BR in the 1980s Reading Station on 18th May 1988

BRITISH RAILWAYS IN THE 1980's
READING STATION on 18/05/1988
Continuing with my archive of video recording between the years of 1986 to 2001 this clip is of Reading Station, filmed from the newly built multi storey car park taken on 18th May 1988. When there were still plenty of class 50's on Padd - Oxford/Newbury services and 47's on cross country trains and even the odd class 50. Look out for the Meldon Quarry trains hauled by class 33's and the Tonbridge Vans with a 33. I hope the video takes you back to this period with fond memories. Feel free to comment, good or bad, all comments are read and greatly appreciated,but it is not always possible to answer each individually. Sit back and enjoy this latest production remembering all those now long gone Locomotive classes and other types of traction. Many thanks for all subscriptions and all of those viewers who have kindly shown an interest in my material.

[@stephenpowell5912]

Lovely Vintage Camcorder footage from back in May of 1988 ,Would have been 14 at the time back then ,Great memories of BR in the late 1980s ,Born in 1973 ,Feeling Nostalgic ❤

[@spompey]

You're very welcome...many thanks for watching and for the comment...best wishes....Mark

[@stevesumner3580]

Excellent time to have filmed, lots of variety of livery, freight and passenger traffic to see. InterCity yellow and Swallow HSTs, 47s and 50s in blue, large logo and NSE. 33s,a splash of a 37 and a sprinkle of grey livery 56s and a Yeoman 59 to round it off, didn't appreciate it at the time and how it was going to change. What a day, so glad you have shared this.

[@spompey]

You're so welcome and many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@dgattenb]

many a happy day sitting on the drop platform ... feet away from the hst's etc ... awesome

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@ashleywatts8707]

Lovely video, grew up in Reading, by the gasworks, worked on p-way for a short time, spent time on platform as a kid wiv me dad, platform tickets, watching steam, Westerns, so much to see such a diversity of motive power,, thank you, and yes 'Everard junction', amazing.. 👍🤓

[@spompey]

Many thanks for the interesting comment Ashley, Glad to have evoked a few memories...Best wishes...Mark

[@timstrainvideos142]

fantastic footage! some nice hst sounds pulling out of the station. an interesting era with the mix of liveries.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@grahamtester749]

Nice to see the pair of 33's come,n,go and why they were double headed on the heavy cement freight heading down south good old footage of mixed loco,s and stock from back in the day and but a long lost memory now

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@TheZacDJ]

Got to love those BUT Engines on the 117s. An hour of just absolute bliss. Thank you for sharing - this has taken me back 30 years. Brilliant. Kind Regards Zac

[@spompey]

You're most welcome Zac....Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@grahamhenderson5609]

what a great video, great to see the old NSE liveried units , the old slammers and the diesel fleet that used to run the Gatwick/ Tondridge services, and of course the legendary roar of the HST fleet

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@stevewaldock4379]

Great video!! Interesting to see Reading shot from this viewpoint, especially as this is my favourite era of BR.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@mrmofthegower3926]

The rasping sound coming from the exhaust of the class 119 at 18:00 mins brings back a lot of memories. Loved those cross country DMU’s.

[@spompey]

You're most welcome and Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@nigelcurtis218]

A brilliant video , but the FIRST time I have ever seen two blue and grey class 117 dmu brake seconds coupled together! Modellers licence with the Lima models not needed! It actually happened

[@spompey]

You're most welcome....Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@stevieb9699]

Awesome Video mate. Forgot just how busy the 1980's were with proper trains. An Hour and 11 minutes very well spent...All the best

[@spompey]

You are very welcome and many thanks for watching......all the best .....Mark

[@Tornado922]

That was amazing to watch, growing up in the 90s I have great memories of the NSE and Intercity Swallow livery on various trains running along the WCML through Leighton Buzzard, loved seeing the GWML in this film with so much variety in traffic!

[@spompey]

You are most welcome and Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@MrForforfor]

A cracking Video in a spectacular era. Lived in Worcester at the time but was from Ealing originally so had many trips to RDG right back to the days of steam

[@spompey]

You're very welcome...many thanks for watching and for the comment...best wishes....Mark

[@vernongoodey5096]

During this period I worked in central Reading spent most lunch times & evenings waiting for my train to Winnersh. Happy days managed to travel behind 48 of the 50s over 300 Brush 4 (47s) & most 33s Compton’s. Shame the Westerns went toooooooo soon! Remember the only constant thing on the railways is change. Now we have electric units and even the old gas holder has gone. Oh as a side to this I built all the brake units for the new Hitachi units & repaired class 50/60/92 brake compressors along with most mk3 brake distributors (P4s)

[@spompey]

Thanks for your recollections Vernon.....and my best wishes to you....Mark

[@HentisRail]

Fantastic footage, takes me back to visiting in that period. Totally different nowadays. Subbed as well :)

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@vinniechudam1835]

Saturday night in and pure bliss watching this with the volume on full MAX. Interesting to see the different HST formations. You have the 7 coach HSTs with 2 First Open, 1 Buffet + Standard Open and 4 Standard Open saloons and then you have the 8 coach HSTs with 3 FO, 1 Buffet + SO, and 4 SO saloons. I'm guessing the 7 coach HSTs were operating to Bristol Temple Meads while the 8 coach HSTs were opeating to Cornwall and South Wales. Amazing footage, I would have been 10 years old.

[@spompey]

You are very welcome Vinnie and keep those neighbours awake...Many thanks for the comment and best wishes....Mark

[@user-zz6gf4zq2z]

Brilliant as ever!!

[@spompey]

Many thanks and my best regards....Mark

[@EssexGayBoi]

Wow, what a fantastic video, ooh i wish i could have gone there back in the day, give me a time machine!! quickest & best 1hr have spent watching a video, though still not long enough lol, joking.

[@spompey]

Well done for watching ALL of the vid....I thought it may have been too much..Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark.

[@supersprinter1564]

Great video didnt realise hsts used to pass reading in 1998

[@peterharvey1762]

You mean 88

[@dclark988]

They’ve gone Through reading since the beginning of time

[@locohauledforum]

Interesting, as someone who lived there for years its easy to place the exact time you were filming with the Tonbridge vans and the evening commuters. lol

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@davidjoyce1021]

Literally Everard Junction...

[@SirGeorgeButtox]

First thought that came into my head 🤣

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@robbrooks5263]

I'm just here for the Valentas. :)

[@christopdeck3457]

Funny how white socks were the fashion for drivers and secondmen in the 80’s.

[@spompey]

Never noticed train crews were being given socks as part of their uniform.......Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@EErail26]

Excellent…and fascinating choice of adverts in between. I somehow think viewers of this material won’t be interested in Yves St Laurent’s latest thing for beautiful eyebrows, but potentially the one for Spam might attract more interest!!😅

[@spompey]

My eyebrows are already BEAUTIFUL......Many thanks for the comment and for watching...Best regards...Mark

[@martinward9957]

Great video and fabulous memories. Quick question, why were the NSE loco hauled seta turning round at Reading that day? A bit unusual?

[@spompey]

Not sure...Maybe their was a problem with the Newbury line.....just my guess...Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@rikmorley6469]

Thanks for posting, was everything knackered or just running on poor grade red diesel?

[@spompey]

Knackered like me I think and my car.....many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@paulaylesbury]

To think that, 35 years on, we still see Class 37s on the network and only in the last 18 months have we really said goodbye to the HSTs through Reading

[@spompey]

HSTs still being used on many Scotrail services....Not quite gone.....many thanks for the comment and for watching....Mark

[@stevenobrien3763]

@@spompeystill being used on GWR down Cornwall way I think too only 4 carriages on them though🤔

[@spompey]

@@stevenobrien3763 On Scotrail now lengthened to 4 as well.many thanks for your reply and interest...best wishes....Mark

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hi There Again my real Name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris, I have another interesting idea for most of us Class 307 Fans out there, rather than scrapping most of those Class 307s maybe you guys can convert them and including the refurbishment into those Leyland 680 engines, Volvo B10M Engine, Cummins M11 Engine, Gardner 6LXC Engine, Gardner 6LXB Engine, Gardner 8LXB Engine, Class 307’s and convert all of them into a 2 Carriages and Three Carriages Class 307’s for most of us Diesel Train Fans out there PLEASE. Are you still going to do this interesting type of Project for everyone out there PLEASE?

[@spompey]

An interesting idea....many thanks and best regards...Mark

[@saadinfo6363]

Brilliant stuff! But what are those EMUs that appear on the track furthest from the camera such as at 24:00? They look like some kind of Class 42?/43? but I can't see a third rail...

[@spompey]

They are 423/421 VEP and CIG on the London Waterloo - Reading via Staines and Ascot route. A half hourly service stopping everywhere with a 36 headcode....1963 stock. The 3rd rail is furthest from the platform edges for safety reasons....many thanks and best regards to you....mark

[@saadinfo6363]

@@spompey Many thanks :)

[@dieseldave3879]

🚂👍

[@spompey]

Many thanks for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@Swindon-wj8ud]

Many happy hours spent on Reading General with not a diesel to be seen and electrics confined to Reading South.

[@spompey]

Many thanks for your comment and for watching...best wishes...Mark

[@AndreiTupolev]

End of Platform 5 was best.

[@spompey]

Yes.....or platform 8......many thanks Andrei as always my friend.....Mark