BR in the 1980s Birmingham New Street Station 21st January 1986

[@2760ade]

This was my trainspotting stomping ground in the '80s! Brings back many happy memories. One thing I had forgotten though, is just how dirty and run down the trains and station looked then! Mind you, my recollection of Birmingham, as a whole, is dirty and run down concrete structures that smelt vaguely of car/bus fumes and urine.😂

[@spompey]

Been to far worse places....It was an exciting location for me as a youngster, I did a lot of Audio recording there back in the 1970s having travelled up there on an inter-city train either out of Euston or Paddington...never really ventured far from the station...Many thanks and my best regards to you.....Mark

[@NEDex-sk2kh]

i would sometimes come up from Taunton behind a 50 and spend a few hours in this area (incl. Bescot), but would always return home with clag in my eyes and dirt on the clothes. New Street was a dirty place and full of diesel fumes. Good times though, and will never be forgotten

[@2760ade]

@@NEDex-sk2kh It was!! But yes, good times!!😀

[@spompey]

@@NEDex-sk2kh Very true and great memories with that...many thanks....Mark

[@andrewbowen4544]

1 thing why I loved New Street the smell of the diesels

[@spompey]

I used to breathe in the Ozone from the Electrics too !.....Much appreciated....Mark

[@soupdragon12345]

Fun place to go . Got to ride in a 45 I think ? Up under the bridge and back once .

[@spompey]

You're most welcome....Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@dotherightthingbro]

New Street back in the day and the rotunda too nice bonus that. Nice mix of diesel and leccys at brum as shown here. Not many spotting on this day! It was always a hive on a Saturday so maybe filmed on a week day.

[@spompey]

YES this was a weekday, I did try to avoid Saturdays due to the attention my camera caught and as well as the crowds...maybe some regrets....best wishes....Mark

[@garthcox4307]

The euston trains used to go up to the carriage sheds at duddeston to vacate the station. Maybe going for a loop through bescot came after they closed, which was around then . A few years later push pull came in on the euston services which must have made it easier operationally. The hsts used to smoke out the station until they fitted new fans and ducting on the platforms they used. Did the Paddington trains still run in 1986, always class 50s? The south coast trains like Poole replaced them I think.

[@spompey]

Yes the Paddington/Birmingham services ran into the 1990s. I did my 50 training on these services in 1990, but the Padd's were withdrawn soon after. There was a Glasgow - Padd and v.v. until the 1990s too and Padd- Liverpool mainly 50 hauled but the Poole Cross Countries were almost all 47 haulage until like you say the HST's took over. Funnily enough that was the route I did my 47 handling on, oddly because it being solely Bournemouth crews, it was strange to have a Western man on their region handling. Not enough 47s to go around ! Many thanks Garth and sincere wishes to you....Mark

[@timstrainvideos142]

excellent video!

[@spompey]

Many many thanks....Best wishes....Mark

[@duncancurtis5108]

Back in the days of Kodak Agfa and cassette recorders with hand held microphones.

[@spompey]

Defenately ...and if you could afford it memorex co2 or even metal tapes.....great memories....Mark

[@swearingkevo]

Great vid, brings back many memories, I used to arrive hear from Bristol Temple Meads in the early to mid 1980s to see the Electrics as we don’t get them here in Bristol, used to love the sound of the whirring of the electric engines , the dirty BR Blue Liveries, ahhh the memories. Thx for posting

[@spompey]

Great to bring back good memories for you and many thanks for your valued interest.....Best wishes....Mark

[@Microwave_404]

Why do these retro Trainspotting videos bring me back to a time when I wasn’t even born? I guess it’s just weird seeing the trains in those liveries in the handheld shaky video camera form since all I’ve seen otherwise is pictures

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and like a lot of us, we too go back way before our lifetime......many thanks and best wishes...Mark

[@Microwave_404]

@@spompey I went down a whole youtube rabbit hole after this video was in my recommended: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eneagZedptBse7csi=vBb0V7SuO_ezwuxW

[@Valentascream]

I always like old videos of new st hoping to see myself in my younger days stood on end of platform 8!

[@spompey]

About to upload more of New St in a day or two....so keep an eye out......best regards....Mark

[@lefthand84]

It's only when you mentioned the 87 running to Bescot that I've realised that New St didn't have a major stabling point for locos nearby, just that little siding by the signal box.

[@spompey]

Yes I remember often having to work trains via Bescot to vacate a busy station in the late 1970's....Best wishes...Mark

[@AndreiTupolev]

They mostly stabled at Saltley (diesels anyway)

[@lefthand84]

@@AndreiTupolev Oh of course! Forgot about that. I also forgot about Duddeston. What were the sidings and shed used for there? I remember seeing the odd loco there until about the turn of the century.

[@spompey]

@@AndreiTupolev Yes they did.....best regards to you and many thanks......Mark

[@nickedwards2904]

they used to park a lot of locos in the middle lines . Always something between 7 and 8

[@criticalstress]

This was around the era that I could have been occasionally at New Street looking at locos. Mid 80s anyway.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for watching and for your comment best regards....Mark

[@delticnapierdccsound4236]

God this brings back memories 😢

[@spompey]

Glad to have done that for you.....best wishes....Mark

[@VICTOR-pf9eg]

I wonder why they weren't a ventilation system to take away the diesel fumes

[@spompey]

Must have been quite worse in the days of steam...aaahhh but the smell Victor......Many thanks and best regards....Mark

[@bobf3598]

When the railways were British. Not the foreign garbage now.

[@spompey]

Too much plastic now!....Many thanks and my sincere wishes....Mark