DMU Diesel Train Driver Part 4 - Operating Requirements

Part 4 of a training film made in the 1950's to teach train drivers about the then new diesel multiple unit railcar trains being introduced to replace steam trains.

[@5mnz7fg]

Even the shunter wears a tie.

[@jasonl4411.]

I used to be a shunter for Emu's. Must have been demanding to couple the connections for a whole shift before they were permanently fixed to the units

[@grigoriibuzanov8481]

Thank you for the video! Greetings from Russia’s train lovers 🚂

[@glynjones2540]

What a performance! At this time (1958 maybe?) the Southern Electric had been joining and dividing trains at stations for years. After dividing the first train would be off in a minute or so and the back half would leave for a different destination shortly after. Station staff would be blowing whistles to encourage passengers to get a move on.

[@jasonl4411.]

Southern had ep brakes though. These DMUs were air and vacuum brakes. Totally different

[@sylviaelse5086]

"These trains run very quietly". Compared with steam trains outside, I suppose that's true. Inside they were noisy indeed, especially in the leading car with two diesel engines under the floor.

[@davidforster8654]

With all this ‘global warming’ terrible shame that these old lines could not be opened up again, I have two within walking distance, M&GN and the LNER. A far greater load can be shifted on a train than on a articulated vehicle. A great film, very nostalgic and a pleasure to watch.... thank you.

[@muttley8818]

@MusicalElitist1 Then complain to China about their lack of environment standards. I agree with OP. Miss the clag of the old locos. They made very little contribution to global warming.

[@danman4633]

My Father worked in the track relaying gang on the M&GN during the 1950s, the track on this line was first class, they ripped it all up 1959/60.

[@szymongorczynski7621]

"Tokens must only ever be exchanged when the train is stationary." Aye, right. As if that ever happened.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Szymon Gorczynski that was what it said in the rule book for DMUs and single manned locos, except if the vehicle was fiited automatic exchange gear.

[@joshuaritchie3836]

I believe that RETB tokens can exchanged on the move because it is using radios.

[@johnson121able]

Thank you for uploading this film. I believe that one of the locations was county school station in Norfolk. Soon to reopen as part of the Mid Norfolk Railway.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Always wondered why they used vacuum brakes (two pipes, furthermore, giving the shunter even more work) and screw couplings, and then yet more pipes and cables to connect for the multiple working (and what a faff to then have to go back to the cab and get the MW cables out of a cupboard) rather than buckeyes and perhaps even air brakes like EMUs. Perhaps it was so they'd be compatible for haulage by locos, which did happen a lot seeing how often they broke down.

[@DanielsPolitics1]

I think it had to be remembered that at the time, unless you worked for the Southern Railway, vacuum brakes were just how brakes worked on trains. It may also have helped with crew acceptance. If you’re getting rid of beloved steam, you don’t want to also make them change how braking works. Screw couplings we’re used even on pre-war EMUs, so when these were designed, other couplings would have been considered novel.

[@ridefast0]

Thank you so much for uploading this, it reminds me of seeing these trains being joined and split many years ago. I also enjoyed seeing Norwich and Ipswich as destinations, I know they used to split off a single unit/car to go from Saxmundham to Leiston and Aldeburgh so I will watch again more closely. Anybody else recognise the locations?

[@stephensmith799]

Hah! Drivers on the former Cambrian Railways lines certainly exchanged tablets without stopping! In the days of steam, firemen could exchange tablets by hand at 40 mph! It was explained to me that this was necessary to keep to the timetable notwithstanding all the passing loops. 'Foreign' crew did not have this skill and this led to an accumulation of delays which put all traffic out of timetable. FORTY MPH and no drops!

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Stephen Smith yes, but the rule book says DMUs and single manned locomotives, unless fitted with automatic collector gear, were to stop to exchange tokens or staff; locomotives were to slow to 10mph unless fitted with automatic collector gear when they and DMUs could do the exchange at 25mph. As far as I'm aware no steam locos were fitted with automatic collector gear and so they should have been going no faster than 10mph. SOurce the various Sectional Appendices on the Limit of Shunt website. Those DMUs fitted with automatic collector gear (common on some Class105s intended for the M&GN lines) were fitted with a rubber panel after of the driver's doors. These I've been told were to protect the body panels from the pouch the token was in.

[@Hihellohihellogoodbye]

true, they shouldn't have done but they did

[@dkbmaestrorules]

@@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819 no, there were quite a few steam locos with automatic exchange gear - it was widely used on the S&DJR, the Highland Railway, and the M&GNJR. Where DMUs had automatic exchange gear, the guard dealt with it instead of the driver.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

David Bumstead thanks I thought there would be steam locos with this equipment.

[@Damocles178]

I really enjoyed watching this; I knew DMU's can be linked up but I never knew different DMU types were coupled together. :)

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Damocles178 provided the multiple working systems were the same, there wouldn't be a problem. These 2 designs (BR Derby and Metro-Cammell) had IIRC yellow diamond markings on the control cable system. The later standard sysrem was the blue square system. There were in total 4 control system used - the first 3 were mainly used on the pre-Modernisation Scheme and the blue square system was used on the majority of the Modernisation Scheme designs. The only thing the driver hand to remember was to handle the train in line with the performance of the unit with the lower performance.

[@class45peak]

Absolute joy to watch

[@galbeadon]

Great video. How very maintained were the railways under BR. No weeds on any track any where on that branch!

[@lewis72]

I think that that was required to help prevent rail-side fires from the steam trains. Now that risk is gone, they don't spend so much time &. money clearing the line from growth.

[@locosandlogos]

Great film... the signal box is Antingham Road, which is at North Walsham on the Norwich to Cromer/Sheringham line. Not sure of the station where the trains decoupled... but I am hazarding a guess that it could have been Westerfield on the East Suffolk line branching off to Felixstowe.

[@JimTLonW6]

Iwanttobe Asecret Antingham Road was at the junction between the spur from the M&GNJR line and the North Walsham - Mundesley line, the token was exchanged there. I used to stay at my Great Grandmother's House nearby, and used to wonder why there were so many signals! Workings over the M&GNJR spur were not very common, looking back over, er, about 60 years the occasional loco used to work out to the box from the N. Walsham direction, and my guess is that these would have been freight transfers between the two N. Walsham stations. The factory like building at about 15:00 is the N. Walsham Steam Laundry, reached from 'Laundry Loike' which ran parallel to the railway at this point.

[@CullenRick]

Decoupling scenes at County School.

[@engineslovetostartmatthew]

loved it thank you i have an interest in trains feel free to have a look my way thank you

[@derrickgreen9020]

Is that the actor Roger Allam giving the commentary, pretending it’s the period instructor??🤔He has the perfect voice and tone for it!

[@mikewings]

Ioi

[@abloogywoogywoo]

A LOT of work just to couple two multiple units together!

[@averyaveragetrain233]

Well in comparison to steam engines you then dont need 2 drivers for one train so it is a Direct upgrade to the old way

[@JimTLonW6]

Great film, interested to see shots of Antingham Road box in North Walsham on the Mundesley line.

[@coloradostrong]

Also you can see as the married widow drowned, the propane tank sang to the porpoise. When the helicopter proposed lunch, the propeller saw the midnight daylight yesterday at you. Laughingly, the robin gasped, while moonbeams ate marshmallows inside the deer. Aware of pencils, aroma heard floor tiles selling whales. Branded as lost is the umbrella, as it elopes at tires. Wherein the thesis seams chicken openly, it only missed the elevator by rainfall. Quietly, fires argue as to when the crow sounds popcorn afternoon today. Heavy borrows irrigate crime with ice cream whelps instead of Krylon drips.

[@windows7rocks1]

yes they did. At this point automatic coupling systems that included the air systems and control systems had not been invented. Plus it was the standard at the time for the railways so in order to ensure interoperability the standard was stuck with for DMUs. Now there is no standard coupling between DMU classes on the British railway system.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

windows7rocks1 there is, classes 142 to 144 can operate with classes 150, 153, 155, 156 and 158; these classes have been seen together with each other. Post these units only some of them can operate together, such as the classes 165 and 166. Classes 153 and 170 can also work together, so the class 170 might be able to operate with classes 142 to 158; but I've not seen any evidence of this.

[@joshuaritchie3836]

There is the coupling is chain style but this is only emergency use and can not be used above 5m.p.h in use. The was already an automatic coupling it was in use on London transport since the standard stock build between 1921 and 1934.

[@hugebartlett1884]

How far up the "food chain" is the Shunter? I wonder how many times he cracked his head on a buffer till he learned to duck!

[@netking66]

Probably a pre-requisite job before being a guard, signaller, etc.

[@Quasihamster]

"The train must not proceed before it is signalled onto the single line." Really? These red green shiny wingy things aren't just for decoration and making the railway look more, railway-y? Mond bliwn! :)

[@ylwpyro9549]

Ah, the old Metro-Cammells. I thought that they looked strange, for some reason.

[@mr.saltymelons756]

YLW Pyro they kinda did, they had some big foreheads...

[@finndahuman57]

Mr. SaltyMelons no thats the Derby Lightweights

[@thomasreed8710]

Leave it to the Britsto make a complicated project out of something. In the US we have the knuckle coupler. Its just bang together, one hose and away we go. Nobody has to get between the cars and get squished.

[@roobear78]

em,this was the 1950s buddy modern british trains use tightlock,dellner and other couplers today and have done for a long time so yes we also use "knuckle" or janney type couplers for decades now!

[@lewis72]

16:40 Where's this ? Seems like an impressive crossing of two railways.

[@lewis72]

Harford Viaduct, Norwich ?

[@AndreiTupolev]

13:45 How did the signalman hand the staff to the driver and then go back to pull the signal off it he stayed there chatting to the driver? In practice the signal was nearly always pulled off before the signalman went down to hand the staff to the driver.

[@finndahuman57]

I am not sure if you have heard of the concept of “jump cuts”

[@AndreiTupolev]

@@finndahuman57 so you're thinking he handed the token to the driver, went back to pull the signal off, then went back to chat to the driver? That sounds like a lot of unnecessary trudging up & down

[@ezreenezkandar6287]

There might be another signalman

[@AJNUNNEY]

@colliecandle DONT KNOW WHO SAID?BUT WHO WANTS TO DRIVE A DIESLE UNIT?

[@TheAdrew1967]

Squeeze em up driv "no brake test when coupled togeather

[@martinsach7093]

The plural of "1950" is "1950s" not "1950's" which indicates posession not a plural

[@pleindespoir]

Nowadays a common mistake nobody cares about - except some "gammar- NAZIS" ;) no-fun-fact: 2nd-language-speakers are correcting the native speakers

[@robertvanauker3275]

??? how do the vacuum brakes function on the DMU's ?

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Robert van auker in the same way as on diesel and electric locomotives - an exhauster creates the vacuum.

[@finndahuman57]

Take air brakes and flip it

[@pleindespoir]

13:46 What's the use of this piece of metal ? It looks heavy and useless.

[@herzglass]

It's a token. They were used to prevent multiple cars on a single section of track, especially where only a single line was available, to avoid collisions. These were plugged into or pulled out of token instruments. Electrically connected from signal to signal box these would always turn signals to stop from one side if a token on the opposite side was removed so always only one train was signalled to enter a section. A history of collisions showed these were necessary and useful, yet sometimes bulky. For further reference see Wikipedia:Token (railway signalling)

[@leeconnolly5339]

what diesel locomotive is this

[@leeconnolly5339]

im asking a question

[@muttley8818]

@@leeconnolly5339 Class 114 I think. Could be wrong. There were a few 1st Generation DMU's and some had more differences than others. By the way, just a quick note. These aren't considered to be 'locomotives'. These are Diesel Multiple Units. British locomotives would be like any of the steam locos. Diesel locos would be for example a Class 43 HST or a Class 37. Basically, units that have a separate driving unit and has to couple on to passenger carriages to form a train. DMU's are generally always kept coupled together.

[@AJNUNNEY]

Iam sorry that you are offended, but the comments made were idle banter between friends.illiterate if thats the case this message has been sent by the fairies!! I was a railway worker in those far off days and I think people look at those days through rose tinted glasses.

[@coloradostrong]

You never worked on a railway in your life. You were a bathroom janitor since the day they kicked you out of 7th grade.

[@AJNUNNEY]

@@coloradostrong Did not have 7th grade in UK all those years ago.

[@StormTiberius]

The operator is like **** this thing, notice the finger at 6:16 :p

[@caseyjrthehybridengine3444]

Mmm what is rule 55?