Great video. My era. I never realised in those days how busy Basingstoke was, Surbiton was my go to (relatively) local spotting point. Seeing all those Transits from Southampton is a sad reminder that most of the production has moved abroad to Turkey. Great catch of the 50 + TCs. I've heard about these formations, but don't recall ever seeing them.
So nice to see and hear the sights and sounds from days gone by: thanks for posting these memories. I was a commuter between Reading and Basingstoke from April 1982 until December 1986, regularly travelling on the class 205 DEMU's or Thumpers as they were known. From memory, at that time the regular interval weekday services operated between Reading and Portsmouth Harbour, although I seem to recall that the weekend services were different. There were also extra morning and evening peak services between Reading and Basingstoke that were formed of Western Region DMU's, usually a Class 117. Also remember the mixed technology train that used operate from Waterloo in the evening peak: A Class 33 leading a 4TC and two 4VEP's. This train was split in the platform at Basingstoke with the Class 33/4TC combination going on to Salisbury and the 4 VEP's going to Southampton.
Great vid. I used to live in Basingstoke, the Sunday services on the Reading - Pompey route were a 33/1 with a 4TC, I seem to recall the thumpers went to Eastleigh on Sundays for servicing. Always wondered how long it took them on the Sat night to get the 33/1s and 4TCs all in position for the Sunday trains.
back when you could hear a train coming (clickety-clack), as well as see it. I was 17 in 1989, and was commuting from Dorking into Waterloo with a school mate (we'd both ended up working in the same area of London). One day we saw the new-looking Wessex trains and decided to go to Basingstoke, because that was as far as our all-zones travelcards would take us, and just because we could. We both bought a drink in the restaurant car and enjoyed ourselves. Standing room only to my memory. lol in hindsight the Wessex Electrics were the beginning of the end for train design variety....... 21:50 is a bit random - fairly flies through the station. Looks like a converted 2BIL 34:20 and old thumper and church bells in the background. Quintessential.
It may have been a 2HAP need to check up on that in my records....Beautiful Church bells....ringing practise.. and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Such Great memories of my home station. From where I lived u could regularly hear the Wessex Electrics scream through the station on the fast service from Waterloo with the first stop being Southampton Airport Parkway & vice versa back then.
The perils and joys of being a railfan around 23.00 eh! Celebrity diesel on 3, iconic historic EMU on 4, then another icon pulling up to 2...all you needed was Thomas on 1 and a Reading DMU to crash the buffers on 5 to make the day complete! Haven't watched to the end yet but had to get this out straight away...🚂
Again, many memories aroused. The new(ish) Wessex Electrics, especially the ones that went straight through, days when you could go between Waterloo and Southampton, non-stop, took just under an hour. Those old DEMUs, I must have travelled more miles on those things more than all the other trains I've been on together. And not forgetting all those Ford Transits, fresh from the factory in Eastleigh.
Good to see some Class 205 "Thumpers" featured. I remember them shuttling between Basingstoke's bay platform and Reading - did they also run from Reading and on through Basingstoke, or did these through services start from elsewhere, please? A lot of freight also used to run to/from Southampton via here and Reading, as it still does, of course. I can also remember double-headed 73s working Waterloo-Weymouth trains with pairs of 5TCs, strengthened with two buffet cars, during the works to extend the electrification down to Weymouth, before the 442s ran through. Great to see all those 50s again - Woking Down to B/Stoke was an evening racetrack for them!
50041 hauling two TC sets on what must be a Waterloo - Salisbury must have been standing in for a 33/1, turning the tables. Departmental unit 001 is a sandite/de-icing/weedkilling unit inverted from 2 HAL and 4 LAV coaches dating from the 1930s. It lasted until 1992!
That is great Andrei, I thought it was a HAP until now....Brilliant info as always.....It was a WLOO - SALIS service (Peak time)...so many thanks to you.....Mark
Miss these glory years with fondness ,Would have turned 16 in 1989 ,Love the rare sounds of Classic locomotion to Hoovers and Cromptons that still existed with Brush type and English Electric Tractors that were back in the day an everyday accurance ,Wish i could go back to those days now aged 50,Nowadays sadly missed 😢❤34 years later 5 years after privatisation the world is a mess now with plastic rubbish operating on Network Rail Railways ,Bring back the sound of Clag and proper Valenta paxman sounding Inter City 125s .
Great video. My era.
I never realised in those days how busy Basingstoke was, Surbiton was my go to (relatively) local spotting point.
Seeing all those Transits from Southampton is a sad reminder that most of the production has moved abroad to Turkey.
Great catch of the 50 + TCs. I've heard about these formations, but don't recall ever seeing them.
You're very welcome and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
So nice to see and hear the sights and sounds from days gone by: thanks for posting these memories. I was a commuter between Reading and Basingstoke from April 1982 until December 1986, regularly travelling on the class 205 DEMU's or Thumpers as they were known. From memory, at that time the regular interval weekday services operated between Reading and Portsmouth Harbour, although I seem to recall that the weekend services were different. There were also extra morning and evening peak services between Reading and Basingstoke that were formed of Western Region DMU's, usually a Class 117. Also remember the mixed technology train that used operate from Waterloo in the evening peak: A Class 33 leading a 4TC and two 4VEP's. This train was split in the platform at Basingstoke with the Class 33/4TC combination going on to Salisbury and the 4 VEP's going to Southampton.
Thank you for all that info and your great memories....Y many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Great vid. I used to live in Basingstoke, the Sunday services on the Reading - Pompey route were a 33/1 with a 4TC, I seem to recall the thumpers went to Eastleigh on Sundays for servicing. Always wondered how long it took them on the Sat night to get the 33/1s and 4TCs all in position for the Sunday trains.
Two Thumpers Side by Side AWSOME and as for the ed(class 73) draging a crompton(33) was'nt hanging around... Brilliant filming......
You're very welcome and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Great film again. The infrastructure at Basingstoke is now an overgrown garden.
Many many thanks for watching and for the comment....best regards...Mark
back when you could hear a train coming (clickety-clack), as well as see it. I was 17 in 1989, and was commuting from Dorking into Waterloo with a school mate (we'd both ended up working in the same area of London). One day we saw the new-looking Wessex trains and decided to go to Basingstoke, because that was as far as our all-zones travelcards would take us, and just because we could. We both bought a drink in the restaurant car and enjoyed ourselves. Standing room only to my memory. lol in hindsight the Wessex Electrics were the beginning of the end for train design variety....... 21:50 is a bit random - fairly flies through the station. Looks like a converted 2BIL
34:20 and old thumper and church bells in the background. Quintessential.
It may have been a 2HAP need to check up on that in my records....Beautiful Church bells....ringing practise.. and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Such Great memories of my home station. From where I lived u could regularly hear the Wessex Electrics scream through the station on the fast service from Waterloo with the first stop being Southampton Airport Parkway & vice versa back then.
You're very welcome and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
The perils and joys of being a railfan around 23.00 eh! Celebrity diesel on 3, iconic historic EMU on 4, then another icon pulling up to 2...all you needed was Thomas on 1 and a Reading DMU to crash the buffers on 5 to make the day complete! Haven't watched to the end yet but had to get this out straight away...🚂
That's exactly how the clip ends....Uncanny insight you have my friend..... and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Great video,wish we could turn the clock back,33s,47s,50s galore,56,73s and them 442s aswell,that LE 73/43 weren’t half shifting though.
Yeah don't we all. 😊 Times they were a changing.
You're very welcome and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Again, many memories aroused. The new(ish) Wessex Electrics, especially the ones that went straight through, days when you could go between Waterloo and Southampton, non-stop, took just under an hour. Those old DEMUs, I must have travelled more miles on those things more than all the other trains I've been on together. And not forgetting all those Ford Transits, fresh from the factory in Eastleigh.
Oh yes the Ford Transits that still clog up our roads..... and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
Good to see some Class 205 "Thumpers" featured. I remember them shuttling between Basingstoke's bay platform and Reading - did they also run from Reading and on through Basingstoke, or did these through services start from elsewhere, please? A lot of freight also used to run to/from Southampton via here and Reading, as it still does, of course. I can also remember double-headed 73s working Waterloo-Weymouth trains with pairs of 5TCs, strengthened with two buffet cars, during the works to extend the electrification down to Weymouth, before the 442s ran through.
Great to see all those 50s again - Woking Down to B/Stoke was an evening racetrack for them!
Yes the Thumpers used to go through to Portsmouth.......You're very welcome and many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark
50041 hauling two TC sets on what must be a Waterloo - Salisbury must have been standing in for a 33/1, turning the tables. Departmental unit 001 is a sandite/de-icing/weedkilling unit inverted from 2 HAL and 4 LAV coaches dating from the 1930s. It lasted until 1992!
That is great Andrei, I thought it was a HAP until now....Brilliant info as always.....It was a WLOO - SALIS service (Peak time)...so many thanks to you.....Mark
Miss these glory years with fondness ,Would have turned 16 in 1989 ,Love the rare sounds of Classic locomotion to Hoovers and Cromptons that still existed with Brush type and English Electric Tractors that were back in the day an everyday accurance ,Wish i could go back to those days now aged 50,Nowadays sadly missed 😢❤34 years later 5 years after privatisation the world is a mess now with plastic rubbish operating on Network Rail Railways ,Bring back the sound of Clag and proper Valenta paxman sounding Inter City 125s .
Couldn't agree more Stephen.....many thanks for watching and best regards....Mark