I made the journey in winter. This section of the ECML is still amzing even with so little light. As the line traverses the steep cliffs and passes the small coastal villages, it offers some amazing views. Before Berwick, we cross over the great Royal Border Bridge before halting at the station. Then we speed along the final section of the ECML to Edinburgh Waverley. Out train did actually have a 20 minute wait in Calton Tunnels just outside the station as the signaler set the incorrect path for us and there was a train still in out platform.

I didn't realised at the time but instead of travelling on the usual route via Stirling and Gleneagles, we used a diversionary route over the Forth Rail Bridge and rejoined the usual route at Perth after using a littleused line between Perth and Ladybank. There wasn't much to see while traversing the bridge except from the faint lights of small boats and the island in the middle of the Forth. Now on the Highland Mainline, we continued to call at Pitlochry, Kingussie, Aviemore and Aviemore before finally arrive into Inverness at 20:25 roughly 20 minutes late. Before I left for my hotel, I watched the ECS stock leave for the depot where it would be stabled until making the return working to London in the morning.

I will leave the timestamps for some of the main points of the journey so you can sit back, relax and enjoy my journey on the HST to Inverness.

Main Timestamps:
Stevenage: 5:30
Peterborough: 7:30
Grantham: 10:20
Newark North Gate: 11:30
Retford: 17:55
Doncaster: 18:40
York: 22:00
Darlington: 28:40
Durham: 32:50
Newcastle: 35:20
BerwickUponTweed: 47:00
Edinburgh: 52:10
Haymarket: 57:00
Perth: 1:00:35
Pitlochry: 1:03:40
Kingussie: 1:05:20
Aviemore: 1:08:00
Inverness: 1:11:00

Service: 12:00 London King's Cross Inverness
Calling Points: York, Darlington, Newcastle, Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie, Aviemore
Headcode: 1W96
TOC: LNER
Traction: 2x LNER Class 43 (43311/208 'Lincolnshire Echo')

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