KINGS CROSS to WELWYN Great Northern lineside & steam train ride 1961

[@ianburnett7333]

Mrs Snowdon, does the most wonderful job narration.

[@michaelberg9656]

Very nostalgic footage, thank you. Around this time I would often go home from school, from Harringay West to Wood Green. If I got out of school early, I could run down to Harringay West and see the Flying Scotsman headed for Kings Cross at about 4pm.

[@michaelbean4922]

Great to see again the steam action on the ECML. Living in Peterborough I saw all these locos power through at various train spotting locations along the main line between 1958 and 1963. I copped all but three of the A4's and most of the A3's, A1's and A2's. It was always a bit of a let down when a filthy WD or a 9F trundled by!! I'd love to see one now!

[@swyddfabost]

Wonderful scenes and action taken about the time that I was train spotting at WGC and my bike used to take me occasionally to Hatfield or Welwyn North. A trip to Kings Cross was a real treat!

[@philippankhurst6680]

Thrilling, priceless footage of a bygone age.. Plenty of trains rushing past, but lots of operational details, as if Alan realised that all of this would soon be gone forever. I feel immense pity for the 6 who didn't like it.

[@wolfgangkrebl3056]

Fully agreed. I cannot imagine that somebody doesn't admire those living and gorgeous machines. Sad that they are all gone by now.

[@SimonPJohnson]

Great video. My grandfather worked at Standard Telephone & Cables for 49 years.

[@andrewbenham842]

Cemetery sign at 5:52 reminds us that there used to be a burial service from Kings Cross to a dedicated platform serving the Great Northern Cemetery (since renamed New Southgate Cemetery). Remains of the platform were still visible when I worked at STC in the 1980s.

[@jdavis460]

Lovely film brings back memories of when I started on the footplate at Kings Cross in 1970 much of the signalling was still as shown here.

[@likklej8]

I as a train spotter used to climb through the coal docks to get into Kings Cross sheds, if you tried the main gate, so childhood commando climbing coal and walls to “do” the shed. Once inside Supervisors and staff made spotters welcome. Dirty coal dusty school boys with our Ian Allan combined volumes in duffel bags. Great commentary cheers.

[@patricialockhart2135]

Fantastic footage, wonderful seeing railways powered by steam. All that steam traction yet within 6 years of 1961 steam was finished.

[@soundnicetome]

Thank you for posting this fantastic piece of railway history. New Barnet was my stomping ground back in the early sixties,ans spent literally hundreds of hours watching these giant monsters pass by? Ian Alan book in one`s hand,was a schoolboys dream come true. Im now in my 70`s but still yearn for those years back then,when the pace of life was a happy one,and our country was the envy of the world,including our once `steam` railway. After all these years ,I am still so very angry at the past politicians,whose only interest was destroying everything,in order to gain `profit` and greed. It would appear the lunatics were,and still are running the asylum today.

[@TPEsprit]

I just wonder, can you remember the Wesleyan church there? It's a little confusing, as I understand there was also a Baptist church which was also demolished (circa 1982) to give rise to new flats... but the one in the archive film here at New Barnet appears to be the Wesleyan church.

[@gran76]

Wonderful! Took me back to 1950s and train spotting at Doncaster.

[@johnmay2786]

Thoroughly enjoyable! At around 16:50 there is a good view of the lattice work footbridge at Hatfield, where I spent many a happy hour in the late '50s after cycling over from St.Albans. I used to buy Callard & Bowser's Butterscotch at an old style sweet shop just off the bridge. These Gresley pacifics seemed so exotic to my young eyes compared to my normal fare of Jubilees. Wonderful memories - thankyou.

[@flippop101]

A fantastic piece of film. Greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Thank you.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

Thanks Philip, recommending your rail channel to my viewers kzbin.info

[@flippop101]

@@AlanSnowdonArchive thank you very much, I hope someone enjoys my live steam vids!

[@flippop101]

@@AlanSnowdonArchive very much appreciated, many thanks 🙏

[@wildswan60021]

Wonderful! Always pleased to see ECML steam, especially my favourite A4 60021 Wild Swan. And those shots of 60015 overhauling a slow train-priceless! Thanks for posting

[@kenclarke1952]

I was there! Used to be a trainspoter at Potters Bar tunnel.

[@TPEsprit]

An excellent record of steam from those days! I can't help but wonder if that is in fact 92170 at 9:31. I really wanted to mention the super views at New Barnet. I'm not quite 100% certain but believe that appears to be the Wesleyan Methodist Church at New Barnet. A historic and irreplaceable record of the building, as I gather it was demolished in 1963 due to structural problems. Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful and special record of a bygone age.

[@2waterlook]

at 14/15yrs old it was a thrill to see a Deltic at WGC, not so much the diesel railcars.

[@nickwass9700]

I remember this section from KX to Hatfield so well when all of this was filmed. And there is Hatfield where we lived then. Wow!

[@michaelhampton9493]

This is a great video. Nice to see the variety of locos that were used

[@paulhayward6723]

Every team precious...the bridge new Barnet...glorious 9F....so sad ending...good ol tea...old England...paulv

[@elrjames7799]

Love the narrator's voice.

[@tomwalsh2244]

These videos are simply beautiful!

[@johnbirkin89WS]

A superb feast of LNER (ECML) viewing! Looked like steam was still in a golden age here.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

But if you worked on the preperation and disposal of dirty steam engines - you might take a different view. As did many travellers who avioded using dirty steam trains as much as they could, So our railways had become underused and very unprofitable - so very many lines were closed. Golden Age - NOT AT ALL, for most of the Uk population.

[@johnbirkin89WS]

Yes, point taken entirely. I suppose I was just acting out the role of a 14 year-old trainspotter, which I was in 1960, born and bred in Loughborough, but going on trips to Derby, Crewe, Rugby and Grantham. My memory goes back to A3s on the GC, near our house, tank engines on the LMS local passengers between Leicester and Nottingham (before the days of DMUs) and the whole fleet of Beyer-Garratts, before the days of the Standard 9Fs and before the local Brush works started producing the class 31s. The first loco I ever spotted, on a walk with my mother, was Jubilee Bellerophon dashing through Loughborough LMS.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

I'm sorry to say I only had one ride on the Great Central route - Nottingham to Marylebone - when I was returning home from a Canal Holiday, back in the early '60s, or maybe it was in the late '50s. I really remember litle about now, it was so long ago, But better once than never, I'd say.😉

[@bianchikat]

fabulous footage! Great to see those steam engine going at it. Sadly I only ever saw Pacifics at Kings Cross, tho memorably was allowed to cab 60034 Lord Faringdon, boy, it was hot in the cab! Lovely to see 60015 Quicksilver overtake the cameraman, my favourite A4 and i did see two A2's at King's Cross.

[@Chucklesrailarchive]

Still recognise a lot of the signals and locations from when I started on the footplate at Kings Cross in 1970.

[@Simonize41]

I hate to correct your lovely wife as I love your videos, but the diesel mentioned early on in this video later became the Class 31, not 27. Thank you for publishing these gems of yours. I hope there will be more to come, in time. :)

[@jeffreyhodge5564]

Hello Alan thank you for all of your films that you have posted on u tube Between 1959 to 1963 I spent all my holidays ,Saturday and Sunday's at new Southgate staring through the wire mesh at the side of the line opposite the station ,also trips up to kings cross station and Hadley wood the great northern mainline is wonderfull, what infrastructure involved then also a significant lack of weeds.i was fortunate enough to move to Sunderland in 1964 so after the end of steam out.of kings cross a trip to Gateshead,heat on and various other depots was a rerun of earlier days once again thanks for sharing this memory my youngest son is a guard for east coast and cannot believe the complexity of tracks!

[@michaeltaylor3358]

This is a beautiful video. I love your videos. The ladies voice fits in beautifully with the footage. Keep them coming!

[@williamsmith9507]

May I say how welcome a female voice is in this context. A very clear voice as well. Great shots.

[@DeafIaint]

A truly wonderful bit of history , very well videoed. A shame the majority of locos weren't kept clean.

[@pilky7]

@@DeafIaint that’s BR for you

[@tangerinedream7211]

Not only was the film costs a limiting factor, cameras for hobbyists were clockwork as well, limiting the shots before rewinding.

[@willr90]

The V2 at 10:29 appears to be class pioneer Green Arrow, as it has straight nameplates mounted to the smokebox sides (which were only carried by this particular example, all the seven other named V2s had their names mounted above the centre driving wheels on curved plates).

[@kevmorrison6323]

Yet more amazing colour footage, with nice female narration. Oh I am still trying to get my time machine to work !

[@jimbegin6554]

Epic! Thanks Alan & Heather.

[@DarkSide-nt7fo]

The A4 at 9:53 is 60017 Silver Fox, you can tell by it's iconic silver emblem.

[@marsvltor2]

Gorgeous footage... Just wish it was a wee bit later to see a sight of one of the Kylchap V2s, but then - things were rather sad by then.

[@1987VCRProductions]

1:24 My guess is that this is actually 60027 Merlin again. It had similar plaques on its streamlined casing (depicting a merlin) and when seen earlier backing onto its train it already had the headboard on for the named train.

[@wildswan60021]

A couple of points. l believe that the engine on the down Elizabethan at Finsbury Park is not Mallard but Merlin. As the cameraman leaves The Cross we see 27 backing on to her train. Assuming our cameraman got off the local at Finsbury Park, then it is Merlin. Merlin was fitted with a streamlined tender, as in the film, whereas l think l'm right in saying Mallard was equipped with a 1928 beaded tender. It looks like the Saturday Elizabethan (extra coach at the down end) and l believe Haymarket worked the down train on Saturdays. The L1 is working the ECS of the Aberdonian.. Each time l watch the film there's more to enjoy!.

[@phil3380]

With regards to that somersault signal. The still exist and are in use at Wansford station on the Nene Valley RW

[@andrewsewell9179]

Lovely stuff

[@alandavidpryce5459]

This is so familiar to the 11 year old from Baldock !

[@NightHeronProduction]

The A4 visible from 13:20 to 13:28 is 60028 Sea Eagle, its number is visible and readable for one frame at 13:25

[@JR-SCOOT]

Well spotted - but its name is Walter K Whigham. Sea Eagle is an A1 class No. 60139.

[@NightHeronProduction]

Oh you're right, I just double checked and yeah thats defiantly the A4' in question's name-sorry- I was cross checking the cab numbers with their loco name's on a site that listed them. I must have misread it, didn't think to look into it further knowing there a whole production line of A4's named after birds Bittern, Mallard ect. Anyway thanks for pointing that out! :)

[@JR-SCOOT]

No problem. Thanks for posting a superb video, an excellent record of my favourite steam engines running between the Cross and Welwyn Viaduct. I now live near Welwyn, I wish I had been here in the 50/60s.

[@steveking8932]

A pedant notes that the reference to a Class 27 diesel should have been to a Class 31 though, in any case, such terminology wasn't used at the time.

[@class87fan54]

Some great footage of the GN Mainline at the beginning of the end of East Coast steam. A few factual errors though. At 4:26 that's an A3, not a V2. You can tell by the Great Northern tender and splashers. Also, although the captions say A2's appear, I'd say they're actually A1's, as A2's manly worked in the North East and Scotland. Still great footage, though.

[@petersmith4058]

I lived at Potters Bar from 1955 to 1972 and I saw all of the A2's here spotting by the lineside so it's very likely A2's were seen on the film. It wasn't easy to spot the difference at speed until it got very close, unlike the A3 and V2 which had completely different exhaust sounds. Great film I wish I had had a cine camera instaed of my 'Brownie' 127 .

[@petermartin7350]

Serious proposals for getting rid of the Welwyn bottle-neck were being considered around the year 2000, only to be abandoned overnight when the financial implications of the Hatfield crash in 2001 became clear.

[@alfredscoggins3206]

Hello Alan - I hope you have already but you do realise that these films should be lodged with the National Railway Museum? They're a wonderful record, not only of the trains and railways but the local scenery of that time - and they're in colour. They should be stored and preserved, no question about it. If you haven't already, I do hope you consider it. Thanks.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

I'm delighted with your reaction to this film I shot as a young man, BUT several years ago, long before the internet existed, I DID contact the NRM - they just weren't interested. However, now that KZbin exists, it allows a much greater, even WORLDWIDE audience. I've had some response from t'other side of the world !

[@bertspeggly4428]

Is it possible to digitally enhance these videos with AI? These are priceless archives.

[@Rog5446]

I haven't checked all the comments, but that was indeed Mallard at 1:25 The 9F at 9:00 must have been in bad shape for the driver to say that 16 on (empty) was too much, a 9F in average condition would have creamed that load.

[@paullubliner6221]

I enjoyed this more with a play back speed of .75 a it permitted this old skull to better absorb the passing material. Also the lovely woman announcer sounded a bit inebriated making it all the more enjoyable. That's 60027 Merlin again at 1:29, and not that duck one.

[@andrewpaiva920]

What is the name of this documentary?

[@philnewcomers9170]

because it was the GreatNorthenMainLineto your question east coast main line

[@PerthMRC]

Despite my main interest being the BR blue period of the 80s, who can fail to enjoy this film of big express steam trains. As has been commented already the diesel is a Class 31 and not a Class 27. To be fair i think 27s or BRCW Type 2s If you prefer did start their life around the London area. It is a pity that as was the normal at the time we don’t often get to see the full train passing the camera, I guess the cost of film in those days probably prohibited most from filming the full train which we are used to now.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

Quite right, thanks and you have an interesting rail channel too that my viewers would enjoy kzbin.infovideos ... good to cross promote

[@xerxesQarquebus]

``Eliminating the bottleneck [at Digswell and north] would be an horrendous expense.'' Yes but a rounding error compared to HS2.

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

There's always the Hertford Loop to use as a by-pass, when the Engineer needs posession of Digswell Viaduct, or of one or both tunnels. And at weekends, it DOES happen.

[@TheDAT9]

I was 13, in 1961, and starting to notice girls.

[@thebignoob1569]

3:46 looks like 60027 Merlin 13:25 is 60028 Walter K Whigham

[@likklej8]

Off to Hitchin or Cambridge Sheds in those lovely Gresley teak coaches from Hatfield early 60s train spotting. Mums sandwiches Ian Allan book and a Jubbly drink in my duffle bag.

[@mickcarr9632]

The class 27 identified is a class 31

[@wolfgangkrebl3056]

Sometimes i wonder why had to trade those marvelous and living machines against the mostly boring and soulless e-locos and diesel. Life was slower and more intense in those days. Nowadays all has to be perfectly clean and fast paced. Of course, the railroadmen had a much harder job then, but i think most of them had a more intense relationship to their machines and jobs. I wish i had a time machine....

[@stevewyman2822]

so was Potters Bar...only 2 Track at one time then...??

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

Yes it was 2 tracks only from Greenwood box north of New Barnet, through 3 tunnels including Hadley Wood and Potters Bar stations, to just north of the latter.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Change the commentator please. Women don't know anything about locomotives!

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

I write the commentary, my wife reads it. Her speaking voice is very much better than mine.

[@piggynice-06]

12:50 is 61379 Mayflower

[@yoville73]

Um... isn’t Mayflower 61306 now? Or was 61379 the old Mayflower

[@piggynice-06]

Connor Murphy 61379 was the original Mayflower. It was scrapped, but the nameplates were fitted on to 61306.

[@yoville73]

Oh... I get it now! Mayflower was 61379 before the original engine was scrapped in the 60’s but the name plates were recovered and fitted to 61306

[@piggynice-06]

Yes that is correct!

[@adrianpeters2413]

Pam Ayres anyone!!!....wheels on steam engines, seem to allways to being going round and round,faster than the speed of steam engine?!?!

[@andrewmurray5542]

Must be a trick. I thought the world was black and white in those days. Colour wasn't invented until much later.

[@ferryman4520]

It was wonderful but it was, on the whole, shabby

[@andrewpaiva920]

What is the name of this documentary?

[@AlanSnowdonArchive]

Cine edit was entitled 'Great Northern main line steam'. Here entitled slightly differently to help viewers search/find the youtube version.