Modern Traction Archive: Vol 22 - Exeter 1989 - British Rail on DVD from www.linesidevideos.co.uk

1989 was a year when locomotive-hauled passenger trains still played a dominant part in the everyday railway scene. We witness, probably, one of the final years when a Summer Saturday on Exeter St.Davids station brought with it plenty of surprises as locomotive fleets were stretched to their limit. In this programme we study the rail traction scene throughout the year finishing with the end of the Summer timetable in September. Broken down into month-by-month sections we begin on a weekday in January where the Winter sun illuminated the goings on, with Class 47s on Speedlink freight, Class 50s in early Network South-East livery on Waterloo line services, class 37 activity as well as 47s on the cross-country services. Our first section also sees a class 47 on cement and 37 308 on coal empties passing through Exeter Central station - when freight through there was a relatively rare occurrence. We continue into March with scenes of a 47 on the long Dover to Burngullow Clay empties, 37 885 on a pipe train from Leith to Newton Abbot, Large-logo class 47s, a pair of 33s on a railtour on the Barnstaple line, DMUs and 50s climb the bank into Central station. May brings about the first of the Summer Saturday traffic and with it some of the more unusual motive power. We see pairs of ETH-fitted class 31s on Mark III coach sets to Paignton, we see 50 021 taking over on a train of Mark IIIs - a rare sight. The Class 50s were still common on all sorts of passenger workings, we see these in addition to class 47s in a variety of liveries. We witness one of last remaining blue-grey HST sets in action and 47 714 resplendent in its fresh coat of NSE livery; and a rare class 33/50 combination. June follows with more type 4 power in charge of the Summer Saturday services, from NSE and Large-logo class 50s, plus a range of Intercity, NSE and green-liveried class 47s. July, August and September each brings a whole host of motive power, with an emphasis on trains hauled by pairs of class 31s - even a class 56 on passenger is seen! This programme complements our previous two DVDs on Exeter: MTA8 and MTA15.

[@nickrockall2845]

Thanks 4 shareing

[@MontyCantsin5]

I can smell the diesel fumes on the warm summer air from here. Magic.

[@EErail26]

Bloody brilliant! Thanks for posting this great video

[@linesidevideoprod]

My pleasure!

[@ClydebridgeStation]

The train you captured at 48:57, which was the 10:25 Liverpool - Paignton, on 27th May, was actually a first. I've got all the editions of Motive Power Monthly ever published (January 1986 to December 1991), and in the August 1989 edition, it has in Rolling Stock newsreel, an entry in the hauled coaching stock section, and also a photo, stating that this was the first ever use of a Mk3 DVT on a service train to the west of England! The DVT was 82112, and the train worked back as the 17:15 Paignton to Manchester Piccadilly. A very good catch that was!