Cromer to Sheringham and Holt - Hastings DEMU cab ride - 23 July 2016

[@joebarrett4353]

Obviously a much publicised ride judging by the thousands of photographers on the route! Popular train. Lovely vid.

[@davidnm21]

I love the sound of an English Electric DEMU. As a retired railway signalman of 23 years I used to ride these units down on the Southern Region especially out of Hastings and Eastbourne. They used to call them "Tadpole" units due to the different widths of the carriages. The Hastings units were built that way due to the narrow clearance in the tunnels on the 1066 Hastings route. It has been three years since I last went on The North Norfolk Railway. With all this covid business I hope to get up there very soon. Ooh that engine sound is heaven!

[@andynixon2820]

I moved to Norfolk a few years back and on my first trip to the northern part of the county I was astounded by how beautiful it was .

[@nigelturner2356]

Seeing this has made me realise how badly I've missed my summer trips top Cromer & Sheringham. It almost hurts!

[@peter9180]

I travelled this line from Norwich to Holt in 1961 in the good old days.

[@stephenrice4554]

Fine video and information . Nicely done 👍🇬🇧

[@ramanaraoa5409]

A train journey in 1960s was a happy event. People used to gather and wait to look at the passing train. Even, in High school exams a question used to be about describing a train journey. Thanks for vedeo. -- Ar rao, India.

[@Purlee100]

Oh the sweet nostalgia! I used to ride between West Runton and Sheringham every school day more than 60 years ago, this was my first ''virtual'' trip down the line since 1957. Amazingly, I could recall it so well. Just great!

[@hastingsdiesels]

Heehee, glad we could bring this to you!

[@7brr1940]

A super film - I really felt as though I was in the cab. The onscreen info was really helpful and added much interest to the journey. Very well done.

[@theo-v7t]

Brilliant! A remote part of England but clearly popular with visitors!! ❤❤

[@RetroGangstarr]

I love walking round Sheringham park by the sea with my border collie watching the trains go by bliss

[@matthewdavidcole]

I got to ride this train the day it did this trip... Only I joined / left at Norwich. Only wanted to traverse the crossing at Sheringham.

[@totalapathy3955]

From a bloody YANK, thank you very much for this great video. The captions were very informative. Great job!

[@AllensTrains]

A peaceful and dream like cab ride back into the past. You had a nice bright sunny day for it, making it a more enjoyable trip than that ride down to Dover!

[@christopherbraiden6713]

Thanks for the cab ride totally enjoyed it. Thumpers are one of my favourite diesels, love the sound of them. The North Norfolk railway is beautiful must visit!!😎🚃🚃🚃💯🇬🇧

[@etna9726b]

The public interest in your train is remarkable! Wish we had the same in the US.

[@dulls8475]

We are train mad in this country. Which is ironic since we destroyed much of our network.

[@scopex2749]

1:02 “we depart Cromer 7 minutes late”......... Keeping to BR standards then to keep it authentic 🤔😂😂 Great video

[@Oldfaithful61]

As if time has stood still. In the 1830's and 40's, when the train began its triumphant conquering of the UK, people must have gathered like the ones we see here 15:00 to gaze in awe at the sight of the rare monster.

[@michaelgamble296]

I used to park my caravan at Brecks Farm near Weybourne Station and walk the disused part from there to Holt. Lovely. Then the NNR managed to re-open the line to Holt. Then walk back and catch a train to Sheringham for lunch. Nice day, if the weather was fine, for a paddle on the stony beach at Sheringham. Lots of good pubs to eat in.

[@tutts999]

Lovely video, we often pop up to Sheringham and Holt for an afternoon drive. The NNR is a real jewel in North Norfolk.

[@danman4633]

My Father worked on the former M&GN line in the relay gang during the 1950s,the track was in excellent condition when they closed most of the M&GN system in 1959. Money had been invested not only on the track but also signalling, a new turntable and engine shed at Melton Constable,they were building a new engine shed at South Lynn when the line closed. The Melton to Sheringham section closed in 1964.

[@dulls8475]

I heard that one of the things they used to close lines was to renew everything. Even if it did not need renewing. This made the figures look bad and would get the line closed.

[@danman4633]

@@dulls8475 They fitted new signalling and automatic level crossing barriers on the Kings Lynn to Hunstanton line, closed the line one year later in 69.

[@dulls8475]

@@danman4633 Apparently on the Brockenhurst to Ringwood and beyond line (S&D) they relaid the track the year before to fudge the figures.

[@danman4633]

@@dulls8475 Sad times.

[@EdgyNumber1]

Fascinating stuff 👍 I do like the way the heritage line is connected to the active rail network.

[@hairyairey]

I'm fairly sure that almost all of them are (definitely Nene Valley Railway) - just this one is highly obvious.

[@PEJUANGIMPIAN9]

fantastic cabride, nature scenary along the way, very nice, thanks for sharing, greetings friend

[@davidsmith6661]

Imagine if this line ran past Holt and on to Hunstanton through Wells-Next-The-Sea and then connected with the main line at King's Lynn. During the tourist season, it would be packed. Already the 'bus service - the 'Coast-hopper' - is always jammed during the summer season. Also, it would get a lot of traffic off the coast road.

[@frankcurtis6179]

David Smith: I agree with you and have often had the same thought myself, Driving from Sheringham to Blakeny, Wells Next The Sea, Hunstanton and Kings Lynne during the summer on that often narrow crowded coast road is a nightmare.

[@tomrockliffe473]

Thanks really great, I'm sitting out the lockdown in Wiltshire, missing my railway trips to Bath and Westbury, so this is most appreciated. Cheers.

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you, glad you're finding this work beneficial! ^RG

[@PaulSmith-pl7fo]

Hi. What an enjoyable video. I applaud the captions asking people not to trespass on the North Norfolk Railway, but for those who may not know, line-side photographers (if they were wearing orange his-vis jackets) held permits and were obliged to sit through a safety procedure lecture.

[@G0IMB]

Good the NNR have a permit system backed by safety training.

[@caseybirdy1]

These are absolutely great movies of diesel trains by Hastings they do a great job with them. Many thanks from Canada.....

[@wentonmastermind]

And my own sincerest thanks from Toronto to Richard Griffin who made this video. What a beautiful day for all concerned. Bring out the poutine!

[@brucewilliams8714]

Marvellous. The line has great lengths of embankment: those navvies building the railway were worked hard.

[@maegscale]

Hello from Norway! 🇳🇴 Great footage. Very proffesional. Really enjoyed this .

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you!

[@OlafProt]

I grew up to the sound of ‘Tadpole’ units passing my house beside Dorking Deepdene station. I live in Belfast now so I never see lovely preserved trains like this! I think I went to the NNR in about 1984 or something.

[@flippop101]

Another superb film of Hastings Diesels as ambassador highlighting the possible cooperation between public and private. Very grateful!

[@PrinceJohn84]

Superb video and such a lovely part of the UK. Many happy memories made in Norfolk. 14:31 happened to us all at some point 😂

[@PaulSmith-pl7fo]

It did make I laugh!

[@billsmith3195]

Well done. From South Africa. What beautiful scenery. S/Africa has some spectacular rail runs but systematically our railway neteork is collapsing. Theft of everything including track is common. Railway management is pathetic with BIG corruption in all avenue. Please keep what you have and preserve it. I would love to visit but will never happen.

[@JamesSmith-zv9nw]

I missed this in real life and I was gutted so thanks for posting it.

[@stevethompson4064]

Awesome video, lived in Narfolk all my life and never been on the NNR to Holt. But now after watching this, all i can say is roll on summer 2019

[@fredharrowven1040]

Hi I have traveled this line and I was not to impressed but I take that all back, I just couldn’t remember what it was like 👍 and having seen it on KZbin i will be doing that trip again, I live in Norwich Norfolk I have done NYMR railway an this one is not so long but it is just as good 👍 10 out 10.🌈🌈🚞🚆.

[@formidable38]

Always like watching your video's, well edited and with informative captions, thank you!

[@thomasbottcher3524]

A nice ride on the train! Greetings from Germany Lübeck (Schleswig-Holstein)

[@SeanLamb-I-Am]

I really appreciated the informative captions throughout the video. They were at just the right amount. Thanks!

[@waldenhouse]

I always feel uneasy about running “wrong road” on a two track line. Thank goodness it branched off! 😂

[@caseyjonessnr1200]

I’ve travelled this line many times, but I’ve never seen the line from this vantage point. Excellent.

[@Hiddenuser-bv5mo]

A fantastic video. I never realised how amazing these DEMUs sounded from inside.

[@ridefast0]

Yes they sound great on the inside, but my favourite experience was standing on a foot bridge over the train (at Brundall or Reedham) as it pulled away from rest, the exhaust blast nearly had my hat off!

[@pamcaven344]

Very big crowd! Did you know trains only cross that level crossing 12 times a year maximum? It takes trains from the mainline to the heritage railway. 14:48

[@JetWash944]

A really fantastic video in such a lovely part of the world. North Norfolk really is a hidden gem!

[@ChrisRichmond]

There I am at the end of Cromer platform! :-D

[@nicnak4475]

Fascinating thank you , I remember train spotting no 1001 when I was a kid back in 67, I remember she ran over her own speedo drive on one of my frequent trips to Ashford causing a delay lol , and was lucky enough to a few years later know a driver Alan Sinden who showed me around the diesel sheds in St leonards , was amazed by the piston size on the four cylinder DEMU ,they were massive , no wonder she thumps ! :o)

[@mikeuk4130]

Great video with very helpful comments, thanks. This brings back memories of 1998 (?) when Anglia hired the lovely Hastings unit due to a DMU shortage. Lovely sounds from the EE 4SRKT power unit and its associated control gear.

[@steve_dangerous]

Never heard one of these Hastings DEMUs before. Having been born a stone's throw from the Vulcan Foundry, N-le-W, I certainly know what an English Electric diesel sound like. Instant nostalgia. Thanks for the upload - must see it after the lockdown.

[@robertgaudry2826]

Beautiful landscape. Simple nature.

[@clonking4436]

Excellent coverage. Lovely location.

[@nutsnproud6932]

Thanks for the video and commantary in the corner.

[@gb5uq]

Absolutely fantastic video. The information is superb. Many thanks.

[@robertcoleman4861]

Beautiful journey thank you richard regards bob.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

A very relaxing video, the North Norfolk Railway is a nice line.

[@philliplove]

Very good thanks, love these old lines. Best wishes

[@DrewofDrew]

Oh for the day this line opens again through Melton Constable to Fakenham and then to Dereham !! what a money spinner that would be !!

[@EEWW2006]

Norfolk Orbital Railway.

[@laurieharper1526]

Nice. I hope to see your DEMU and ride on it one day. I didn't know there was only one in preservation. I remember them from when I was young. They used to arrive/depart on platform 5 or 6 at Charing Cross. We went on holiday on one before we had a car - must have been the late 50s/early 60s. Used to love the noise they made.

[@neilfranklin5644]

Thanks I got yo visit here cromer and sheringham and once took the train to westbourne station, then the footpath back to sheringham along the cost, so never did the full journey to holt.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Great so many both at Sheringham BR Station and NNR . NNR is greatly supported by Sheringham residents as it spread the Holiday period with the Trains Bird Watching Seals ar Bkakeney and walk My parents retired thereon late 70 and had 20 plus happy years and I visited often and enjoyed this unspoilt part of UK..

[@EEWW2006]

Lovely trip. Thank you for that

[@chrisrobinson3792]

Love Norfolk x

[@captbob3144]

What an amazing way to see the English countryside. Thank-you for these videos. Could you explain the use of these token rings? Thanks

[@ellieswinfen9200]

The exact token operation is quite complex and you'd be better off looking it up on wiki or google using Token Block Signalling as the search. The simple explanation is that to prevents two trains from running into each other, a train driver is given a 'token' by the signalman to allow him to proceed to the next section. The token itself has to be removed from a token machine by the signalman to allow him to change the signals for the train driver to proceed. The really clever part is that it does not rely on anyone remembering if a section is clear because the token machine has an indicator on it and you cannot give out a new token until the previous one is in the next machine on the line - think of it as a relay race where you cannot run without the baton in your hand

[@RonCombo]

As usual, a seriously well-produced video. A real pleasure to watch. Thank you.

[@robertfreeman2608]

Thank you that brought back some very good memories thanks again.

[@gregkiteos1936]

Good video. I do like the North Norfolk Railway and it looks even better when seen from the driver’s perspective. Thanks for the informative captions too. Did you know the line ran from Cromer to Norwich City station (the other major terminus in the city, now long closed) via Sheringham and Melton Constable? Now it runs from Sheringham to Norwich Thorpe via Cromer.

[@mikeking856]

Nice Video, also the screen narration was gooed also. THANKS

[@johnmillard7555]

Very pleasant and restful to watch, but I would liked to have seen what we were travelling in.

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you. There are hundreds of photos of the Hastings DEMU at our website www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk

[@Calvertfilm]

Fascinating. I know this track very well.

[@johncourtneidge]

Beautiful, thank-you!

[@perrywilson2897]

I enjoyed that love that line been there so meny times

[@chrismccartney8668]

Fantastic Video showing the superb area of North Norfolk as can be seen by the crowds Sheringham people and holidaymakers are protective of both the NNR and Natiional Railways the line to Sheringham has been mooted fir closure many times but has been fiercly supported and it has paid both Railways add to Sheringhams appeal for holidays along with superb coast, walks seals at bkakeney etc. Happy memories for me as parents retired to sheringham in early 70s many happy memories They lived in Abbey Park and we used to cross railway to walk the cliffs with the dogs 😃

[@nickrobson9636]

Miles and chains, love it! None of this new-fangled metric nonsense!

[@suntexi]

Absolutely. 1 chain = length of a cricket pitch. 1 chain x 1 furlong = 1 acre. I can still remember these things but ask me to define a hectare... I just couldn't do it.

[@nickrobson9636]

@@suntexi And 10 chains = 1 furlong, 8 furlongs = 1 mile, 640 acres to the square mile: this was bashed into us as primary school children!

[@Cholseyroyal]

100 links = 1chain, Somerset CCC used to use one to mark out a cricket wicket back in the day.

[@gordonphillips7229]

Actually Nick it would have been much easier for me to assess the distance had he said 3 miles and 1 kilometre :)

[@PaulSmith-pl7fo]

@@suntexi 22 chains to the mile?

[@highwindsclarke2685]

This is a really good video Glad the weather was nice.

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you!

[@curtiscarter7860]

Oh my goodness, I know this area, and have always wondered what it would have been like to cross the two sections, now I get to see it up close, lol. It's a shame that the line all the way to Holt and beyond isn't apart of the national network anymore. Like my granddad said, Beeching was a criminal and to him, that name was a swear word, as he use to work on the tracks around that area years ago. I don't live their, but I do visit once every few years. People of Holt, rise up and demand reconnection to the national rail network, lol 🤣

[@Isochest]

Ernest Marples is the biggest profanity. He was a True Politician dedicated to personal self enrichment at the Nation's expense

[@12crepello]

Always intrigued by the way that thumper's engines run down as they are put under load. I used to think the driver had stalled it!!

[@hastingsdiesels]

It's a design feature arising from the electrical train heating. If the engines are running faster than idle because the heating is on, they have first to return to idle rate before the Line Contactors can close. In our case the Tunbridge Wells power unit feeds the Buffet Car equipment and so runs in this mode even when train heating is off.

[@LordHartfield]

Interesting to follow that trip along with an 1888 OS map from the Scottish National Library. Not too much has changed, even some of the original mile posts can be seen!

[@hastingsdiesels]

The same mapping is used in the preparation of these videos. :)

[@peter9180]

I seem to remember the level crossing at Sheringham being twin track in the early sixties,

[@frankcurtis6179]

The Line from Sheringham to Holt is actually a heritage line and the cost of operating it come from subscriptions and ticket revenue, Almost everyonel who works on it are volunteers.

[@EEWW2006]

The NNR is one of the finest examples of a preserved railway you will find anywhere in the country

[@mallyuk1]

nice some lovely views,but had to laugh at 14.31 when driver pipped his horn everybody jumped

[@paulineutting24]

Very enjoyable thank you !

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you Pauline!

[@steves5172]

A great video - Thank you!

[@paulsquires9117]

Brilliant video, well done.

[@AndreiTupolev]

I love the noise in the cabs on full power, the way everything rattles. The engine in the rear power car runs at higher revs than the front one because it provides electric supply for the train, doesn't it

[@hastingsdiesels]

Ah yes - at *idle*, the engine that we can hear (rear motor coach) idles at a higher speed than that at the front. This is because motor coach Tunbridge Wells is also feeding the Buffet Car's equipment.

[@hastingsdiesels]

At 26:31 we are on full power - it says so. That's notch 7, engine speed 850rpm, load controlled by the automatic load regulator.

[@hastingsdiesels]

You're right that it isn't a complex issue, but your mental model of the control system is different to that of W.J.Arnold Sykes and Hugh Smyth in the 1950s. One of the principal differences is that wheelslip is going to be more of an issue at low speeds than at high speeds. Yes, the driver's controller primarily controls diesel engine speed, though in the lowest engine speed notches 1-3 control the level of main generator field excitation. The Load Regulator operates in notch 5 and above, and its operation is unseen by the driver (though if you listen to the turbocharger note you can hear it operating, especially if the driver holds in notch 5 when pulling away from rest). Also, DC traction motors have "back EMF" which means that as they revolve faster, their ability to pass current decreases, so we have traction motor field weakening. I would point you in the direction of THIS handout: www.dropbox.com/s/ihormo3m292ulwf/DEMUs-Drivers-Handout.pdf?dl=0

[@hastingsdiesels]

@pmailkeey Wheelslip is most likely at low speeds because a DC motor's highest torque is at low speeds; its torque at no-load speed is nil. See lancet.mit.edu/motors/motors3.html The characteristics of the diesel-electric power unit are best served by treating it as a device with specific power settings, and these are what the notches achieve: engine-speed and full load. The load regulator is just there to ensure full load, and later to bring in the traction motor field weakening. And yes, as you'll have seen the engine-speed governor includes an overspeed device. You're right about the handout having a mistake in the starting battery diagram! CO2 isn't itself poisonous, but in sufficient concentrations it reduces the amount of oxygen available to support life. The third rail (and fourth rail on the London Underground) are still routinely "kept turned off" by means of short-circuiting devices, which can also be used to turn the current off by overload in emergency. Yes, modern DEMUs wouldn't have DC motors, they'd have 3-phase AC motors... like the Virgin Voyager DEMUs do. But that technology requires solid-state control gear which hadn't been invented in 1956.

[@hastingsdiesels]

DMUs have notches on the power controller (apart possibly from 1st-generation ones with manual gearboxes). The solid-state power electronics necessary to run 3-phase AC traction motors on UK main-line railway vehicles wasn't approaching maturity until around 1990. Besides, the whole ethos of the DEMU design was to produce, as cheaply as possible, a "stop-gap" train with a design life of 10 years that would have as many components as possible (including the traction motors) the same as their SR EMU counterparts.

[@stevehillier7018]

The joys of continuous Welded Rail

[@paull2613]

Brilliant thank you

[@paulshorney3465]

Fantastic line👍

[@regblunden8895]

i drove the hastings diesels between eastbourne/ashford and selhurst depot. the best unit southern railway had on loan

[@adrianrose8044]

A couple of things sur[rised me on the video.One is that the tracks coming out of Cromer are single track and only connected by one crossover.I dont know how many trains run between Cromer and Sheringham ,but im sure it cant be many.Makes you wonder if a day will come when Network Rail close that little branch.It would be a heck of a lot quicker to get a taxi from Cromer to Sheringham.BUT those extra miles added to the NNR would be really beneficial to them,provided if Network rail ever disposed of it,didnt start ripping stuff up whilst in the process of sale.The other thing that surprised me is the amount of manpower needed to close the road.If at any point the Cromer section becomes available,i guess the crossing at Sheringham would need properly reinstating with gates (well hopefully gates not barriers).

[@AndreiTupolev]

There seems to be one an hour to Sheringham. I think all the palaver with the crossing is only when there's occasional through workings, I think, if they haven't already, they'll install gates or barriers when they run more frequently.

[@hastingsdiesels]

Yes, there are 17 trains from Cromer to Sheringham on a weekday. But none of them would go to the old Sheringham station beyond the manpower-hungry level crossing - they'd terminate at the new short platform on the approach side of it.

[@adamowen1986]

One of the issues for the NNR when they go to Cromer is lack of a run round for a single loco, at present any trains going to Cromer from NNR go top and tailed

[@oddities-whatnot]

Went on that about 25 years ago, drunk. Pretty area.

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

I have also ridden the old M&GN from Yarmouth Beach to Hemsby before it closed. Last train was at 11pm on a Saturday night, great if you'd missed the last bus. Any idea why there is a short stretch with lower quadrant signals? I have camped on Kelling Heath.

[@jeffrawe6486]

Watch the bloke in the blue shirt at 14-30.... the train hooter sounds, man in blue shirt almost wets his self.....so funny. 😄

[@JohnSmith-pd1fz]

What a shame that "Holt" station is really in High Kelling and because of recent road and housing developments in the area beyond this station and westwards past the place where the original Holt station used to be, any further extension of this line towards Melton Constable, Fakenham and on to Kings Lynn is now impossible.

[@cigmorfil4101]

Also part of the B1110 is now on the original track bed.

[@hairyairey]

Perversely the line could make money from freight alone if it was reinstated. The route should have been preserved if only as a cycle path.

[@JohnSmith-pd1fz]

++@@hairyairey++ I agree entirely! So much of the trackway remains beyond Holt with missing bridge spans only at Stody and Brinton, as i remember, then after the old Melton Constable junction towards Thursford the old Pygge's grave bridge has gone and the crossing north of Swanton Novers is open, albeit with the box now used as a garden shed. At Thursford there is very little left but beyond that, all the way to the missing Langor Bridge over the 1065 there are simple open minor road crossings. All of the way should have been mothballed in the 60's, instead greedy landowners and self interested parties were allowed to do as they liked. It was plain simple vandalism by Beeching and his followers at the time.

[@emt43043]

It sounds like it’s English electric powered is it

[@timothyparsons8327]

What a novelty...cab riding a “Hastings” ...enjoyable run (albeit on my screen!)

[@pikeywyatt]

i must ask in your wonderful collection of videos do you have any of Bexhill west to crowhurst via sidley, from an oap at the end of pebsham lane..thanks

[@russouk]

Love the hand painted Whistle signs....glad we have whistle and W signs not Horn sign...tradition is good

[@Haybalemelonhead]

I ride on the sheringham to Norwich route pretty much every day it’s alright but needs work and much better trains

[@malthuswasright]

Real shame that we don't actually get to see the train!

[@bingola45]

Cromer Beach is signalled from Trowse Swing Bridge 'box? About 25 miles away in the other direction! You won't get a very good view of the tail lamp!

[@hastingsdiesels]

Yes, as per the Sectional Appendix (see link in video info), "Trowse Swing Bridge signal box controls Whitlingham Jn. and the line to Cromer / Sheringham."; this may since have changed for all I know, but it was true at the time of our visit.

[@jonathananderson2816]

Yes, Trowse Bridge SB controls Whitlingham Junction then all the way to Cromer and Sheringham, on the Bittern Line, as Colchester resumes control after Whitlingham Junction heading towards Brundall etc.

[@michaelgamble296]

Thank you for posting this bit of memorabilia! Why do you never show the 'thumper'??

[@hastingsdiesels]

Thank you. This series of videos is all about showing the forward-facing cab view. Our website has hundreds of images of our train: www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk

[@CullenRick]

Great video, but such a crime that this short film shows all that is left of an entire railway network!

[@pf32900]

There is a bit more of the M&GNJR at Whitwell & Reepham station. The Railway was built late and served many places that were already served by the Great Eastern Railway. Much of it was single track and even in the 1950s, its expresses were only doing 40mph. BR thought it could save £500,000 by closing it.