"At the time, all of the as yet unbuilt Turbostars in Porterbrook’s speculative batch were designated Class 170/3. So as of September 1998, Central was set to take thirteen Class 170/5s, and twenty Class 170/3s."
At Birmingham New Street on the night of 12th November 2003, 170522 illustrates the colourful Central Trains heyday.
Immediately after a marathon pictorial on the Central Trains Class 158s, it was as good a time as any to dedicate something similar to their successors. The Class 170 Turbostar arrived amid a whirlwind of industry buzz, first courting the press on 3rd November 1998, with Midland Mainline. It failed before completing its second of four planned trips, but that did not in any way destroy confidence in what had truly been a popular product even before it reached the production line...