British Rail-Bedford Variety 1991

A BR upload to carry you over until mid August when i return from working at the GBBF. Bedford was a great place to spend an afternoon back in 1991, plenty of freight variety, parcel trains, HST's, DMU's and 319's on the Thameslink services. On this vid we see part of that afternoon (more to follow in future uploads) with 56, 319, HST & DMUs. One of the Grids is in BR blue while the HST's are pure Valenta thrash! If you liked the video please subscribe to my channel, there are lots more transport & quirky vids to upload!

[@robsterbob580]

Great video!! I live in Bedford, this is my home station! In 1991 I was driving around in a 1978 Austin FX4 ex-London Taxi as my normal car! HSTs still go through Bedford but not Valenta powered anymore sadly.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

And not so much freight as well sadly!

[@EM-yk1dw]

Nice one again Son, the lovely tidy infrastructure of yesterday. Nice HST footage too, soon to be replaced with more nasty rancid rubbish I expect.

[@matthewweller1806]

Like the class 108/101 hybrid DMU at 10:48!

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

This was a backwater railway (although not for much longer!) and got all sorts of cast offs to work it!

[@user-pv9kg9ou1l]

Nice I go through there everyday commuting to London,

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Thanks. I do have more from here....and a Wellingborough upload from 1991 to come......

[@jefflloyd7308]

Smashing video good content off yesteryear well done

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

There will be more from around this area, keep watching......

[@Starman2319]

Fantastic vid, Soi. My home station too. Great time capsule to see it without Platform 4. Keep 'em coming 👍

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Have no fear, there is more to come....

[@magicdave93]

Some great 56 action especially 56004 and good quality video as well. Thanks for posting buddy. 👍🙂

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

You're welcome. There is plenty more quality vids to upload, i'm nowhere near running out of material!

[@19AJB]

Another good dose of nostalgia. 56004 must have had an accident at some stage, because the horn grille and side window surrounds are not those of the Romanian build, but perhaps I'm being too obsessive about detail! Anyone know why the china clay was routed via the Midland? - I thought that it always went via the West Coast. Great to hear the Valentas in the HSTs - at the time I never imagined that I'd be nostalgic for the sound!

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

The China Clay as you call them was a stone working from Croft to Bow. It ran Up to Cricklewood at night, was ran to Bow & unloaded during the following morning and ran back empty that afternoon. And then repeated it all the next day!

[@roberthill6216]

19AJB I was wondering that myself about 56004. It didn't look right for a Romanian machine.

[@MrGriser]

Correct me if i'm wrong 150/1's did not replace the First Gen DMU's until May 2001.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Eventually yes. The first gen DMU's were still in use until the late 90s (bubble cars at one point until someone in the privitised industry decided they were unsafe working alone) when the 150's were drafted in. Along with a short period of top & tail class 31 loco hauled workings! (which will feature in a future upload!)

[@MrGriser]

Yes that was in October 1998 they used 31's and Mark 1's

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

@@MrGriser Thanks Mr G. I couldn't remember exactly when without checking my moves book (i rode around on them, loco hauled is loco hauled even on a sedate branch line!)

[@beyergarret123]

Good to see some relatively local stuff to me, I worked on the St Albans length in the late 70s, does anyone have any footage of St Albans area around the late 70s early 80s?

[@EssexGayBoi]

Another cracking video. What were the green low wagons behind the 56 at about 3 mins in ?

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

It was a short term contract of low grade contaminated waste from Chatham Dockyard to Forders Sidings (Stewartby). About 3 trains a day ran, Forders must have been a very busy place then with these 3 plus the 2 binliners & a West Coast ballast train!

[@EssexGayBoi]

Ahh right cool, thanks for the info

[@KThompson1990]

The front 2 MK3 coaches at 4:17 are from the original Prototype HST, they have different window frames to all the others

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Well spotted. They may be the same coaches as on one of my other vids here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zpi0inRpmqycgs0

[@k333vrr4]

Can anybody tell me what lines are they putting back on BR diesels?