BR in the 1980s London Paddington to Reading Cab View On Board a Class 117 DMU in the Summer of 1988

[@cedriclynch]

This is magnificent, you have perfectly captured the sights and sounds of riding in a British Railways first generation DMU.

[@spompey]

Well it was Nick who captured the action....but then he was pretty good....but my thanks go to you for watching....Mark

[@MrDavil43]

Note for modellers: make sure your layout depicts the amount of litter over the track at beginning and end of this journey. And how interesting to see the Reading approaches before the thousands of Buddleia shrubs were planted! What a fascinating film, thanks for posting.

[@spompey]

You're very welcome and the litter must be part of the scenery....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@jeanmcginlay2363]

Not sure buddleia was planted- it self seeds and is often found along railway lines! On the modelling note, the colour and variety of overbridges is worth noting as is the track colour- almost black from diesel engines.

[@Meuw858]

I'm currently working as a shunter at Hayes Tarmac and West Drayton. It's good to see the old yard layouts, which some old of the tracks can still be seen in the undergrowth!

[@spompey]

Many thanks and my sincere best wishes....Mark

[@phwbooth]

Excellent once again, with very good captions. Thanks. Our unified railway, when you could travel by 'any reasonable route'.

[@spompey]

That's true...I once travelled from Farnham to Hastings return via Woking, Havant, Eastbourne, Hastings, Ashford. Charing Cross/Waterloo, Farnham for £ 1.60 Child Return !! Did the same journey last year in reverse formation but had to but 3 separate tickets so I could travel the same route and total cost was £112.00 .....Many thanks and my sincere wishes...Mark

[@paulknightley]

I spent countless hours as a kid in the 80s at Waltham St Lawrence and Twyford, and seeing this brings back happy memories of that! Great stuff!

[@spompey]

You're most welcome Paul and Many thanks......Mark

[@matthewlindsell8641]

Amazing video. Class 117's take me back to such a happy place. Great to see so many beautiful Class 50's speed past as well.

[@spompey]

What great times....Many thanks and best regards....Mark

[@rickmeyrick4357]

Excellent, as a Northern Smalltown Boy the joys of the GWR were always digested with great fondness, and still are !

[@spompey]

Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@stevesumner3580]

Another gem from your chest. Langley Oil terminal, don't see that too often on a clip.

[@spompey]

Many thanks Steve for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@JamesPetts]

This video is fascinating. I grew up along this line at this time and remember all this well. One especially intriguing thing to note, which I well remember, is how much track at this time was still not continuously welded.

[@spompey]

It was a real clickety clack section of track in those days....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@glennleech5421]

I agree, I used to love the clickity clack noise as the train went along, nowadays it's too quiet unless you're going over a set of points etc. I used to love the smoothness of journeys on the good old Intercity 125s, but find it odd how many videos on here show them travelling along so bouncy & bumpy etc?! lol

[@spompey]

@@glennleech5421 Many thanks Glenn....best wishes...Mark

[@stevieb9699]

Excellent film from beginning to end. A historical memory of how it was pre electrics. Many thanks for sharing. All the best...Steve

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and many thanks....Mark

[@ChangesOneTim]

Brilliant reminder of the pre-1992 track layout at Padd and the 1960s MAS generally in WR's London Division. And the speed restrictions on the Reliefs through many stations before tracks/ platforms realigned!

[@spompey]

You are very welcome and many thanks....Mark

[@knottyal2428]

Travelled this route from 1957 to 67. The early years were 61xx class Prairies and compartment non-corridor stock. When DMUs came in, what a treat to sit behind the driver and see the whole route through the front window! Brought back nice memories, thanks.

[@spompey]

You are very welcome and many thanks....you must have some excellent memories....Mark

[@glennleech5421]

Those were the days! Great journeys were had both on these trains from Gatwick to Reading then onto the Valenta powered HSTs or 125s as I called them, I remember the ease at gliding through Didcot Pky at 125MPH but couldn't believe how powerful it felt from the outside at Didcot Pky when at 1 time I was on platform 2 I think and a HST came flying through at 125MPH! it literally made the bench we were sitting on jolt lol!! Then inevitably came in the platform speed restrictions & whatnot, then the day they started replacing the much loved Paxman Valenta engines for the crappy MTU engines!!! But these lovely trains the 117s & the 101s, I used to have an affectionate name for them - ''The Huffa Puffa trains'' (I was a kid at that time) 41 now though & I miss those days! Much love guys x

[@spompey]

You are most welcome Glenn and many thanks...Mark

[@carlteacherman194]

Another excellent video, thank you. On the right approaching Reading marked 'Kennet Sidings' in the video was Earley power station, finally decommissioned in the early 80s. There used to be a bright green RSH 0-4-0 saddle tank no.7058, in use until the mid 70s. We used to strain our eyes to catch a glimpse of it. One day we, urchin teenagers, were right at the front of 117 or similar and the driver slowed down deliberately for a magic moment just as the loco was coming out onto the sidings. This loco is now preserved with the Gwili railway. Happy days!

[@spompey]

Thanks very much Carl for this great memory and info....thank you for your generous comment too....best wishes....Mark

[@midiman25]

This is such a great video. You can almost sit, and watch the entire ride. I remember riding these trains as a kid, and it was great. It is surprising that apart from the line's electrification, not much has changed. The stations are more or less the same and come in the same order lol. What a great video and, good times.

[@spompey]

You're very welcome and many thanks...Mark

[@RailwayManUK]

A great video. I drive this route every day and some of the places on the video are almost unrecognisable today. I'm amazed how much greenery there is between Paddington and West Drayton!

[@spompey]

The Weedkiller did run, but was heavily put away for passenger and other traffic.....Many thanks and best wishes.....Keep up the great work....Mark

[@OlafProt]

The sound of the aws, the noise of the airbrakes, the clicks and bangs, all so familiar. I would’ve travelled on these units from Dorking Deepdene to Guildford daily 1983-86 on the Reading-Tonbridge line, for school and then anytime around that until 1993. I always sat behind the driver if it was the first class bit and he didn’t have blinds down!! Although they were perhaps replaced on that line by 1993 with the dull modern things (165s?)

[@spompey]

Yes those memories...some fond and some not so perhaps.....many thanks....Mark

[@jhclausen]

I travelled on that line in the same era. My grandmother lived in Reigate, so I travelled on the DMUs to visit her. I recall that the Gatwick trains did not stop at Reigate until the mid 1980s. Mainly 101s and 119s but 117s often turned up too. They finished in November 1993.

[@aetcranium]

Some memories there - I remember that staggered platform at West Ealing. I see the Greenford bubble car is in the 'car park' siding at Ealing Broadway, would make it pre-May 88 as the service was extended to Paddington from the May timetable change.

[@spompey]

Aahh now that is interesting....As Nick never recorded the exact dates on his cab videos, but I do know this was 1988 as the EB "car park" was still used at times....Many thanks for the comment and my best regards.....Mark

[@anderson357]

The noise of dmu takes me back. Love it.

[@spompey]

The fumes too....Many thanks....Mark

[@Thunderer0872]

Nice one on the down relief line, I did this one afternoon on an NSE day don't why as I like Class 50's but it was great seeing all the fast trains speed by on the Main. I'm so glad we get an NSE 50 pass us after Twyford on the Down Main with an Up Main Large Logo near Sonning cutting. great footage as usual many thanks for sharing.

[@spompey]

You are most welcome....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@nigelwilliams7403]

The magic of the old GWR , before the horrendous electrification. A great railway.

[@spompey]

Yes agree not so photogenic now....many thanks for watching Nigel and best wishes....Mark

[@nigelwilliams7403]

@@spompey Best wishes to you too Mark !

[@darrenraymond5334]

brings back memories thank you

[@spompey]

You're most welcome and many thanks......Mark

[@pauloram-i3s]

I wonder was that Concord you can hear at 101.47 just after the signal stop?

[@spompey]

Yes it was If I remember rightly she flew over Reading approx 11.10 AM and again later in the evening.....Many thanks....Mark

[@chriswaring5565]

4:31 AT LADBROKE GROVE IS THAT WERE THE FATAL TRAIN CRASH WAS OCTOBER 5TH 1999?

[@spompey]

Yes indeed it was.....Many thanks for watching Chris....Best wishes....Mark

[@JamesPetts]

Also - class 119 leaving Reading just as we arrive!

[@spompey]

Having to wait for it as well, quite a while...I actually ended up cutting out an almost 5 minute sit at the signal, but did include all passing activity....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@limeyfox]

What an excellent video! Can I ask out of interest / curiosity, how many of these do you have / are planning to upload?

[@spompey]

There are not a lot left as Mr Winfield stopped doing cab views in 1989 mainly because of all the red tape...big shame, but I did manage to make some very short in cab vids during 1992....Many thanks for your interest....Mark

[@paulknightley]

1:01:42 Concorde?

[@spompey]

May have been....Many thanks....Mark

[@BigPaul62]

That 117 sounds clapped out, just like the 115s on the Chiltern line were by this time.

[@Thunderer0872]

Yes they'd done some miles but I think that was their sound print from the start, a lorry/bus engine slung under the body of the train was just that rattly, of course not like the lower numbered types with the farty sounding exhaust when changing from 1st to 2nd gear though like 110's or 105's.

[@spompey]

Sometimes the 117s blew beautiful smoke rings.....I think she had a racing engine hence the crash into gear.....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@cedriclynch]

I think the sound is normal. Many of these DMUs had a tinkling noise at idle, that came from the luggage racks. The Class 101 made by Metro Cammell was free from this noise because it had luggage nets instead of racks. The speed reached about 65mph between Maidenhead and Twyford, shown by timing the passage of the yellow quarter-mile markers. This was normal, as is the fact that it takes about five minutes to accelerate from 40mph (engagement of top gear) to 65mph. Most of these trains have under each motor coach two Leyland or AEC engines similar to the engine of a London bus of the time, each with a four-speed epicyclic gearbox. The middle coach of a 3-coach Class 117 does not have engines but both end coaches do.

[@spompey]

@@cedriclynch Many thanks for this great piece of info Cedric.....it is all much appreciated.....best regards...Mark

[@train4905]

Awsome😊

[@spompey]

Many thanks Stephen for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@busandtrainarchive5111]

Did you ever do bus rides also?

[@spompey]

Unfortunately not....but many thanks....Mark

[@devotedh]

Amazing how we all didn't fall off the platform edge with only a white line to guide us and no pesky paddle wavers shouting at people, happy days.

[@spompey]

Yes even "Flash" at Twyford (Station Master and Porter) was not too bothered, bless him...Many thanks and best regards....Mark

[@cedriclynch]

May I suggest that this recording is possibly from 1986 rather than 1988? There are lots of Network SouthEast trains in it that are not yet in Network SouthEast livery but are in the British Rail livery with Network SouthEast stickers.

[@spompey]

I am not overly sure on the date of recording as Nick never gave the date out...he intimated to me that it was 1988 at a later date on another outing we did....I have tried to examine the footage to see if it can be verified, but what you say is a good hint....much appreciated.......Mark

[@formidable38]

I have a theory, stay with me for a minute! I noted a set of points at Kenet sidings 59.43 in the video just before Reading on the up relief. Note its missing its crossing! I was in the PW gang (based at Twyford in those days) that removed it. It was found to be cracked on a daily patrol / track inspection by a colleague at the time. We removed the crossing in 1987, probably autumn from memory.

[@petercollingwood4108]

36 miles 22 mins average 98 mph, not nowadays 😂😂

[@spompey]

Yep or 65 minutes average speed approx 32 mph 0-60 mph in 5 minutes with a class 117.....sedate is what I say.....many thanks Peter......Mark

[@collectioneur]

The best part? Almost no graffiti...

[@spompey]

True....then the nineties came along and Tags became famous then an even more costly kind of graffiti which was etching on the window glass.....Many thanks for the comment and for your interest....Best wishes...Mark

[@bunburyboy]

But plenty of rubbish on the tracks at Paddington

[@spompey]

@@bunburyboy That's normal.......Many thanks.....Mark