The Train Now Departing - EP 3 The Holiday Line (1988)

The Train Now Departing documentary aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom from 1988-1989. This is the third episode in the Series of 6, this episode details the history of holiday travel upon the railways of Britain.

[@hughrainbird8190]

As a member of 34092 "City of Wells" support crew at the time, may I reply to Barry Smith's comments about the locomotive's non-appearance at Salisbury on the first weekend of the "Blackmore Vale" steam workings when the BBC were filming this programme.
Following its appearance at Woking 150 the locomotive returned to Marylebone to work "South Yorkshireman" trips to Sheffield and return. On one of these trips the departure from Sheffield was delayed and the fire having been built up, the boiler achieved its maximum working pressure of 250 psi and began to lift its safety valves. With no dampers in the firebox, Bulleid declaring that he'd designed a boiler to produce steam and saw no reason to install dampers to inhibit this, the BR fireman had little alternative but to quieten the boiler by injecting more and more cool feed water into it. Unfortunately on the climb out of Sheffield, the water in the overfilled boiler surged backwards resulting in the locomotive "picking up the water", which reached the cylinders, resulting in the shattering of the piston rings in the middle cylinder.
After three weekends of work to remove the piston and replace the piston rings as well as some other necessary repairs using little more than hand tools in less than ideal conditions in the DMU stabling depot at Rossmore Road outside Marylebone Station, and with the assistance of members of the Bluebell Railway's Bulleid group, 34092 was pronounced fit to run again on the Main Line, and we travelled overnight down the Sou'Western to Salisbury for the second weekend of the schedule.
Once there 34092 worked the majority of the trains to Yeovil Junction, including a filming run on the bi-directionally signalled double track section of the line into Yeovil Junction with invited photographers travelling parallel to the train aboard the Network Southeast's inspection saloon hauled by a Class 33 diesel. I had the privilege of being the owners' representative on the footplate for the non-stop run between Yeovil Junction and Salisbury to mark 21 years since the end of Southern steam during which we achieved 85 mph before having to ease for Wilton Junction outside Salisbury.
Sadly instead of being grateful that we still have steam running on the main line at all, some "enthusiasts" seem to think that steam locomotives can just be taken out of their boxes and run, like a model railway, and fail to appreciate the amount of labour, and sometimes personal sacrifice, that dedicated groups of volunteers put in to ensure that our "steam heritage" is maintained.

[@markgriffin9230]

Bet that Lyme Regis branch line was pleasant to ride on, Lyme Regis is a beautiful place.

[@leeosborne3793]

Funny that the narrator should ask about people getting nostalgic about the late 80s! :)

[@chrisrichards8640]

I remember Exmouth Station when it had all four of its platforms and the engine shed ... and just outside of the station was the junction where the line to Tipton St. Johns turned off the the right and went over the viaduct. The line ran on through Littleham, Budleigh Salterton, East Budleigh, Newton Poppleford, Tipton St. Johns and Ottery St. Mary and eventually joined the main line at Sidmouth Junction

[@jasonl4411.]

Interesting to see the at the time brand new Wessex unit at Woking 150. Now all withdrawn

[@johnwood2684]

Wonder where Barry Smith and the other people in this film are now some 34 years on?

[@georgearmstrong4675]

I remember watching this as a child and not understanding his discust at the 8f...totally get it now...still a bit funny!

[@leeosborne3793]

He wasn't happy at all, was he? A few years later I was on the first ever steam service out of Waterloo since 1967, hauled by Taw Valley. That was magic.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Lyme Regis Branch similar to the Titfield Thunderbolt.

[@Frserthegreenengine]

Hey at least he wasn't on a Pacer.

[@MasterMoyle]

48151 Iv been behind on a number of railtours since 2012 with the first outing being from Southport.

[@marvwatkins7029]

@ 18:09: That's someone else's voice, not Barry's.

[@jackharrison6771]

Whining like that - he deserved one of our old Goods Locos haha. LMS Yeh.

[@matttredrea2500]

The Train Now Departing - EP 3 The Holiday Line (1988)

[@lllucky13]

The train you see at 3:14 the city of wells now runs on the east lancs railway in Bury Lancashire.. a very dirty sooty train

[@syedadeelhussain2691]

English cannot get out of their past, eh?
That is both helpful and hurting.
Societal and Economic Modernization needs some form of detachment from the past.

[@ChangesOneTim]

There is plenty of "societal and economic modernization" going on in England/ Britain...but only in a general direction that suits the greediest and most powerful. With few exciting future prospects for the rest of us as a result of that, it's no wonder that so many people cannot or will not "detach" themselves from the past! Besides, everyone living in the mother country of railways likes a bit of railway history now and again.