West Coast Main Line Driver's Eye View: Carlisle to Edinbugh

[@soundseeker63]

Excellent views, stunning scenery, and the evening sky definitely enhances it further. The 350s are good units. Though I do wish we'd had this kind of recording quality available back when the 86s and 87s ruled the roost. Nothing beats all the singing and dancing of those old machines. I miss them greatly, along with the wonderfully comfortable and quiet Mk3s.

[@saintuk70]

Ummm.... the view is the best seat in the house.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Excellent! having just arrived on Don's train, we can continue on yours!

[@ennohund9515]

Great video! Thanks a lot for letting me ride with you. The evening atmosphere as well as the seasonal colours are a lot of fun. I hope to come to this area soon. For the time being I am looking forward to the next driver's cab rides. Many greetings from the Taunus region, Germany, and always have an accident-free trip!

[@rubyait]

I had already seen part one, but I watched it again because there is so much to learn! I’m having a down day and sat down to read through it. Well, I am reading three captioned videos. A very pleasant afternoon. Thank you.

[@ronaldweir712]

Considering this route was built by the Caledonian Railway Company in the mid 1800's there are many long straight sections where the trains can probably go at least three times the speed of the trains of that era. The terrain though limits any significant improvements and thus speeds going forward. It will need a huge investment to get truly high speed train services.

[@r00frack]

Very evocative. Up until 2018, I used to commute on this TPE early morning service every fortnight from Wigan North Western to Haymarket. Happy memories (except the morning when all signalling failed at Carlisle, and the one when we got stuck in the snow before Carstairs !). Thank you.

[@elvispresley2599]

Love the video. Fantastic smooth ride. Bring us more of them. Brilliant thanks

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I thought you were dead.

[@elvispresley2599]

@@TheKnobCalledTone. No!!! I'm alive and well age 67 and still going thank you

[@HenrysAdventures]

Brilliant video! Love the dusk arrival in Edinburgh! Makes me want to all in at a bar and check into a hotel for a few nights!

[@xxfyrezgamerxx6279]

Thanks for the video, also my grandfather used to also work in the old Carlisle upperby 12b locomotive and maintenance sheds around 1960's and worked on the trains as well as being the fireman and signal man and guard and also quite a few other jobs as he grew more into his job, sadly he passed away at the age of 80 on the 26th of November 2022, just looked through his old railway books and photos and found a lot of photos of him working also some of his old badges as well as the 12b loco shed badge that he wore on his old railway coat and also found his British rail identity card with his photo and I'd number on it, wanted to also work on freight trains ever since I was a kid, me and my grandad would always talk about old trains and I know a lot about railway stuff as I'm 20 now, sadly I have epilepsy got diagnosed back in November of 2017 but if I ever get rid of it I'm going to try and get a railway job, usually play on train simulator world 3 driving old class diesel freight trains like the class 37, class 40, class 45, for the modern freight loco I'm always using the class 66, the class 68 and class 88 are also amazing cant use them on the game but I have seen them in real life and I love them.

[@phwbooth]

Excellent. Thanks for going to the trouble.

[@rubyait]

Time well spent and enjoyed, Ben. The sodium vapor lights at Curie Hill were a surprise, a puzzle, and a joy to see. Also, I learned you are Fourfoot so we’re old friends.

[@ldegmtrainspotter]

Amazing train ride movie! Awesome places and landscapes! Good work, Ben! Mega Thumbs Up 🚆🚂🚊😎👍👍👍 Greetings from Romania Andrew

[@garydunken7934]

Hello from Aus. Fantastic video of a smooth ride tearing through beautiful English and Scottish countryside. Thanks for the video. I have travelled a few times on the east coast line between Kings X and Edinburgh, but never been on west coast line. I hope to visit to UK soon, but currently can't get on an international flight because of this Covid pandamic :(

[@ChangesOneTim]

Great video run, thanks. Not many people know this, but Floriston crossing was first modernised as a half-barrier (AHB) it was the only one in Britain allowed to be commissioned on more than two tracks. At last renewal it was upgraded to CCTV full-barrier.

[@shlomosikora515]

very nice video Wonderful views. Thanks mate . more videos please.

[@AmazeTase]

Cheers Ben, great video. Look forward to the next episode!

[@Stewartp]

Thank you very much for this! Beautiful colours, as others have commented. I have been watching a lot of these videos as I am stuck in lockdown in Italy. I pedal on my exercise bicycle in front of a large TV as I watch and have now seen almost all the train videos there are for Scotland and will be moving on to England next.

[@javierbrito4436]

So am I, " video travelling" all over Great Britain during lockdown down south here in Chile. Great video, thanks!

[@danielmargrie]

wow

[@jayzo]

I used to obsess over the bit of the WCML between Grayrigg and Shap being the best part of the WCML for scenery. I'm wrong, this section is, specifically around 30:00 to Carstairs

[@calopes68]

Very nice long trip. Caption the sunset at the end was fantastic.

[@SMILEVIDEOTRAINS]

superb video. loved the evening time. excellent

[@davidgriffiths7215]

Thanks for an excellent video. It's a sobering thought that on this stretch you pass the scenes of Britain's worst mass-murder (Lockerbie) and Britain's worst rail disaster (Quintinshill). I'm old enough to remember going up Beattock behind a Coronation pacific with a 2-6-4 tank banking at the rear. Rather different from today's 100mph gallop! For anyone not in the know, the State Hospital at 50:38 is Scotland's equivalent of Broadmoor.

[@karlosbricks2413]

bloody hell that must have been a sight. Sadly my grandma was never in to the trains so her accounts of LNER trips to London and back (from Bridlington) are not so full of detail.

[@r0g3r5m1th]

Thank you so very much for what can only be described as a wonderful journey..

[@brucewilliams8714]

This was great. From Carstairs on it was a first trip. Many thanks.

[@MarioStahl1983]

What a wonderful route! Almost perfect. Nearly the entire route can obviously be run at 90-110 mph and it's all electrified. What a blessing.😂

[@ds1868]

Should be upgraded as part of hs2 with 200mph.

[@MarioStahl1983]

@@ds1868 😂🤣😅 200mph on that route!!! They couldn't even upgrade it to 125!!!

[@fatwalletboy2]

Good vid.very smooth train. The 95mph sections looked faster. Going from day to night was a bonus touch.

[@joehedley6964]

also just off dons train 1yr later looking forward to the journey which i know will be excellant as always

[@MsSoundguy]

This is a wonderful journey. It's new to me, and I look forward to part 2 so I can get the whole ride. Thank you, too, for all the information you provide. I really have no idea where I am or where the various towns are, but it's fun to put a name to the lights and viaducts. Thank you.

[@MrAuriga67]

Thanks for this Ben, I now know where Cove LC is ! - re WON and PON's !

[@amtrakharry]

That was and Excellent video Sir !!! Thank you very much for sharing it with us!!! :):):)

[@hamshackleton]

Part 2 has not yet been uploaded as it's not ready - - explains why I can't find it! :-)

[@beneliastrains]

Indeed, it's gonna be a while I'm afraid! At least a month.

[@lesliedodds4011]

@@beneliastrains IS there any long tunnels on your root .

[@beneliastrains]

@@lesliedodds4011 This route only has Four tunnels - Farnworth, Moor Lane (Both near Bolton), Haymarket and Mound (both in Edinburgh)

[@martinjh999]

@hamshackleton IF you want to see Preston to Carlisle Don Coffey has just released his video on the route. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXyahpZ6i7R9brM

[@James-oo1yq]

The Beautiful 5 Star Balmoral Hotel on the left as you pull into Waverley. Happens to be were Top Gear finished one of their races, the one involving a steam train.

[@karlosbricks2413]

Tornado 60163, actually

[@postscript67]

The North British Hotel as was, and as it should still be.

[@johncliff5417]

Thank you for the cab ride to Edinburgh. I use to travel by road a lot to either Edinburgh or Glasgow. God knows how I use to stay awake going or coming back to Leeds. Possibly because I was going too fast to dare loose concentration.

[@TheSheikhmihand]

Great video it gets very dark on approach to Edinburgh but you can see well due to the station lights and trains lights.

[@oo0Spyder0oo]

Awesome. Did the Preston to Edinburgh route in 2011, loved it.

[@brianlawrence7119]

cracking video like speed indicator too how the hell you remember all this is a total mystery to me.Well done

[@Aesthetic_Princess667]

from Carlisle to Edinburgh we drive along the A7 towards Dumfries, we drive along the M6 towards Glasgow, we drive along the A74(M) towards Glasgow, we drive along the A702 towards Edinburgh, we drive along the A1 towards Edinburgh.

[@davidfinney5404]

I could watch it all day

[@TommyWylie]

I remember this route when travelling up from London KX to Edinburgh, when the line was closed North of Newcastle. The train would travel inland along the Tyne valley through Hexham etc, and then up through Carlisle to Edinburgh. I'd like it if they still did that today!

[@obkb1]

Great video. Subscribed so I don't miss Part 2.

[@tonyhancock8479]

From the Airport to Preston on your train, then to here on Don's then back to you for the last bit. Great.

[@Pmjs]

I mind going up Beattock Summit with the Sleepers in the Winter at about 5mph we could've walked faster but as long as we kept going we were alright.

[@daveelliott5855]

I can see why I couldn't be a driver with my colourblindness almost impossible for me to dispher the signal aspects in the urban areas at dusk, super video haven't travelled on this route for over 30 years.

[@martinevans7090]

It's a bloody long way between Lockerbie and Carstairs!

[@Aidankiwi]

It's the longest section of track on Network Rail without an open station.

[@jon99t]

Thank you, Don another great video your a get person to know

[@YorksLancsTransportHub]

He is not Done he is Ben

[@wild.legend-music]

46:44 - Something just died there. Nice video, pretty satisfying to watch :)

[@MrDavil43]

Or just bird poo? Some rather large birds in Scotland!

[@wild.legend-music]

@@MrDavil43 Haha, could be :)

[@gerontius34]

Great video, I have done this many times, though only as a passenger. Rather odd that at 47:35 the permissible speed reduces to 100, then at 48:18 it reduces to 90. But surely this could only apply to Glasgow-bound trains, and I imagine Edinburgh-bound drivers are well advised to ignore! Every time I have passed through this junction, the train (Pendolino or EMU) has literally crawled through it.

[@petes48]

Very good and interesting, living in the south of England, I was surprised how quickly darkness came.

[@beneliastrains]

It actually gets dark a fair bit later in Scotland than it does down south

[@michaelfurbank3504]

@@beneliastrains Presumably only between March and September. In the depths of winter it will be dark much earlier.

[@danamack7405]

Sorry, the comment explains about part 2 - any idea when that might be published? Thanks, Dana

[@Presyden]

How can POV train journey be so satisfying?

[@jonathanhall7815]

I wish the old Newcastleton, Riccarton, Hawick line was still operational !

[@danamack7405]

Hi! What happened to part 2 ? Thanks, Dana

[@greatbritishentertainmentl5636]

Very nice ride!

[@dream.machine]

1:05:57 I thought that was an airplane!!

[@iantaf5559]

Hello Ben, thanks for a great cab ride. Quick question about the two aspect signals on the Down Midcalder after Carstairs. Do they display a red or amber aspect after you pass them or are they a mixture of distant and stop signals??

[@beneliastrains]

They're distants and stop signals, so the distants should revert to yellow when passed and the stop signals to red.

[@iantaf5559]

Thanks Ben. So it is down to your route knowledge to know which is which. Thanks very much for clearing that up for me. Have a good week's driving ahead. 👍🏼

[@anmolmehta7116]

A nice ride. I will next take a ride on Don Coffee's train and analyse which train had the highest speed, although that will be on another route.

[@beneliastrains]

Don won't have been driving the one in his video on the west coast main line as he doesn't sign the route

[@lifeisgood3386]

Loves to play with the wippers 😂

[@ivorrollo9268]

Hi Ben, do you have any links of trains arriving from West Coast Main Line into Edinburgh from 1970s, 1980s or 1990s ? Many thanks

[@tutts999]

Nice trip. You just have to love Edinburgh Waverley

[@TheArkamedBat]

Best station in Scotland

[@train_paul9478]

Hello, just to let you know, the footage you said I can borrow to make my documentary (York-Liverpool) should hopefully be done by autumn time. Long process when you work on the railway. Are a driver for TPE by chance?

[@beneliastrains]

I am

[@train_paul9478]

Ben Elias and which routes do you sign

[@beneliastrains]

@@train_paul9478 Manchester to Edinburgh via Bolton and Wigan NW Ardwick Depot Manchester Victoria to Salford Crescent Ordsall Lane to Lime Street

[@beneliastrains]

And the Ordsall Chord

[@train_paul9478]

Ben Elias who does the Glasgow section? Is it Manchester depot your at?

[@satyam1529]

Nice journey between greenery.

[@canadianwsi]

Thanks for an excellent video

[@pawpals01]

I am confused; surely you would have to go through Gretna Green, Annan and Dumfries to go to Edinburgh?

[@thomasdavidson4688]

Thank you driver.

[@qwerty69600]

Awesome video Ben. Is the 350 capable of 110mph operation?

[@FlickedMikeLit]

Incorrect. 350/2 are now capable of 110mph working

[@russouk]

Whats the last thing that goes thru a flies mind when it hits the windscreen,?....its arse.....lolz

[@msperry50ca]

VERY old joke!!

[@johnwestwood2754]

Do you sign any of the routes you video?

[@True_NOON]

18:28 welcome to lockerbie, Highly known for: - Nothing for the next 42 Miles - - - - And most importantly of all :

[@cajmo8635]

Could you attach a realtimetrains link to your videos in the future, so I (and probably also others) can look at the schedule? Also, more voiceovers please.

[@roboftherock]

Ah, please, no voiceovers.

[@tsangpogorge]

8:03 site of the deadliest accident in UK railway history.

[@mattstrains6133]

Will you be driving the new Class 397s when they get put on this route I heard the Class 350s were leaving Transpennine to go back to LNWR

[@beneliastrains]

I certainly will

[@EM-yk1dw]

Great film, nice to see a nocturnal arrival too for a change. Have TPE got Drivers based in Scotland now or are they still manned by Mossend Freightliner? Also do any crews do lodging?

[@beneliastrains]

Glasgow has a depot of dedicated drivers and guards now. No freightliner crews since May - they were all TUPEd over. No lodging.

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@beneliastrains Thanks Ben, any chance of Carstairs Glasgow please? Also do Manchester crews work all the way through to Scotland?

[@cajmo8635]

@@EM-yk1dw if you check the live chat, he explains that manchester drivers sign on up to waverley, but not glasgow

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@cajmo8635 Thanks Cosmo

[@GregPalmer1000]

Whrn is the new stock for Trans Penine going into service, namely the new EMUs for the wcml & the class 68s & new coaches for Hull, Scarborough etc?

[@TheArkamedBat]

Nova 1(802) Nova 2(397) Nova 3(68+Mk5)

[@Maurice-Navel]

Nice ride! I enjoyed the views of heather -- never saw it before! Could have done without the 6-legged passengers (probably you agree).

[@thomastherhymer1]

If you mean the purple flowers along much of the trackside, it's most like buddleia (an invasive introduced species) not heather www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28196221

[@jerrygregor]

@@thomastherhymer1 At 51:20 ? No dude, definitely rosebay willow herb.

[@thomastherhymer1]

@@jerrygregor Not heather, either way.

[@Scala64]

@@jerrygregor That triangle of ground between the lines at Carstairs is the biggest expanse of rosebay willow herb I've ever seen. Beautiful.

[@jerrygregor]

@@Scala64 It's glorious.

[@Thomas1980]

great video👍👍👍

[@drdoolittle5724]

Truly superb, thank you very much for taking us with you. 2 things please - when you hit speed limits must you be spot-on when arriving and if so do you have any aids to help you? Also, the junction where you turn right to Edinburgh looks very primitive and not really fit for purpose in 2019???

[@beneliastrains]

Yes you should be doing the limit by the speed board. No aids. It's all route knowledge. Yes Carstairs is a terrible junction. Badly in need of an upgrade

[@manusmacgearailt667]

From observing Satellite imagery it seems there's an abandoned track going in a straight line from south of the junction to the Edinburgh line, bypassing the tight curve that's currently used - why would anyone mothball a direct faster track enabling higher speeds? there's no advantage to the current design since Edinburgh bound trains approaching from the south don't stop at Carstairs, meaning there would no negative impact on train services if the bypass track was used instead...

[@hamshackleton]

Ben - is your alias 'Foorfoot' - if not - strange that you should both release a vid of the same route in the same week!

[@beneliastrains]

Yes, I used to be known by my real name but changed to FourFoot in 2017, then changed back to my real name yesterday.

[@sctrains3687]

Great video of a route I know very well

[@markstock3510]

If the single beep is the Vigilance system, what is the double and triple beep for??

[@jamesoates1334]

It's still the vigilance system, it just depends on how quickly you can cancel it..

[@allanralston7014]

Carstairs junction is quite a speed restriction, but I guess it was laid out in the 1970's electrificationof the WCML with little idea of how growth on the northwest to Edinburgh line would grow to what it is now. Surely thwre must be plans to relay? 15mph!

[@davidgriffiths7215]

I doubt if it could be relaid to any significant extent, certainly not without purchasing a lot of additional land. There is a corresponding curve on the other side of the junction used by trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central which also has a 15 mph limit and would need to be relaid as well. I doubt if the volume of traffic would justify the expenditure. There are other more urgent railway projects in Scotland just now.

[@raymondflanagan9355]

If you look on Google maps, it looks like there was a smoother curve that was removed. It would be better to reinstate that.

[@raymondflanagan9355]

If you look on Google maps you can see a smoother curve that has been removed. Surely that should be reinstated.

[@Ashleigh_T]

Yes there's a plan: www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-47731973

[@Ashleigh_T]

@@raymondflanagan9355 surprisingly, the chord that you speak about was removed in 1860 after it fell into disuse. It would seem that Caledonian railway's choice at the time was to have all trains from Edinburgh stop at Carstairs Junction Station before proceeding South, this negating the need for the chord. For information, the southern junction was known as "Float junction" and the northern end was "Lampits junction". More info at: www.railscot.co.uk/locations/F/Float_Junction/

[@breakingbaz7709]

Eye near the top left! 10:33 Bug Splat

[@morganroberts2214]

Great vid. I really do enjoy these route learning style videos. Can I ask what software do you use to add the overlays for the speed limits and location names?

[@beneliastrains]

Hi. Cheers! I use Premiere Pro.

[@morganroberts2214]

@@beneliastrains Ahh ok. Thanks

[@72Keydet]

Love zipping across the countryside, wish the US had as good of a rail system.

[@craigymarsh941]

do south ruislip to west ealing and west ealing to high wycombe

[@TheArkamedBat]

LOVE Engines on Desiro units

[@crusherbarny]

What happens if you run out of liquid for t Your window squirters do you just have to go without?

[@beneliastrains]

If the windscreen becomes obscured I stop in the middle of nowhere and request someone brings me some wiper fluid

[@crusherbarny]

@@beneliastrains oh wow! Didnt think you would be able to! I would have thought you would have to stop at next station!

[@beneliastrains]

Realistically that is what would happen in most cases. It rarely runs out though.

[@TheMarkos1982]

what's the noise at 20:29?

[@TheMartins89]

Most likely because of the signal ahead(yellow when pass the sensor) but then turn green

[@TheArkamedBat]

NO.It was vigilance system

[@TIMBOWERMAN]

Are you driving a Pendolino (Class 390)? it looked smooth and quick going to Lockerbie. An idea from Don Coffey - How about putting texts in the video; your video as the train came into Lockerbie, you could include that there was an air crash there just 400 yards from the line in 1988 when a Pan Am jet was blown up by terrorists. 278 perished including 18 on the ground.

[@09weenic]

tim bowerman it’s a class 350

[@russouk]

Is there a train invented yet that the wipers actually remove all water from screen?...not seen any,ours didnt work at all on 37s...todays even as bad lol Desiro nice to operate ? notice on long bends\camber the cab swings out L and R quite a bit from centre on bogies...looks good,drivers must think going to tip at first lol watching rail on cntre of my screen..travel L and R is 2inches lol...must be close to a foot in Reality not very busy on up line or due to time of day ? top vid...beautiful Scots countryside...love seeing people run for a train thats not going anywhere...lol

[@beneliastrains]

No the wipers are shit

[@BladeRunner21577]

Where is Preston to Carlisle?

[@gerontius34]

If that is the 'State Hospital' at 50:35, one does wonder what is going on there. Must be top secret research!

[@noname1984]

Carstairs secure psychiatric hospital. The security is plentiful

[@gerontius34]

@@noname1984 Thanks. I thought perhaps 'State Hospital' was a euphemism for prison!

[@69houyt]

10:33 FATALITY TRAIN WINS

[@1701_FyldeFlyer]

Part 3 before part 2!?

[@beneliastrains]

Weird, right?

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

You should have changed "Down" to "Doon" once crossing into Scotland lol

[@EinkOLED]

I never knew the West Coast mainline could travel to edinburgh from carlisle avoiding Glasgow.

[@OlanKenny]

Junction at Carstairs. Has been for at least a hundred years

[@thomastherhymer1]

Not only WCML. In a few weeks, I'll be doing this as part of Durham-Inverness with LNER. Durham-Newcastle(reverse)-Carlisle-Edinburgh(reverse)-Perth-Inverness. Got a through-ticketed first class advance for less than the now-advertised advance economy fare. Feeling smug!

[@James-oo1yq]

David Rogers I live in Edinburgh, and was amazed when I realised this fact.

[@karlosbricks2413]

@@droge192 yeah, Waverley route was the one actually went on something remotely northerly out of carlisle. Shame the rebuilding was done on such a budget

[@EinkOLED]

@@OlanKenny I thought the ECML served a direct line to edinburgh, and the WCML to edinburgh via glasgow. I've become familiar with the route through the train simulator, which simulates both routes precisely.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Nice Vid!

[@johnrattray6725]

That’s when trains are running, usually there are more cancelled

[@jimwilloughby]

Ben, Is my interpretation of the phrase "down main' correct in that it is lower than the rails on the right, which would make them the "up main "?

[@K1W1fly]

"Down" Lines are where trains travel AWAY from the nominated central / start point, "Up" lines travel TOWARDS the central point. Generally in the UK the central point is London, except in the North where its Manchester Victoria.

[@jimwilloughby]

@@K1W1fly , Thank you. Learned something new.

[@brianligat2038]

Having to use the windscreen washer on this route?!? Just wait 5 mins for it to rain again.

[@TheArkamedBat]

LOVE area at 15 mph

[@KoreaRoadTube]

Let's see the train video