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October 2025 Newsletter

Hello again, dear simmer! Following a short break due to the arrival of a new addition to the Armstrong family, part-time development has resumed. What's coming next then?

The Workbench

At the time of writing, the third and final HST pack, the VP185 engined variant, is finished apart from scenarios. A staple of the Midland Mainline until recently, as well as the Great Western Main Line in earlier years, this pack will complete your HST collection and be of particular use on our MML: London to Bedford Enhancement Pack. For more widespread operations, there is the distinctive Midland Pullman livery which arrived on the scene in 2020.

How does the VP185 vary to the MTU & Valenta then? The most obvious thing of course is the sound. Using recordings taken from 43048 at the Midland Railway Centre in 2022, the rattly engine note and high pitched scream are all represented in far more detail & quality compared to our previous enhancement pack. Physics wise, VP185s take around 10 seconds longer to load up from off to full power compared to a Valenta or MTU. This means you will need to anticipate speed limit changes even more if you are to make good time.

The rather bizarre Neville Hill depot 'smooth cup of tea' modification has been implemented too, which makes power application even more sluggish. This restricts the engine to notch 1 power for 10 seconds after moving the power handle away from off, with the intention of making sure all slack in the couplings is taken up before higher power is applied. It is colloquially known as the 'smooth cup of tea' modification as it is meant to make it less likely that passengers spill their tea! The problem is that it only applies to the leading power car so if the driver applies power enthusiastically, the rear power car will shove from behind and possibly provide more of a jolt than if both were working in tandem; very odd! Either way, this little quirk has been implemented and gives the VP185 its own character.

The final main difference is the cab. Pre-2008, they had identical cabs to what is included in our Valenta pack. From 2008 onwards, the cabs were modernised to broadly match the MTU cabs but with subtle differences in button and switch positions. This unique variant has been modelled and can be seen below.

Hopefully it won't be too long until you can appreciate the majesty of the VP185 yourself; thundering out of St. Pancras to Bedford, and you never know, maybe one day, even further. Stay tuned.

Blast From The Past