A real nostalgia trip for me and so nice to see a cab ride out of NS in the days before the wires went up. So much has changed and whilst it's great to see so many improvements for rail users, I still miss the variety of loco-hauled trains. Thanks for posting.
Great seeing it again before Electrification. Never known them stop at every station from New Street to Longbridge, before heading to Worcester, they always go straight through.
Blinkin' heck, and that's swearing! Thanks so much for posting this video. It's the first time I've seen the area Droitwich Spa to Worcester from a train since our trainspotting trips to Bristol Temple Meads in 1964/65. I can clearly remember the pine trees on the left embankment just before Droitwich Spa Jct, and copping a GWR namer in the sidings before the station. Lower quadrant signals thrown in for good measure! Then at Worcester, we had to have a fast pen to get all the numbers on shed on the right, Halls, Castles, Prairies, etc. as well as looking on the opposite side to see the GWR railcar outside the Works - W20W? W22W? Thanks again.
Oh my lord what an amazing video. So much that has changed in 34 years, and so much that hasn't. Bournville is now Cadbury purple and has better access to the canal. Kings Norton looks amazing compared to the unkempt mess the middle platforms are now. The fence to the left has been replaced with something much worse and the end of platform bridge is thinner and has no centre viewing anymore. The land to the left after the station is now an extended car park. Longbridge has lost the Halesowen and Rover factory branch, now bricked up. Rover works and all the rails are long gone, replaced by a college and large shopping area. There was a foot crossing about half a mile before Barnt Green for quite a while, now replaced with a bridge. Bromsgrove in this video only had one platform, a second was added on the left at some point. Though now the whole station was replaced by a larger one about further now. You can no longer easily see the entire lickey incline sadly. And the biggest change is Birmingham to Bromsgrove is all electrified (as is Barnt Green to Redditch) and there hasn't been a every station stopper to Worcester for a long time though there is a Birmingham to Bromsgrove stopper. Really appreciate you posting this.
Ah the gearbox whine and the rattle of coach fittings.... Those units were thrashed quite hard and it was a tribute to Tyseley depot keeping them going for as long as they did. The film reminds me of 'proper suburban' braking technique in BR days; so often it seems that the benefit of modern trains' better acceleration is cancelled out by defensive braking and (despite power doors) longer station dwells.
Great video. For a first generation DMU, it makes a decent ascent of Lickey Incline. I remember being in a DMU between Prestwick and Stranraer in 1975 and climbing Glendoune Bank out of Girvan (1 in 54 for 3.75 miles with a short stretch at 1 in 87) we could not get above 30mph. Yours looks to be managing about 40-45mph. Well done!
Today the cross city line is now electrified and at Barnt green trains still stop at Barnt green especially for going to the New Cross city terminus of Bromsgrove
Nothing some newspaper and vinegar wouldn't fix. Joking aside though, it was one of the lowest priorities in the heavily unionised days of BR!! But ironically the railways were better run then. Or maybe I should just take off my rose tinted glasses 😂
If I remember rightly, back then Bromsgrove had possibly the worst service proportionally for it's size of anywhere in the country. I didn't realise it only had one platform!
That would be in a country without unions! You'd have had all the cleaners out on strike and ASLEF reprimanding the driver for doing work that isn't his responsibility.
Brilliant video of a line I know nothing about ( I'm a softie southerner). Captions are so helpful! Id forgotten about the oil on the track back then! Same on the DMU routes in Surrey etc love the air brake sound. So familiar from sitting at the front of a 117 DMU. That's such a long straight stretch before Bromsgrove!! I wonder would there once have been a token handover at Stoke Works Junction when it goes single track...?
Really miss the DMU's on this wonderful and most beautiful line.
Very nostalgic…….what a sight to see the huge plant at Longbridge…..well done .Jeffrey.
A real nostalgia trip for me and so nice to see a cab ride out of NS in the days before the wires went up. So much has changed and whilst it's great to see so many improvements for rail users, I still miss the variety of loco-hauled trains. Thanks for posting.
Yes I agree! I watched a cabride along the North London Line before the hideous overhead cables went up and it was lovely!
Lived in Worcester 1989. Brought back memories. Many trips on DMU's to Brum.
Great seeing it again before Electrification. Never known them stop at every station from New Street to Longbridge, before heading to Worcester, they always go straight through.
Blinkin' heck, and that's swearing! Thanks so much for posting this video. It's the first time I've seen the area Droitwich Spa to Worcester from a train since our trainspotting trips to Bristol Temple Meads in 1964/65. I can clearly remember the pine trees on the left embankment just before Droitwich Spa Jct, and copping a GWR namer in the sidings before the station. Lower quadrant signals thrown in for good measure! Then at Worcester, we had to have a fast pen to get all the numbers on shed on the right, Halls, Castles, Prairies, etc. as well as looking on the opposite side to see the GWR railcar outside the Works - W20W? W22W? Thanks again.
Thaanks for extending the video from Bromsgrove to Worcester SH - much appreciated!
Yes sorry uploading gitch. Out of 1000 views only one person told me!
Oh my lord what an amazing video. So much that has changed in 34 years, and so much that hasn't.
Bournville is now Cadbury purple and has better access to the canal.
Kings Norton looks amazing compared to the unkempt mess the middle platforms are now. The fence to the left has been replaced with something much worse and the end of platform bridge is thinner and has no centre viewing anymore. The land to the left after the station is now an extended car park.
Longbridge has lost the Halesowen and Rover factory branch, now bricked up. Rover works and all the rails are long gone, replaced by a college and large shopping area.
There was a foot crossing about half a mile before Barnt Green for quite a while, now replaced with a bridge.
Bromsgrove in this video only had one platform, a second was added on the left at some point. Though now the whole station was replaced by a larger one about further now. You can no longer easily see the entire lickey incline sadly.
And the biggest change is Birmingham to Bromsgrove is all electrified (as is Barnt Green to Redditch) and there hasn't been a every station stopper to Worcester for a long time though there is a Birmingham to Bromsgrove stopper.
Really appreciate you posting this.
Today the 170 turbostars and the new 196 dmus and the 172 dmus are now doing the new street to Worcester shrub hill shuttle service
Have you got footage of a cab ride between New Street and Lichfield on the northern end of the Cross City from that pre-electrification period?
Ah the gearbox whine and the rattle of coach fittings.... Those units were thrashed quite hard and it was a tribute to Tyseley depot keeping them going for as long as they did. The film reminds me of 'proper suburban' braking technique in BR days; so often it seems that the benefit of modern trains' better acceleration is cancelled out by defensive braking and (despite power doors) longer station dwells.
Great video. For a first generation DMU, it makes a decent ascent of Lickey Incline. I remember being in a DMU between Prestwick and Stranraer in 1975 and climbing Glendoune Bank out of Girvan (1 in 54 for 3.75 miles with a short stretch at 1 in 87) we could not get above 30mph. Yours looks to be managing about 40-45mph. Well done!
Doesn’t this go DOWN the Lickey? 😂 Bromsgrove is at the bottom.
@@limeyfox Yeah I checked after I'd posted the comment. Not so impressive! I always think Birmingham is at the bottom of a hole!
@@andrewmcilwraith1997 thats because of New St! It's actually on a hill!
Today the cross city line is now electrified and at Barnt green trains still stop at Barnt green especially for going to the New Cross city terminus of Bromsgrove
34:50 as of today the station of bromsgrove has been moved further down and 36:24 this is where the bromsgrove platforms were as of now
No ugly graffiti, wonderful.
Love the engine sound of DMU Railcars could it be B.U.T/ AEC.
Hugely enjoyable. As we leave Moor Street there's a low viaduct to our left. I've found it on Google Maps, but where did it go, please?
The brakes were absolutely deafening in the cabs.
That blummin window could do with a bit of windowlene,..
Nothing some newspaper and vinegar wouldn't fix. Joking aside though, it was one of the lowest priorities in the heavily unionised days of BR!! But ironically the railways were better run then. Or maybe I should just take off my rose tinted glasses 😂
I wonder what that Class 31 hauled northbound passenger train was?
You man class 47 hauled train?
@@paulrerrie75 No idea why I thought a Class 47 was a Class 31.
🚂👍
If I remember rightly, back then Bromsgrove had possibly the worst service proportionally for it's size of anywhere in the country. I didn't realise it only had one platform!
An important historical document 👍🏻
Doesn't it annoy drivers to have such dirty windows? Surely a bush and a bucket of water is all that's needed at the start and end of each journey?
That would be in a country without unions! You'd have had all the cleaners out on strike and ASLEF reprimanding the driver for doing work that isn't his responsibility.
@@andrewmcilwraith1997 ahh such great days 😂
Brilliant video of a line I know nothing about ( I'm a softie southerner). Captions are so helpful! Id forgotten about the oil on the track back then! Same on the DMU routes in Surrey etc love the air brake sound. So familiar from sitting at the front of a 117 DMU. That's such a long straight stretch before Bromsgrove!!
I wonder would there once have been a token handover at Stoke Works Junction when it goes single track...?
Hard to think that part of this line is now under wires up to Bromsgrove
New Street to Bromsgrove.
@@markcf83 Wow. Top pedantry!
Done that journey "both ways" loads of times and also done the journey via Kidderminster.
Ah, I just checked. You went DOWN the incline not up! I thought it rose southwards from Barnt Green. Oops! Sorry!
Platform charge manageman at BNS, there's 18 year's I won't get back !!