British Rail-Witham & Chelmsford 1991

[@ccjelley2390]

Nice to see the up loop at Chelmsford for electric trains which used to start there. Excellent filming. Thanks for showing.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

My Plaesure.....it was just a quick afternoon out to catch the test train running. It should have been a 47/9 at both ends but they must have been short and used whatever was at hand on Stratford TMD....

[@clivemortimore8203]

Thank you, I use to live in both Witham and Chlemsford, happy memories.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

I have more Anglia vids to upload, keep an eye out

[@stephenpowell5912]

Classic Miss the days of BR

[@alanashley1]

So many fond memories for me my late Father was a power supplies supervisor on the railway he was so passsionate about his work

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

A fair few railway staff are....it becomes a way of life rather than a job......

[@railwayadventureswithleigh6040]

The railfreight 31 and class 47 'Robin Hood' you saw them 2 locos at Witham that were going to go up the Braintree branch and them you resee them again at Chelmsford

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

They were working a BR track recording special train. I had information on them running so popped out with the camera to film them.....

[@1chiefg]

Funny seeing trains where people had to open the doors themselves and doing it before the train had even stopped. People were really willing to risk serious injury to save 5 seconds.

[@monoelmono9476]

Great vid man. That's some good quality footage as well. Miss the sound of the trains. I've not been back to the station in twenty years

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Almost all units these days apart from the Freightliners. Even the Norwich's are going over to units!

[@simonbarrett7286]

nice video merry Christmas

[@katybarber7008]

I wasn't even alive in 1991 and I've lived in witham. And been to Chelmsford and this is so weird😂♥️

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

I have more vids from the GE lines and will upload more over time....

[@cidertom5140]

Fantastic clag

[@edwardbarnes2702]

Hi Soi, That was a good catch with 31/47 combo engineering train, must be very bit of footage! Ed🤓

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

It should have been 2 x 47/9's but one obviously had troubles so Stratford sent it out with one of their 31s-a result for me! And seeing a loco hauled train on the Braintree branch, a good day out.

[@simonbarrett7286]

nice video nice video nice video merry Christmas merry Christmas merry Christmas

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

lol! Thank you....and for the early xmas greeting!

[@ccjelley2390]

What was that carriage doing in the down loop @6:15?

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

That used to be the Royal Mail terminal and it is probably a shunt move being performed. It closed later on in the 90s although was last used as an aggregates terminal (i think it still is).....

[@ccjelley2390]

@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus I remember the mail trains being old slam door EMU stock painted red which only went in and out via the incline and crossover. A loco hauled parcels/mail train used to go North towards Peterborough in the afternoon, perhaps that was what was looped there. But I only remember the 1980s.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

@@ccjelley2390 Yes, the 'Red Devils' class 302 EPU's used to go in but once a day i'm sure a loco and a coach or two also went down the incline to the depot. It was propelled out and continued Down Road towards Norwich.....

[@Cactus732]

When were the 309s withdrawn? My grandad used to take me to Ingatestone in the mid 90s to watch the trains and I remember the 312s, 321s and 86s vividly

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

The last ran in January 1994 on the Great Eastern but a few were transfered to the Manchester area and ran a few more years.

[@Cactus732]

@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus ah, so I probably saw them but was a little too young to remember.

[@railwayadventureswithleigh6040]

The 309's very last year was around 2000 to be precise

[@edwardbarnes2702]

Should read of very rare combination.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Yes, i guessed that! lol, like me, the keys move about on the key board as you're typing....lol

[@EM-yk1dw]

No buddleia then. Proper railway run as a service not as a business then too.

[@ianjones4116]

Nice video mate. Didnt realise they did some 47/9 Were they a test bed for 57s ??

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

No, they were 47/4s but were geared to run at 100mph, a bit like the Scotrail 47/7s were....

[@ianjones4116]

@@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus thanks Soi, nice to see some are still running in service today. I much preferred the dirty grimy tea stained livery of the 80s 90s lol Thanks for the reply. Ian.

[@vicsams4431]

47 901 was indeed a testbed loco for the Ruston engine of a Class 58. I seem to recall it was formerly 47 601 with a engine for a Class 56. The Class 47/97x series were simply departmental locos renumbered. I was not aware they were re-geared to 100mph like the ScotRail / later NSE Class 47/7s (47 701 to 47 717, not the Res locos !) but that could lost in my memory banks. The little grey cells ain't as young as they used to be.

[@EssexLocomotiveEnthusiast]

Some very interesting history here :), did you film any class 302 EMU's on the LTS? There's one that we use at Mangapps still with it's Nse interior and maps, Regards.

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Yes, i have a lot of EMU shots on LTS, 302, 308, 310, 312 & 317. Not to mention quite a bit on the GE including 307s and their last day of service! I will get some up when i'm back from my hols

[@markfreeman6528]

I love all the different rolling stock but there is an element of rose tinted glasses to all these videos. Having been a commuter for many years on the LTS line the trains were filthy unreliable and often cancelled. Things have got better but agreed a lot more boring

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

Yes, the LTS appeared to be BR's version of the Northern Line. By the mid 80s it started to go downhill as the 302s were due a mid life re-build which most never revieved. It was a hard worked commuter railway, and by the early 90s the late 50s/early 60s signalling had reached the end of its life. I'm sure NSE tried to get funding to do a Chiltern whole line modernisation but privitisation appeared on the horizon and BR had to dismantle itself rather than run, let alone improve the railway.

[@edwardbarnes2702]

Seen your reply’s don’t know how to reply without public openness? ?

[@SoiBuakhaoRoutemasterbus]

If you go to my 'About' page, at the bottom there is a way to view my email address.....