Railwatch Part-1 of 3 HST cab ride plus Donny PSB

[neil9327]

6:22 conversation about order of signal changes.

Presenter: "So you don't have red - amber - green then, you have red"

Signalman: "two yellows .. one yellow .. and er er then the red."

..signalman got the order wrong, and tried to dig his way out of it lol

[ELPaso1990TX]

Could not imagine a tv show like this nowadays thanks to the chaos of privatising BR. Plus we had decent trains then like the HST rather that the voyager rubbish that dosnt even tilt despite the cramped carriages. Bring back British Rail !

[back2frinky]

Is it not scary to drive a train at 125mph in darkness? Surely any obstruction on the track would be virtually invisible?

[logbasher]

@back2frinky No different from day time either any obstruction is just as difficult to avoid as stopping takes nearly a mile at line speed!

[Tudwud]

Sounds like my old oppo John Harradine doing the Inspector's job. If it is, then, all I will say to him is "In One" - he'll understand!!!

[smiffy1071]

nice to hear the valenta screaming away in the background...

[scouselfcmjp]

"WE ARE NOW WINDING HER UP" ,nice line at 5:21.

[Victorialine67]

is it me or did the driver horn bellow the 91 on test run

[dave46563]

I'd give anything have a chance of driving a class 43

[bwhugul]

At 2:32 onwards it is significant to me, because the Liverpool-Norwich train on here is 8 carriages long, yet nowadays it is only 2-carriage Class 158s!

Even if the locomotive hauled trains in the 1980s ran at half the frequency of today, today's service is a massive and unacceptable downgrading, especially considering how overcrowded that service is now.

[logbasher]

Same anywhere when Reggie rail went over to sprinters, The Portsmouth Cardiff used to be a 33 and 5 mark 1's most trains you could get a seat. FGW have finally started using 3 car 158's in the past couple of years, but it's still not enough in the peak hours and worse on Fridays!

[CheekyBandit]

IIRC in1989 such a service would have been normally been a 2-carriage Class 156.

[logbasher]

@CheekyBandit What the 47 and coaches? maybe not some workings were still loco hauled until 1990/91 on transpennine that could have been a Liverpool - Norwich normally 31's but it could be an additional?

[RianTrace84]

I read somewhere that the HST powercars were actually used to help push the train along, because leaving the Valentas idling was causing problems with the piston rings. So thats 5 mk3s & 6000bhp!

[bwhugul]

That's 5 mark 3s and 8,340hp! Because the '91's have 6090 and the HST powercars have 2,250hp.

[joelang6126]

@RianTrace84 I read that too. How did they manage to sync the power notches between a electric and diesel loco?

[montyburns56]

Is that passing train at 5' 30" one of those HST/91 combos or am I seeing things?

[logbasher]

Yes they tested the 91's on 5 mk3 sleepers and a HST buffered power car as the DVT.

[diddydeltic]

Class 47 on parcels take me back there :)

[salfordbabe]

the good old days

[darrowby1972]

The drivers name was John Swaby - Doncaster based Inter City Eastern region

[logbasher]

Correct.

[Imatt33]

I remember this from when i was a kid, love comment by driver (we are now winding it up!). The Load regulator fails before they reach York. Valenta sounds fit though.

[bwhugul]

From 3:04 the quality of the audio when the Valenta is in the background is the best I've heard. You really appreciate what it's like in the cab and it's probably more interesting hearing inside the cab than outside.

There are very few videos out there that haven't been dampened down for narration or have been filmed on digital cameras rather than 'proper' camcorders.

[deeb1978]

Thanks...my father was a great Rail enthusiast, he died Feb 21st 1989...just a few days after this was aired I believe...

[diddydeltic]

What year was this aired ?

[logbasher]

Feb 1989

[logbasher]

About 95% but it's mostly this lot talking about something they knew nothing about....

[logbasher]

P.s anything of worth (train footage) is already posted (check my main videos page). I am not able to send or make copies for anyone sorry.

[cutterschoicenotmine]

too bloody right. good old days with the 91 in p/p, lovely!

[olympian2174]

this is why I became a train driver!! I was glued to this when I about 7yrs old

[logbasher]

Yes indeed the Consist was HST power car 5 MK111 sleeper coaches and a Class 91 pushing this was the basic test formation. plenty of spare sleepers as at this time a lot less sleeper services unlike mid 1980's, no more ECML sleepers at the time of filming.

[dccodring21]

Thanks so much, liveries, 47's and mixed mk2s how times have changed.

[desiro5]

Chees for puting this up, really interstin. :D

[materiarecordsuk]

the 47 and mk2's on a Norwich, geez

[logbasher]

indeed that was because the MK4 stock wasn't ready and the HST power cars had buffers fitted, just in case a 91 had to haul south and not push!

[RianTrace84]

Geez,that 91 was being tested! They used mk3`s & a HST powercar as a DVT.

[QPRbrad]

Quite an interesting insight, cheers!

[tgirljj]

you have so made my year!!!1 i have looked for this programme for years!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH