London to Brighton Speed Run 11/9/05

Fastest ever train from London Bridge to Brighton recorded by Video 125 cameras on 11th September 2005. Southern Railway ran the train for charity, with 300 passengers on board the class 377 (no 472) EMU. Network Rail held other trains as necessary to give the record breaker green signals all the way. A few of the speed restrictions were eased as well as the grids in Brighton station itself. Driver Peter Mantel had carried out two practice runs and made precise notes as to where to accelerate and where to brake. Accompanied by an Inspector and Video125 cameraman in the cab, this is the entire run shown in real time. Sit back and enjoy the experience. To see the journey in the opposite direction in normal service, go to our website: video125.co.uk and search for Connex Express.

[@video125com]

How can something be boring if you don't watch it? If you DID watch it, in spite of being bored, then that is not our fault. You should have stopped watching it so that you did not get bored.

[@mnic1234]

video125co Automatic Boredom Protection or ABP for short

[@pega17pl]

+video125co Same people being bored when looking into mirror.

[@blokeyos4733]

or, play it with 2x speed! more fun than you might think.

[@oforid2227]

+video125co what is this supposed to mean

[@blokeyos4733]

dont watch it if you dont like it easy

[@wallysmith9162]

It's pretty cool to be sitting on my couch in America and riding the rail in England.

[@Scotford_Maconochie]

The route from London Bridge to Brighton has changed beyond recognition since the Thameslink programme.

[@memediatek]

​@JMTrainspotting​ Southern have two routes to Croydon. One is via the East London Line and Norwood Junction which is what Thameslink takes. The other primary route is via Tulse Hill and Selhurst which doesn't call at Clapham Junction.

[@euronick61]

It's not boring .. I love this sort of stuff, especially when I know the route

[@bibsteenson]

Was this the last time a Southern train arrived on time!!

[@tescolemonbleach2367]

bibsteenson The last time a Southern train arrived -on time-

[@AlonsoRules]

the first and only time

[@andrewrcmadwilkinson6999]

@@tescolemonbleach2367 LMAO

[@WCML730]

But they do though

[@MarkAJAgi]

It didn't arrive on time. The driver sad it arrived a few seconds early.

[@Robbi496]

Even if the only went 80-85mph, it is fascinating to watch the driver work!

[@penelope8557]

Huh? Watch the driver what?

[@blueb0g]

@@penelope8557 Work--that thing where you do a job for your employer and they pay you money

[@HenrysAdventures]

I've been watching this since 2005 when it came on a free DVD with The Railway Magazine, it still enjoy watching it each time!

[@thisiszaphod]

Kudos to all involved, especially driver Peter Mantel.

[@WolfieRich1]

His route knowledge is terrific

[@BrucexfromxCanada]

Finally, at thre end we see the face of that very happy driver! He has the same type of concentration in motion that I had in the 42 years and some 1 million Km. I had on the raos in my working and driving days. (I was doing industrial electronic field service, but I also did a lot of other driving in Canada and the U.S. Now retired at age 71, I can watch all the rest!.).

[@freddymarcel-marcum6831]

Well done.

[@klbird]

What fun the Brits have with their Railways!

[@onetrain7336]

Ken Bird WOOP

[@strafrag1]

@@owen1994 Congrats on that!

[@AlbertBolink]

Ik ben geboren op 17/02/1949 en het 1e wat ik wist dat mijn opa ( die bij ons inwoonde ) een ouderwetse HC was. Wat heeft deze man mij veel treinen van binnen en buiten laten zien. En ik kan nog elke dag via youtube van elke treinenvideo genieten!

[@jimholder6656]

Outstanding! What a great ride! What impressive expertise!

[@guidepost42]

Great video. Totally enjoyable. These guys really know their stuff.

[@MarkHenstridge]

Could never see that sort of an event happen in my home state "Adelaide" ,South Australia. Well done,far from boring indeed.

[@Cymbelin]

Really enjoyed that...Nostalgic. Made that trip fifty-odd years ago. It's amazing what comes back. I still remember the feel of the seats. Thank you.

[@gepaandrade]

Route recording has been made with zoom linked, which prevents the true image speed which the driver sees.

[@thebuffalodude]

Driving a train is intense. I've been operating light rail in Calgary for almost 10 years with out incident. When things go wrong like break downs or accidents that's the true test and experience comes in as an operator. Great video...I hope to visit the U.K one Day!

[@hj-mr5gg]

thebuffalodude I want to be a train driver when I'm old enough to get a job :)

[@jimbradley7904]

Despite the title, this video is more interesting that it is exciting. Passengers on that special should all watch this to understand why the run takes the time it does.

[@elrjames7799]

I love the Southern Railway: these people are really railway oriented and passenger focused.

[@strafrag1]

Loved this video. Congrats and thanks for the ride along.

[@tomtalk24]

I see Connex. This must be back when Southern Rail actually ran trains. Brighton man!

[@carelessdriversuk2437]

great onboard footage video 125 :) amazing to see how fast you can get to the coast from central London!

[@Dkentflyer]

Great video thankyou for sharing and well done to Peter

[@philipstanbridge6535]

The driver manager in the cab with Peter is Roger Norfolk. He later starred as the driver of Flying Scotsman in the footplate film made on the Severn Valley Railway. He didn’t reach 100 mph on that occasion.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Great Video! Thanks!

[@hmahaux]

Great run Well done Peter :)

[@AlfaRomeo128]

so excited to see a driver' view through my northern line south extension to belcombe

[@EASYTIGER10]

This was a bit slow wasn't it? I've seen other vids where it was done in about 4 minutes.

[@gwr5029]

Those vids were 'speeded' up renditions. This one was done in 'real time'.

[@peterdean8009]

Pipper Dickens You know, I do believe easytiger was joking.

[@MeesterMichelM]

@@gwr5029 Whoosh

[@southernrailwayfan67southe78]

That’s time lapse

[@bluberianfederation5413]

Ah yes the hyperdrive Class trains.

[@ralphdadge302]

great video, love the commentary from the driver,

[@donthitmeimwoozy]

Pretty sure he is under instruction to be more verbal with his intentions to avoid any potential mismanagement of the train, given that critical safety systems would have been disengaged or bypassed to allow the overspeeding, good crew.

[@WCML730]

@@donthitmeimwoozy he's been working on the railway for many years

[@kimvibk9242]

Great video, thanks! Now I am going to transcribe the driver's notes and see if I can recreate the run in Train Simulator...!

[@markheelis]

Did you ever manage to do it?

[@kimvibk9242]

@@markheelis I tried, failed and moved on. But maybe it is time for a rerun...

[@davidrobins7360]

It's not really that far from London to Brighton (43 miles in a straight line, but obviously slightly further on the train), and at 100mph you're doing a mile every 36 seconds, but I followed the train's progress on a road atlas, and it's still amazing how quickly it seems to eat up the distance. Just shows how fast railway transport could be if trains were non-stop, no red lights, etc. (not to mention the wrong type of snow...).

[@VanillaV4]

No one cares about miles in britain

[@VanillaV4]

and not ot mection the wrong type of measurement

[@t9warrior]

@@VanillaV4 You sure about that?

[@VanillaV4]

@@t9warrior no

[@Scotford_Maconochie]

1953: Four minutes later we're on the platform in Brighton having covered 51 miles faster than sound at an average speed of 765 miles per hour.

[@QwertyScream]

That was sped up. This is real time

[@Bluffdemon]

excellent video , thanks for this :-)

[@benkay8295]

How London Bridge has changed!!

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, British trains were travelling this fast. When my Grandfather emigrated from England to Canada, he was appalled how slow Canadian trains generally were by comparison, although by the 1930's many mainline trains were travelling this fast. Sadly, they don't run this fast any more and most of the passenger service is gone now anyway.

[@IainG81]

Great video, I used to go to Eastbourne every week when at school so I know that stretch of track well. As far as Wivelsfeild anyway.

[@nicholasleigh9108]

Good to seeing this video again I enjoyed it the first time were I saw this video it was fantastic to watch this video again.

[@TheGrumpyEnglishman]

So was it good seeing it again or fantastic?

[@michaelcook577]

I was lucky to be onboard for this run

[@MsStephaniegirl]

TOTALY AWESOME!!

[@markryan2384]

Love watching these 💯💯💯💯👍

[@tonyp011]

great run and congratulation to peter

[@jackharrison6771]

A great video ; and skill from Driver Peter. I'd consider it a pleasure to have my train/s held, to allow this kind of run. Well done also, the to camera operator and 377-472, for pulling her skirt up, and doing it.

[@falconoilcompany]

Superb, I really enjoyed it.

[@anthonyglee1710]

The Victorian’s really knew how to build our railways, quite incredible considering it was sweat and graft.

[@eswnl1]

They invented everything and other countries came along and found a way of doing it better.

[@hathawayalfred6084]

Great work.

[@donthitmeimwoozy]

377 really is a performer.

[@andrewholloway231]

I enjoyed that. Superb.

[@alechocolate1790]

Adorei! Espero um dia poder fazer uma viagem dessa. top

[@trainmaniacstudios8216]

Its a shame this was taken a couple of months after the last 411's and 205's had been withdrawn. it would've made this video so much cooler. Apart from a nice video :)

[@MalcolmMarshall57]

made a nice change to see it from the driver's point of view use to do that regularly in 04/05

[@simonal1989]

Fantastic!

[@Mortimer50145]

I wonder if train companies nowadays would be happy to show the driver operating the controls, or whether "for safety and security reasons" the only footage allowed would be from an unmanned camera showing only the track ahead and not the driver and his controls. I get the impression that Don Coffey's excellent videos have to comply with this restriction.

[@video125com]

not at all. If the train company has authorised the filming then the driver can be filmed. This is an essential part of a driver’s eye view.

[@beagle7622]

Makes me want to get on an Aeroplane this afternoon, oh well will have to wait a while due to the virus. I have an attachment to the UK due to my family but I love the place I have been there a few times from Australia.

[@dfcvda]

very cool. Love to see a London to Lewes.

[@_Rhort]

Master level driver!

[@PEPEMUFAN]

Excellant Video once again 10/10:), fully enjoyed this Drivers Eye View Cab Ride must of been quite an achievement at the time to reach Brighton Train Station for that number of Minutes, is this on Blueray Version at all aswell?:)

[@trevorwright6165]

great ride thank you and well done to you

[@mikecimerian6913]

Love the ride. If you want to see an airplane on tracks, the TGV speed record is quite wild.

[@valtrus901]

Beautiful run.......

[@Jesuis-qe8ql]

saludos desde mexico, bien recorrido del tren

[@grahambrown5013]

It amazes me that some bonehead watches this for 40 minutes and then decides that they don't like it.

[@NSE465]

Ikr. Why did they bother? I personally enjoyed it. 40 mins of lockdown well spent

[@MatthewK421]

Starting to watch it now, I highly doubt I won’t like it

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Be nice if all London - Brighton trains were this spot on!

[@soundseeker63]

Watching, it all looks totally serene and uneventful. The driver's commentary really makes it! You forget how much there is involved in driving a train! The speed doesn't seem like anything special but I supposed considering SR still uses power and signalling equipment tech that dates back to the 1920s its not bad!

[@ds1868]

Speed is restricted by the third rail. The shoes which pick up the power begin to lose adhesion from around 105mph. So 100mph is the maximum allowed.

[@7APT7]

may be 6 years old but still worth watch, 👍LIKED👍 and 🔔 Subscribed 🔔

[@Theduke71000]

Very interesting. So 2 x Class 377/4 units (8 vehicles) weighing 347.2 tons (plus passengers) and having a combined 12 powered axles with 3,200hp travelled the 50.5 miles London Bridge to Brighton in a record time of 36mins 56 secs giving an average 70.57mph in September 2005. However in 1992 a 4CIG/4BEP/4CIG (12 car formation) having also 12 powered axles but only 3,000hp and a much greater weight of 468.8tons + passengers, travelled on a normal up Sunday Portsmouth express service, the 30.25 miles from Guildford (standing start) non-stop to Waterloo (including reduction to 55mph for Woking Junction) in 20mins 40 secs for an average speed of 75.55mph !!!! The train was 9mins 20secs early by the regular weekday timetable and 19mins 20secs early by the extended Sunday allowance. It also beat a previous record held by a 4REP+8TC formation on a special, which did the journey in 24mins 30secs, at Christmas 1981. (The CIG/BEP/CIG formation were "Greyhound" units, meaning the last bank of resistors had been bypassed in full weak field). Although officially limited to 90mph, they were recorded on numerous occasions at over 100mph. As were the 4REP+TC formations. As these old, now scrapped slam door units used a lot less juice, (so were greener!) were cheaper to build, and operate, with reliability records of over 300,000 miles between faults. Unlike the class 377's which will be lucky if they ever achieve 100,000 miles between faults, this may help explain why ticket prices in Britain, since privatisation, are now some of the most expensive rail fares in the World. And as for BR tea and sandwiches, at least we had Buffet cars.

[@daveb0789]

That's not a fair comparison - they are on different routes. If the slam doors were on the same route they would have no chance of getting near that record.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

Sadly, a number of people on the platforms were deafened by the train's sonic boom.

[@mikeangelo6667]

Love it!

[@robertkeech9480]

i can't imagine the joy for the people that have partied throughout the night.

[@video125com]

Hear hear.

[@dinshawmuncherjee5123]

Good going, but you do recall that that Great Britain held the speed record in 1938 when the Pacific A4 'Mallard' hauling 7 coaches, clocked 125 mph Official record, but touched 126!! and that too under STEAM!! Those Glorious days of British Rail

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

That steam record still stands.

[@memediatek]

Remember this is a third rail route, and the train has better performance overall compared to steam thanks to higher acceleration and braking

[@yamahonkawazuki]

handled it like a true professional

[@amelierenoncule]

As youngsters in Ireland, we always loved it when the trains passed by at a leisurely rate, as it provided us a great chance to bounce a few ripe tomatoes off some of the pork-pie-faced blokes who stuck their mugs out the window/door openings. Mon Dieu, what fun. ESPECIALLY if they were holding a pint a' bitters that they then dropped! Ho-Ho-Ho!...as Monsieur Santa would say.

[@merledoughty5787]

Waching this video I turned on the closed caption thing well what a laugh. I am from New Zealand and we have travelled that line a few times from Eastbourne, it would have been interesting if this could have been captioned by you guys showing the stations you go through. I thought that CLayton Tunnel had a home on top of it instead of the turret castle things. Anywa I enjoyed spending time watching this video so there are 5 tunnels on that line what is the longest? I remember that viaduct but again missed the name, I think it crosses the river Ouse. Agaian many thanks and we look forward to returning to the UK later this year and of course our trips up to London or across to Brighton

[@Hrodn]

Strangely mesmerising.

[@Salmagundiii]

Cool video. Too bad there weren't HD camcorders back then. I was following along on google maps - I hadn't realized such a long tunnel would be necessary to (I believe) cross under the North Downs.

[@tonygore6056]

very good 😀😁 thanks ✔✔✔✔

[@chittagong1234]

Fantastic...

[@dawnslater1065]

Much nicer ride going through the countryside as opposed to the light rail traveling through the cities.

[@iman2341]

Is it just me or does the railway look in a lot better shape now than it did 12 years ago. A lot of new stations, structures and trains and just generally cleaner.

[@Passengervehicles]

Very nice !

[@Tinsby]

Thanks a lot I really enjoyed this cab ride puts me in mind of the Amtrak Metroliners I worked with years ago. They used overhead catenary 11.000 VAC 25 cycle, unlike your third rail. I have to say i was surprised to see 3rd rail in use for such long stretches, I mistakenly think of it only being used by subways in the US. Cheers and thanks for the ride... Peter, doesn't that alerter drive you mad? We had the same thing.

[@akarouge]

Southern England uses either third rail or no electrification at all. It's too costly to upgrade. Also, the alerter is called AWS

[@infinitebrafit6282]

Ene kidoshino and DSD because he was above the speed limit

[@petermantell1958]

Aws (advanced warning system) we call it, you do get used to it!

[@johnfromengland2620]

The Long Island Railroad uses 3rd rail.

[@memediatek]

​@@infinitebrafit6282dsd isn't about being above the speed limit. It's a check to make sure the driver is awake

[@jakebutt3296]

lovely to see a speed run. would be nice to see a bullied pacific doing that speed

[@robertclare6137]

Just seen this! As an Ex Driver at Effingham Jct, Guildford, Salisbury and Bournemouth, You can say "Ive done that" Full.marks to the Driver in this video

[@brianbrown826]

2021, first time I've seen this. Very interesting to watch. We are lucky our forefathers had the sense to build the railways, I suspect there was some opposition but look what we have now. People these days moaning about HS2 but once it's done and grows in, it'll be fine.

[@hostile177]

Well that was fun.

[@lohphat]

Beautiful edifice at 34:36 -- pity the passengers have no idea about it.

[@tomlynch6176]

11 Years ago... :O

[@TheGrumpyEnglishman]

Almost 18 years ago now!

[@tonygore6056]

very nice ✔✔😀 thanks

[@Goodchappy]

I enjoyed this. I felt like I was there. Last time I traveled by train on that route it took a few hours due to signalling problems :-(

[@anairivera5979]

Dejen siempre la cámara hacia el frente pues hay un paisaje muy bonito y uno se lo pierde

[@video125com]

That would have been either a youtube problem or your computer. At least we can understand what you meant. Thanks for explanation. Hopefully it will correct itself.

[@BNforever2009]

good video!!!

[@G0IMB]

If the LB&SCR 6.7KV OHLE had been the standard, I'd bet this train would be a sight faster.

[@ericjamieson]

Yeah the worldwide speed record for 3rd rail electrification is only 108 mph. And you can see how this train struggles to get up to 100.

[@michaelperrin2531]

A nice Sunday day out too Brighton

[@ucoldplay2]

What i like about this video is the cooperation between the driver/engineer and the person behind about speedrestrictions. It is like a rallydriver and the co-pilot. I would however like to see in the screen the name of the station the train driving through. Was it a diesel- or 3rd railtrain? Most important; lots of footage of what is (and was) in front of the train. Most excellent video. If you consider that in normal service, it takes about 1 hour to reach Brighton.

[@CheesyGiant]

It's a 377 Electrostar, which is a 3rd rail train. It is the main train used throughout the Southern network, hence I see it a lot.

[@daveb0789]

There was no 'co-pilot' The driver was doing the commentary while driving for the camera man lol.

[@daveb0789]

TDRREVENGE 1) I don't believe the driver managed (they don't have inspectors) was giving any driving advice. He was however keeping an eye on the timings throughout the journey. Oh and by the way I drive this type of train at up to 100 mph every day.

[@daveb0789]

You are right he was an 'inspector' but I meant to write is that they are called 'driver managers'. I didn't see your meridian comment - I think to be honest 100 mph is already pushing it on this route. I don't sign the London to Brighton line but other TS2014 are quite good - unfortunately it's the trains that are simulated - just not quite like the real thing. For example the simulated electrostar accelerates too quick and doesn't brake as well as the real one.

[@grantos3000]

TDR REVENGE TS2014 is pretty accurate to be honest for this route - (well it would be if they weeded the entire track and took all the graffiti/rubbish away!). Not sure how simulator handling is different to real thing though as I have only ever driven trains on the simulator :-(. Simulator seems alot noisier than the real thing aswell, but apart from that, the placement of stations/track etc seems to be fairly spot on.

[@ryguy2006]

Satisfying.

[@TheRealDorran]

36:06 "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is the final stretch of 100 mile an hour."

[@jzjackal3608]

Brighton :)

[@madaboutrains]

Been on a cab ride in that train