BRANCH LINE - 2 - Sir John Betjeman

Part 2 - Continuing the BBC broadcast of 1963 we look at Highbridge and the freight trains which were still running to Burnham on Sea. The former loco works of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway were derelict but still in situ.

[@StephPNE]

This guy was priceless. What a man

[@laggymam]

What railway films John Betjeman made when England was England not so long ago,Inever get sick of watching them, I wish at times i could dive in the old films and go up and down the country on the old network of lines? Working at a old signal box in the countryside or beside some old steelworks..BLISS? or the station masters house ,laying in bed listening to the frieght trains pass through the night, and they paid you for doing it? The England of old dreams.

[@flossy100]

'People hate anything well made, it gives them a guilty conscience', how true! That can be said not only of objects but of people.

[@fordlandau]

A work of art. Magnificent.

[@pastorflaps6819]

How I miss the way things were England feels so lost now

[@Temorablue]

People hate anything well made, it gives them a guilty conscience.

[@petercollingwood4108]

What an absolutely nice Gentleman 👍

[@martyj.w2875]

The days of superb locomotives and great Chief Mechanical Engineers. For any interested…. Seen here, locomotive 2204. Designed by Charles Collett (0-6-0 configuration), built at the Swindon Works in 1939. Withdrawn 1963. 3210, likewise a 0-6-0 locomotive again designed by Charles Collett. Built in 1947 at Swindon and withdrawn in 1965. Also shown is 44560, designed by Henry Fowler (0-6-0 configuration), built in 1922 and withdrawn in 1965. And lastly, 44417, again designed by Henry Fowler (0-6-0 configuration), built at the Derby works in 1927 and withdrawn from service in October 1962. Evocative memories of our long (partially forgotten) past.

[@SimonWAtack]

Two dislikes?Why for heaven's sake? This is a record of a not-so-long-ago time when decent working folk happily worked and provided a service and were proud of their jobs on the railways. Progress has gone horribly wrong and now, Such service as this is just an ideal! We are worse off with all we have today, with bankruptcies, unemployment and crime out of check, than the people of this time who had decency, self-respect and a pride in themselves and their jobs. The simplest ways were best!

[@davids8449]

Probably X teddy boy's

[@martinwilde2737]

Roll on another 10 years! It's a run away train now!

[@written12]

Wonderful programs. I only read about them until I discovered your posts on KZbin. A bundle of thanks! If you want a little sign of Betjeman's devotion to history(as if the whole of his work isn't teeming with them), take note of how he takes his hat off when standing before the war memorial.

[@GaryNumeroUno]

I wonder if the war memorial he poignantly stood at still exists and is in situ?

[@benbisley]

Thank you so much for this. I used to live at Burnham, and remember the long waits at the level crossing on the A38.

[@Jeffybonbon]

Im glad we have the likes of the NYMR today at lease we can go back to this sort of time

[@jayarajjohnson2476]

Wonderful Nostalgia.

[@GarethVader]

Just how I remember it. I grew up in Highbridge. Thanks

[@RockyRailroadProductions_B0SS]

The steam locomotives and their associated railways/railroads were as much a part of daily life as a bus or airplane ride at one point. Now a rail-mounted locomotive is very different to the average machine nowadays, with a steam engine, it has a sort of breath, it has likes and dislikes, and it's got real character. The rail system is slower, true, but it isn't rushed. It may plod along at a slower pace, but sometimes we all need to slow down, instead of being in a constant blind hurry to go nowhere.

[@jazzman1626]

It seems that the more society that was once slower and nicer and more peaceful, is now enslaved by people who are never satisfied with the speed their employees make profit for them, while being paid slave wages for their hard work at their zero contract work, the more enslaved and less peaceful society has become. Are slaves allowed to take their time? Are slaves paid a living wage? Are slaves allowed a proper education (look at the state of education today!)? Do slaves have free speech? Who is likely to be falsely accused, then be denied a fair trial, the free or the enslaved?

[@boleynali]

smashed by teds..love it..yesterday,s chav,s...theres always been pillocks, sadly.

[@scopex2749]

A truly wonderful man, I am pleased he did not live to see the horrific gridlock on the roads, pollution and lorries everywhere and the S&D RIPPED UP and grotty housing estates built all over the track beds!😢 if they put the money that they are wasting on HS2 into reopening this line, it would bring back prosperity and wealth to the area that lost it all when they took away their railway😡

[@Downsman517]

Sorry that I can only give you one up-tick!

[@andrewlong6438]

Where is your evidence that reopening the line would move traffic from cars and lorries back onto the railways ? These railways were built in the Victorian era where the only way of getting freight and passengers moved about over medium to long distances was by rail. This is why private railway companies built these lines and ran infrequent services on them. No point in blaming Marples - people love their cars even today and in the 50s/60s it gave them the freedom to go where and when they wanted. Even reopening lines today costs a fortune. Buses and trams are a cheaper solution but trying to get people to take a bus is really difficult because of bus snobbery.

[@adrianrosenlund-hudson8789]

Evocative and very sad. Needs background music, though. Vaughan Williams "English Folk Song Suite", perhaps? I'm glad Sir John would never know just how much more traffic would infest Britain's roads

[@lennylaa1686]

Just googled Highbridge Station War Memorial...and it seems it was relocated in 1965 - about a quarter mile away at Southwell Gardens in Highbridge. 67 died in WW1 and 19 died in WW2. It first saw light of day in 1922 at the loco shed works further down the track. However, the loco sheds closed in 1929, so I would assume that it was then transferred to the end section of the main station building. "

[@simonf8902]

The vanished beauty of Great Britain. All gone.

[@murringo9]

Evocative detail of Pylle...brilliant.

[@Yanmotion]

That's a great vid! Thanks for uploading this!!! I luve how the steam engines whistle and operate in the railways! I've been to the West Somerset Railway before! and It's a great place!

[@20PhantoM07]

Fascinating

[@jconnor55]

I lived in Highbridge when this was filmed.

[@tacticalbattledroid]

ace share but sad knowing that most of it has gone :-(

[@barleyarrish]

we never no what we have till it's gone

[@waldenhouse]

Absolutely love the "Airfix" packages, all neatly tied and well looked after by a Uniformed man, complete with cap! Priceless times sadly now all undone by modern era management with no concept of morality or conscience.....Ah well.

[@MrBazzabee]

Further 2 my previous comments.If U knew anything of Sir John..He was a man possessed of an engaging sense of HUMOUR which if I may be so bold..I feel that some ppl posting comments here on these SJB Branch Line pages seem 2 have left @ home !! As 4 Sir John long may the Continual Dew of his memory form in my heart as I enjoy these Few Late Chrysanthemums of footage !! Just as an aside I do possess all of Sir John's printed works apart from Mount Zion which as U will know is out of print !

[@scrimperuk]

Governments are elected by the people to serve the people, yet they do everything but, if the people were asked should railways be closed and the tracks ripped up most people I am sure would say NO.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

scrimperuk but if you ask them to pay more taxes to cover the costs most of those same people who want to retain those railways will run a mile.

[@SteveInskip]

Neil Dahlgaard-Sigsworth you already pay it. £3.8 billion from the government in 2015/2016. And you either invest in the railways or build new roads. You still pay the tax!

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Steve Inskip but the costs to maintain such lines compared to their revenues from freight and passenger were such that lines like this were a drain on the public purse. The public always elects the party that says it will tax them the least and spend the most. When a party says it will raise tax by a penny and outlines were such revenue would be spent they are riddicled by the Tories and don't win many seats; even if they say they will spend the money on things the public want like the NHS or to improve the schools.

[@SteveInskip]

Neil Dahlgaard-Sigsworth you’re right. But what they didn’t take into account the massive growth in both personal and more importantly freight transport. Today you’ve got the situation where the roads are full. There’s very little room for increase in freight transport if you want to keep moving. And it’s the same on the railways, the network is about at capacity, hence HS2 which is more about freeing up rail capacity for freight than it is about getting to Birmingham 13 minutes faster but that’s another cock-up. So for expansion, the closed rail routes are basically all you’ve got ( where do you put more roads?) which is why they are reopening existing stations/lines or new routes are being built at a rapid rate. Varsity Line, Cross Rail, HS2. Stations are also being re-opened for commuter transport, several round our way have been opened in the last 20 years as people can actually get into town rather than sitting in ever increasing traffic jams.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Steve Inskip could you give me the six numbers that will come up tonight or on Saturday? It's quite easy you've only got togive me 6 numbers between 1 and 59? Oh, you can't, so how do you expect anyone to make predictions 40+years in advance?

[@conncork]

5 star Seeing the goods guard brings back happy memories not the S.D but of working as a guard at Temple Mills on the LNER.

[@simonf8902]

Poignant.

[@MrBazzabee]

Great !!

[@fiveshorts]

Alas, so right.

[@jazzman1626]

Evil doesn’t like nice things, or nice people, or peace. I recently came across an article that said property developers were to be given license to shoot robins, blackbirds, starlings and bullfinches. Starlings are the only ones in that group that flock in large numbers, but robins? What possible harm can robins do? I’t wouldn’t surprise me if things that bring joy to people’s lives in the next few years are destroyed or vilified or banned for whatever excuse evil politically correct people come up with in this “good is bad and bad is good”, anti-Christ country.

[@porno6361]

this is britain was and should be,christ,we,ve fucked this place up,keep the railways,you know it makes sence

[@Mike8981]

Yes, when people were polite and didn't use foul language everywhere.

[@Khayyam-vg9fw]

@@Mike8981 Except when, as here, it's justified!

[@railwaystationmaster]

Anyone know if this magnificent fIlm is available on DVD ?

[@silver760]

It makes my blood boil how we in this country have shit all over everthing that was once precious,valued and respected.Companies people were PROUD to work for not depressed to work for.Workers who were valued,not treated as an ever replaceable commodity.All of this left to rot,then smashed up and billions of faceless shoebox micro house in luminous orange brick plastered all over the land each one with three cars a sat dish and a family of professional benefit claimants.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

silver760 would you be willing to pay more tax to support such uneconomic rail or bus routes? I somehow doubt it.

[@lennylaa1686]

@ 1-36...where did they relocate (presumably) the war memorial seen here?

[@Johnfwake]

'Smashed by Teds from Highbridge' that wonderful GWR carriage. I would give my eye teeth to own that now. Teddy Boys wouldn't smash carriages would they? To smart for that!

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear Roseaeae ..It is 2 me, deeply regrettable that U and possibly others find my (I thought) humourous comments so offensive !! Which was NOT my intention!! If I had one intention it was 2 poke fun @ the modern obsession with health/safety and P/Cness..I personally thought this may be obvious ! I am amazed that certain ppl can't see that using Sir John (as U may notice I ALWAYS refer 2 him) as a reference point is proof of the esteem and regard in which I held him as versifier and TOP BLOKE

[@lennylaa1686]

@ 8-54....what does that odd looking steering wheel do located in the middle of the guard's brake van floor?

[@1258-Eckhart]

It applies the brake shoes to the wheels of the brake van. Freight trains used to be "unfitted", which means that the individual wagons had no brakes. So unless there was a brake van, they could run off on their own on an incline - the source of one or two tales in the Thomas the Tank Engine series.

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear Roseaeae Hate 2 labour this point but Sir John most certainly was NOT elderly in these vids otherwise ...I am elderly !! No,No !! Now then ...In the 2nd Series of "Time" with Betjeman on the BBC he most certainly was elderly!!!

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear silver760 ....I couldn't agree more whole heartedly....BTW do you mean the sort of people that don't know the difference between the words HAVE and OF-- e.g.....I of been here before......I would HAVE been been beaten round the head by former Drama/English teacher for speaking so slovenly ....and quite rightly so !!!

[@jonathanpoole1464]

what happend to the war memorial

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear Roseaeae -You are indeed correct Sir John was immensely popular and his popularity spread through his fame as TV personality (Conservationist,National Treasure etc.))and I am indeed NOT a tv personality :ergo -He will be far more popular than me!!!....So by your yardstick Simon Cowell is an immensely popular tv personality .....and will obviously be more popular than yourself If i'm getting this right !!!!

[@itkapatanka]

#bringbackbritishrail

[@Lytton333]

I agree with your sentiments.. but 'Porno'..?

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear Roseaeae .....His name is Sir John Betjeman .......NOT Betleman as you posted over a week ago !!

[@simonf8902]

Everyone today is a teddy boy destroying our history.

[@MrBazzabee]

Dear Brucesterman--Ther's worse than that even!. Check out Sir John hmself -carelessly embarking on that disused branch line GW car (like a potential vandal himself) without helmet and special dispension from the local authority,and as if that wasn't bad enough- he just sallies around those loco works just waiting for an accident to happen or glass fall on him!. That said- the branch railway themselves should have been sued for not policing it and fencing it off with razor wire.

[@porno6361]

sorry if it offended you,but at the end of the day I've got 10 thumbs up,so obviously hit a note with 10 people