Loved this video. My question is, will there ever be an extension up to Seaton Junction? It'd be fantastic to be able to travel to the tramway by rail (hopefully a new Seaton Junction station between Axminster and Honiton) and hop right on to a tram down to Seaton :)
I guess it's down to the trams not drawing much power themselves, while battery technology has increased to improve capacity. Assuming the trams' power consumption stays the same, I imagine the next generation of trackside batteries could hold even more.
They have really big batteries because they always run the trams off of them; they're not just emergency backups. They save money by only buying mains electricity at night when the rates are lower and storing enough for a full day of operation.
Even the.....video title....has the.....classic Geoff....interrupted sentence....delivery! I'm very fond of the Seaton tramway myself having gone there with my tiny children, and still enjoyed going as grown-ups. It's where my mum was born and grew up so the area has family connection too.
Wow...that was fun. Must have been seen as amazing technology in its day. Can't believe some of the trams were built in the 1950's. Thank you Seaton Tramway for maintaining the trams in working condition.
It's so sad to hear that trams were running in Exeter and Bournemouth, knowing they no longer exist. It seems like every city and town up and down the country had them and we're so much worse off now for not having them :(
Note they are nearly all half or 2/3 scale replicas (as far as practical for 12 inch to the foot scale human passengers) of real trams. Very few real trams were built after the 1930s - London Transport inherited over 2,500 in 1933, but didn't build a single one.
This has made my day! We go to Seaton for a week every summer and the tramway is always the highlight - we even went twice in a week this year. The cream teas at Colyton station are absolutely amazing!
It's been ages since I went down there and rode those trams. The posh stations wasn't a thing then. I do watch them in the webcams and it looks so good, I need a visit. Thanks Geoff.
wow! I visited this tramway as a kid when I was about 7 or 8 years old but I’d mostly forgotten about it until this video came along! thank you for this video Geoff, you look like you’re having the time of your life which is always a joy to watch!
I have watched their video feeds on RUclips and was delighted to see you have now visited this lovely tram line. The rabbits run around early in the morning outside the workshop. It is very relaxing to watch and I am sure also to ride! 👍
Does anyone else watch the live feed on RUclips? I have been for the last 3 years. Every day. It's amazing. Shane I missed Geoff on the live feed driving the tram. Anyone interested, the links are under Seaton Tramway. ❤
I remember the trams in Eastbourne when I was very small and visiting grandparents - I remember hearing that the council wouldn't let them extend along the seafront so they moved the whole thing to Devon. Very shortsighted decision by the council, but their 'new' location is wonderful.
That's totally brilliant...! We stayed at Colyton for a holiday in 1976 when we were kids - I remember seeing the trams then. Think I'll have to try the driving course...!!
Brilliant video Geoff! I've got family that live in Colyton, so I spent many a summer as a kid riding the tramway when we were down visiting and this brought back lots of memories! It's a beautiful part of the world and the trip up the Axe valley is fantastic. The line itself was a branch line that used to run up to Seaton Junction station on the West of England line. Whilst the station itself is closed now, the building and platforms are I believe still there and can be seen from trains going between Exeter and Waterloo.
Not going to lie, as a train conductor, I was very impressed with that stop! Stop board (Whistle board technically, but still) right in the window. For a rookie that was very well done Geoff - did you ever consider becoming a train driver?
Love these documentaries. Love seeing Geoff driving a train or tram. Have always enjoyed watching those videos in the past. (I've started watching and following in 2017, I think, but have also gone and watched older videos.)
Might I suggest make a thorough trip of it? As well as Seaton, there are East Anglian Transport Museum (Lowestoft) and the National Tramway Museum (Crich). If trolleybuses (trackless trolleys) are your thing, add the Trolleybus Museum (Sandtoft). Those are the biggest collections with working exhibits, though the odd tram and trolleybus made it in to other museums. The London Tranpsort Museum is superb, but a couple of times a year, it opens it's reserve collection facility too. Contact them for dates ... Geoff has done a clip on that IIRC.
The fish in beer batter at Colyton stn. changed my mind of fish n chips. Loved the chance to squeeze my fat body up those stairs and see the treetop view. The beach and harbour are worth a look see with the tide moving the sea flora and the sea bird acrobatics.
For our 50th I rented Shute Barton, A big National Trust cottage for friends in Axminster. One of the excursions was the Seaton tram way. It was a fantastic day out. I highly recommend it. All the best Alex
Loved this one, Geoff and I can tell you did as well! I really need to go on this tramway (I lived in Exeter when I was at uni for 4 years and I never went!)
Nice to see the Tram featured on your channel Geoff, I live nearby and have been on the Tram numerous times over the years, the Main hall in Seaton is now the third version that I can remember as it's been updated over the years
Very interesting.... mt great-grandfather was a tram driver, for East Ham Corporation Tramways. I have an old piccy of him in his uniform & badge in the back garden of the house i grew up in, must have been taken in the 1920s......
So many memories! I first went to Seaton Tramway in the late 1990's, and I'll never forget an exchange I had with the driver of the "Blackpool" Tram that day. They enthusiastically talked about, not just what the various controls do, but also the history of the route and how they ended up with a Mitton shaped replacement for the fingers on their right hand. A truly wonderful place and it's great to see it again. The terminus at Seaton looks different, I remember it being of an Edwardian style when I visited before
Lovely video Geoff! I visited Seaton Tramway around 2018 (I think), and absolutely enjoyed it! Beautiful scenery all around, the staff were so nice and full of smiles, and the tram ride was awesome. 😎
We went there in the summer. It was great fun. We had an hour or so at the wetlands Center plus a little walk from Colloyton back to the station with the level crossing. The children loved the trams, my wife loved the birds. I liked the cake.
Great vlog, @geoff. Reminds me of my day on Heaton Park Tramway, in Manchester. They too have driver experience days. Didn’t know about the line-side batteries, really great idea.
Great video, Geoff! 2 differences with trams I drive: our handbrakes are ratcheted, so you stop by 'pumping' the handle back & forth; trolley poles are attached to a rope, so on 2 ended cars we just unhook it & walk to the other end - the rope is attached to a 'keeper' on 1 ended cars...
Went there many years ago for one of their Polar Express Experiences and absolutely loved it! I must take another visit there some time to experience it in the daylight. Thanks for the video Geoff, very insightful and entertaining!
We live local and travel on the trams 5 or 6 times a year. Always have to travel on the lower deck as we take our dog (who loves it) and dogs are not allowed upstairs.
Just the other day, we were talking about this. I took this tram ride last year with my family on a grey, drizzly afternoon. Despite the weather, we all had a great time-it was really enjoyable. Plus, there was a fantastic café waiting for us at the end.
Really enjoyed watching this video. In fact I've watched it a few times already! Great to see someone learning and their immediate reactions. Pete is a great instructor ❤. Well done everyone involved 🤗
Love this place. Been a few times now. It's a childhood memory for me. First when I was around 6 I believe, then again as a teen and around 6 months ago. It's a heritage line with a difference. I love it! ❤
Fantastic place for a day out with a family. Can recommend the tea room at the end of the line. Also at the moment on there RUclips page. They are showing photos of the time they were at Eastbourne. Which i remember well..........(showing my age now)
All the trams. All of them. San Francisco has one of the full size Blackpool boat trams, but they only use it on special trips. The wooden tram cars they have are amazing, but I'm a stickler for the PCC cars as it's just an elegant design. (I've also been on the Muni, the streetcars in Seattle, San Diego, the now retired Toronto streetcars, and the old Trams in Sofia, Bulgaria.)
Thanks for visiting Geoff!
We’ll make a tram driver of you yet!
Visited before really nice tramway well done lads marshes are amazing aswell
Hello! thanks for a fun day!
Seaton Tramway are here in the comments, so if you have questions for them, ask and they will answer!
@@geofftech2 Will we see you at the European Tram Driver championships next year?
Loved this video. My question is, will there ever be an extension up to Seaton Junction? It'd be fantastic to be able to travel to the tramway by rail (hopefully a new Seaton Junction station between Axminster and Honiton) and hop right on to a tram down to Seaton :)
@@geofftech2 it was a great day! And considering the weather that week, we did pretty well to stay dry!
24 hours of backup power for the trams is bloody impressive for being so old, i was expecting him to say 2 hours!
I guess it's down to the trams not drawing much power themselves, while battery technology has increased to improve capacity. Assuming the trams' power consumption stays the same, I imagine the next generation of trackside batteries could hold even more.
They have really big batteries because they always run the trams off of them; they're not just emergency backups. They save money by only buying mains electricity at night when the rates are lower and storing enough for a full day of operation.
Beer is also home to Peco, one of the UK’s few remaining manufacturers of model railways.
I'm so glad you tried this! Geoff you never fail to cheer me up.
thank you, very kind! Glad it cheered you up!
Two of the things that kept me sane during those dark lockdown days of 2020. Geoff's videos and Seaton's tramathon. Thanks guys.
We’re still recovering from that 24 hours!
Love the instructors banter
I went there a year ago and it was very good hope you enjoyed it
Geoff, you need to try the horse drawn trams in the Isle of Man
The wild life section! Reminds me of "This week on too late to see!" The cameraman getting a shot of the Animals behind! LoL
Even the.....video title....has the.....classic Geoff....interrupted sentence....delivery!
I'm very fond of the Seaton tramway myself having gone there with my tiny children, and still enjoyed going as grown-ups.
It's where my mum was born and grew up so the area has family connection too.
Wow...that was fun. Must have been seen as amazing technology in its day. Can't believe some of the trams were built in the 1950's. Thank you Seaton Tramway for maintaining the trams in working condition.
It's so sad to hear that trams were running in Exeter and Bournemouth, knowing they no longer exist. It seems like every city and town up and down the country had them and we're so much worse off now for not having them :(
Our oldest is 1904! 😮
@@SeatonTramway1970 They are beautiful pieces of historical rail stock. Even better when they still run.
Note they are nearly all half or 2/3 scale replicas (as far as practical for 12 inch to the foot scale human passengers) of real trams. Very few real trams were built after the 1930s - London Transport inherited over 2,500 in 1933, but didn't build a single one.
Hi Geoff, I remember riding the tram way back in the late seventies when our school had school journeys to Devon.
This has made my day! We go to Seaton for a week every summer and the tramway is always the highlight - we even went twice in a week this year. The cream teas at Colyton station are absolutely amazing!
I remember visiting this tramway as a child, thanks for taking me down memory lane Geoff 👍
Yep, me too when I guess the tramway was no more than 5 years old…
Same when i was holiday there no older than 10.
It's been ages since I went down there and rode those trams. The posh stations wasn't a thing then. I do watch them in the webcams and it looks so good, I need a visit. Thanks Geoff.
wow! I visited this tramway as a kid when I was about 7 or 8 years old but I’d mostly forgotten about it until this video came along!
thank you for this video Geoff, you look like you’re having the time of your life which is always a joy to watch!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic video Geoff! Your videos make me smile 😀
Visited many times over the years. Friendly staff and a great time. Highly recommended.
Well done Geoff. This and Crich are on our list when we get back to the UK late summer next year. Thanks for sharing.
I absolutely love Seaton and the tramway is brilliant ❤
For the whole video I had a huge smile on my face, the trams, the crew, the driving experience - just awesome. 😊
That video was right up my street! Thanks for that Geoff and company!
Brilliant Geoff, I live in Devon and you are bloody lucky to get a dry day, but that’s why it’s so beautiful.
we did indeed get such a good day with the weather! felt a little lucky, yes!
Did a driving experience day there for my 40th. It was a really great day and welcoming team; thoroughly recommend.
Geoff Marshall, Your videos are getting better and better by each passing time. Thank you for the Tram rides. 🙂
The Seaton Tramway asked Geoff if they could have some excellent publicity in return for having a go at driving a tiny tram! Who could say No?!
It seems a win-win-win for all. 👍
Hey Geoff I really like this one. Thank you very much. Old trams, Country side beautiful sceenery. Thanks again for this visit.
I have watched their video feeds on RUclips and was delighted to see you have now visited this lovely tram line. The rabbits run around early in the morning outside the workshop. It is very relaxing to watch and I am sure also to ride! 👍
Nice. Often ridden this and it's a lovely relaxing half-day of fun. The cafe at Colyton does a decent light lunch too!
I've done a few on the Manx Electric Railway with air brakes and eight notches series and Parrallel. The Railway was 130 years old this year.
Brilliant! We have a few that have 8 and parallel too!
Geoff should get over to the IoM sometime.
I rode this last year, absolutely gorgeous and loved the tramway, rode it far more times than I needed to!
Does anyone else watch the live feed on RUclips?
I have been for the last 3 years.
Every day. It's amazing.
Shane I missed Geoff on the live feed driving the tram.
Anyone interested, the links are under Seaton Tramway. ❤
We do 👀
Just last week but don't think there was anything running.
I love the Seaton trip!We'll be going again,next year and we can see the trams from where we'll be staying.😁Great video!!!
I watch the Live Cam feed from the Depot - a very relaxing way to pass time.
I remember the trams in Eastbourne when I was very small and visiting grandparents - I remember hearing that the council wouldn't let them extend along the seafront so they moved the whole thing to Devon. Very shortsighted decision by the council, but their 'new' location is wonderful.
That's totally brilliant...! We stayed at Colyton for a holiday in 1976 when we were kids - I remember seeing the trams then. Think I'll have to try the driving course...!!
Brilliant video Geoff! I've got family that live in Colyton, so I spent many a summer as a kid riding the tramway when we were down visiting and this brought back lots of memories!
It's a beautiful part of the world and the trip up the Axe valley is fantastic. The line itself was a branch line that used to run up to Seaton Junction station on the West of England line. Whilst the station itself is closed now, the building and platforms are I believe still there and can be seen from trains going between Exeter and Waterloo.
Not going to lie, as a train conductor, I was very impressed with that stop! Stop board (Whistle board technically, but still) right in the window. For a rookie that was very well done Geoff - did you ever consider becoming a train driver?
Geoff did a fantastic job all day!
Love these documentaries. Love seeing Geoff driving a train or tram. Have always enjoyed watching those videos in the past. (I've started watching and following in 2017, I think, but have also gone and watched older videos.)
this is worth the trip from the states!!
Might I suggest make a thorough trip of it? As well as Seaton, there are East Anglian Transport Museum (Lowestoft) and the National Tramway Museum (Crich). If trolleybuses (trackless trolleys) are your thing, add the Trolleybus Museum (Sandtoft).
Those are the biggest collections with working exhibits, though the odd tram and trolleybus made it in to other museums. The London Tranpsort Museum is superb, but a couple of times a year, it opens it's reserve collection facility too. Contact them for dates ... Geoff has done a clip on that IIRC.
Looks like a great day out!
The fish in beer batter at Colyton stn. changed my mind of fish n chips. Loved the chance to squeeze my fat body up those stairs and see the treetop view. The beach and harbour are worth a look see with the tide moving the sea flora and the sea bird acrobatics.
Super entertaining as always Geoff
For our 50th I rented Shute Barton, A big National Trust cottage for friends in Axminster. One of the excursions was the Seaton tram way. It was a fantastic day out. I highly recommend it. All the best Alex
Loved this one, Geoff and I can tell you did as well! I really need to go on this tramway (I lived in Exeter when I was at uni for 4 years and I never went!)
We experienced the Seaton tramway this summer. It was a brilliant day and a marvellous experience.
Loved it! Beautiful wetlands and lovely line.
Love the Seaton trams. Went as a child in the 70’s on family hold then when my son was young we took him there too ❤
Nice to see the Tram featured on your channel Geoff, I live nearby and have been on the Tram numerous times over the years, the Main hall in Seaton is now the third version that I can remember as it's been updated over the years
Pete sounds like a real down to earth guy!
As a birder and a rail enthusiast, "birdwatching tram" is a combination I never knew I needed!
Our 2025 birdwatching trams are now available to book!
I was there in September; wonderful place to visit.
Still on Rail-Cams too...! I am aghast at the points at the Depot and how they work. Nice to see inside the workings. Cheers!
Been there years ago just love those trams. Hope you'll had a great time
Very interesting.... mt great-grandfather was a tram driver, for East Ham Corporation Tramways. I have an old piccy of him in his uniform & badge in the back garden of the house i grew up in, must have been taken in the 1920s......
I have ridden a tram on this line and it is delightful. Well worth visiting.
oh my neck of my woods, love the Seaton Tramway
So many memories! I first went to Seaton Tramway in the late 1990's, and I'll never forget an exchange I had with the driver of the "Blackpool" Tram that day. They enthusiastically talked about, not just what the various controls do, but also the history of the route and how they ended up with a Mitton shaped replacement for the fingers on their right hand. A truly wonderful place and it's great to see it again. The terminus at Seaton looks different, I remember it being of an Edwardian style when I visited before
I think the depot is now the old Racal factory?
Lovely video Geoff! I visited Seaton Tramway around 2018 (I think), and absolutely enjoyed it! Beautiful scenery all around, the staff were so nice and full of smiles, and the tram ride was awesome. 😎
Mr. Dawes seems like a lovely person who has fun with their work
We went there in the summer.
It was great fun. We had an hour or so at the wetlands Center plus a little walk from Colloyton back to the station with the level crossing.
The children loved the trams, my wife loved the birds.
I liked the cake.
That was so interesting - what fun! And what a lovely, scenic run, as well.
Ive looked into this with my daughter 3/4 times but never got round to it, looks so good
Now I know how they work..... great Vlog
Wow, I have been watching their live webcam for years now - never managed to get there yet, so great to see this inside video!
Great vlog, @geoff. Reminds me of my day on Heaton Park Tramway, in Manchester. They too have driver experience days. Didn’t know about the line-side batteries, really great idea.
It's worth going on a nice summer's day and having a pub lunch in Colyton
Very nice people and place 😊💜
This tram railway looks so interesting! Hope you enjoyed the day there Geoff 😊
Thanks for posting this, it looks like a fun day out.
What a superb day out!
Great video! I've been visiting Seaton and the surrounding area all my life. Love the tramway! Was a surprise to see it here!
Great video, Geoff! 2 differences with trams I drive: our handbrakes are ratcheted, so you stop by 'pumping' the handle back & forth; trolley poles are attached to a rope, so on 2 ended cars we just unhook it & walk to the other end - the rope is attached to a 'keeper' on 1 ended cars...
We have ratchets on all our handbrakes too! Our only tram with a rope on the trolley is car 4!
@SeatonTramway1970 thx for the info!
Went there many years ago for one of their Polar Express Experiences and absolutely loved it! I must take another visit there some time to experience it in the daylight.
Thanks for the video Geoff, very insightful and entertaining!
We live local and travel on the trams 5 or 6 times a year. Always have to travel on the lower deck as we take our dog (who loves it) and dogs are not allowed upstairs.
Super, wonderdful whimsical video. Another triumph, Geoff!!
Just the other day, we were talking about this. I took this tram ride last year with my family on a grey, drizzly afternoon. Despite the weather, we all had a great time-it was really enjoyable. Plus, there was a fantastic café waiting for us at the end.
Absolutely love it!!! Thanks!!!! 🇬🇧🙏
Great video Geoff .The yellow and green colour scheme reminds me of the Melbourne Australia trams in the 1960's.
Really enjoyed watching this video. In fact I've watched it a few times already! Great to see someone learning and their immediate reactions. Pete is a great instructor ❤. Well done everyone involved 🤗
Great video thanks for showing looked very Enjoyable.😊
Lucky man, Geoff. Have travelled on the tramway a few times, always a great journey.
Awesome!! Greatings from the Netherlands.
How funny that you’ve done a video on the tramway, Im off to Seaton tomorrow for a couple of days, I have thought of doing the Tramway! Great video
Love this place. Been a few times now. It's a childhood memory for me. First when I was around 6 I believe, then again as a teen and around 6 months ago. It's a heritage line with a difference. I love it! ❤
Really good video Geoff. Looks like you had a fab day.
Good to see you visiting my town of Seaton.
Geoff evey nice the first ever video you posted I have all ways enjoyed watching you keep it up dude I’m loving it
Excellent, really enjoyable video.
I remember rides on this tramway when I was a kid.. very nice that it is still going :)
Spent a lot of my childhood on the Seaton trams whilst on holidays to nearby Lyme Regis so this brings me back. Thankyou Geoff :)
Reminds me of my great day as a "tram driver" . ❤ Great video and well done Geoff. 👍
Oh, that looks fun. Great video, my friend x
You would need a pair of calipers to measure the distance between where you stopped and the whistle sign. 10/10
Ding, ding! Marvellous ☺
Seen this place grow and grow after my Mum moved down to Lyme Regis a good few years ago.
Had some lovely journeys
fun old tram
Fantastic place for a day out with a family. Can recommend the tea room at the end of the line. Also at the moment on there RUclips page. They are showing photos of the time they were at Eastbourne. Which i remember well..........(showing my age now)
All the trams. All of them.
San Francisco has one of the full size Blackpool boat trams, but they only use it on special trips. The wooden tram cars they have are amazing, but I'm a stickler for the PCC cars as it's just an elegant design. (I've also been on the Muni, the streetcars in Seattle, San Diego, the now retired Toronto streetcars, and the old Trams in Sofia, Bulgaria.)
Lovely tram line with some stunning views and some nice driving Geoff!