Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden East, Luton Hoo, Bute, Dunstable Railway circa early 1960’s

Welwyn, Harpenden East, Luton Bute Street, Dunstable, Luton Hoo Railway
Circa early 1960’s
Gifted to Andy by Brian Lockey
The footage is all taken on cine film
so it is shaky, flickers and a little over exposed in places
This precious footage shows what the railway once looked like
A time lost but not from the memory
Feel free to leave encouraging comments
I don’t suppose there are many now who remember this wonderful railway at its best

[@jenbermol]

This is solid gold. I travelled on this line between WGC and Luton when I was a young child.

[@alantunbridge8919]

This film brings back poignant memories. Being a trainspotter at Luton in the 1950’s &60’s I knew this line well & travelled over all of it at various times. I,also have a number of still shots (all steam hauled trains)additionally I knew Brian Lockey well. Although he worked at Commer Cars in the Special Vehicles Engieering , his life was railways. He was he founder of the South Beds Loco. Club (SBLC) & often organised special trains & round the country shedbashes. R.I.P. Brian.

[@BibtheBoulder]

Am I right in thinking the first long ride on the single track is the old line that crosses under the MML between Luton Airport and Harpenden Junction? If so, where did it go to?

[@alantunbridge8919]

@@BibtheBoulder Yes that line was .Southward the next station was Harpenden East,followed by Wheathampstead then heading to Welwyn Garden City.The line did not end there but continued to Hatfield parallel to the East Coast mainline but no connection to it ( as did the Hertford East line also). Northwards was Luton Hoo,a halt really, before proceeding to Luton(Bute St.) for the most part parallel to the MML but somewhat lower.

[@BibtheBoulder]

@@alantunbridge8919 Thanks for the very informative reply. Appreciate it.

[@davidford1000]

Indeed, what a nice chap. Enjoyed many excellent shed bashes with SBLC including my first Scottish trip. He appears a few times in the new TVP video Rlys of Herts Vol.4.

[@laurence_rj6140]

This is truly amazing, I always knew somewhere extensive footage would appear of this particular line, my best friend bob Sinclair used to travel on this line in the 40s 50s and 60s sadly my friend passed away 2 years ago, he would of loved to see this footage, he talked about the line frequently, at bute street he saw 10000 & 10001 in 1949, being a steam fan he wasn't impressed.

[@petercollingwood4108]

I remember D3691 shunting at WGC and the lovely driver inviting me and my dad into the cab and a run around the yard, beautiful times.

[@richardbrooks50]

Thank you so much for sharing,my late father worked on the line up until it closed and this brought back some lovely memories.I have spent a lot of time cycling and walking the old line over the years

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks richardbrooks50, glad you enjoyed a trip down memory lane.. brilliant that your dad worked on the line :)

[@gammr3227]

ive commented here before but I just want to say you have no idea how incredible this video is for someone who lives near the railway. Before this all I had to go off was black and white pictures scattered across the internet. then one day on my recommended page i see a 20 minute long colour video of almost the entire railway! It was like Christmas for me. Please keep doing what you do.

[@MalcolmCrabbe]

Wow... fantastic footage. Thanks for sharing

[@rolandcarr1268]

Fabulous scenes including the last day of the Skimpot Flyer 24/04/1965. I’m one of the boys waving D8046 off at Bute St. we then hastily ran over to the Midland station just in time to see Britannia “Firth of Tay” belt through returning an enthusiasts special to St. Pancras.

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks rolandcarr1268, wow that's great, hope you are ok with us putting the footage on..

[@BerlietGBC]

What a remarkable film, being a local I’ve looked for pics and film of the branch for years and never found much till now , thank you

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks GarageBartune. Really appreciate your kind comment. Hopefully Andy will fill in some blanks and the footage can be put in some sort of order soon.

[@12ernest12]

Wow, brought back memories travelling from Harpenden East to WGC in late 50s/early sixties trainspotting, and to Luton to see Luton Town football matches.

[@paulpainter4421]

Absolutely marvelous film of a long lost line. Delightful. Wish this could be released on a dvd. Wonderful.

[@SiobhanMeegan]

Lee Brimmer her, Siobhans husband. My late mother took me on this line just before it closed, at the time I wanted to go on the main line to St. Pancras . Moaned like hell but in later years couldn't stop thanking her thanks Mum.Also knew the late Brian Lockey, great guy for us youngsters when he ran the SBLC, RIP Brian.

[@jonathanmarshall2861]

Thank you. I've often wondered what it was like to travel on this railway back in the day and now I can see.

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks Jonathan. Appreciate your comment. It’s such a shame isn’t it. Wish we could go back in time and enjoy it once again.

[@BarryMonks]

Simply priceless. Thanks

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks BarryMonks appreciate you leaving a comment for us

[@gammr3227]

This is incredible

[@vespasian606]

Just speechless. I'll add a little nugget for you. At 9:08 when the DMU is going past the old warehouses they made an interesting find. When the demolition was taking place to make way for the new student accommodation they had to go down beneath the existing foundations. Those warehouses weren't the best. As they dug deeper they struck a thick seam of oyster shells. We are talking multiple lorry loads. That level of activity would imply that at some point in the past there was a fish market on the site.

[@matthewwren1177]

Fantastic, I have for a long time wanted to see a video like this one of the Hatfield-Dustable line. This is most of the line not all of it but still Fantastic!

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks Matthew. Really appreciate your comment. There must be more footage out there somewhere. I will twist Andy’s arm and see what he knows 😊

[@officialmcdeath]

Never travelled this particular line but the scenes evoke strong memories of journeys I was taken on from King's Cross to Hertford North in the early '70s, thank you very much \m/

[@jenbermol]

I remember taking the train from WGC to Letty Green. Was it called Cole Green? Crossing several roads which had barriers to stop the traffic.

[@barttheanorak]

Thanks so much for sharing these. I'm from Hatfield originally so would have been keen to see footage of trains going under what's now simply called the White Bridge where the line entered Sherrardspark Wood.

[@stillstanding123]

Thank you for this lovely trip down memory lane. I grew up in Harpenden and Luton around this time and travelled the line. I did find the video clip editing confusing to follow because i expected stations to be in their route sequence but it must have been an arduous task for you 😅 to sort out those cine spools. It was a great railway to travel Thank you for sharing

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi Lee. Thanks for your comment. I did try to respond to you on a family members KZbin. Did not realise I was logged into their account.. oops. So you may have two responses from me!! Sorry Andy has promised to meet me this evening. He said he will give us commentary and help me put it in some sort of order. For me I want to know where this footage has been for so long. Really grateful Andy has let me put on for us all to enjoy. It’s not been the easiest to get this on KZbin. I promise I will do my best and as soon as it’s re-edited I will post it for you all. There is so much to the back story that I am intrigued to ask Andy. If anyone has any questions please pop them on in the comments.

[@Goodchappy]

Amazing footage, thanks for putting this on KZbin. I recognised some of the scenes but as so much has change and it jumped about a bit, I got a bit lost.

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks Goodchappy for your comment. I agree, but have no idea what order it should be in, so Andy is working on bite size videos with audio commentary.. hopefully gives some more context and maybe some interesting info along the way... fist video is about to drop, he is so busy its hard for me to pin him down :)

[@andymac2047]

Fascinating to see. I lived around the corner from Harpenden East and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of my then 8 year old self watching the final down and up trains. I have pictures of the down train, it was too dark for my Brownie when the final train went through (8:07pm iirc). I went to WGC/Hatfield earlier in the day.

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks andymac2047 for watching the video and leaving a comment.. sorry you was not on the footage. :(

[@cookiemonsteromnom2264]

This footage is brilliant. Must have taken a bit of work to get this from Cine to KZbin. Andy really appreciate you letting us see your footage from Brian. Glad you still have it. When are you and Andy going to do part 4 of the Luton walk?

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks CookieMonsteromnom. Appreciate your comment. Andy wants to complete the 4th section very soon. He has also spoken with the counsellor for Luton who has agree to give us some insight on why this beloved railway was replaced by the busway between Dunstable and Luton. Hopefully we can make the calendars work and soon we will have this for you to enjoy on the channel. 👍🏻👍🏻 won’t be long I promise.

[@martinmargerrison2300]

Cheers for that. Most enjoyable. I think the 2 lads in question might be Ned Crankwell and Paul Troon. Possibly on the platform at Wheathampstead was Pete Hampstead. Can't confirm but it's just a thought. 🤔👍

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks martinmargerrison2300 appreciate your suggestion of the lads. :)

[@gerrydolan3532]

Lovely footage, more identification of stations and locations would be nice.

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks Gerry. Absolutely. It’s raw footage at the mo. Andy is writing a commentary and we have started recording the voiceover. We will hopefully be able to put something out soon. And in some order too. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@RaymondCastle-c6h]

I often worked on this line in the early 60s. Carrying freight from WGC to Dunstable as a second man I was based at Hitchin shed 34D

[@peter_holton]

If I recall, the chap at 17:15 was the secretary of the SBLC - the South Beds Locomotive Club. Can't remember his name, nice guy.

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks Peter. I was very nervous about putting this footage on without being able to ask permission from the people in it. Appreciate you putting a name to the SBLC secretary in and a time marker for us. Thank you so much 👍🏻👍🏻

[@christopherbentley5216]

I do miss those days,when dad took me on a train and it was such an adventure. This line and the OXF-CAM were closed in haste,and today the government spend billions trying to reopen these lost lines. The 60s were brilliant,, steam ,music and no stabbings on our streets . The only thing that has got better is medicine. i.M.O

[@donottouchtheliverail2306]

Lived in Dunstable for about 51 years great video track was down then,now just a bus way

[@thelastpilot4582]

I travelled this line from W.G.C. to Luton and back. With my Mother to get my new school uniform as a boy. The train was a steam tank engine. Early 1950's I suppose.👍👍

[@gepxplore9710]

Thanks for your comment The Last Pilot. What a lovely memory to share with us. We met some fascinating gentlemen whilst filming our vlog on the Dunstable vlog. Both remember the line with fond memories. One said he used to deliver flowers, getting on as a Young boy only to be met in Town to hand them onto the next person. This was his job back in the day. These memories keep this line alive. Thank you so much.

[@windorl6460]

I travelled on that line a few times in the 1950s when the locomotives were steam. I remember how small the engines were on that line compared to the Steam Engines used on the mainline trains at Midland Road. Now I cycle along the line from Luton to Dunstable and Luton to Wheathampstead with my grandsons. A bygone era for sure.

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks windorl6460 It is indeed an excellent route to cycle now. Wish i could have seen it and travelled on it as you have...

[@f18357]

I like the way they had new diesel trains. Some money must have been invested in line before plug was pulled looks like no passengers.

[@StuartEaglesham]

Wow this footage is fantastic, I'm in the process of making a 00 gauge layout of Bute street station and with all the research I have done I wish there was some video footage of the line and now there is. This has gone a long way to help me recreate the station and I also remember crossing over the crossing at chaul end lane in mid 80s. If anyone has a picture of it then I'd love to see it.....

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi Stuart. Thanks for your comment. Check over our other walks. I have a feeling Andy shows a photo. I remember crossing it too. My dad used to work in one of the warehouses near it.

[@gepxplore9710]

Was you at the Stopsley railway display today? The luton rail club was putting on a display

[@StuartEaglesham]

@@gepxplore9710 hi, yes I did pop in to the exhibition at stopsley today with the family, we as great to see it back on. Some great layouts and the kids enjoyed it......

[@StuartEaglesham]

@@gepxplore9710 I used to live in Connaught road and crossed it on way to school in dallow road,

[@StuartEaglesham]

I just wanted to add that there is a last remaining section of track at power court next to the old bridge, it's not long and it was part of the re-aligment to make a connection to the midland, when Luton town build the new stadium this will be lost......

[@MalcolmCrabbe]

Can you give us more of the story of how the footage was gifted to you and what the connection is with Brian. I was searching for this sort of footage when I made my short video on the line, but gave up hope of ever seeing what the line was like in operation over its length. As a child we would go blackberry picking at Ayot and remember waving to the driver of a train taking wagons to Blackridge sidings in the late 60's, a few years before the line was ripped up and the A1M extension built. - This film is amazing

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi Malcolm. Thanks for your comment and memories. I am pleased to say Andy has agree to meet me very soon and has said he will give me an audio backstory and commentary to put over the footage. All going well I will try to post this on the channel as soon as possible. Please keep a lookout for a notification of the update vlog. I promise as soon as he does this I will put it on the channel as quick as I can. Because I am just as intrigued too. I. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@peterbonnar3088]

I remember the train tracks running behind the maple road stand Lutons football ground. It's a road now

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks peterbonnar3088 Looking at the older maps looks like there was quite a lot going on that side of the ground.. I don't remember it. Andy will know of course.. Well done Luton Town on getting back to where you deserve to be...

[@grahamfigg5817]

This local to me railway closed on the day I was born.

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks grahamfigg5817 its such a shame isn't it. But at least the day was marked by you making your debut :)

[@murrayfranklyn84]

The man wandering up and down the platform @ 6.20 minutes was Wheathampstead station master Mr. Gerald Lee, took his job very seriously.

[@kbtred51]

Some rare scenes worth saving. Random shots are too confusing with time. Needs editing into a sequence with captions.

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi kbT Red. Thanks for your comment. Totally agree. Will reissue it as soon as Andy gives me the back story. Will do my best with it I promise 👍🏻👍🏻

[@RediscoveringLostRailways]

Wow - do you think I would be permitted to incorporate this footage into a film I'm making about this railway?

[@Terminal_Eyes]

Ha, I was just thinking how interesting it was going to be comparing this to your forthcoming modern day re-visit. Thank you Andy for taking the time to upload this for us to enjoy. I hope you are able to share with RLR, I'm sure he will do it proud.

[@RediscoveringLostRailways]

@@Terminal_Eyes My fingers are firmly crossed!

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi Rediscovering Lost Railways. Thanks for asking. I called Andy as soon as you posted. Especially I Very much thank you for your courtesy and respectful request. I have watched your amazing work and videos. You are truly brilliant. And absolutely the best at keeping our love for the railways alive. Thank you so so so much. I am humbled you have even seen our baby small channel. Andy has agreed to meet me again very soon and give me a back story for this footage. As he is the owner of the footage He respectfully wants to do some more with the material at the moment rather than see it being used elsewhere for now. I know this material is something we did not know even existed. And it has really been so exciting for him to let us see. I can’t believe he let me post it. Would you kindly allow him to do some more with it? He wants to use it in some more of his walks he has asked me to do with him. I promise once he has done what he plans I will let you know. I am sure he will then agree for you too to at that point to then Use it. As I am certain you will do a far better presentation than i ever could. And the brilliant people who share our passion would love to see your far better way of presenting it than I could ever do. Would you be so kind for us to respectfully do this just for now. I trust this will be ok with you. Again may I thank you for not just using the footage as so many do on KZbin until he gives permission. Respectfully, and humbly in awe of your brilliant work. Gavin

[@RediscoveringLostRailways]

@gepxplore thank you for your kind words and response. Of course I'm happy to wait until permission is given, no problem at all, completely understand! Just finished filming today and I'll be editing for the next couple of months, so do let me know if things change in that time. Very best wishes 🙏

[@wasted-blaster.]

What class of train is being followed?

[@gepxplore9710]

Hi wasted-blaster, vlog 28 just about to drop, Andy has worked on the voiceover, really tricky getting it done as we are not experts in any way on this... hopefully it gives you some interesting info :)

[@walthamwalker]

Parts of this line are now a walking path

[@gepxplore9710]

thanks walthamwalker, it is an excellent walk, why not have a look at our other vids, me and Andy walk most of the routes... still got more to do, he is so busy, so i have to book him months in advance!!!

[@walthamwalker]

@@gepxplore9710 lol

[@gammr3227]

is there any footage of the line just after harpenden east?

[@bingbong7316]

Assuming it's a morning shot, 8:40 would show a bit in the down direction.

[@gammr3227]

@@bingbong7316 Yes i should have been more specific, about 200 meters from the site of harpenden east used to be a bridge. ive allways wanted to find an image of that bridge but ive never been able to

[@gepxplore9710]

@@gammr3227 hi Gammr. I will ask Andy. He promised to meet me this week. He is also part of a member of a railway club. And is a good friend of the author of a brilliant book mentioned on some of our other vlogs. If anyone has more footage we will let you know. But so up until recently I did not even know he had this footage!!!

[@gammr3227]

@@gepxplore9710 thank you :)