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@@MyVikinglife Thank you. Yes, the original GWR station at Snow Hill was majestic, particularly the facade. Best Wishes, Stephen

Thank you. I really enjoyed making this video as it took me back to my early days as a trainspotter at stations in the suburbs of Plymouth. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@RichardWells1 Thank you Richard. This was my first trip along the Maritime Line in around 30 years or so. It was really good to see so many passengers using it and the crossover track arrangement at Penryn Station was particularly interesting. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@Unk87327 Yes, this was the location of the deadliest rail disaster in British history. It involved a collision involving five trains on 22nd May 1915 resulting in more than 200 deaths with hundreds more injured.

@stephenbennettrailways I Already Know That. The Quintinshill Rail Disaster.

@@TomHowlett-s3z Thanks Tom. I have really enjoyed filming at each of the stations along the Cumbrian Coast line between Carlisle and Barrow. The infrastructure still reminds me of the railways that I travelled on as a youngster back home in the Westcountry. From the archive photographs I have seen there is no doubt that Whitehaven Stations was quite a structure in years gone by, sadly no more. Apart from the harbour area, the town itself did seem in need of some much needed investment when I last visited about 3 years ago. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@stuartkinnear2478 Thank you Stuart. The branch line from Churston to Brixham closed in 1963 (another casualty of the Beeching cuts). The engine house that can be seen in the video at Churston Station was built on the site of the former sidings of the Brixham line. I would have liked to have got off the train at each of the intermediate stations but sadly trains have not stopped at any of them since COVID. Best Wishes, Stephen.

@@Gregthebaka Thank you!. Oxenholme is a really good station to film with the West Coast Main Line along with the Windermere Branch Line.

@@Tommys_Trains Thank you Tommy. I have subscribed to your channel, looks great!

@@kevthetrainenthusiast Hi Kevin, Penrith is a great station and you should be guaranteed a very good selection of trains on the West Coast Main Line. The town is worth a look too if you have the time. I hope you have a good trip and enjoy your birthday!. Best Wishes, Stephen

@stephenbennettrailways I will have just over there hours there i have never been there before I loved your video have a marry Xmas and and happy new year 🎉 kev

@ Thanks Kevin, I hope you have a lovely Christmas and Best Wishes for 2025.

@@emmmoo8631 I think that one of Network Rail’s most high-profile challenges is to manage its lineside vegetation and achieving a fine balance between keeping the railway running safely and protecting the rail corridor ecosystem. It sounds like a massive challenge, especially along rural branch lines. Best Wishes, Stephen

@reu28 Thank you Reuben. I have never travelled the Avocet Line before and really enjoyed making this video. The current station at Exmouth is just a shadow of its former self and the tiny request stops along the line were charming. I hope to make another visit back to Devon & Cornwall next year and plan to make more videos. I don’t know the Exeter area very well but the idea of making a video about the stations from Exeter St David’s & Exeter Central out into the suburbs sounds really intriguing and I will definitely look into it. Best Wishes, Stephen

@reu28 Thanks for sharing these memories Reuben. This video was all about memories of years gone by as I lived just a short distance from the stations at Devonport and Dockyard (Halt) as a child and spent many hours watching trains at these locations. Work has taken me away from Plymouth and I am now retired living on the England / Scotland border at Gretna. I still have very fond memories of my home city and wanted to retrace my steps back to where my interest in trains and railways in general began. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@richardincm Thanks Richard. Yes, the whole site has been beautifully represented. The museum on Platform 2 contains a very interesting display charting the history of the station and the original routes serving North Cornwall, Plymouth, and also Exeter to London. There is also a display for visitors on the restored Platform 3 from Dartmoor National Park. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@AndrewBird-y3g Thank you for the information Andrew. I can still remember seeing this remarkable photo along with local news footage of the final passenger train to leave Okehampton Station back in 1972. Although the line between Okehampton and Crediton was not earmarked for closure in the Beeching Report the climate at that time was to close small rural lines and stations and it was probably inevitable therefore that Okehampton would become a victim at some stage. Coming back to visit the area after so many years away from Devon was really special and to see the line doing so well. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@oml81mm Thank you for sharing these memories Billy. Your train would most probably have arrived at Okehampton sometime between 1968 and 1972. The line heading west from Okehampton towards Tavistock closed to passenger services in 1968 and the line heading east towards Crediton and Exeter closed to passenger services in 1972. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@garthcox4307 Hi Garth, yes it was the first line to be reopened as part of the former government’s ’restoring your railways’ programme. Following the change of government a number of future schemes have either been postponed or scrapped completely. It seems such a shame as the success of the Dartmoor Line has proven beyond doubt that where there is a sound business case in place the rationale for reopening former abandoned lines has positive benefits both locally, regionally, and nationally. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@PhilipJenkins-v1b Thanks Philip and I do so agree with you. Having just the one means of access from Exeter along the Exe Estuary through Starcross to Dawlish & Teignmouth is a risky strategy as any problems along this stretch of line has major implications for the route through to Paignton/Torquay, Plymouth, and the whole of Cornwall as we saw at first hand back in 2014. There is no doubt that reopening the former PD&SWJR route from Exeter to Plymouth via Okehampton would be prohibitively expensive but given the success of the reopened Okehampton to Exeter line there would seem to be a sound commercial and economic business case for extending the route to the west of Okehampton at some stage in the future. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@jeanpalmer141 Thanks Jean and I’m glad you enjoyed the video. It was great to go back to Okehampton Station after so many years and to see it looking so well presented and welcoming. The line is certainly performing above expectations with the latest ORR figures for 2023/24 showing annual passenger numbers having exceeded 300k. Much as I would like to see the line extended to the west I agree with you that this seems very unlikely in view of the work that would be required to bring the Meldon Viaduct up to standard. Perhaps more likely in the short to medium term would be to reopen the 5 mile stretch from Bere Alston to Tavistock which has seen a number of feasibility studies over recent years. However, this project seems to have fallen by the wayside, at least for the time being, with the recent change of government. I completely agree with your thoughts about footbridges. During my visit to Cornwall back in June I saw preparations to remove the Victorian footbridge at St Erth Station and there are also a number of similar accessible structures being installed here in Scotland, the most recent being at Dumfries Station. I guess it reflects the age we live in but it does seem a shame that a compromise can’t be reached so that our railway stations can be accessible to everyone without the need to remove some of the beautiful Victorian structures that are so much a part of our railway history. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@MikeWooshy Hi Mike, I visited the SVR last year and produced a couple of video’s (30 mins each) which are on my YT channel.

@@Wvw_trains Thank you. It was great to catch her at Birmingham MS so close to her home base at Tyseley.

@@НикитаЖуков-ъ3ю Thank you and I am pleased you enjoyed watching the video. Agatha Christie’s home in South Devon was at Greenway which overlooks the beautiful River Dart. I will talk more about this in a new video I am making from the Paignton & Kingswear Heritage Railway which passes nearby. The home is open to visitors and is looked after by the National Trust. Best Wishes, Stephen.

@@vicfulcher3648 Thank you Vic. Being Devon born and bred I didn’t think that anything could come close to rivalling the railway that runs along the coast from Starcross to Teignmouth via Dawlish. However, the Cumbrian Coast line is really spectacular and it has become a firm favourite of mine. I have recorded videos at all of the stations along the line between Carlisle and Barrow in Furness and these are all available on my YT channel. Best Wishes, Stephen.

@@railwayscene Thank you!. Although I was born in the Westcountry and lived in the area for around 35 years I had never travelled on the B&W Railway so making this video was a real treat. I revisited Devon & Cornwall back in the summer for a railway holiday and have made a number of videos from several of the branch lines as well as heritage lines all of which are up on the channel. Best Wishes, Stephen.

@stephenbennettrailways I'll have a watch of them soon. Thanks

@@telemachus53 Thank you!. I filmed the video over 3 days back in June 24. My aim was to record the GWR Class 150 Sprinter at each of the 9 stations along the Tamar Valley Line as well as capturing it crossing the magnificent Calstock Viaduct. It was a challenging video to plan and film given that trains only operate once every 2 hours along the route so timing was critical as I moved between each of the locations. The result was a video that is packed with so many memories from childhood journeys along the line. I am so pleased you enjoyed watching it.

@@Sam_Green____4114 Hi Sam, this was my first visit back to the area after about 30 years away so it is a difficult call to make. The line has always been well supported by locals as the Bere Peninsula in particular is difficult to access by road. Patronage is less than the other branch lines in Cornwall such as Looe, Falmouth, St Ives and Newquay given that they are all major tourism destinations. The Tamar Valley has always been a hidden gem and was a favourite destination of mine when living in the area. Indeed, the Tamar Valley Line was the first railway that I travelled on as a child and is where my interest in railways began. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@rmarsh401 Thank you Ray. It is a really wonderful place to stay in a largely forgotten area of West Devon. Having been born and bred in Devon it was really nostalgic to return to the area after so many years away. I also stayed for a week in the Old Luggage Van at St Germans Station on the GWR Cornish Main Line and this video is available to watch on my YT channel. Thanks again Ray for your very kind comments. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@stephenbennettrailways I remember seeing that old luggage van at St. Germans Station when I returned home from staying with friends in Torpoint. I will look up the video you made of it as I was wondering what it was like inside. I also watched today the video on the branch line to Carbis bay etc. Fascinating and lovely scenery down there.

@@rmarsh401 The Westcountry has some really scenic branch lines. During my visit I also recorded videos from the Looe Valley line and the Maritime line, both of which are up on the YT channel. There will be videos coming soon from the Tamar Valley line and the Avocet line to Exmouth.

@@ldegmtrainspotter Thanks Andrew. It was a lovely place to take a holiday in a largely forgotten part of Devon. The owner of the site has put together a really eclectic selection of rolling stock and old railway memorabilia. Glad you enjoyed the video. Best Wishes, Stephen

@@youtube.com-pikpikpeak It was impressive to hear the sound of the locomotive as it crossed the bridge.

@@НикитаЖуков-ъ3ю Thank you. Yes, this was a trip down memory lane and it brought back so many memories from my schooldays and teenage years when I first started out as a trainspotter. Glad you enjoyed the video.

@@djburland Thank you. Yes, it is a really beautiful station on such a stunning line. We are so fortunate that the line was saved from closure.

@@LostsTVandRadio Very Witty!!

@@chriswarburtonbrown1566 Thanks Chris. I always research the history of the area that I am visiting prior to filming and check out any sources of information and archive photographs from the internet that will help support the production of each video that I produce. I am glad you enjoyed the video. The Settle / Carlisle line has a fascinating history and I have recorded videos at many of the stations along the route. Best Wishes.

@@DavidPeacock1972 Hi David, yes the train operated on a reduced speed of 15mph for the whole journey. As the railway was nearing the end of its season the DMU was about to be withdrawn for the flat to be corrected.

@@DavidCampbell-w4u Thanks David and I do so agree with you. I always do some background research before going out to film at stations and I remember seeing photographs of the beautiful station buildings at Whitehaven back in the 1970’s. The station these days is just a shadow of its former self. A great shame. Best Wishes.

@@DonBrown-x6m Hi Bob, Many thanks for your review and I am so pleased you enjoyed watching the video from Carnforth. It is a really special railway location. The music at the beginning of the video is ‘Beautifully Strange by Spectacles Wallet and Watch’. Their music is available across all of the major music platforms such as Spotify, Amazon, and You Tube. Thanks again and Best Wishes, Stephen

@@EpicSpeed5222 Thanks Eric. It was a great event.

@@vladasta6477 Thank you!

@@killiehausen8507 Thank you. I really enjoyed my visit to Kilmarnock. The station was very attractive with beautiful floral displays and I was particularly impressed with the community involvement. I have a particular interest in the stations along the G&SW line as my local station is at Gretna Green. Best Wishes.

@@RURALCOMMUTER Thank you for the review and I am so pleased you enjoyed watching the video which I recorded last year. The S&C line has a very proud history and I have thoroughly enjoyed recording videos at many of the stations along the line over the past couple of years. I recently returned to the Westcountry for a holiday after leaving the area around 25 years ago and was absolutely blown away by the large numbers of passengers using the railways in Devon & Cornwall, particularly on the branch lines to Looe, Falmouth and St Ives. The frequency of trains on these routes were very good and I have often thought that running additional services on the S&C line might help attract more passengers, particularly tourists during peak season. Best Wishes.

​@@stephenbennettrailwaysThoroughly enjoyed the video. Having been regularly travelling on the line since 1975, it's been a pleasure to see it thriving again. It isn't really surprising that the first train from Carlisle (05.49) is quiet at Kirby Stephen but, believe me, it very quickly fills up at Settle and onwards often becoming standing room only. One little gripe, Ruswarp is pronounced Russup. Thanks for the video.

@@karenblackadder1183 Thanks Karen. I am so pleased you enjoyed the video and thanks for letting me know about the correct pronounciation of Ruswarp. I think you might have to forgive my broad westcountry accent on this occasion!. All the Best, Stephen

@@Nastyswimmer Many thanks for the info. I think the stations at Settle and Giggleswick are only about a mile apart but are on separate routes. The other station at Settle Junction closed around 150 years ago.

Yes, it is a beautiful train both inside and outside.

@@НикитаЖуков-ъ3ю Yes, the St Ives Bay Line is one of the most scenic branch lines in the UK. Glad you enjoyed the video.

@@wrcfreak2121 It is an unforgettable journey. The full length video will be up on the channel very soon.