Trains at Lincoln - 1985

More from my archive VHS Videos, This was Lincoln just before the closure of St Marks Station and shows trains there and on the approaches at Lincoln West and East Yard. I hope you enjoy watching.

[@Vortigan07]

Now this takes me back!! Riding behind those 31's from Market Rasen to Lincoln, always in the first coach (Mark 1 coaches with the side corridors at that!!) so that we could stick our head out the window and listen to the thrash. Used to love the DMU's too just because it was fantastic to take that seat right at the front and get the driver's eye view. Then when we got a little bit older we'd go through to Newark and spot for a few hours, making sure we had change for the "Klix" drinks machine! Wonderful days, I'd go back in a heartbeat!! Great video, Roy, many thanks for sharing it!!

[@Isochest]

Sounds lovely. Remember riding a 31 and 4 Mk1 coaches between Derby and Sheffield

[@waynesmith4612]

A real trip down memory lane, as a child I lived down Coulson Road used to spend most of my hours down there with a friend. The whole area has changed so much now.

[@mjspice100]

I also remember that a "through train" to London was introduced from St Marks leaving around 7am which made it possible for a daily commute to and from London for the first time...

[@norbitonflyer5625]

That brings back memories - brought up in Lincoln and a regular traveller to both those stations until around the time this film was made - I saw the last train into St Marks, and was on the first train over the new spur the next day! Those were the days - Class 31 and four Mk 1s on the Newark Northgate shuttle - now we are expected to fit in a single car 153!

[@valuetraveler2026]

so much more peaceful back then

[@royharrison4122]

Yes, Happy days!

[@Isochest]

Nice times

[@delbydoo]

Great memories of travelling between Kings Cross and Cleethorpes in one swoop. Thanks for posting. Things look so different now, especially at St. Marks - and that whole area is being redeveloped again!

[@jezbo7827]

Brilliant video! I used to head to St Marks with my folks in the 80’s to pick up my grandparents. They used to arrive on the through train from KX. I was also luckily enough to have been able to obtain some station signs after closure. Still got them too!

[@Isochest]

I love the fact there were foot crossings at these main line stations. Something I saw at this time in Portugal places such as Aveiro Espinho and Porto Campanha

[@AJGeeTV]

Thanks for this - I'd forgotten how those DMUs sounded!

[@cosmicmaniac1886]

Amazing. A real eye-opener. I never knew Lincoln was such an incredible railway hub. A unique atmosphere.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

We had the GCR (and its forebears) plus the GN and the GN-GE Joint Railway at Lincoln Central and the MR at Lincoln St Marks. Sadly the restructuring of the 1980s lead to the closure of St Mark's. The only benefits of this was to for the motorists on the High Street with one fewer level crossing to block traffic and the simplification of the tracks at Pelham Junction.

[@lewis72]

It does seem ridiculous to have two stations so close to each other. The only reason for this was that they were built by different companies back in the day. You'd never build almost duplicate stations if it were just one company providing all of the rail services. Many towns and cities across England were much the same.

[@lewis72]

Although it is sad to see such wonderful architecture and infrastructure close.

[@Isochest]

@@lewis72 The issue is today the demand has grown and what looked like duplication is now necessary augmentation. A second route is needed through Lincoln for goods trains too

[@lewis72]

@@Isochest It was and still would be ridiculous having more than 1 station in a town/city the size of Lincoln. Even London would have ideally had just 1 station with through trains possible. People would have had to have changed stations for some routes. The problem was there was no joined-up thinking back when the railways were built, it was each to their own for railway companies and stations.

[@Pinza7]

Watching the action at Central, I thought to myself, if only someone had some shots at St Marks, then you went to St Marks. Thanks, I really miss that station. Love the inside shots, particularly seeing the Platform ticket machine, I still have a ticket from it. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏻😎

[@cgrextreme]

There is a Video on KZbin regarding St Marks.

[@vorn29]

I love that rasping sound the Swindon sets made. I think it was the Leyland BUT engine.

[@Isochest]

These DMUs were iconic. We need their replacement which should be 25kv ac powered EMUs or locos.

[@richardperry5538]

Great seeing class 08242 moving, only ever saw it dumped in Holmes Yard in the late 80s with class 08386.

[@chris-io1ki]

Loved those class 120 Swindon sets. We used to have these working out of Cardiff before they moved to Derby. Great video of the Golden era of BR👍👍👍

[@bodieofci5418]

It looks like they used 114, 115s, 116s and 117s all over lincolnshire in those days.

[@crompton33022]

Really enjoyed this video. Brought back memories before the tracks and signalling all disappeared. The nostalgia is amazing regards Ian.

[@jontownsend8090]

Priceless footage of a long missed station, in a few years time this will be desperately needed, well its now a shopping centre, this can soon be reverted back if the powers that be are willing. One big mistake was the closure of the Lincoln avoiding line to the south of the city. Just one of the many entries into the catalogue of failures.

[@royharrison4122]

Yes Jon, I agree that Closing the Avoiding Line was their biggest mistake.

[@Isochest]

Another route through Lincoln will be needed especially for freight

[@johnyoungieyoung123]

It looks like there was a platform ticket machine. Remember those!

[@FreightLocos]

Fantastic footage! preserved so much of our history. You have deserved my subscription Paul

[@cravensdmufan4449]

Wonderful archive material Roy. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I loved the sight and sounds of the 120s. BR days were brilliant. Well done for capturing it all.

[@kevinfowkes2327]

Yes we are very lucky Roy captured this. There is very little video uploaded of 120 DMUs at work and unfortunately none survived into preservation. I recall travelling on them as a child on the Lincoln, Skegness and Crewe lines which was their stamping ground at this time, the distinctive rasping noise they made is happily captured well here. Lincoln St Marks closed in May 1985 so this was very close to the end indeed. The class 120s were also very close to the end on these lines by this date. Class 150 sprinters started to appear on the Crewe-Lincoln and Skegness services towards the end of 1985 and had taken over pretty much all services by May 1986. The surviving 120s were transferred to Scotland where the last few hung on until around 1989. What this video captures well also is just how much quieter medium-rank stations were in the mid-80s. There was none of the constant jabbering of recorded station announcements which we get today, and only a handful of passengers milling around on the platform compared with the crowds of nowadays. The tripling of passenger numbers is of course great news for the viability of the railways but it has in many ways been bad news for rail enthusiasts and photographers.

[@cravensdmufan4449]

@@kevinfowkes2327 Good information there Kevin - thanks for posting. I well remember travelling on these units in my early teens when I used to spend school holidays on Anglia Ranger tickets. I was based in Norwich at the time, and it was a bit of a treat to travel on the Birmingham service on a 120 as far as Peterborough. Compared with our usual 101s and 105s they were a bit of luxury, with their wooden panelling and oval mirrors plus curtains too! Quality Swindon built trains. I do believe there was even a Buffet provided. I still think of BR with much affection. Well done Roy for posting all your achive footage from BR days. We are most grateful.

[@tutts999]

Great video, everything seemed a bit more grubby back then.

[@theovanstaden5766]

thanks for sharing Roy, i love the old 1980s footage of BR, at that time i was a young lad working on south african railways then, i like British trains, grew up reading British railway magazines!

[@NELincsTransport]

Some great footage you have there, showing what Lincoln used to look like before BR closed some of it.

[@royharrison4122]

Many thanks!

[@superazusaandazusarailroad6783]

Nice shot. Awesome video.I enjoyed watching👍😊

[@cravensdmufan4449]

Really rocking and rolling at 7:23!

[@AndreiTupolev]

Nice orange Escort XR3i, Austin Montego AND a Chrysler Alpine in one shot!!

[@Isochest]

😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@scottb1167]

Great footage Roy, especially of the 120s

[@michaelhill5156]

great footage from my home city

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you very much!

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Starting at Central and looking the station up on maps I thought "not really much changed in Lincoln", until the video got to St marks, I thought were was that? Then I see a St Marks shopping center on maps and zoom in and see a signal box and what seems to have been a station building (although the current east end entrance works a bit confusing, but seems an attachment to the shops in the style of the old station building) Then on further research on maps I see several other old track beds, and realise what a railway hub this town once was, and how much of this has been given up in favour of cars in the form of bypass roads and large malls with spacious parking lots around, even lots of the industry has given way to them.

[@NELincsTransport]

Lincoln is a city

[@Tom-Lahaye]

@@NELincsTransport I know, but I was referring to the stations in this video, one being Lincoln (the station still in use) and st marks (now turned into a shopping mall.

[@tomlee9534]

When I went for my voice trial for the Cathedral choir we went to St Marks. By the time I started in the choir it was all Central.

[@antman09ful1]

Excellent video.

[@NexusFounder]

Lincoln St Mark's. :) marvellous. also enjoyed the 120 with a Met-Cam trailer. would 31 448's train have terminated at Newark Northgate then come pretty much straight back?

[@marceljagger3347]

Good channel this , brings back happy memories ❤️

[@royharrison4122]

Glad to hear that

[@mjspice100]

This brings back a lot of memories, I used to travel from St Marks to London Kings Cross (changing at Newark Northgate) regularly in the 1980s. I was recruited into the British Transport Police in 1981 at their office at Lincoln St Marks although I wasn't posted there but to London Euston...

[@royharrison4122]

Glad you enjoyed it Mark.

[@chris-io1ki]

Do you have any footage of the Swindon built class 123 DMU's please. I remember seeing some of these that used to be stored at Cardiff Canton and had set numbers 701-708. I think a handful played out their last days on Trans Pennine routes. These were unusual with having corridor and open layouts combined into each set and gangwayed throughout. Lovely looking trains. Cheers👍

[@kharkhov]

Lincoln. The only place I ever saw a Class 03 shunter.

[@HodsonLF33]

My! Lincoln's changed a lot!

[@Isochest]

Those 120s are Bloody good rippers deserved of Fart Cart status!

[@annescholey6546]

The old blue sign remained for years after marks closed

[@daystatesniper01]

Belting video ,esp' the surviving ER blue direction sign ,cortinas ,08s ,120's etc'

[@grahamladeda8495]

DMUs class 31 hauled passenger trains light engines shunters freight trains level crossings Lincoln railway stations and signal boxes, what was the thumb downer expecting? For me it was a great film.

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you Graham, pleased you enjoyed the Video, unfortunately you can't please all of the people all of the time but have received Thumbs up from everyone else.

[@kevinfowkes2327]

@@royharrison4122 Sadly some people are intentionally negative just for the hell of it (also it is possible to click thumbs down by accident). Don't be discouraged and thanks for your rare footage which not only awakens our own memories but will help the next generation to make sense of how things used to look. I will show my 7 year old your video of Bedford St Johns for example.

[@Isochest]

Same here. Brings back memories of good trips out on the Eastern Region from Northern Derbyshire in my early teens.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Some won't have liked the low quality footage from almost 40 years ago compaired to today's crisp digital images. But to get to here we had to go through there.

[@shanekelley7682]

My office is where the line was near Pelham Bridge, Wyvern House.

[@Isochest]

A Class 31 with MK1 coaches. Brilliant! I'd love a Thompson B1 but you can't have everything!

[@Bahamas-rd8le]

Smashing!

[@corinheathcote9868]

Sure that was my dad driving the class 31448 from Cleethorpes to Newark Northgate, when he stuck his head out the cab window at St. Mark's

[@royharrison4122]

That's nice for you then Corin.

[@akrills]

I will never forget the times I travelled on the 07:25 direct service to London King's Cross from St Marks. It was timetabled to arrive at 10:01 if I am not mistaken. Great memories

[@royharrison4122]

The good old days

[@m18tankdestroyer43]

This video brings back memories, well done.🙂

[@royharrison4122]

Thanks, Glad you enjoyed it

[@paulharrison6385]

Brought back lots of memories, used both stations for many years. Intrigued by apparent barrier wagon with the 56 at about 12 mins; compare with 47s later in video. (I am aware of history and purpose of such wagons but seems very late to be using one)

[@royharrison4122]

Glad you enjoyed it Paul, I am not sure why they were using that barrier wagon with a class 56.

[@Isochest]

I always thought this was a steam thing but could it be for coupling or brake pipes?

[@andrewoverton5170]

In some terminals they used a barrier wagon as the BR loco was not permitted inside the petroleum compound. The wagons were left close to the boundary and the barrier wagon as we see it here was more properly called a reach wagon, allowing the loco (plus wagon) to couple up to the tanks without the loco going inside.

[@Isochest]

A very vague green light at 8:00 probably not improved on due to the impending butchery of the St. Marks route.

[@Isochest]

St Marks should never have been closed. A new avoiding route will now have to be built for long distance freight trains through the city.

[@kevinfowkes2327]

I think we'll be waiting a long time before that happens unfortunately

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Isochest BR couldn't afford 2 stations in Lincoln considering the revenue being generatedby them. The motorist and pedestrians of Lincoln were glad that the High Street had one less level crossing.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

There used to be such a route going around the southern edge of the city from the Peterborough line round to the Doncaster line. It was removed due to not being needed due falling freight levels in the area.

[@heykan1234567]

Train passing through Lincoln are so boring nowadays. In fact it is same for the buses and cars. There are also bridges at both level crossing in the city.

[@VespaT5]

Where were you when you took those shots of trains going under Pelham bridge & around the curve to ST Marks?

[@royharrison4122]

I was on the Footbridge in East Yard.

[@VespaT5]

@@royharrison4122 Thanks, I can't recall that bridge. I guess that's why I couldn't work it out.

[@user-cg6gg8de4y]

should have kept the ( high line) open, disgraceful blinkered foresight by the council, the Central Station could have been a terminas and the High Street level crossing closed.

[@markwieland2131]

Excellent film

[@royharrison4122]

Thanks.

[@vincitveritas3872]

The Craven unit which was producing loads of clag was it not long before it's withdrawal?

[@royharrison4122]

Yes they were getting to the end of their days.

[@emmarobertsprice6621]

Hi Roy, I'm one of the producers on the show The Architecture The Railways Built and I'd be really interested to chat to you about possibly using your Lincoln footage. Would you be open to that at all? Thank you! Emma

[@mohammadazad451]

Wth the old lincoln looks so weird

[@AnubhabKundu]

4:56, 5:59 what DMU class is this?

[@conkeroonee]

Class 120, built at Swindon works. There are no survivors although the preserved Class 126 is a similar design (at one end).

[@AnubhabKundu]

@@conkeroonee thank you

[@norbitonflyer5625]

@@conkeroonee Also 114s (the twin units). One of the Class 120s appeared to have a class 101 centre trailer.

[@conkeroonee]

@@norbitonflyer5625 A lot of them did, in 1984/5. Why they took the original trailers away and replaced them with 101 trailers is a mystery to me.

[@chris-io1ki]

@@conkeroonee The class 120 trailer cars had a buffet counter used during their inter city days. Also,I suspect asbestos content meant many DMU cars were withdrawn in mass and replaced by LHCS.