BR in the 1980s London St Pancras Station in November 1986

London St Pancras Station in November 1986
Upon a day visit to the capital I dropped in to some of the terminal stations. This clip is of London St Pancras Station
The main type of traction seen on this day was of course the HST domineering the London to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield services. The empty stock was still using class 45 locomotives, (to me the main attraction) and still some mainline services too. EMU class 317 were used on the more local suburban route out of St Pancras to Luton, Bedford, where at the time was as far as the overhead wiring went.
This video is of many that will be posted "Uncut" and raw footage from my old archive as to speed up the upload times, cutting out all the fancy editing and chopping of material which can be very time consuming. Hopefully the longer pauses will not upset the viewing pleasure (if any)! Seriously there is so much to upload it could take years so by doing without the descriptions and post processes it could be a lot quicker. Please comment on the feature/features and I really do hope to arouse those old memories, good or bad, but mainly good I trust.

[@dieseldave3879]

11:40 Lights his cigarette and off we go - a man of his time, driving a classic loco! 🚂👍

[@spompey]

Good old boy.....Best wishes Dave and many thanks...Mark

[@Crepello100]

Personally I love these unedited videos. There's lots of detail that would otherwise be missed - it's like I'm actually there!

[@BibtheBoulder]

You ain't kidding. Just listening to that Peak was fantastic.

[@KellinoRail]

Totally agree

[@djtrainspotter3079]

Peaks at St.Pancras were the absolute pinnacle of the day at that time for me spotting around London until i started on the depots! Cheers for uploading these splendid memories.

[@spompey]

Yes I too remember when the station was filled with "Peaks" at the head of long rakes of stock heading for the North....Best wishes....Mark

[@alanrobertson9790]

Only spotted two complete sets. The 22 Deltics and the 193 Peaks. Living at Chesterfield helped. I know HSTs now have a cult following but I preferred the Peaks.

[@BibtheBoulder]

Can't remember a better three minutes on a YT video than listening to that Peak ticking over, waiting time.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your kind comment.....best regards...Mark

[@harryhack6870]

Good pair of headphones and max volume!

[@brianwillson9567]

Absolutely. Dung dung dung dung, GER dung dung dung dung GER dung dung dung , open regulator, dakkkada dakkada dakkada dakkada. The big sulzers always sounded impressive on those 45s.

[@boyfromblackstuff7859]

Good days, very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and many thanks....Mark

[@gazbrucia1654]

Great footage. I forgot how rundown St Pancras was at the time!!

[@spompey]

It seemed so cavernous....best wishes...Mark

[@vicsams4431]

St Pancras must surely get the people's vote for the grandest station in London. I loved the unrebuilt station with its Class 45s. During their last evening runs, in 1988, I and a group of lads, used to travel out of St Pancras every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights for months bashing (Monday and Friday only had one diagram). If two 'required' Peaks were working, you caught the first one to Wellingborough and the second one to Kettering. Then made your way back home, which for me, was across London. If only one was working, you turned back at Wellingborough. In the 1980s, St Pancras had a leaky roof, and her red bricks often could be seen with water damage. It is a shame, when they rebuilt the station they bolted on those ugly turds, rather than extend the magnificent roof. The Victorians cared not about cost, but modern accountants do. But at least, this station, once ear-marked for closure, found a new lease of life with Eurostar, Kent High Speed, Thameslink, and Midland Mainline. So future generations can marvel at it.

[@spompey]

Never a truer word spoken Vic....it is an iconic Victorian piece of art and at least on the exterior maintains the Gothic feel and look...just like a lot of people wish it was filled with the old classes of locomotives.....many thanks and best regards....Mark

[@Crepello100]

On the rebuild issue, I think it's a great. I read somewhere they repainted the old shed in it's original colours? The only sad thing is it coincided with the loss loco haulage, parcels trains and associated shunting, and the new version took away the capacity to reinstate those. Still, it's far better than losing St.Pancras (and Marylebone) altogether which due to Thatcher and 'accountant mentality' could have happened.

[@brianwillson9567]

Crepello 100. Shouldn’t you be over the road at KX? Lovely that you should appreciate mr Barlow’s great work though. For my two pennorth, I love the fact that the hotel was been so comprehensively restored, I love the restoration , cleaning and repainting of the trainshed roof. I grossly dislike the cutting open of part of the platform deck to the horrible retail undercroft. I regard the destruction of the station approach, removal of gas holders, and cluttering the way with the ‘new works’ as cultural vandalism.

[@ianjones4116]

Brilliant, loved the Peaks . 👍👍

[@spompey]

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

[@davidparry1968]

What adds to this amazing video is the colours of the sky adding my to the atmosphere. I loved riding the Peaks when they were diagrammed to haul the Trans-Pennines services.

[@spompey]

Much appreciated David....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@timstrainvideos142]

excellent footage! interesting (for me anyway) to see the blue grey 317s on the line before the 319s arrived.

[@spompey]

As long as whatever your interest is I am just appreciative for your interest in the video...Many thanks....best wishes...Mark

[@geert-janzwartjes31]

Love the peaks big locomotives

[@spompey]

I remember in 1976 catching a "Merrymaker" out of St Pancras which took us to Llandudno via (Leicester) Nuneaton....45 all the way there and back....aaaahh what nostalgia...many thanks for watching....Mark

[@brianwillson9567]

Hated the peaks for ousting the jubilees. Came to love the peaks. That 12 cylinder sulzer throb echoing round the trainshed, wonderful.

[@spompey]

@@brianwillson9567Many thanks brian......Mark

[@spompey]

Also loved your rendition pf loco sounds....Fabulous.....mark

[@grahamdavidcowley]

Compare these scenes with the same location today. Gas holders are now flats, trains go to Belgium/France, and yet the wires don't go much further than Bedford even today! Progress everywhere except on the Midland mainline! Loved the videos. Excellent camera work!

[@spompey]

many thanks for your kind comment Graham...much appreciated and very true about St.Pancras....Mark

[@thedreamtommylees]

Wires go to Corby and are well in progress to advancing to Market Harbrough. Leicester will soon be electrified then up to Sheffield

[@Andrew-xs1sg]

@@thedreamtommyleesDream on they have stalled north of Market Harborough

[@pauldavis9567]

Yeah , another great line ruined @@thedreamtommylees

[@robertmarshall6578]

The driver of 45133 seems to be having a somewhat heated exchange with another member of staff at 8:50, eventually slamming the cab door with a seemingly bad-tempered flourish. Love to know what all that was about. I'm sure he got over it very quickly and calmed down to give his passengers the smooth ride they expected! However it does serve as a reminder that the inner workings of the railway are largely open to public view and scrutiny (unlike water companies or the BBC!)

[@spompey]

It may well have been a guard.....who will ever know.....but Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@Oddly1970]

The home of the peaks 😊

[@spompey]

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

[@sundayakpan2663]

Great old footage of the video

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and Many thanks for watching and for your comment best regards....Mark

[@111672balernabz2010]

I'm trying to catch up on the last 3 videos to much to choose from of classic traction,especially St Pancras..

[@spompey]

So glad I am at last fulfilling viewers interest....very much appreciated...Mark

[@frenchsteam7356]

I noticed the first HST arrival was the "wrong way round" -any reason why? Give me a 45 any day, better than a 46 or a 47 [used to make me feel seasick!]

[@D.C.009.]

Had a cab ride in 45106 in green livery, on one of its last runs out of there, got out at Kettering, used to get away with that in the 80s !

[@thedreamtommylees]

Do you mean first being at the rear? I guess it could have been diverted and come in reverse formation, ie ran Derby, Nottingham then St Pancras, or round the back at Sheffield. The first train to Sheffield runs from Leicester with first at front, the runs back road via Darnall into platform 8 at Sheffield, making first now front of the train to St Pancras. The old way was indeed to have front closer to the entrance/exit but some operators do not do this on every set

[@frenchsteam7356]

@@thedreamtommylees I was at the "new"Heaton Depot from 77 to 91, The East Coast HSTs always ran with the first class at the London end and in those days we could use the bridges at Newcastle to turn a set if it happened to be the "wrong" way round. Would you believe when the HSTs were first introduced the vehicles had to be marshalled in NUMERICAL order.

[@Froobyone]

Crikey the HID wasn't messing about on that Peaky Blinder coming in light (hah) engine.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for the comment and best wishes....Mark

[@th8257]

Did you ever feel unsafe around there? Kings Cross and St Pancras could be pretty dodgy back then.

[@spompey]

Not really, apart from at night maybe, but I found Euston more wary.....best wishes to you...Mark

[@malcolmlowe2323]

Was the 10mph over the bridge just for fun. 😮😮😮

[@spompey]

Maybe the speedo was clapped out or out of view....best wishes Malcolm as always....Mark

[@aljonflavin6760]

It looked then a run down Nobody cares br station in the 80s, what a difference now.

[@spompey]

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

[@brianwillson9567]

St Pancras, the most wonderful building in London. Bad news, the euroterminal works detrimental, good news, even the reworked st Pancras a million times better than the possible alternative, demolition by 1970. Ideal St P . The train shed full of jubilees. Just about acceptable alternative, the train shed full of Peaks. OK, still fine alternative, the train shed full of HSTs. Train shed full of Euro electrics......neh, I’ll stick with memories of St P as it was.

[@spompey]

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

[@duncancurtis5108]

July 88 was the final month for Peak working, usually as far as Derby only.

[@spompey]

Many thanks Duncan.....Mark

[@paulhwbooth]

I HATE what has been done to this Grade One listed buidling.

[@spompey]

Yes I too agree I thought listed buildings could not be altered that much....Many thanks....Mark

[@ds1868]

Well it was either the present restored building or demolition. Just be happy it exists at all.

[@robtyman4281]

Looking at this video you forget what a dump the station was in the 80's - absolutely terrible. No wonder few people travelled by train back then. The station looks a mess tbh - unloved, no attempt to tidy things up or make things abit brighter looking. No imagination at all. But the government of the day weren't interested in making things better at St Pancras. They weren't interested in railways full stop. I don't understand those who say the restoration of the station destroyed its character. Go to the station today, and tell me it's worse than it was back in 1986. Look at the entrance, the concourse, how much cleaner the platforms are, how much lighter everything looks. Go and see the hotel - restored to how it was. It was built to be a hotel, not a junk building for old BR equipment. I'm sorry but I cannot agree with anything Paul Booth says about the station being ruined now. Try taking off those rose-tinted glasses. Railways in the 80's (and 70's for that matter) were as grim as anything. Especially suburban trains, and stations.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Really? I think they've done an awesome job with the Eurostar terminal and finally given it services prestigious enough to be worthy of it. It was rather rundown and far, far bigger than what it was needed for back in BR days. Yes, the Midland mainline services have rather been shoved off into an annex, but still

[@paulhwbooth]

@@robtyman4281 Opinions differ. St Pancras was a Grade One listed building, and it needed, and should have got, care, maintenance and some restoration. For an example of what you can do to update a magnificent railway station without destroying its character, see the Hauptbahnhoff in Leipzig.

[@ukmusichero]

Great footage, although highlights the disgusting state of British Rail at the time 🤔

[@spompey]

It does look a little clinical nowadays, but I suppose that is modernisation...Many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark

[@user-zw5ye3mg4m]

论辱华车站的昨天

[@spompey]

Many thanks....Mark

[@user-zw5ye3mg4m]

stop touching her!😂辱华车站😂

[@spompey]

Many thanks....mark