Vintage railway film - Railway bridge across the Thames - 1968

[@karimkekhia4369]

ahhhh i was thinking the other day when i drove my train over that bridge… when it would of replaced the original…i did think it was around the mid to late 60s. what a beautiful film..seeing all the old school trains to and from victoria. old victoria station before it’s rebuild during the 80s. track and construction workers with ciggis smoking away…no HV vests!!! battersea power station smoking away. Super lovely days in 1960s london ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@MarkHenstridge]

Excellent, just love these old British railway doco's, there are a lot more doco's to watch so on goes the kettle....thanks for taking the time to upload this gem, cheers mate, from an Australian

[@davidmccann9811]

I used to cross this bridge everyday for work. Never really spared it a thought before.

[@29brendus]

Fascinating. What a feat of engineering. And I notice a few hard hats already. And those men look like they could knock back a few pints after the days work.

[@tomtalk24]

Or during. I think the attitudes to drinking at work were a lot different back then. Fred Dibnah used to drink at lunch then climb a steeple, that was a decade after this was filmed.

[@gibbo9089]

Completed on time and on budget. Not like some of the modern day railway projects I could mention.

[@markylon]

Well you could say that Health and Safety was not up to scratch in those days.

[@tomtalk24]

Ones a bridge, the other is 330 miles.

[@TheCaptainsBlog]

Actually incorrect. If you research this you’d find it was 5 months behind schedule and over budget but the propaganda this film is, would not mention that.

[@bruceanderton1518]

Great film, which I had not previously seen. Very much in the style of British Transport Films.

[@ccityplanner1217]

So successful that I didn't even know it had been rebuilt. I can see now, looking on street view, that the arches look different now.

[@stefankassbohrer2765]

I've seen it a few times, always interesting - that was craftsmanship at its finest. Best regards from south Germany

[@ChangesOneTim]

Brilliant - this was bad old, inefficient, British Rail. Imagine doing the same project in 2023 - Victoria would shut completely for six or twelve months!

[@edwardhulin9935]

Good to hear Richard Baker's voice again... It never dates.

[@Pjs75]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing this historical record. What was once possible!

[@Hebbers]

Interesting reference to the channel tunnel at the end. Presumably he's referring to the previous attempt and not the one which exists now.

[@BigGoucho]

Been binge watching these all day. Didnt realise I had missed so many being uploaded. This arrived with perfect timing. Thanks again.

[@jimmeade2976]

Good video. It's interesting seeing what workers wore back in the 1960s, before the days of EHS and OSHA.

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

Excellent really enjoyed that.... Not a high viz vest in sight.... But some of the workmen/Engineers where sporting collier and ties wow amazing how times have changed... Looking forward to more of these thanks 👍👍👍

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

Ahh the old 'not a hi-vis vest in sight' comment. A video wouldn't be the same without one.

[@Staffo1982Staffo]

Yes, a find look back at a time when no one wore hi vis and people died regularly in construction

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

I would actually be interested to know the number of workplace injuries that occurred in this phenomenal project

[@kathyquinlan5922]

I enjoyed this one :) Nice to have a break from Design work ;p

[@likklej8]

Victoria Station used to have a great bar long gone the replacement drinkers places are rubbish. Great to see those old Southern Railway electric units and green painted rail stock

[@PaddyWV]

Oh! Just look at the engineering company. "Marples Ridgeway". Surely that couldn't be Transport Minister Ernest Marples' engineering firm could it? Surely! That would be corruption!

[@Mitch-Hendren]

Came on to say the same thing. Was he still minister for transport.

[@barneswallace1944]

What's new!

[@benturnbull4816]

So Cool! I use that Station mostly when staying in London,Ebury St. the tide on the Thames is huge I’ve observed (I live on Paramatta River, Sydney with only 2m tides. “Rebuilt insitu “

[@colinb8103]

It is intersting that there are still cargo handling facilities that far up river even then

[@eddherring4972]

6:57 and Del Boy is checking on the Peckham Spring!

[@davidmccann9811]

That diving suit looks like it was used by Uncle Albert during the war. 🤣😂

[@nmccw3245]

Mr. Cantrell sounds like Peter Boyle conducting the wedding ceremony in “The Princess Bride”. 😂

[@mark3009]

Love this! Thanks for posting.

[@andrewbennett7756]

I can remember the change over with the old colour s going and blue coming and the loss of steam and existing diesel locomotive coming in

[@colettemccoy2921]

What we are capable of can be amazing 😊

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

There's more than a whiff of the theme tune to Thunderbirds in the introductory music methinks.

[@JohnSmith-sl1my]

This is great . 👍

[@delboy1727]

Looking at Google maps now, it appears that track 9 (as depicted in the video) no longer continues over the bridge. I guess when the project was completed the new bridge carried 10 lines, but if Google maps is to be believed, it's now back down to 9.

[@laurelcreek7]

The film makes no mention of any accidents or other setbacks. I wonder …

[@OlafProt]

It’s a brilliant period piece of documentary film making, but it’s still propaganda.

[@MarkInLA]

Wow ! 19:09 Check those guys out with no helmets ! You wouldn't see that today !

[@IAMPLEDGE]

Looking at Google Earth it appears that the most easterly of the tracks is no longer in use and the bridge is down to 9 tracks. Does anyone know when that happened?

[@Pjs75]

Track 9 (the furthest down river) has been shut for many years. A report in July 2007, by the Rail Accident Inspectorate, into the serious injury of a member of the track maintenance team, includes many photos - some of which include views along the adjacent tracks and the missing track & overgrown ballast of Track 9, that is described as being ‘a six foot Cess’. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/547c902040f0b6024400018d/R192009_090716_Grosvenor_Bridge.pdf)

[@kenstevens5065]

If it was done today the consultancy fees would be as much as construction, planning would take years and no doubt at risk Thames wildlife would be found to upset the apple cart. Mind you if Ernie Marples was involved the palm greasing would likely take up a few million as well.

[@heathstjohn6775]

Nice not to see a green-tatooed leg calf in sight. And the lead guitarist made a superb contribution, with that wonderful tuneful sound of threatening misery, so unique to the times, and quite fearful to those of us who'd just want to hide from times requiring such heroic labour, as well as from the future, until it was all over, and safe to emerge again. It still seems impossibly difficult to me, even after filmed proof. And the machinery to my untrained eyes looks futuristic approaching six decades later.

[@OlafProt]

😂😂 Do tattoos mean that the workers are incompetent?

[@heathstjohn6775]

@@OlafProt It's rather more an indication of reactionary values. Thanks.

[@johnkneeshaw9732]

I see the contractor was the ever corrupt Ernest Marples

[@DarrenJCalvert]

Hank Marvin at the end 😂

[@bobtudbury8505]

so whilst labour ,never beeching , was closing lines something was actually built

[@thesteelrodent1796]

using bathroom tiles to waterproof a bridge... never seen that before

[@matismf]

How long until the bridge under construction collapses as a train is going over it?

[@johnboy8846]

not a hard hat in site, those were the days

[@FF-so3su]

When English people lived in England😊👍❤️

[@organicfarm5524]

You meant to say London, most of the people in England are still English.

[@johntomlinson6849]

This wonderful project carried out by the now-much vilified male, stale and pale managers and workforce.

[@stephensmith799]

Staunchly patriotic British West Indians worked on the project, staffed stations and trains in a unionised manufacturing economy that was booming. Happy days. BTW did you know that one in six of Nelson’s crew on HMS Victory at Trafalgar were foreigners? No? I didn’t think you did.,,,

[@apexdesigns3136]

Jimmy Saville

[@True_NOON]

Back when they did shit and just DID IT instead of closing bollocks with a side horseraddish flavoured : budget overruns

[@MePeterNicholls]

Same as ever though. London gets all the big investment and the rest of the uk begs

[@MarcSlyfield]

The film is about a bridge replacement and such work has taken place all over the country.

[@MePeterNicholls]

@@MarcSlyfield really you don’t get it do you

[@wagrtrains]

1st

[@Keithbarber]

🏆🥇

[@wagrtrains]

@@Keithbarber thanks