Manchester Victoria LONG VERSION

Almost 90 minutes of video shot at Manchester Victoria and Deal Street between 1990 - 1994

[@rickmeyrick4357]

R.I.P. John, you were a through and through RAILWAYMAN, i miss your input of the yesteryears x.

[@Froobyone]

5:47 The guard dancing for the camera, almost as if he knew KZbin would exist some day. Class.

[@i_ident1fy_aZ_A_h4ndle]

RIP John. Thank you for capturing and preserving some great video footage of the our railways that will forever be cemented in history. I have a deep personal connection with Manchester Victoria and the Bury to Victoria line. Since I was just 1 year old i used to visit my grandparents who lived in Whitefield. They had been there over 40 years throughout my fathers life before he married my mother. I used to ride the old style Metrolink trams that i believe came into service around 1992-3. This was the early 2000's and I remember just how wobbly the ride was along the original jointed track. Used to put a huge smile on my face as it was like a rollercoaster ride. My grandfather sadly passed away but I continued Visiting my grandmother who remained in Whitefield for another 6 years. I was in my teens and the Metrolink was going through phase 1 of its "major upgrade" with the roallercoaster jointed track replaced by significantly smoother and quieter welded rail. Me and gran would travel everywhere on the metro. To Bury for the ELR diesel galas in the summer. Or to Victoria to catch a train to Southport for the day out. These were usually either the Northern blue and purple Class 150's, a 156 or (to my delight and my grans disappointment) a bouncy old pacer 142/144. Some of the best summer holidays of my youth revolved around the grotty smelly underground carpark that is Manchester Victoria and I loved every moment of it. Credit also to my trips to Liverpool from Piccadilly on a timeless 158 always a good day out. So thanks again John for making and uploading these videos for the world to enjoy and reminisce in good memories.

[@andrewrichmond5720]

Wow - absolutely priceless gem. Rest in peace, John.

[@ewloe01]

Sad to see what a great station that was! and what its like now! Spent loads of time there in the 80's! The smell of the brewery the clag from the 104's etc! Brilliant vid!

[@burkeredh]

brilliant video, i have never seen what Victoria looked like before the MEN was built above it. The station will look great again, once all the work has been completed next year.

[@aidanB.]

Your vid brought back a lot of happy memories for me. Man Vic was my station from when I started on the railway in 1974. Thank you for posting it.

[@stevewyman2822]

Great video....Lots of 31 's...Nice..!!!., they have always been one of my favorites..!!! :)

[@edwardmortimer2150]

Wow theses were the good old days, I had forgotten what the shed roof looked life and when this was filmed I wasnt even alive, cool vid :)

[@imcadam121]

Superb video. Lots of memories there. I sat my Driver's course in the station buildings back in May '94. Seems like yesterday!

[@grannyjone]

I cant believe how much freight has gone down so much. Looking at how Victoria has been since I first visited in 2000 I would never have thought that just 6 to 8 years previous it was so busy for locos

[@Phil6219]

Magnificent video mate, truly happy days back then.

[@Panarail]

Thanks Phil :o)

[@David330ify]

Another brilliant video John. Brings back some good memories.

[@hohohohoho407]

The Old Manchester Victoria had great Memories, but sadly in 1993 The old Manchester Victoria Railway Station died and a new one was born.

[@sackvillebag]

Smashing video thank you for posting.

[@PNEKarl]

Perfect! Thank you for capturing this. I loved every minute. (And I watched every minute). Took me three days to complete watching. Everything is captured in this video. Loved the mess room clips. My favourite that made it northern life was the bloke at 1:19:28 with his pigeon basket!! Brilliant and thanks again for sharing.

[@justinobrien3593]

I love this video great footage of days gone by! I really miss them days buy a day ranger and have a good mooch about to Bolton stockport Wigan I used to go all over for less than £10 I could have a right good day out! In 2021 it would cost minimum of £30-35 with inflation plus we see no locos nothing loco hauled apart from the class 68's on trans pennine route!!! But todays uk railways are boring! Especially in the Manchester area! If I wanna see any loco's it's a trip to crewe.

[@jf840fourtheloveoftransport]

thank you john for the Manchester Victoria video just think of it was 20 years ago that it all changes from james freeman in oxford

[@StuK323]

Never saw the old station as I wasn't born until 1991. One thing i find strange is the dramatic reduction in platforms. Yes, maybe loose a couple but to lose 8? Suppose it was a decline in rail travel. And here we are 20 years on, They plan to build more platforms for increased capacity. It's going to go pretty much full circle.

[@martinjh999]

The platforms/lines the Bury 504's are on are now the Metrolink to Bury. I guess you are right with the decline in Rail travel though

[@melanierhianna]

The 90s were the low point of rail travel. Now more people use trains than ever...

[@justinobrien3593]

To this day I've never seen any choppers at Manchester Victoria I've seen some at stalybridge 2 pairs 1999-2016 drs livery I love old locos I'm not into modern locos at all! Great video it's like I'm actually there I could see myself stood there lol 😊😊😊

[@limeyfox]

Real shame to see the old layout gradually destroyed, and replaced with something totally inferior. What implications did it have for you as a signaller? Great video record!

[@Panarail]

There were times when the we only had two lines through the station, considering we previously had eight, it was sometimes a struggle. We had lost a lot of our traffic by then (the Blackpool services and the Trans Pennines for example) it did make things easier. However, in my opinion we should never have lost those services. Also, the 6V15 run round (seen in the video) was no longer possible so that train ended up being re-routed via Victoria and Ashton Moss. Adding extra time to the journey of course. Deal Street and Victoria West were great boxes, the demise was sad.

[@limeyfox]

Of course the irony is now that Piccadilly is so congested the plan is for at least some TransPennine traffic to be routed back through Victoria again...

[@angeltransportpjects]

These Were The Days ... Knocks spots off what can be found at this location today!

[@mjradar]

Top video use to enjoy days out on a day ranger man vic was a great station

[@lennze1]

Thanks john for posting these great videos. Its a shame they knocked down old station. leenze1.

[@eliottjeary1492]

first batch of class 150s still going strong today :D

[@geoffbarry9540]

To all who visit to comment. I'm sad to say that John passed away last November (2016). See his upload "Class 504; the end of the line" for details. RIP John E.

[@geoffbarry9540]

Apologies, that should of course be November 2015.

[@Raffles666]

rip john and thanks for the memories ;)

[@DavidFrankal]

I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know who I can contact to ask permission to use some of this footage?

[@geoffbarry9540]

Thanks John, only recently found your site and loved this poignant record of the death of an icon - I won't say re-birth because clearly from others' comments the new station is becoming more and more inadequate. Do you know where I can source a track plan pre-destruction? Was the first edition of the Trackmaps book 4 a good representation? Clearly the second edition is post-"reconstruction", but I won't waste my time searching for a first edition if that's no good. If it's not worth chasing, do you know of any other sources?

[@ewloe01]

Bloody hell! I was on 37414 Hooton to Scarbrough!

[@imcadam121]

ewloe01 I was too!

[@johnwebster3224]

Should Apperley Bridge not be Appley Bridge?

[@K-o-R]

A couple of Sprinters with an unusual livery. Looks like Regional Railways but the stripe is red at the ends of the coaches.

[@K-o-R]

Why is that one little section of track where the Bury EMUs come in so much louder than anything else?

[@pascalomathghamhna4883]

Look at the number of carriages on the Intercity long distance trains. Standard practice before privatisation, not like the sardine tins we have today.

[@playpaulbee]

great to see the school of signalling footage, I was promised a visit there one time and it was cancelled last minute!

[@intercity24]

the station looked so much better then than is does now

[@krnlg]

Of course, because now it's under construction. Wait for it to be finished then make the comparison :p

[@angeltransportpjects]

Add to that how many trains are now forced to wait for platforms outside Manchester Vic compared with pre-rebuild times. I totally agree that the Old Vic was better than what can be found at this location today ...

[@chrisg1947]

***** yeah and with less than half the platforms it used to have, the story of the incredible shrinking station, Rationalisation? what a load of crap!!

[@Raffles666]

I agree.the arena changes made it too clinical . nostalgia ain't what it used to be ;) add to that the metrolink take-over of half the station...

[@geoffedwards-tb4kp]

Raffles666 shit happens,with a pseudonym like Raffles you would know this.

[@EpicLocoFilmsUK]

Hey Pal, I'm wondering, I saw trains heading for bury, did proper trains used to go down the current tram lines before Manchester trams started to run on them? Cheers, ELFUK

[@TheBarnem13]

I know they used to go to Altrincham from Picadilly because I used to use them

[@pascalomathghamhna4883]

Yeah.

[@martinbitter4162]

NSE Stock. How far did they run?

[@jackyboy785]

The death of Victoria on film !!

[@jwrobin21]

Manchester Victimia Station. The only things that are keeping it going it the Metrolink and the fact that it is on the Main LIverpool to East Coast line.

[@stevewyman2822]

ahh...now isn't that absolutely beautiful...that lovely sound of 4498' Mallards..whistle @ 49:22 & 50:02.. Love it.. :)...and may this lovely old machine Ride on forever...

[@Raffles666]

mallard? saw sng and osprey - not mallard - maybe i am too old now ;)

[@Froobyone]

Ah the 90s. The age of the flail. Great footage.

[@Raffles666]

my old regular haunt. remember the tunnel to get to the far platforms? now a bridge of course! seen many a deltic here as a kid. even seen peter waterman on a steam day .

[@Raffles666]

just realised that footage is at the end ... :)

[@mapexblack]

Railways are so dull now. What they have done to Victoria station is a travesty. A cheap plastic greenhouse roof it has now.

[@yorkshiresteve1361]

Agreed but certainly not cheap !

[@ArbitrFIFA]

Спасибо!

[@duxberry1958]

Good old Man Vic

[@class87srule]

Stanier deserved a knighthood just for the 8F (7' 04") . What a beast!

[@BenOfford]

!!!

[@martinbitter4162]

Interesting Transformation

[@888ssss]

Some of the clever edits here i can only describe as being 'artsy fartsy' fit for the creatives in the 'green quarter'....

[@jane-puddles]

That tunel at the start is the tram tunel

[@Raffles666]

tram tunnel?

[@soundseeker63]

All largely unrecogniseable now! Not just the station but the whole area, which is now boxed in from most angles by tall glass-fronted office blocks. The station is now fully electrified. The plaform we came in on is now part of the Metrolink under a big glass bubble. It is certainly a cleaner, brighter and more modern looking place than it was, yet somehow blander and comparitvely soulless. Certainly the diversity of the traction on offer is not what it was in 1990, but then I suppose that applies everywhere. Colourful times on reflection, never to be repeated.

[@johnnyboy3949]

The new station is shocking. Only 4 through platforms meaning less trains and more congestion. If only then built that arena somewhere better. When they let that arena be built they destroyed Victoria station and made sure Manchester and the north will never fully get the train services they need and deserve.

[@J0nnyGT]

Probably on paper a good thing to reduce the size of Victoria then but a long term mistake considering today’s rail traffic.

[@harrymurray2515]

7:03 First steam loco in the video. Your Welcome.

[@aureol40012]

Hellfire!

[@fazeneymar7826]

Mma

[@BestUserNameUK]

Threlfalls Brewery

[@Raffles666]

boddingtons :)

[@MontyCantsin5]

The class 142s truly are dreadful heaps of shite. Enjoyed everything else though!

[@adminelf]

Did that journey so often as a kid. What a rotten state our railways were back then. The generation now really have no idea how crap some stuff was! Great video though. Thank you.

[@richardjellis9186]

They should knock MEN arena down, and reinstate the 'stolen' platforms to their former use. This would be a great start to the Northern Power House connectivity.!🤬!.