Class 37 Driver's Eye Night View: Crewe to Wolverhampton

Welcome aboard this Class 37 hauled Ultrasonic Test Train on the 29th March 2024's 3Q17 Derby-Derby circuit. You're joining us on board 37175 from Crewe to Wolverhampton. Enjoy the sound of this classic English Electric powerhouse as we power up the gradient out of Crewe up to Madeley!
I've managed to make my new camera with better low light performance stable enough to make this video, what you can see in this video is representative of what I can see in real life so it's rather good I think. Let me know your thoughts.
Top speed of this formation is 65mph when transiting and 30mph when recording

[@cyrildhy8993]

The first night time cab view that I have been able to see where we are going. You have set new standards.

[@ThePiGuy24]

That's quite some turbo whstle!

[@steviez110]

More like a wet botty burp than a whistle !

[@alanmolyneux5957]

Fascinating to see what the driver sees at night. Really good video.

[@hbscouse]

Had the privilege of sitting in the cab of D213 Andania which was the last loco that my Grandfather drove on his retirement day from LMS back in the mid 60's, LS of Crewe were kind enough to arrange this for me as Andania formed their whistling highlander rail tour...I imagine inside a Class 40 cab would have sounded something like this Ben so thanks for posting.

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

What a great story 👍

[@steviez110]

A great video I don't think a lot of people appreciate what it's like driving a train in the dark and the concentration required and the route knowledge involvement as well knowing where you are in the dark is very different to the daylight.

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Then throw in some zero visibility fog....just for good measure....

[@indy-biker-stevie]

I once had a young cocky TE open the cab door & walk into the front cab of a 334, whilst I was doing about 80 going through a thick fog bank at night on the wcml, he wasn't so cocky afterwards.

[@TomDearie]

What occurred to me was how alone I felt watching it; a completely different experience to daytime videos. Fantastic - thanks

[@famousgrouse1966]

The railway is a different world at night. Superb video and even better sound.

[@davidgriffiths9156]

The light polution from distant built up areas is shocking. I thought it was dawn breaking on the horizon at first.

[@martinmarsola6477]

Another great drivers view of a train ride. Always interesting and informative to watch. Thank you! 🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸

[@davidshaw5979]

I am amazed at this, great video, also impressed how intense the signal lights are don't realise the brightness during day time filming. great job.

[@RailroudHobby]

Awsome U.K Has Best trains Of The Whole World Cheers From Netherlands 😀

[@HSTPaul]

Another great video. Just shows how much more difficult it can be driving at night.

[@mott2945]

This is absolutely marvellous ❤😊

[@cutter004]

That's the best night cab ride ive ever seen. I can say that normally I wounder why they botherd its almost pitch black.

[@tomward3656]

Great video Ben. That must demand full concentration driving at a constant 30mph plus driving in the dark. Thanks ben

[@spodface12]

heya ben, just found your videos due to the bus! thanks for the drivers eye view. i applied for the trainee driver role with colas for the test trains a couple of weeks ago. trying for a career change from engineering! all the best !

[@AndyGabrielPowell]

Stunning. That 37 certainly has good headlights, and the video quality is perfect. But oh, the nostalgia!

[@jamesproctor2934]

Very interesting! many thanks 👍

[@Deepak-wr9pt]

Excellent video of a night-time ride. So often exposure set for bright lights and everything else fades into gloom. Here exposure set for the dark and I don't mind the brightness of the lights when they're there. And we have a classic diesel soundtrack too! Thank you.

[@Mortimer50145]

And good that you locked the exposure so it doesn't vary every time the camera sees bright lights. Auto-everything has its place, but you need to be able to override it if the exposure would keep changing, or if the camera tried to focus on raindrops on the window. And the image is certainly steady - good image-stablisation and no obvious judder. It's a very disorientating feeling only to be able to see a 50 metres or so ahead, and only to be able to see your own track - no long-distance views of upcoming curves and bridges, so no obvious clues that I can follow on the map. I take my hat off to train drivers who know exactly where they are and can remember all the hazards and waypoints that are coming up *in the correct sequence and spacing*. Even for a route that I drive frequently in a car, I doubt whether I have a tenth of that level of that "where am I now" knowledge.

[@jondavies9347]

Fantastic night stream,gives us a true nighttime view.

[@Nathan-qf3yp]

great vid as usual, but got to love the train horn with laryngitis

[@duainesimpson274]

Truly amazing! It’s just mesmerising to see from a cabs point of view the night broken by the pure light ahead. Genius 😃

[@Adullamite]

Excellent video. The world is a different place at night. I miss night shift sometimes. This makes me appreciate the skill required for night drivers. I hope the green light is less distracting in real life as on here. Your camera held up well mind, really enjoyed this.

[@London1064]

Excellent video. Thank you for posting

[@Dibzppppp]

Excellent. Thank you

[@YsanneOshea]

Its really something if you watch the whole thing in a dark room on a big TV with a goodly speed of internet! Thoroughly enjoyed that. Thank you for posting this and all of your other marvellous and informative content! 👍🕊

[@iangallaugher3468]

Best ever night-time drive I've seen on You Tube. But oh what a noise from that turbo!

[@howardwilkinson2573]

Thanks Ben top job as usual

[@bobp6742]

Started my railway career in 75 at crewe south junction box when I was 16 then transferred to saltley DD at 18 to do my traction training then back to crewe as a driver till I left the railways completely in 85. Had a good 2 years in south jct box, shame to see it an empty shell now. Drove many 37s at saltley, bloody cold drafty things, always carried a roll of masking tape to seal up the cracks try and keep some heat in the cab.

[@cowaylon1681]

You know it's an old loco when the AWS rings a bell every green signal

[@madeupname2006]

Have to admit I'm still amazed that it's 2024 and still we can see Class 37s in mainline operation.

[@damianc.0.681]

British railways locos for ya. Really reliable vehicles from what I have heard

[@Jah47475]

37s are from the better end of the BR loco spectrum

[@martinbird238]

Ben, congratulations on another superb video by far the best I have seen, looking forward to seeing more of the same, again congratulations

[@petermcgregor3274]

That loco makes a great sound

[@jonathanparry9505]

Interesting thanks for sharing

[@orsoncarte8536]

Headlight on class37s', led signals, much has changed since last i drove 37s' on the Great Easternback in in the late 70"s. Great video.

[@rninrvr]

Gld you decided to record and post this night run in the class 37, it was great. Hope this motivates you to do more night run.

[@deltic1964]

Another Cracking Video Ben Different at Night for Sure

[@tomcurd4474]

Great night time video, Ben!

[@calebmumby5803]

oh man what an incredible machine class 37s are why has 37175 got a funny horn fantastic video

[@Midge-xn9tp]

Nice, I'm about to join the IM team from passenger work,really looking forward to it

[@AntonyShannon]

Incredible video Ben...well done. It shows how scary it must seem to hev those very bright lights coming towards you and you have to hope everyone is doing the right thing .

[@oldfart6318]

An interesting video which illustrates the amount of light pollution,although exaggerated by the camera, that drivers have to contend with.

[@jondavies9347]

Looks amazing on a big screen TV after dark.

[@garryrimmer4897]

Enjoyed watching that. Slightly Hypnotic especially over Madeley Bank to Stone where there is nothing to see from the sides. Railway signals are impressive from such a long distance

[@Guard_Amos]

That high intensity headlight has a good field of cover. Not sure about the horn though haha

[@firstfreeone]

What a fantastic journey. Reminded me of my Drivers Assistant duties on board a little branch line EE Diesel here in Australia. The Whistling Turbo and grunting EE Diesel Motor. I love the Fire Alarm style bell for the vigilance alarm. We have buzzers on ours. I was surprised yo do not turn your headlights off when an approaching train appears and passes. It is interesting to see the differences. Your best vid yet, Ben.

[@mrbluesky2050]

good night ride there Ben, new camera seems fine,, helped by a good set of lights though

[@markwarren9651]

Did a door shut about 5 mins in, as the turbo whistle/engine noise reduced from frantic to just loud! It sounds fantastic 👌

[@Rollin-Rant]

Those led signals are a bit dazzling at night and very visible from a good distance, nice to see Wolverhampton in the dark, it should be kept like it 😂 (and I live there). Great video, thanks 👍

[@keystonedriving8180]

The LED signals are certainly bright, hard to miss them. Nice to hear a proper GWR style 'clear' bell, the equivalent 'restricting' siren would blow your eardrums out in a diesel cab. Thanks for a different take on a cab video, very enjoyable. Thanks.

[@keithphillips7320]

Fascinating stuff. The light pollution as you approach Stafford and, in particular, Wolverhampton is very noticeable.

[@train4905]

Awsome😊

[@downonthestour]

I spy myself recording you through Wolverhampton. Great video 😁

[@davidwinkle4168]

Nice one Ben. Just like a 737 though not quite so fast!

[@tomstech4390]

"Ultrasonic Testing Machine" is also my 90's alt-rock band name.

[@12crepello]

Blimey! Was the microphone situated right next to a turbo? What a scream! Thanks for the video.

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

Wonderful.... The sound is intoxicating... Its hard to believe that people get paid to drive freight locos.... I'd pay them for the pleasure to drive 😂..... Its wonderful that these vintage locomotives are still doing sterling work on our rail networks 👍

[@heckelphon]

Many thanks for the video. Nice very clear night for that run. Was it part of a longer duty back to Derby?

[@martinjh999]

It's not as loud as I thought in the cockpit... Certainly not as loud as you hear when its passing! Not bad at all for a 65 year old engine!

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Very atmospheric, I bet you see a bit of wildlife running for cover. Do you drive the 1QXX Blackpool North - Derby monthly 14.30 return run? A fair old run that is. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@user-se2pq4xq6s]

Mighty muscle motors.

[@andrewwilkinson3022]

Wow didn't realise how Little you see at night when driving

[@Daishi0861]

man, that turbo whine is incredible, can hear that in my dreams xD the green light appears extremely white-blue, is that part of the night adjustments? it almost looks like a color-deficiency presentation

[@russouk]

know these are biiiiig creatures but seems very high camera...is it on roof ?...not far off the wires lol...gather from sounds its in cab...love the 37 jet on rails sounds

[@dazzlerbob1870]

Did that leave platform 4 at Crewe? My platform I used to get the train home in the 80's.

[@margaretnadin8030]

Hi Ben, this is an outstanding night-time video on a route that I am very familiar with. How many Class Types are you qualified to drive? I didn't realise how noisy the 37 cab interior can be. JimN.

[@beneliastrains]

Thank you! I currently sign 37, DBSO, Class 43 and Class 66

[@peterwhitaker4038]

i've been trying to estimate the time this was taken. taking into account no one on platforms (exept downinthestour at wolverhampton, he explains later in notes) and the fact some few houses have lights on but not many and a faint bit of light in the horizon sky to the south, being late march i reckon arrival at Wolverhampton about shall we say 5.50 am

[@jeremyhaile1773]

Did all 37s scream/whistle like this one? I'm surprised the driver didn't get a headache!

[@TerryTheNewsGirl]

Lovely video, but if you don't mind me saying so. I think the horn (assuming that fart at 5:57/5:58 was the horn) needs fixing.

[@heckelphon]

I thought it sounded like a first attempt to warm up at band practice. New mouthpiece needed, or split lips are a problem!

[@laurencecope7083]

The horn sounds like it has a cold.

[@GordonShuffell]

What time of night was it filmed on there seems to be very little other traffic

[@beneliastrains]

About midnight

[@kingy002]

Those reflective signs would be fuckin' hard on the eyes. You certainly wouldn't want to be operating with a headache.

[@johnemsden735]

are the LED signals that bright or is it the camera making them brighter, also where did you go to after Wolves routed towards New Street

[@roboftherock]

Nobody else asked, so I will. Did this night's journey expose any defects or early signs of defects? A pleasant enough journey, but by the time Bushbury was reached I was nodding off. It's the constant drone that does it, y'know.

[@firestarteronyoutube5542]

for those of us who are a bit clueless (me!) what does an Ultrasonic train do?

[@AthanImmortal]

5:55 lol, was that someone blowing their nose, or a really old horn? It even sounded like the right octave.

[@beneliastrains]

That's the horn 🤣

[@firstfreeone]

Sorry cross out vigilance alarm and substitute clear ahead signal notification alarm.

[@jonhigginson4096]

Every light that isn’t a signal is a distraction. I would love to drive trains but alas I don’t think I’m capable of doing what you do Ben.

[@paulrerrie75]

You can probably get lens filters that reduce the glare.

[@beneliastrains]

A big part of that is caused by the windscreen being dirty. But unfortunately it's almost impossible to clean it because of where it is and under overhead wires it's completely and absolutely not allowed (and dangerous)

[@PROFESSOR_FRANQUETA-SE]

❤❤👏👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 Brasil

[@jackjones-er1ts]

the noise from the engine especially the turbo whistle is really bad. you would think that the bulkhead between the cab and engine room could be better soundproofed with modern methods

[@IndaloMan]

How is the bus refurbishment going?? 🤔

[@markgr1nyer]

Headlights are good compared to a lot of trains

[@1190SW]

Some whine from that! Eastfield loco once upon a time💪, must feel a slog though at 30 max... is this so Ultrasonic can work does it take a deeper level reading of track? They only seem to run overnight. I know of one "3Q" that goes Carlisle to Glasgow at 30.

[@beneliastrains]

It's certainly got a lively turbo... I've done the 3Q which goes from Glasgow to Carlisle. It's certainly a bit of a drag 😅

[@formidable38]

The electronics can only cope with 30 mph max when recording / exray of the rail. A good friend and colleague of mine is an ultrasonic team leader with NR, he has to go out and verify every defect this train finds, drives him insane as it finds a few false positives! Just goes to show, its rare for technology to completely oust a human being on the ground!!

[@cjshardcorepunkmusicvault8474]

What exactly is an ultrasonic test train? Cheers.

[@smudgycat6750]

What platform of Crewe did you depart from?

[@beneliastrains]

4. I think it does say in the video.

[@smudgycat6750]

@@beneliastrains yea it did, shows how much attention I pay

[@reji1495]

No-one mention the horn early in the vid? 🤣

[@andrewmcilwraith1997]

Of course in the olden days drivers didn't have a headlight. You drove into the dark with only the signals to tell you where you were. Would take a bit of courage, like pilots flying in dense cloud (but at they have radar). If a cow was standing in front of you, you hit it! I suppose you still would. I like railway videos at night and this Manchester one is really good - (sorry can't seem to make it a hyperlink): kzbin.info/www/bejne/maG0hmZqn5VggdE&pp=ygUbbWFuY2hlc3RlciBhdCBuaWdodCBieSByYWls. Thanks! Great video!

[@airbornerat]

awesome

[@damianc.0.681]

5:56 what on earth is that horn??? Broken much

[@hamshackleton]

Not the most enthralling video's, but it certainly highlights the amount of light pollution generated by our cities!

[@thedreamtommylees]

Thats weird, I'm sure the UTU is planned to run at 75mph when transiting...

[@beneliastrains]

75mph maximum speed of train, running 10mph below because of isolated brakes on the UTU coach

[@thedreamtommylees]

@beneliastrains that would make sense. I honestly thought when you mentioned 60mph we were planning it at the wrong speed throughout

[@user-mb4ip4fe4z]

are these lights on the train being generated from a candle, its pathetic.

[@beneliastrains]

They're actually very bright these ones!

[@johnbell3621]

Looks bright enough to me. Are you from the US?

[@user-mb4ip4fe4z]

@@johnbell3621 No the UK, they just look dim. I mean obvisouly brighter lights throw out a better beam and driivng at night is better with brighter lights.

[@DaveTheTrain]

​@@user-mb4ip4fe4zmost UK trains have worse headlights than seen here. I drive 720s and you can't see anything in front of you

[@user-mb4ip4fe4z]

@@DaveTheTrain that sounds about right, everything in the UK, doesn’t work unless there’s huge profits to be made.