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The Virgin Trains Story: The early years

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  • Опубликовано: 28 мар 2023
  • Virgin Trains were a dominant force in the British rail industry, so it's time to take a look at their history and operations. In this first part, we'll explore the first years of Virgin Trains, from 1997 to 2006.
    Discord: / discord
    Music:
    Cooper Ave - The Westerlies
    Dover - The Westerlies
    Photography and videography:
    Virgin Trains
    Sharon Farmer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
    A-M-Jervis, UNclimatechange, Ben Gamble, kitmasterbloke, Peter Broster, Ben Coulson, mattbuck (category), Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom and S Parish, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
    Branson Family
    kl91711, Skatz-Nelstar at German Wikipedia, Terumasa, Tagishsimon, G-13114 and Sunil060902, CC BY 3.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
    British Railway, PeterSkuce, Geof Sheppard and Chris McKenna (Thryduulf), CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
    SKM Editorial and Photography
    Photo57601
    citytransportinfo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
    Snow storm in Eastern Asia at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
    Jon Tooke
    mixmam1

Комментарии • 48

  • @CourtMcCheese
    @CourtMcCheese Год назад +32

    I always wanted to try Virgin, never went on a giant rail trip until a few months ago. Pendelino trains are very comfortable I have to say. Congrats on your milestone of 1 year 🎉

    • @GWVillager
      @GWVillager  Год назад +9

      A shame, travelling Virgin was quite an experience!

    • @EM-yk1dw
      @EM-yk1dw 10 месяцев назад

      Comfortable? Not as comfortable as the mark 3 coaches, and the Pendolinos stink of sewage too.

    • @CourtMcCheese
      @CourtMcCheese 10 месяцев назад +2

      @@EM-yk1dw voyagers are worse

    • @EM-yk1dw
      @EM-yk1dw 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@CourtMcCheese Yes I agree and too short for the services they run on too

  • @oliverstemp9132
    @oliverstemp9132 Год назад +24

    We need more Virgin Trains kind of operators, mainly because they really cared about trains and forced the DfT to be better

    • @matthewsmatters
      @matthewsmatters Год назад +2

      That’s why they’re gone though 😅 Called DfT’s bluff on pensions black hole blank cheques (liabilities more technically). Stagecoach calling it in reality. They did some good in their time. But I do recall the last few years being a real rundown of the service, it hadn’t been true Virgin for some time. They were losing their way and our trains have become by an large a fight to the bottom. At top dollar ticket prices, of course!

  • @Andrewjg_89
    @Andrewjg_89 Год назад +9

    I do remember riding on Virgin Trains from London Euston to Birmingham New Street before it became Avanti West Coast. And not forgetting Virgin Trains East Coast and Virgin Trains Crosscountry. I also remember Virgin Cola and Virgin Megastore being around as well.

    • @Hascienda27
      @Hascienda27 Год назад

      Virgin cola should be brought back

  • @thetrainspotter43
    @thetrainspotter43 Год назад +2

    Fantastic video, I know this has been in waiting for quite some time, so fantastic to see the result at long last. Those virgin seats 👌

  • @gkeaoyrge
    @gkeaoyrge Год назад +2

    I do miss some of the now defunct Virgin brands, particularly Virgin Trains, Virgin Megastores and Virgin Cinemas. The older logos and products offerings were always very sexy and rock and roll in a Virgin kind of way. It managed to make our crap railways feel pretty pleasant to use when everything was running properly.

  • @JAKE_CS
    @JAKE_CS Год назад +3

    Amazing video. I miss Virgin alot my love of trains started with them

  • @pessimisticvideographer5039
    @pessimisticvideographer5039 Год назад

    Great quality video excited for part 2

  • @DonaldTrumpIsGreat
    @DonaldTrumpIsGreat Год назад +1

    Good Job 👍

  • @lylec7755
    @lylec7755 Год назад +4

    Well, if you think about it.
    The Pendolinos would be amazing on the East Coast Mainline, they could go to 140mph and on any curves, they can just tilt.

    • @GWVillager
      @GWVillager  Год назад +8

      The ECML isn't really curved enough to justify tilt's expensive maintenance, hence the eventual decision to not purchase them for it.

    • @matthewsmatters
      @matthewsmatters Год назад

      There are a few parts of the line close to Edinburgh where it would be nice. Lateral motion gets a wee bit much. But for the rest of the route, I can understand and agree, that it just isn’t justified. Remembering that the big windows and enjoying those great coastal views around Berwick would suffer.

    • @whizzbtw
      @whizzbtw Год назад

      Penilinos are going to be replaced soon by Hitachi Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and ten Class 807 electric multiple units.

    • @matthewsmatters
      @matthewsmatters Год назад +2

      @@whizzbtw it’s Voyagers being replaced, not Pendolinos. This will cause issue with speed restrictions when they need diesel running to likes of Glasgow and Edinburgh though. DfT and Avanti being cheap. Very poor move having non tilting rolling stock back on WCML.

    • @whizzbtw
      @whizzbtw Год назад +1

      @@matthewsmatters Ohh yeah I mixed them up , my bad.

  • @funnygallie7863
    @funnygallie7863 Год назад

    This made me cry because I miss virgin so much 😢

  • @alfiemeadows3541
    @alfiemeadows3541 Год назад

    Amazing video!!!

  • @spiritofcantaolisboa-p8871
    @spiritofcantaolisboa-p8871 Год назад +1

    What i really do not appreciate on franchising system is on a same railway station, a big on such as Manchester Piccadilly is to devide 13 platforms by 3 companies each inspecting their platform access gates making impossible to jump from platform to plaform when services randomly arrive and depart from all of them regardless the operator. To make things worst when is a platform alteration to different platforms, passengers have in many cases to activate the gate from a company to go out and operate to com in a different company set of platformas, because they erected glass gates on to the platformas itself. In BR days things were much more functional i guess.

  • @wrichard11
    @wrichard11 Год назад +1

    Virgin always promised far more than they could deliver.

  • @charliemcdornell
    @charliemcdornell Год назад

    ive got goosebumps

  • @jackmellor5536
    @jackmellor5536 12 дней назад

    Virgin and GNER represented the best of privatisation. Can you do a video on GNER?

    • @GWVillager
      @GWVillager  12 дней назад

      Maybe, but it would be a long way away.

    • @jackmellor5536
      @jackmellor5536 12 дней назад

      @@GWVillager GNER is the company of my childhood. I used to travel on them a lot up and down the East Coast Mainline.

  • @robnewman6101
    @robnewman6101 Год назад

    I also have a Hardback Book called The Railway Policeman.
    The Story of the Constable on the Track.

  • @abbush2921
    @abbush2921 Год назад +1

    Whatever he starts turns to dust .

  • @spiritofcantaolisboa-p8871
    @spiritofcantaolisboa-p8871 Год назад

    I will miss Pendolinos and their tilting ability when Hitachi Units enter service to replace them in the next future as class 221 are going first.

    • @whatdoyoumeanbro4964
      @whatdoyoumeanbro4964 Месяц назад

      Avanti have no plans to withdraw their pendolinos, only the super voyagers will be replaced, as they will be moved to cross country

  • @danielnesbitt9565
    @danielnesbitt9565 2 месяца назад

    There are a lot of inaccuracies in this video. For a start, the interior refurbishments were started under the previous government owned shadow franchises, which is why the inherited fleets for XC and West Coast had different interior styles IMHO Virgin were always style over substance and we are well rid of them.

  • @davidwootton1470
    @davidwootton1470 Год назад +2

    the dft hated Virgin and I am sure thats why they did not get the franchises

  • @Matthewscrimbly
    @Matthewscrimbly Год назад

    Train moment

  • @robnewman6101
    @robnewman6101 Год назад

    I have the DORLING KINDERSLEY DK EYEWITNESS GUIDES Book of TRAIN.
    Discover the story of railways - from the days of steam to the high - speed, sophisticated trains of today.
    In association with THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM.

  • @Arghans
    @Arghans Год назад

    Sadly their choice of trains let them down in the Westcountry. To this day I still avoid the Voyager.

  • @omnibus360
    @omnibus360 Год назад

    The only thing I disliked Virgin (and indeed XC) for was the running of the Voyager with the 4/5 car config. Utter madness it’s always heavingly busy in Cheltenham…. I assume Bombardier never offered a 7-9 car offering

    • @GWVillager
      @GWVillager  Год назад +1

      They did - the Class 222! It is a shame that the trains are so short, but I do consider it likely that longer trains were offered as part of Virgin’s 2007 bid, but rejected on cost grounds.

  • @EM-yk1dw
    @EM-yk1dw 10 месяцев назад +1

    Virgin lost the WCML because they would not take on the pension shortfall.

    • @fickdich9918
      @fickdich9918 4 месяца назад

      That was stagecoach not Virgin

  • @wisehat_yt
    @wisehat_yt Год назад +1

    Btw msg to my wife: can i see my kids please? i miss them. this is not fair. im not the alcholic one.

    • @charliemcdornell
      @charliemcdornell Год назад

      I TOTALLY SUPPORT YO UIN ANY DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS. WE CNA GET YOU SOME KIDS

    • @ConfusedOxygen
      @ConfusedOxygen Год назад +3

      average wisehat comment