Driver's Eye View - Plymouth to Gunnislake from the Cab

[@Froobyone]

What a fascinating line. I've never seen such elevation changes, or Hornby radius 1 curves on any UK routes before. A real treat to watch. Thank you.

[@BernieEijdenberg-tr6bb]

What exquisite scenery!!! 2 say nothing about the beautiful stobe bridges!!! 1 wonders, though, where they lead 2!!!

[@terenceburchett6122]

Great video. Route explained simply and allowed to experience the everyday line, was left thinking "thank God Beeching didn't get this one"! Thank you. One of the best I have watched!

[@petetrundell5454]

Thank you for posting this and bringing back wonderful memories. I did this trip in 1990 at a time when the old DMUs ran and, as a passenger in the front seats, you could see as much as the driver. Magical. Especially once the train had reversed mid-line and I was looking out the back with the train created vortices of dry autumn leaves behind us. 😌

[@simonmultiverse6349]

NOTE: the word "Bere" is pronounced the same way as "beer", but not the same as "bare". I know this because I'm from the West Country (born in Plymouth) and spent many summers in a tiny village called Bere Ferrers. At the bottom of the hill, there was a small harbour and a pub which was (I think) called The Plough.

[@markw3553]

You’ll notice Tavy viaduct goes from newly painted to rusty half way across. They pulled the team off the viaduct when the railway was privatised. Would have been around 1995. I’ve walked this line many times and worked on a lot of it. Nice to see the old video 👍🏼

[@alankiy2054]

These train driver eye views are such a delight to watch, especially the lovely old branch lines.

[@AarchiveRailways]

I am hoping to get more made, but it's up hill work at the moment.

[@RYNT1157]

Did that trip 41 years ago , I had just started my driving career in Ireland and was with a fellow driver who came from the days of steam. He had a brother who lived in Bere Alston.

[@drdoolittle5724]

Thank you very much for posting, beautiful historic memories of what used to be, but exhausting that last single track part! Have just watched the 'opening ' of track saving walls etc at Dawlish which means all that money which might have been spent on Plymouth to Okehampton has gone, possibly for ever?

[@tango6nf477]

Another one for the bucket list, what a beautiful and relaxing little journey, must do it!

[@leplessis8179]

Do remember - the village is a mile away from the station, down a one in ten hill - no problem getting there, but coming back is a trial! Worth the trrip, but turn around and come straight back again - or continue on the bius, Gunnislake - Callington - Liskeard where you can catch a train back to Plymouth! Have fun!

[@andrewr2825]

Classic branch line. Tight curves, jointed track, open level crossings, grass strewn rails, small stations - and snail paced travel. Absolutely brilliant 😀👍🏻thank you for posting. Oh and I forgot to mention part of the empire that was Colonel Holman Stephens!

[@AarchiveRailways]

You're most welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Very addictive viewing. A real treat, thank you.

[@Bigbro28]

Most enjoyable and relaxing. I’ve always liked the ‘clickety clack’ sound of the jointed track.

[@johncottonclassics]

Enjoyed that a lot, I live in south east cornwall ,and have never thought to take that train. I will make sure I will now

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

what a great treat this is.When BF ETC was well on it's way as a holiday site we stey'd there twice. A real magical holiday

[@SpeccyMan]

... its way ..

[@tashaax1993xanimalloverx]

I live right next to Gunnislake in Calstock. The train track runs throughthe top of the bank of my garden you can see the roof of my house slightly coming off the edge of the bank just after the viaduct 😀

[@willswheels283]

Thanks for sharing this, a lovely line, goes back a few years that, the trackbed certainly needed a visit from the weed clearing train, looks quite overgrown in places. Hopefully they’ve done that a few times over the years.

[@cliveholmes245]

Now there's a part of England I hadn't seen before. Couldn't help but think of the people who did the hard work buildig it all those years ago.

[@janinapalmer8368]

That was a lovely trip ....

[@ChangesOneTim]

Ah, the beginnings of lineside vegetation neglect. Started by BR Reg Railways as a 'maintenance holiday' then from 1994 onwards continued so wonderfully by R*******k and its contractor A**y Rail. You had to see The Forest Of Buddleia just a few paces from Plymouth station and the thickets of weeds growing from the track ballast to believe it. Nice video though. Love the 30ft jointed track over much of it at that time; made it sound like the train was doing 100 not 50mph😃

[@AarchiveRailways]

We have the return journey at 150mph, which is sped up. 😉

[@itsjustspecial3231]

Very special. Superb. Thanks.

[@chairmakerPete]

Fantastic video - thank you! 👍

[@AarchiveRailways]

You've most welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jonathanj.7344]

I watch this little train go by over the other side of the Tamar every day from where I live in Saltash.

[@Kivetonandrew]

It's the only existing branch line in the area that I have never travelled on. Missed the train by minutes at Gunnislake last time I was on the area. A brilliant video shot on what was the advanced technology of the time. It would be nice to see a comparison using today's digital technology to see if it has changed much.

[@AarchiveRailways]

I am looking to update this, and other From the Cab videos, so keep an eye out.

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Would be fascinating to have a passenger head count after each stop.

[@martyn6792]

That's one windy line, some of those curves are quite sharp

[@ianhosier4042]

Imagine if the train went any faster lol

[@bobwilcox1147]

They tried Pacers on the line, apparently the noise was horrendous from the squealing flanges! Didn't last long!

[@MichaelKettleson]

I think the lens used foreshortens the distances and makes the curves in the track appear as tight bends. it also makes the speed appear to be very slow.

[@iankp5901]

​@@MichaelKettleson there are sections, especially the approaches to the Calstock viaduct and the former Gunnislake branch, where the curves are incredibly tight.

[@MichaelKettleson]

@@iankp5901 Yes there are, but I also look at Google maps for the rout and when you compare the actual curves to the ones on the video you will see how different they are. look at the houses on the hills near the start the roads look like they are on mountains they are so foreshortened, look at how narrow the sleepers are and how close they are together. I believe too long a focal length lens has been used to shoot the video.

[@flippop101]

Great video, great channel, subbed!

[@Bigbro28]

I agree so did the same. 🐨🇦🇺

[@tomwalters5233]

Brilliant

[@railwaychristina3192]

Fabulous ❤

[@dukeofdevon5608]

Amazing at how overgrown the line looks

[@chatkeow]

Amazing....does that line still exist ??

[@AarchiveRailways]

Yes, it's still there.

[@roboftherock]

Aha! The sound of yesteryear - jointed track. And mixed lengths to boot! Are the 10, 15 and 20 mph restrictions still in force?

[@AarchiveRailways]

I've no idea, I know it still takes as long though.

[@cookric555]

yes from bere alston to gunnislake

[@chrisburns1322]

Wish they could be investment into the line,like a passing loop such as they have on the maritime line. Much of the infrastructure do to it is still there.

[@Deebz270]

Once upon a time - during my 'roaring twenties' and sort of as a bet... I rode my SP400 trail bike across that viaduct - Bere to Calstock - to score some weed... ☠ Actually this was quite regular; most of the time I left the bike at the south end and walked across, but on that day, a lovely sunny Sunday, I decided to ride across. A bit bumpy and you had to concentrate on staying between the rails, but I did so standing-up, with a stunning view up and down the Tamar vvalley as I traversed the awesome vidaduct. . I used to walk the line often at night after the trains had gone to bed. It was the shortest route back from Tamerton Foliot to the Bere; across the 17 arch Tavy bridge; A well scarey walk only for the hardcore walkers, as those hollow, tubular, cast-iron bridge piles were open at the top, with only a slippery brace of planks to cross their gaping maws at each span along the walkway... Great days.

[@ianhosier4042]

Looks like that whole line was double tracked at some point

[@thebestspork]

I think only St Budeaux - Bere Alstom as it was LSWR's main line to Exeter.

[@Kivetonandrew]

It was the LSWR route via Tavistock and Oakhampton to Exeter. Double track all the way from the LSWR's own station in Plymouth. When 12:09 the section between Bare Alston to Oakhampton closed, the line was singled and a link was put in from St Budeaux to the GW line.

[@ianhosier4042]

@@Kivetonandrew beeching has so much to answer for! How can a single man be allowed to destroy the railways so quickly?

[@thebestspork]

@@ianhosier4042 because it wasn't a single man. It was government policy at the time to make railways "profitable" and replace them with roads (which have never been profitable). Politics.

[@ChangesOneTim]

@@Kivetonandrew The link between the GWR and the LSWR at St Budeaux dates from 1940s and was put in as a wartime contingency. All trains to/from the LSWR used that link after the LSWR's line into Plymouth via Camel's Head and Devonport King's Rd shut, which IIRC took place about three years before Okehampton - Bere Alston closed in 1968.

[@MJ-iv1es]

When was this shot?

[@AarchiveRailways]

Originally, about 2001. Dad and I had planned a series of video 'from the cab', but dad passed away soon afterwards. I am planning on making new one and also getting this one updated.

[@john_hind]

Do we know when this was originally shot? Is it a film transfer? The classification certificate at the start says 1947, but that cannot be right because events in the 1960s are mentioned by the narrator and the architecture of Plymouth station is clearly that era or later (and if I am not mistaken, there is a brief shot of an LED platform annunciator!). I travel on this line quite frequently and it is still remarkably unchanged from this film except just during the last couple of months it has acquired signal lights and new signage at the level crossings.

[@AarchiveRailways]

The opening 'certificate' was made by Aarchive, just as an introduction, it's on all of our videos, the date on it is actually my dad's birthday, as an Easter Egg. The video was originally shot in 2001, on S-VHS.

[@john_hind]

@@AarchiveRailways Thanks, and thanks for posting this fascinating footage! I've just watched your fascinating film on the Tamar Road Bridge. In that, you put a title page up front with the date and circumstances of shooting, which I think will be important to avoiding confusion by future historians when the film inevitably outlasts the accompanying information on KZbin! Going to enjoy checking out the rest of your footage!

[@anthonysherry2628]

About as fast as the trains in New Zealand. Narrow gauge😊😊😊

[@philipbolton2811]

What a painfully slow crawl that is. Wouldn’t want that journey as my regular commute no matter how scenic. Surely there are local buses that could do the journey quicker and more comfortably.

[@thebestspork]

no, there aren't. Hence why the railway survived. The road infrastructure is poor (steep, narrow, twisty) so there's no point in shutting a perfectly good railway and having to build a load of roads in a climate crisis.

[@tango6nf477]

Applying modern day standards and expectations you are correct. The West Country was once crisscrossed by dozens of short branch lines like this their priority being movement of freight and passengers did not expect speed on these branch lines. Its amazing that this one has survived and thank goodness it has.

[@AarchiveRailways]

It's about the gentle meandering through the lovely countryside.

[@frglee]

It's presently about 46 minutes from Gunnislake to Plymouth. I think I could put up with that, especially with the changing scenery through the seasons! If the Tavistock extension line from Bere Ferrers is ever built with an hourly service as planned, I should imagine line speeds for that journey might be faster, but the Gunnislake branch from Bere Ferrers is quite slow for good reason - gradients, curves and the viaduct.

[@cookric555]

@@frglee junction to gunnislake is at bere alston not bere ferrers , bere ferres station is on the 55mph stretch of track

[@equaliser2265]

Why the hell they shut all these lines down is disgusting, they are the ones pushing people to use their own transport.

[@SeatedViper]

Yet anthergem ruined by interrupting adverts!

[@paulgul1]

I didn't see any adverts, perhaps you don't pay for the premium service.

[@SpeccyMan]

Yet another comment about adverts from someone who doesn't know how to use an ad-blocker.