Trains at March - 1984

A busy day at March in Cambridgeshire in 1984, with many freight trains seen going in and out of Whitemoor Yard. Original video shot on an early VHS camera.

[@michaeltaylor1219]

March was such a strange but unique place! I remember our visits there, usually when it was very warm weather...... A short walk from the station past the rickety houses, like the land that time forgot! And when you got to the depot, it was all open with scores of loco's on she'd. But the biggest surprise was, that you could expect to find almost any class on shed! 20,25,31,37,40,44,45,46,47,56. Just a real melting pot of traction from depot's in Scotland,wales, the midlands etc. I always love visiting March, I'll always have very fond memories of that place!

[@mirvids5036]

Great stuff. It was a different era back then and a little earlier. Proper BR. It was all allowed to be run down in readiness for privatisation. Contrary to what many think, privatisation wasn't a tory plan, it's a requirement of the EEC/EU that no member state has state controlled railways. This enables markets to be opened to competitors. Just think what BR and our network could have become with all the subsidies given to the private sector ? Not only that, we'd still have all our BREL and engineering capacity.Thanks for sharing the footage.

[@kevingoodrum5352]

brings back of the days i lived in march where the peaks(44/45's) work the daily Toton - Whitemoor working plus 31/4's working the Brmingham - Norwich passenger the class 20's and 25's worked in off the midland region

[@azrailfan2717]

Awesome footage of old British railroading. Especially the ford (?) vehicles on the car carrier 🤠👍

[@laurajonaityte]

Lovely I live in March and I'm only 15

[@gyrovague]

This is absolute gold mate, cheers!

[@MegaCullie]

Timeless classic Roy just how I remember it And March is a shadow of its former self now It was round about this time I made a visit to March brings a lump to the throat just how much the network has changed we’ll done Roy for sharing and I’ve sub you aswell for good measure

[@Gridler49]

Great stuff Roy, thanks for sharing

[@bentompkins7900]

great video Roy. just having a look though as my grandad work on the railway, he as on one of the jointline videos.

[@alanrobertson9790]

Pity they shut the March - Spalding line. Local traffic was of course non-existent but as an east coast avoiding line it was valuable. Bet they are regretting it now with the increase in container traffic. They had to build an avoiding spur at Peterborough to avoid conflicts with the main line as reported recently in Rails.

[@ramblingrob4693]

Even the CL47 four wagons and a old 1940s type wagon st the end?. Wow

[@oddities-whatnot]

I really like the area round there. Bleak but peaceful amongst the fens.

[@ThePanzer6]

Fascinating to watch, Corporate Blue Diesels, Air Braked Speedlink services with Steam Age infrastructure

[@royharrison4122]

Glad you enjoyed it Daniel

[@peterjohnson1443]

Fantastic video Roy so impressed i am modelling this junction on my latest 00 model thankyou for the priceless footage

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you Peter, good luck with your Model Layout.

[@SimonPJohnson]

Great video, thanks Roy. Many trips to March MPD.

[@ramblingrob4693]

Two little wagons behind Class 31, u can see that being profitable run?

[@rocksreynolds3642]

Great footage, thanks!

[@atomiswave1971]

Don't remember it looking like that. I remember my first time there hauled from Cambridge to March by a 47 named "Red Star". Walked all the way to depot and apart from 50 odd locos it was desolate and quiet. I remember coming down this street and there were some houses on the left and then I looked right and there were about 30 odd locos just sitting there. Was like a dream.

[@BritishRailProductions]

I'm only a Kid but this is what I call Proper Trains no trains with computers Why did they take them from us

[@muttt.whopull3252]

They were getting old, their time was up and the traffic is no longer there. Sad though.

[@James47298]

great video

[@ramblingrob4693]

Mix wagons or freight cars, I don't suppose that happens anymore ?

[@OlafProt]

1984!! Fabulous. Total BR gold. Before Thatcher the Public Services Snatcher destroyed it, and this country. 2:50 those Peaks were beasts! Still makes me think of that nuclear waste cask test (although wasn’t that a 46?).

[@hellooldchap]

Superb.

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@hradrecords5277]

nice one

[@stevewyman2822]

great vid' but shame that due to "over-exposure" of too much light,,,loco numbers..could not be identified...as they were all blurred..

[@royharrison4122]

Yes Steve, It will be blurred, that's the way it was in 1984, the camera used VHS-C tapes which were quite expensive at that time and only lasted 30 mins, so they were transferred to another VHS tape and that was of course analogue, so that lost quality which was transferred again onto S-VHS as a master. We did not have HD Digital in those days.

[@ramblingrob4693]

@@royharrison4122 some people expect too much

[@andrewbowen4544]

Where's the cars from Roy

[@davidhartwell4826]

From the Ford factory in Germany via the Hook - Harwich train ferry