DMU Cab ride Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham Snow Hill (1989)

[@jimififul]

Lived in Shirley up until age 13 (1985), so used this line many times. Moved to Solihull so still used the line from Tyseley until moving out of the area in 1999. Happy memories- thank you!

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

It wasn’t until the snow hill line was extended onwards from snow hill to other intermediate stations until Kidderminster and Stourbridge and Worcester some years later

[@limeyfox]

Excellent stuff! Thank you for uploading all these great films, please keep them coming :)

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Days before the eight foot fence, what a beautiful slice of Warwickshire Thanks

[@acquiesce100]

I have the very last cab ride on the cross city line Redditch to Lichfield Trent Valley before the line was electrified. Amazing!!

[@christopherhulse8385]

I have it on VHS tape.

[@acquiesce100]

Can you upload it? I bought it in dvd. I wonder if it’s the same one or they did a couple of runs. Is it the one where they have two guys in the cab talking?

[@helenloughton2418]

Used the lines to go from Shirley to St Andrews to watch the blues up in Inverness nos still love the blues

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

That was taken 2 years after snow hill reopened once again

[@geoffbarry9540]

So glad the sound stayed in sync with the picture on this one. The iconic noises of a first generation DMU - the vacuum brake, the two stage gearbox and the rattly cab door - all audible at the right time, make this a joyous time capsule. I marvel at how many of these films were made and the routes they covered. More please, of course. Were they all filmed by the same person?

[@cedriclynch]

The gearbox has four gears, but on this and most other recordings you can only hear the engines in first and second gears. The driver is provided with a tachometer with a yellow band indicating the rev range that should be used, and arrows for "change up" and "change down" at the ends of this band. Changing up is usually at 15, 28 and 40 mph. At a speed in the high 50s the tachometer needle goes beyond the "change up" mark and at maximum speed of 65 to 70mph is almost off the end of the scale. This didn't seem to cause any problems; there were some routes such as Cambridge to King's Lynn on which trains similar to this were run at maximum speed for quite long distances.

[@vinniesuperstar8923]

even back then they weren't stopping at Bordesley!

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

😉🤣

[@supersprinter1564]

In 1989 it was the Dorridge service that stopped there

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

56:33 today two new platforms were added at Birmingham moor street which nowadays chiltern railways now occupied these two platforms

[@ianhosier4042]

Why are there stations in the middle of absolutely nowhere? The old rattly slam door loco with its air brakes, manual guards buzzer and bell to indicate the track is clear ahead brings back memories of simpler times.

[@garthcox4307]

At one point in the 80s, british rail threatened to cut that route back to Henley and send all the stratford services via Dorridge with Wootton wawen closing. Since then the stratfotd service has doubled ro 2 an hour with one going vi's each route. That wouldn't have happened with the line closure.

[@ChangesOneTim]

"AND STOP CALLING ME SHIRLEY!"

[@brianeynon5406]

Nice climb of wilmcote gradient

[@geoffwalsh8864]

Anyone know why the HST was running on this line, was it a charter or a through service from London Paddington?.

[@markcf83]

It might have been a Cross Country service.

[@vinniesuperstar8923]

@@markcf83 to Stratford?

[@djtrainspotter]

Yes Paddington.

[@ads1066]

The HST was the "Shakespeare Express" service from Paddington, once daily. It has since been discontinued. 🙂

[@garthcox4307]

That's defo a western region hst. At the time 7 mk3 with 2 firsts. North east south west sets were 7 mk3 but with only 1 first and ecml sets were 8 carriages.

[@buddmetroliner200gaming3]

what type of cab is it

[@garthcox4307]

Prob a class 116 if that is what you meant. If not, a 101 or 115, it's a 115 they pass at danzey. They came to Tyseley when the routes into St Pancras were electrified and replaced the worst of the existing stock. 116s were the main birmingham area dmus from the late 1950s.