Beautiful . It feels great to have played all of the simulations on Simsig and now being able to see them in reality . Keep up the great work . - Love from India
@wirksworthsrailway29 күн бұрын
Just been playing SimSig too!
@HenrysAdventures6 жыл бұрын
Really enjoyed watching that! I hope one day the line will reopen South of Uckfield so this journey can be completed!
@nigel72773 жыл бұрын
I travelled daily Uckfield to Lewes in the 60's until it closed. I said then it won't reopen in my lifetime. 65 years old now and counting. LOL
@ianburnett7333 Жыл бұрын
Should never have closed in first place.
@markpunt9638 Жыл бұрын
Goodness - what a quaint little line. Fascinating to watch and now explains why so many people from Buxted and Uckfield drive to Haywards Heath, and those from Crowborough to Tunbridge Wells for a fast, frequent and reliable rail service.
@gb5uq6 жыл бұрын
Hard to fathom the logic of the piecemeal rationalizing the track to single line running, particularly in view of the 94 Cowden collision. Hopefully with the gradual upgrades to the network taking place and the ever increasing traffic there may be a return to two lines. Great video as always, keep up the good work..
@ShaunieDale5 жыл бұрын
I was led to believe that some serious subsidence North of Mark Beech tunnel was part of the decision making process. It was easier to single the line and slew the track towards the centre than fix the problem. Don't know how true that is though. I grew up less than half a mile from the Southern entrance of the tunnel, as a kid laying in my bed I could hear the Thumpers go into the tunnel on a quiet night and if the wind was right I could hear them come out of the other end.
@charliecoxwell8794 жыл бұрын
Used to commute from Uckfield to Tunbridge Wells Central in 1964, laster from Uckfield to Victoria in late 60’s. Sad to see the destruction caused in the name of progress. Missed the ‘clacety clack’ of jointed rails. Only had one ride to Lewis before that section was closed. The diesel electric trains then were in a poor state, I remember the driver having to stop and walk back to engine to restart! Also remember that coach lights were not always switched on before the tunnels! Good times!
@kharkhov6 жыл бұрын
Bar the soft focus this is a great video. I lived down that line for many years and this brought back a few memories. The land to the right just after the Edenbridge tunnel is the Edenbridge Golf and Country Club that has a beautiful 18 hole Par 71 course that's well worth a round if you get a chance. The small bridge at 7:55 crosses the River Eden. The Mark Beech Tunnel has at least one air shaft above it - you could hear the sound difference as you went through plus there was a bit of a clatter from the rails at that point. I once decided to take a walk into the tunnel one night after last service with a torch and a camera but it started to rain heavily as I got to the station so I didn't bother. Wish I had now though. At Cowden Station there used to be a siding going off to the left behind where the platform extension is now located. All that section of track was wooden sleepered when I last used it and it wasn't continuous welded rail. The up end of the platform ended where the blue barrier is. Also there used to be a memorial to the Cowden rail crash on the wall roughly where the lamp post is located, between the metal bench and the end of the building. Can't see if it's still there. I once saw three rail staff laying a wreath there on one of the anniversaries of the crash. The down end of the platforms end where they always did and the bridge crosses the Cowden to Horseshoe Green road. The site of the Cowden rail crash in 1984 is flagged at roughly the correct place. It was about ¾ of the way across the first field on the left after the bridge. I was in the area and saw where the emergency service vehicles were gathered. The only other info I have on that line was from Eridge Station where a Class 50 diesel, Ramilles, was located for many years on the lefthandmost siding. I always hoped I'd see Ramilles thrashing along the Spa Valley Railway one day but in the end it got dragged away for a better life on the Mid Norfolk Railway. Loved those 50's. Liked the scared kid at 20:03 as well :)
@hastingsdiesels6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your reminiscences and additional information. :) The OS map suggests there might be 3 shafts extant for Mark Beech Tunnel. I did research the Cowden accident to ascertain its location as best I could for the caption, glad I got it about right. Yes, the soft focus is irksome but that's how all GoPro 3s were 'out of the box' and I hadn't appreciated that at the time. Cheers!
@ShaunieDale5 жыл бұрын
@@hastingsdiesels Definitely three, I've visited them all. Two to the south of Markbeech Village and one to the North. As a kid I used to play in the fields to the South and go to visit them.
@auto_stable5 жыл бұрын
The memorial at Cowden station is absolutely still there - a black marble plaque on the station house wall next to the platform. It's kept in good order and flowers are placed every year with a card from Southern Rail staff.
@Harry-me1zq4 жыл бұрын
Born in the Sussex area and looking at the waste on Hs2 when this line ran through to Lewes,let alone what was cut at East Grinstead such as the Three Bridges link.
@asb29588 жыл бұрын
great quality footage, great how the hero 3 absorbs the vibration & cuts out some of the engine noise :)
@nickrobson96366 жыл бұрын
Another good one, thank you.
@AnthonyHigham64140010804 жыл бұрын
Great video, I was puzzled at the start, why is he on the wrong track I thought. Ah, cross over. Many years ago I lived very close to the Mark Beech tunnel and really wanted to walk it. So early one Christmas morning (no trains scheduled to run) my son and I equipped with bright torches entered at the Heaver end and walked through it to Cowden. I can confirm (comments below) that there are three ventilation shafts, you don't realise they are there until you are directly underneath them, then you can see daylight above. The brickwork is awesome and the scale of the work that went into it is difficult to convey. Fun Christmas morning.
@hastingsdiesels4 жыл бұрын
Haha, thank you Anthony for this. Obviously one cannot condone trespass in any way - and note that "no trains scheduled" is very much NOT the same thing as "it is safe to walk on the line" - but thank you for sharing your story.
@DJ_K6664 жыл бұрын
@@hastingsdiesels Heh I know someone who walked Sharpthorne Tunnel on the Bluebell after it closed. Didn't know there was a spring in there and put his foot right in it!
@markcf832 жыл бұрын
@@DJ_K666 ouch!
@timjmyall4 жыл бұрын
Love the Mark Beech Tunnel!
@bingbong73163 жыл бұрын
Some time in the 1940's there was an horrific incident there when an H Class 0-4-4T suffered a boiler tube fracture; both driver and fireman were badly scalded. One of my infant school teachers told us nippers about this as, living nearby, she had been a first responder at the time - it was decades before I discovered the accident report and realised that this was the event of her story!
@rubyait5 жыл бұрын
Love the Hastings horn.
@davidpanton31924 жыл бұрын
Enjoyable as always, thank you. There seem to be more SPAD indicators on this line than in the whole of Scotland! I was expecting the terminus at least to be double-tracked. 1990 seems rather late to be singling; You'd think the lesson would have been learned by then...
@hastingsdiesels4 жыл бұрын
Thank you David. The line suffered a serious SPAD as you may know, and when it re-opened I suspect the SPAD indicators were part of the mitigation for recurrence. But yes, singling and not even removing the redundant track does seem short-sighted...
@m222rjr8 жыл бұрын
How ironic that a line which was to have been closed now has to have its station platforms extended to accommodate longer trains! Don't blame Breeching; blame the ignorant, incompetent, lying and greedy politicians who employed him.
@heritagerailwayproductions18853 жыл бұрын
@Credible Threat They were discussing reopening the line a number of years ago but if it was to reopen it wouldn't be able to take the original route as the Lavender Line (the railway that now runs along a 1 mile section of the original route) is there so it would have to be redirected.
@Naladin18 жыл бұрын
Edenbridge Station shown on here is actually Edenbridge Town. Edenbridge Station is on the line between Tonbridge and Redhill.
@hastingsdiesels8 жыл бұрын
Fortunately I got it right in the burned-in annotations, and I've now fixed the 'more info' text. Thanks for pointing this out!
@geoffbarry95403 жыл бұрын
I commented four years ago that there was no practical way to get past the main road at the end of the current Uckfield platform. Experience here in Australia has demonstrated the error of that statement. In Melbourne the Victorian government has been conducting an intensive program of urban level crossing removal. Their solution has been Skyrail, sections of elevated track and stations going over the previous flat crossings. Looking at the space available, it could be done at Uckfield, which could in turn facilitate reopening to Lewes if the formation beyond is still protected...just needs money.
@steveluckhurst23502 жыл бұрын
No practical way? How about a level crossing?
@KasabianFan44 Жыл бұрын
@@steveluckhurst2350 No new level crossings are to be built on the National Rail network, according to several official statements made by Network Rail themselves.
@Rudder95767 жыл бұрын
Nice view of the Uckfield line. With electrification proposed I think DC third rail is the best option as there isn't enough dual voltage EMUs. Plus the Marshlink line from Hastings to Ashford should be electrified by DC third rail.
@Rudder95767 жыл бұрын
Plus the single line sections should be doubled before electrification.
@KasabianFan445 жыл бұрын
I believe Network Rail themselves have stated that they will never electrify a single inch of track with the third rail again, claiming it’s too dangerous for rail workers. If the line is ever electrified, it’ll almost definitely be using overhead wires. As for the lack of dual-voltage EMUs, it’s not as much of a problem as you might think - all modern DC-only trains in the UK have special compartments over carriages that could, in future, be fitted with a pantograph if necessary. This includes the 377s.
@DJ_K6664 жыл бұрын
@@KasabianFan44 Possibly, although they did use Third Rail with the ELL extension so never say never. Plus I believe the ban in 'new' Third rail came from Brussels so with everything else I wonder how much that will be enforced. I do also believe that NR can be overruled by the DFT.
@ianmcclavin3 жыл бұрын
@@Rudder9576 They're not going to do any of that though, are they? When they were electrifying the Sanderstead to East Grinstead section they were drawing up plans to single the intended sections of the Uckfield branch. Investing in a new fleet of diesels to replace the Thumpers rather than electrify the branch some 20 years later pretty much confirmed their intention to keep it unelectrified. Difficult to re-double through Eridge now, as the whole former "down" section from Birchenden Junction to Eridge Station is all still there, but now used by the Spa Valley Railway. I agree though it does seem silly that only Hurst Green to Uckfield, Ore to Ashford International, and the missing pieces of Redhill - Reading were omitted from the electrification schemes in the recent past.
@grahamsmith95413 жыл бұрын
@@KasabianFan44 Repost original reply deleted, probably because I included link to the BML 2 news page. November 2020 Network Rail declared that third rail is the only feasible option. The plans include doubling throughout and reopening Ashurst Junction to Groombridge. Also Tunbridge Wells West to Central.
@PGATProductions3 жыл бұрын
were the platforms being extended when this was happening?
@1anhunter1 Жыл бұрын
Yes. The Uckfield station platform had already been extended to take 12 carriages by the look of it. I have yet to see a 12-carriage train 🚆 on the line but 12 cars do go to East Grinstead.
@greenmanofkent6 жыл бұрын
It's hard to fathom the bureaucratic mind. Why on earth would they keep most of the line open, but close the relatively short section from Uckfield to Lewes, thus cutting access to other services, especially to Brighton?
@davidsedlickas82225 жыл бұрын
Beeching the twat kept the link in to Uckfield because he lived there. Perk of the job.
@joeking53105 жыл бұрын
There is a bridge between Uckfield and Lewes that the trains kept hitting which is why that part of the line was closed. My father worked for British Rail all his life and kept me informed of all the closures and causes. The line to Uckfield was never threatened with closure, it has always been a busy commuter line. I used to live at Hurst Green in the 60's and early 70's and the trains were always packed in the rush hour. Good video, which exposes the vandalism of the railways. Making some sections single was idiotic to say the least.
@KasabianFan445 жыл бұрын
DAVID SEDLICKAS He lived in Forest Row mate. Not even within the catchment area of Uckfield.
@KasabianFan443 жыл бұрын
@@joeking5310 Are you sure about that? I own an old copy of the Beeching report, and Uckfield (both the station and the line through it) is definitely on the list proposed for closure! As far as I can tell, the Oxted line was going to be cut back to Crowborough (instead of Uckfield), while the entire line from Lewes to Tunbridge Wells was going to close, as most of it eventually did.
@ianhosier40423 жыл бұрын
I really miss riding on the trains since masking was bought in. Cant wait for it to be abolished so i can ride again, these vids will have to do until then. Great ride!
@johnthompson50346 жыл бұрын
These are a great series of videos but it's disappointing that on this one the focus seemed to be fixed somewhere closer to the camera leaving the distance very soft.
@hastingsdiesels6 жыл бұрын
Yes indeed, I'm sorry about that but that's what footage I shot. Another commenter spotted that it was focus (I thought it was vibration-blur initially), and after research I discovered that the fixed-focus setting of the GoPro Hero 3+ is actually NOT set at infinity... It seems the GoPro Hero 3+ models had their fixed focus optimised for short-range work. There's a DIY fix to alter the focus: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ-vlaOJh7Kme9U I duly carried this out, so material shot since the subsequent railtour (July 2016 Weybourne Wanderer) has improved focus.
@greatbritishentertainmentl56365 жыл бұрын
@@hastingsdiesels The short-focus problem can be seen before the train started in the station, but did improve throughout the journey. Still a very good video though, although I wish all the stations were named onscreen as I'm unfamiliar with this route and like to follow-up later.
@hastingsdiesels5 жыл бұрын
@@greatbritishentertainmentl5636 Yes, the short-focus problem is because the GoPro Hero 3+ camera is like that "out of the box" and I hadn't realised this or modified it yet. I believe I did caption all the stations we passed through on-screen?
@DougPaulley7 жыл бұрын
24:32 bless you!
@geoffhunter7704 Жыл бұрын
Very good video the history is very much appreciated too but missed seeing the Hastings DEMU though and is there a Preservation Society trying to reopen the Uckfield Lewes Section?
@crazyrenegade31057 жыл бұрын
Thank you, nice to have sound. But someone forgot to put ceroseen in the lantern so we can see the inside of the tunnel. Otherwise it’s a nice relaxing ride.👍
@444mrjimmy4 жыл бұрын
33:06 exactly what went through my head (start from 33:05)
@johntcashdown13635 жыл бұрын
m222 this railway was not in the dr bastard report. Its closure was aided by transport secretary Barbera Castle, profited by Beechings former TS Ernest Marples (whose road company built the bridge that cut through the embankment at lewes)and I have no doubt ICI supplied the raw materials to do the job with. Who was their director?.....Beeching!!
@nigel72773 жыл бұрын
The Phoenix causeway in Lewes is the road. Named after the ironworks next to the line.
@ΓεώργιοςΤζίβας5 жыл бұрын
At this video you have passed in total 34 (bridges and tunnels) and 10 railroad level crossings.
@penarlag13 жыл бұрын
There is nothing quite as beautiful as the East Sussex Weald ....except the West Sussex Weald
@trainmaniacstudios82168 жыл бұрын
If they ARE oing to extend back down to Lewes, its gonna be a bit of a squeeze between the station old signalbox and car park, isnt it?
@hastingsdiesels8 жыл бұрын
I don't know whether it will happen or not, but the railway went that way in the old days... so it should still fit now with a bit of work.
@geoffbarry95408 жыл бұрын
I thought that debate was killed before I came back to Australia at the end of 2006 - "insufficient potential revenue to warrant...no compelling social railway case...current transport provisions adequate" - and so on. Once the Thumpers were replaced, that decided the matter for at least twenty years, and I was riding the new units from Hastings to Eastbourne before I left.
@trainmaniacstudios82168 жыл бұрын
No. They re investigated it in 2012 and decided that the Brighton Main Line couldn't handle te immense amount of traffic on it and needed a relief route. The Uckfield to Lewes line was the ideal candidate for it (considering that was why iyt was built in the first place) and have been conducting surveys into how much it would cost to reopen. I was under the impression that the platform lengthening sen in the video was the first stage of this. Its only a mater of time before they start extending southwards and electrifying it
@cliffocco8 жыл бұрын
It will definitley be needed, sooner or later. The Brighton Main Line is bursting at the seams and relief is needed. Having seen this video, I can see, however, that doubling is needed in places to make the line fir for purpose. And see www.railfuture.org.uk/Uckfield+Lewes
@derekedmonds15808 жыл бұрын
Just watched a program on itv about H S 2 surly reopening lines that never should have been closed would be money much better spent and be more use to a lot more people.
@derekedmonds15808 жыл бұрын
was there a return trip with the camera filming the way back and how stupid was it to make the line single track in small sections ?
@hastingsdiesels8 жыл бұрын
I didn't get to film the forward view on the way back towards Hurst Green, I'm afraid. Single-tracking was, I suppose, carried out to reduce maintenance overheads.
@chrisg19478 жыл бұрын
single tracking is a tired old excuse Im afraid
@joncoe90467 жыл бұрын
If it's cost cutting then why not single all of it and have trains pass at stations?
@MarkAHHDvideostreaming8 жыл бұрын
Nice video, subscribed
@wilsonflood43932 жыл бұрын
Is this the only unelectrified line in the former Southern Region?
@hastingsdiesels2 жыл бұрын
No, there are others including Ore to Ashford International.
@nicnak44757 жыл бұрын
Great video and subscribed , what is the bell ringing for , is it a safety device where the driver has a certain time to react ? there is also another sound ? thanks :o)
@hastingsdiesels7 жыл бұрын
Yes, that's the Automatic Warning System. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Warning_System
@nicnak44757 жыл бұрын
Many thanks , there was also another sound like a buzzer , is that also a warning ?
@nicnak44757 жыл бұрын
Ah read the article now and got the answer ! :o) I didn't realise how long the system has been used .
@melkiorwiseman52342 жыл бұрын
I figured it out just by watching these videos. Bell = next signal is at "clear." Buzzer = next signal is not at "clear."
@paulwhitear49837 жыл бұрын
A very enjoyable journey. I liked the variation of single and double track. It would have been scandalous to close it.
@jacksugden81905 жыл бұрын
Why all that single line tracks?. Nice to have seen Uckfield for the first time.
@hastingsdiesels5 жыл бұрын
Because the second track was removed for part of the route to reduce maintenance costs.
@steveluckhurst23502 жыл бұрын
Single track is more than adequate for the level of traffic.
@r0g3r5m1th7 жыл бұрын
thanks for another Great Video,even though this one leaves me full of questions,Why extend the Platforms to easily take 8 / 10 car Trains,yet not Double track it (again).And just where are all the Passengers going to come from .
@ChangesOneTim7 жыл бұрын
Extending platforms costs a fraction of redoubling the track. The latter triggers resignalling, which is also not only expensive in itself but would be in a long queue behind other projects waiting for experienced testing/ commissioning engineers. I believe that Uckfield line enhancements, like many others, are effectively on the back of housing development expansion - that's where the extra passengers are supposed to come from.
@ShaunieDale5 жыл бұрын
The trains do get very full. The limitation is the number of available paths into London Bridge I think. A half-hour service would be great but trains twice as long shift the same number of passengers and take half the number of paths.
@Harry-me1zq8 жыл бұрын
I note the extended platforms at low number's stations like Ashurst,Cowden and Hever (looked via Wiki for Px No,s) why is this ?
@auto_stable5 жыл бұрын
It was to enable the line to move to 10-car formations a couple of years ago. The stations may be comparatively low numbers (although numbers are much bigger than they were 10 years ago when I moved here) but congestion was getting very unpleasant on the service. The old platforms only accommodated 5 car trains (of the class 171) so needed to be extended
@geoffbarry95408 жыл бұрын
So, at Crowborough, there is no normal line of route going south? Both tracks need a feather? I know the line was overkilled with spurious safety after Cowden, but please...
@hastingsdiesels8 жыл бұрын
Well, given that Cowden occurred I don't think the improvements to safety could be described as spurious! I note there still aren't trap points though. I noticed the feather for either route at Crowborough, presumably because both lines in the Crowborough loop are bidirectionally signalled so yes, there is no 'normal' route.
@fetchstixRHD6 жыл бұрын
Both divergences have equal speed limits don't they? In cases like that aren't feather indicators provided for both routes, as you need your "main" route to have a higher speed?
@hastingsdiesels6 жыл бұрын
Yes, I have since learned that this is the case. Equal speeds -> feather for both routes.
@KasabianFan444 жыл бұрын
fetchstix™ You say that, but there are some instances where the choice for junction indicators doesn’t make any sense. Check this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXKogJSnq9xjha8 At 21:27, the signal has a no.4 JI for turning right, and no JI means you are turning left. This implies that the left route is the “main” one. _But,_ if you go to 27:44, you will see that the right-turn route has a higher speed limit, and also appears to be more straight at that point. So why isn’t the route to the right the “main” one? EDIT: I meant 21:44, not 27:44 - thanks for pointing it out!
@hastingsdiesels4 жыл бұрын
@@KasabianFan44 Good point, well made. Your second time-reference should be "22:44" though. ;) As to the reasoning, I can only guess that perhaps the speed limit on the left-hand route past the Plassers factory got reduced when the new bay platform was installed? We've got the same on the Metropolitan Line, where you need a left-hand junction indicator to come from Croxley to Moor Park (30mph), but an absence of JI will send you over the North Curve to Rickmansworth (20mph).
@jimobasa5255 жыл бұрын
How many different types of warnings (horn/hooter/whistle) does the driver have at his disposal? The one used near Edenbridge Town Station sounded like a moody cow.
@hastingsdiesels5 жыл бұрын
There's the horn, with a high note and a low note (in musical terms they're only one tone apart); and there's a whistle (as originally fitted to these units). I know one of the horns on one end of our train tends not to 'speak' very well, and that's what you're hearing there I think.
@geraldabbott86403 жыл бұрын
Junctions to old places needs to be made clear.
@cactuspharmer6 жыл бұрын
Don't railways look nicer and impact less on the surrounding countryside without OLE and D.C. third rail power supplies.
@fetchstixRHD6 жыл бұрын
I can get the point about OHE, but conductor rails? I don't see how the conductor rail makes any significant visual impact, even when looking at the tracks.
@runlarryrun775 жыл бұрын
@@fetchstixRHD Less destruction of trees & bushes next to the line. If there's no third rail fallen leaves are much less of an issue as you don't have to worry about electrical conductivity.
@Mortimer501453 жыл бұрын
@@runlarryrun77 I don't mind third rail: the visual impact of that is negligible, except at track level. But OHLE, expecially the heavy-handed overdose-on-steel-supports approach on the GW Main Line, is very ugly. Is electrical conductivity the main problem that leaves on the line causes? I thought it was wheel adhesion which was the reason that bushes are kept clear - and leaves will cause wheel-slip on 3rd-rail, OHLE and diesel. very unsightly
@asb29588 жыл бұрын
it would be great to see this line extended back down to lewes but the new A22 bypass crosses over it, similar to the link between pevensey & polegate, they need to put that link back to relieve hampden park, trouble is theres the golden jubilee way built in its path! :(
@nicnak44757 жыл бұрын
And houses now , the land was sold off at auction a few years ago :o(
@KasabianFan444 жыл бұрын
Regarding the Willingdon Chord (Polegate-Stone Cross), yes the original trackbed has sadly been built on. BUT, there is another possible alignment that could be built further south, so that the chord joins the line to Hastings _before_ crossing the A22! There’s nothing in the way of constructing this chord so I don’t see why they don’t build it
@geoffbarry95408 жыл бұрын
Amazing. Just went through 22.00 and the defunct up track that is shown on the Video 125 Thumper DVD is still there...ah what it is to have (taxpayers') money...
@geoffbarry95408 жыл бұрын
Oh, and one last thing, having been reminded of what Uckfield looks like and the nature of the road that crosses beyond the railway... you've got no chance of ever putting back the level crossing that's been taken out and there's no way you could easily bridge a renewed railway at this point...
@davidcocklin21093 жыл бұрын
Really could be a nice line. instead to be met with drab station at the end.
@barrythedieselelectricstea52172 жыл бұрын
this line is not like it used to be i hope one day it is reopened throughout and double tracked 🤞this line should have never been closed