DURING 1987-89, eight HST power cars (Nos. 43013/14/65/67/68/80/84 and 43123) were modified to act as surrogate Driving Van Trailers to allow the new Class 91s to be tested and then introduced into passenger service as the construction of the new Mk.4 coaching stock was running rather behind schedule.
The modifications included the removal of the front skirt and fitting a traditional bufferbeam while the TDM (Time Division Multiplex) push-pull equipment was also installed to enable the power car to remotely control the Class 91 at the other end of the train. So extensive were the modifications to the cab front framing that the bufferbeams were left in situ after the DVT role ended, making the eight Class 43s instantly recognisable today.
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