May 1984 camcorder footage of Hastings DEMUs

[@Dkentflyer]

This takes me back i lived near High Broom station from 81 to 89 and remember these wonderful trains as they used to make the bedroom windows rattle as they pulled out of High Brooms :) the sound was amazing! I was then lucky enough to travel on these daily until electrification as went to college for 3 years from sept 85.Would love to travel on one again thankyou for sharing :).

[@simoncatt95]

This takes me back to my childhood. My grandfather was the stationmaster of High Brooms (then Southborough) station in 1879 (I still have his SER station whistle), and my father was a manager of Southern Region's outdoor engineering. I remember my mother crying about the loss of life in the Hither Green Hastings thumper tragedy, and my father spent many nights away from home as he was involved in the investigation.

[@stevehillier7018]

Was your father based at Purley then Beckenham ?

[@Froobyone]

Lived on Station Road in Robertsbridge in the 1970s. This is the anthem of my youth.

[@HSTPaul]

Some great footage there, all we need to do is build a time machine so we can go back to those times haha

[@OlafProt]

28:20 wonderful hearing the kids in the background dutifully spending time With daddy's filming. They must treasure this now. I went to Reading (from Dorking) in 1979 with mum for a day trip spotting and we couldn't even afford a camera film. Having film of it would be extraordinary!

[@IanCunningham-xv3fh]

Proper trains enjoyed watching then lucky to have a friend of my family use to drive sadly not around he was very passionate loved his job .

[@keithwithchina2009]

when i used to live in Lewisham next to the 4 line the main line between St.Johns and Parks Bridge Junc i used to remember my windows rattle as the hastings unit start up at the signals

[@dwstrains]

Superb video - many thanks for sharing!!!

[@fyremoon]

Looking at this video and seeing what has changed: The shelter at West St Leonards; No St Leonards Academy and few houses; Tunbridge Wells Central (renamed 2 years later); Grove Junction (removed in 1985); Platform 4 of Hastings station and the siding for the Post Office; the sidings with rolling stock in them and the South Terrace lattice bridge.

[@mistressmeeker]

I love these videos, a real blast to the past and great memories brought back. Thank you for taking the time to upload them.

[@EM-yk1dw]

Hellfire machines. I cannot understand why everyone in the early 80s went mad over diesel locos when you had these beauties to ride on and enjoy?

[@swiftymorgan5064]

Love the sound of these engines For myself, they compare very well with the 37's and 50's

[@simonfitch1120]

My friend and I were train spotting in the early 80s. Around Fareham and Eastleigh the DMUs shared the tracks with endless 47s and 33s. We used to call these DMUs 'bodcarts', for some reason.

[@hastingsdiesels]

Yes, prior to the Eastleigh - Fareham electrification in the early 1990s, the Eastleigh - Portsmouth service was operated by DEMUs. I thought the term was 'bog cart'!

[@simonfitch1120]

@@hastingsdiesels You are probably right - I was just calling them how I heard it. Can you tell me why some bog carts had a big black triangle on their yellow fronts?

[@hastingsdiesels]

The SR DEMUs' guard's van is next to the engine-room, and so for 2-car and 3-car DEMUs it would be useful for station staff to determine sooner whether the guard's van was at the front or back of an approaching train: this would enable them to be correctly positioned to offload and load parcels, so reducing delays.

[@tonywise198]

Good ole Thumpers. We used to have some around Portsmouth-Salisbury until the "electrocuted" the line back in 1990. I love to hear their "burble" as they speed along.

[@user-hj6dt9nk4n]

I well remember those trains - can’t believe it’s 40 years ago Seems like yesterday

[@steveh1388]

Fantastic footage. Real essential history pretty sure I could see Platform 1 track pre lifting towards St Leonards?

[@hastingsdiesels]

At 23:45, yes it appears so.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Great footage! I really enjoyed watching!

[@annescholey6546]

Drivers used to say the cabs were as hot as hell in summer

[@bingbong7316]

I've travelled many miles on these, running as 12, they always seemed to have something "extra" over 6. There will be an arcane explanation no doubt :-)

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Outstandingly excellent!!!

[@neilfoord9181]

I remember these in daily service back then. It would be great to see the surviving unit with a more appropriate buffet car because the current formation looks strange with two fat coaches in between the Hastings width cars.

[@hastingsdiesels]

I agree with the sentiment. Unfortunately there were only 7 Hastings DEMUs that had buffet cars, and of those buffet cars only two survive but both have been heavily modified and one is still in use as the GM's Saloon. The options available to HDL for having buffet services on our train are either to use what we have, or to overhaul and restore an existing 1986-condition carriage AND convert it from scratch into a buffet - which would be many years' work and almost impossibly expensive. Note that having no buffet on our outings would be seen now as incredibly retrograde!

[@neilfoord9181]

Fair enough. Exactly how many slim vehicles do you have?

[@hastingsdiesels]

The total number is 14. Please see our Fleet List here: www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/1001/#fleetlist for full details.

[@neilfoord9181]

Impressive. I thought that these had all been cut up. I had no idea that any, let alone 14 vehicles had been saved. That's great

[@neilfoord9181]

Where are all your vehicles based?

[@lisaw7089]

This quality is great for 1984 video - what camcorder was it recorded on, a JVC?

[@hastingsdiesels]

Sorry, no idea - the videotape was sent in to us by a member of the public many years ago.

[@stevehillier7018]

After the Hither Green Derailment in 1967 involving 1007 and 1017. Did any of the damaged stock undergo repair or was it all scrapped ?

[@hastingsdiesels]

The four trailer coaches from the leading unit, 1007, were scrapped. The other vehicles were repaired and returned to service.

[@OlafProt]

The curved glass on the waiting rooms at Tonbridge!! I grew up with the Tadpole Units on the Reading-Tonbridge line so this is a treat. Of course by this time the 117s has taken over, which I see drone past halfway through!! The EMUs were 4BIG units?

[@markcf83]

Don't you mean the Class 119?

[@OlafProt]

@@markcf83 I did indeed mean 119. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@OlafProt]

24:33 all that semaphore signalling ❤

[@nicnak4475]

With four engines running how did they link them to run in unison ? thanks :o)

[@hastingsdiesels]

When the units are coupled together, they all work in multiple. That's the beauty of multiple-unit operation.

[@nicnak4475]

@@hastingsdiesels Yes thanks I wondered how they were connected , electronically or a hydraulic method maybe ?

[@hastingsdiesels]

It's electrical - the "27-way control wire" is as it says a 27-core cable that runs the length of the train, including between units when separate units are coupled together - the 27-way jumper is the cable very visible on the front of the train which hangs down in a loop and is plugged into a dummy plug (when not coupled up!) on the right-hand side in the direction of travel. The 27 wires include all the functions needed for train operation, including EP braking commands, master controller notches, all engine start, all engine stop, lighting, Loudaphone, and so forth. Re-purposing or multiplexing these to accommodate Public Address, Central Door Locking, et cetera, has been a significant technical challenge over the years!

[@nicnak4475]

@@hastingsdiesels Brilliant ! thanks for the excellent explanation ! :o)

[@OlafProt]

Hastings Diesels Ltd I always wondered this!!! Thanks 😊

[@AlanAlanAlan161]

Sounds like 1005