For those of you complaining or just wondering, eating and drinking is perfectly legal and allowed in drivers cabs, so long as you are not distracted, which in this case our driver is clearly not. Skip to after Tyesley if it’s getting on your nerves.
@@Thomas_TdK Yeah, personally i find this issue of people not cleaning up the mess after eating and drinking... As a frequent passenger on our local buses ( Double Deckers mostly where i live ) , people leave all the rubbish behind and i Hate this and just don't care about it ... I agree with you.
When I were a lad in the 1950's expresses pulled by King class engines stormed through Bordesley, Small Heath and Sparkbrook (as it was then) maybe attaining 60mph plus on their way to Paddington Oh the glory days of steam and the smell they left behind. It never leaves you. Wonderful trip brought back many good memories. Keep up the good work and the videos coming.
I was a train spotter on this line in the later 1950s and early 1960s when I was a young boy. I grew up in Beaconsfield, which is the stop after High Wycombe. All the trains were steam trains back then, but they were all replaced by diesel by 1963. One of the steam trains that came through on a regular basis was King William II, which pulled the express passenger trains. We called it “King 23” because its number was 6023. It’s now preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre.
This brings back memories.For 4 years until I retired in 2012 I regularly caught this train to and from work. The 0803 from Solihull and the 17.06 from Snow Hill (first stop Moor Street) back to Solihull. I've been living in America since then.I wish I was back there now.
Fantastic video and plenty to see, when I was trainspotting back in the 1950s, I never thought I would ever get to see this route from Brum to Marylebone but lo and behold I can sit at my computer and watch such a great video, thanks from an ex pom now living in Australia.
This is the alternative main line London Birmingham, the old Great Western main line once operated by pre historic Castles and Kings to 1961. In some senses it is what HS2 actually replaces. The old GWR main essentially serves nowhere between London and Birmingham.if you discount Warwick and Leamington Spa and Beeching essentially a fanatic and purist always wanted to close it.
I'm afraid that was the one thing that spoiled the video for me. I hate hearing people chewing anything, but crisps, right by the microphone as well, that was awful. (It's in my genes apparently). Other than that it is a great video. All I want to know now is, what were we travelling in?
@@chrsrwlns In attempting to answer your question, I'm assuming the video was filmed within the last six or seven years.. Although it was premiered in September 2022, it is evident from the trees and other vegetation that it was filmed during or around winter. The camera is in one of Chiltern Railways' Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers. The coaches also will be Chiltern's beautifully fitted out Mark 3 coaches - some 30-40 years old, but still just about the best (i.e. most comfortable) railway coaches in the country. The train is powered by a Class 68 diesel-electric locomotive at the rear. If filming took place before 2015, the locomotive would have been a Class 67.
@@Martin_Adams184 Thank you for your reply. That explains why I couldn't here the engine. It might be just me, but I love hearing the engine, especially those of loco's. It's the sound of power, like an aircraft engine starting up that I used to hear a lot when in the RAF.
@@chrsrwlns - I totally agree. I was being sarcastic. The crisp eating was revolting. Especially how long it went on. Killed an otherwise great video for me.
Great video in perfect conditions 👍👍👍👍👍 It's a long time since I last rode this route, is 1990s. Dorridge was my home, and I rode the route to Paddington two or three times a year in the 70s. Still recognisable but many changes. The biggest is the trackside vegetation!! It's like being in a jungle. No wonder they complain of leaves on the line!!!!
Memories, memories.... I would have been heard slurping my tea, not munching on crisps!.... now happily retired for nearly 4 years after more than 40 years of driving trains.... not really missing the job either.... Nice video.... I do like the golden evening light too
I lived beside Marylebone Station from 1941 to 1959 and he school's rugby and cricket ground was at Sudbury so each week we all travelled there on the train for day in the country. This was a really nostalgic journey for me as it was the first time since 1957 that I had pulled into Marylebone. Thanks driver for a good trip. It was much smoother and a good deal cleaner than I remember.
Horrifically Marylebone and the route out was going to be used as a "Coach way". Thank goodness common sense oozed out of someone's brain up in the "Kremlin". It seems the Great Central Railway being the last line to reach London (excepting the HS lines today) always had a bad and difficult time and despite being very well engineered for high speed running was simply sacrificed--the same for the GWR "Cut Off" from Old Oak through South Ruislip and onward to Birmingham was as cruelly destroyed, a real absolute pity the Chiltern Services cannot run in and out of London Paddington, an absolute joy as the trains used to hammer along through Northolt Junction speeding past Park Royal to join the Bristol Mainline at Old Oak Junction, such a sad and cruel end for a great mainline between London & Birmingham, the sombre overgrown foliage and weeds along this wonderful railway a fitting memorial to the long gone Castles and Kings that used to speed along this line. 😞
@@MIKE-lg1hz That's right 🙂The route was always known either as "The New Line" or "The Birmingham Line" but yes it carried on through Wolverhampton LL, Shrewsbury, Chester and Birkenhead.
Enjoyable to watch this footage! A lot has changed over the last 30 years or so, not least all the buildings that have sprouted up. I had a lot to do with the Marylebone - Aynho reksignalling part of the “Total Route Modernisation” (TRM) project from 1987 - early 1990’s. It’s been updated quite a lot since 1989, when Marylebone was first commissioned. When it did come into service, it was only just the second IECC system in London - the other one having being the first stage of Liverpool Street.
Superb video shot in excellent weather showcasing our lovely countryside. Didn't realise so much of the southern end of the route was cleared for 100 mph running.
The former Great Western Mainline from Birmingham Snow Hill in particular beyond Banbury at Aynho Junction was specifically built for high speed running, generous well engineered trackbedding and a wide gauge allowed such notable locomotives as the "Kings" (which ran on these tracks for 30 years) to often hit speeds of 70--90 mph, a 100 mph wasn't unknown on the mainline between Lapworth and Bordesley Green. Chiltern Railways have been dedicated in improving this former mainline, notably double tracking the route between Northolt and Banbury, it is such a pity that the jungle foliage and weeds haven't been cut back and tidied up--and the section from South Ruislip into Paddington could be bought back into use, a far better speedier approach into London than Marylebone.
@@ads1066 The line into Paddington has been cut off south of Greenford as the land around Old Oak Common depot is required for the HS2 interchange station.
Fantastic Cab Ride Video on the former Great Western Mainline Birmingham to London Paddington (Although we turn off at Northolt on the Great Central line to London Marylebone) This route had the "castles" "Kings" "Blue Pullmans" as well as the "Westerns" all ran along this line, it's most busiest times was the 1960's during the Euston electrification project, up until March 1967 this route had an hourly Inter-City service as well as 6 daily Pullman services, At Knowle & Dorridge station a replacement Pullman train (The "Wells Fargo" set) collided with a crossing freight at 20mph on August 15th 1963 just beyond the up platform we stop at before the footbridge ahead. The locomotive was a "Western" D1040 'Western Queen' driven by Ernest Morris a top link GW Pullman driver, famed for being in the BR film "Let's Go To Birmingham" Ernest was the driver, the 2nd driver and a crewman were all killed as the train hit the crossing freight which was released by mistake by the signalman (the track crossed over the mainline just before the footbridge, the signalbox was on the left of the video at the end of the platform) who was blamed for the accident, the freight train driver and crew all escaped. Just beyond Bicester was Ashendon Junction (we see the tracks part away) where the Great Central Line would come in on our left, our line would have been on an embankment (PSR 60 mph) and crossed over the GC route, this was later abandoned and leveled out, the girder bridge removed leaving only the old GW down line remaining. After March 1967 when all Paddington services to Birmingham were eliminated or moved over to New Street-Euston, this well engineered high speed line was cruelly eviscerated and rationalized--we can see as we leave the Birmingham area the former slow lines on our right were quickly lifted, these went as far as Lapworth a little beyond Solihull, as we go along this route a careful look either side of the tracks will reveal former trackbeds now long lifted. As we leave Leamington Spa station, on our left would have been extra tracks of the LMS route to Rugby, you can make out the segmented viaduct which carried this line away to our left, a little beyond was the former Leamington Steam Shed now built over. Leamington had two stations parallel to each other, the LMS station has long since been cleared away and the site built upon, the line from Coventry comes in on our left before entering Leamington Spa. A few minutes out from Leamington Spa station we see a slow line appear on out left which alerts us to the site of Fenny Compton Station, we see briefly sidings on our right which marked the station site of the Stratford-Upon Avon Rly, now the route goes as far as HM depot Kineton. on our right the siding goes a certain distance, originally it would have climbed and gone over our route to our left. A great video and interesting chance to study what was a very important Great Western Mainline--I just wished all that sad overgrown foliage was trimmed right back, and the weeds too! In the video the driver is in a former Inter-City West Coast Mainline DVT unit, if only it was the cab of a Blue Pullman!! 🙂
Thank you for a beautiful video, in perfect weather and just catching the last of the sunshine, of what I think is visually the most attractive main line into London. I was sorry (but not surprised) to hear that the proposed reopening of the Stratford-upon-Avon/Honeybourne line won’t be going ahead. What I wish they would do is reopen the Fenny Compton/Kineton/Stratford line, which would remove the need for the interminable journey from Warwick to Stratford via Hatton and Bearley, which is 8 miles as the crow flies but takes over half an hour by train. But I suppose there aren’t enough communities on the Kineton route to make it viable.
That route will never reopen. The passenger services over it were withdrawn in the 1950s, well before Beeching which indicates just how poor the patronage on the route was. Just like the Honeybourne route the services into Stratford cannot be restored. Both were built over when the A4390 was constructed using a bit of the trackbed of the north-south route and bit of the trackbed of the east-west route.
In the UK, it is hard to reopen railway lines which closed during the Beeching Axe due to land being built on, and nimbies. But there is such as thing as trams also being able to run as trains; whether this would help ease the problem with land constraints in this country, in Stratford-upon-Avon and elsewhere? See this page for more information on tram-trains: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram-train
Thank you for this good quality, well-captioned video. It would be nice for a railway cab view video to be made from Basingstoke via Reading, Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Coventry to Nuneaton. Thanks in advance!
It looks like at some points along the route where 125 mph might be possible with the right signalling/modifications. And I would think, again with the right modifications, the Class 68/Mk3's would be able to do that.
Enjoy your crisps haha, I have this route on train sim but sadly it doesn't run smoothly , rode the Aylesbury section years ago but never ventured on this part
Really nice to see this route in great quality, and in such good weather! Your caption at 1:02:38 for Bicester South junction and the relatively recent new curve implies that the video predates the route's opening, as you say "opening in 2015" as though that is yet to come! Time-travel?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my trip from Moor Street to Marylebone. Not a line I’ve ever been on. Not too much signage - in fact, would like to have known what stations we were passing as we were coming into London. Thank you.
Great video! I must admit for a driver, that yellow bar at the bottom of windscreen must be really distracting in your peripheral vision. *but I ain’t a train driver!
Great video, but lacking in some information. Was the driver eating Cwisps and what flavour. Important things to know. 😉😉😉😉🙂🙂 And what is the rolling stock? Not as good looking as the class 67, nor as striking in livery.
The rolling stock is a class 68 loco, we chose to not give too much detailed info as in previous cab rides it had lead to a cluttered look with text covering the screen which people said they would prefer not to have
@@thechilterntrainspotters Are you sure? I thought that red was at the bottom, reason being it could not be covered by a build up of snow on a lower shield. Ex BR man.
@@robertbate5790 yes you are correct on older style 4 aspect signals where each aspect has its own bulb but on modern LED signals which only have 2 light apertures the bottom one can show multiple colours (red, yellow, green) so the red/single yellow/green aspect will always be at the bottom. The top aperture will only show yellow to make the double yellow aspect if that makes sense.
Short answer: OL stands for Oxford to Leamington. These signals are controlled by the West Midlands Signalling Centre (recently renamed Birmingham ROC). Sadly with modern mega boxes and ROCs the larger signalling centres don't have one single prefix and likewise the prefixes don't necessarily identify the controlling signal box. You can imagine that a single 'Y' prefix for all signals controlled from York ROC (which now goes as far south as Kings Cross) would be of little practical use to anyone - and you'd probably run out of numbers! No instead the prefix codes identify the section of line and actually this new way of identifying signals predates the ROC concept, I believe. OL stands for Oxford to Leamington and those signals are controlled from the West Midlands Signalling Centre (WMSC) (now recently renamed Birmingham ROC (BROC) and colloquially referred to as 'the Dome') in Saltley. But they actually date from 2004 when Fenny Compton Box closed and Leamington Spa Signal Box took over the signalling between Banbury North (exclusive) and Leamington Spa. The signals at and around Leamington Spa itself retained the 'LN' prefix at that time and that prefix is still used for those signals even though they are now controlled by WMSC/BROC. You can see from that how much more there is to it than all this. It's actually quite common for old prefix codes to be retained when ROCs take over and the same was true for IECCs as well, e.g. York IECC retained 'CF' as the prefix for signals which had been controlled by Church Fenton and L for those which had been controlled by Leeds Power Box, I believe. Or for example you might tack a prefix on the front. For example the VS signals which had been controlled by Victoria South Eastern became TVS signals when migrated to Three Bridges ROC. I think prefixes are more commonly retained when signalling is merely recontrolled rather than completely resignalled but there's a lot more to this topic and it's not really interesting enough to be worth the effort!
@@chris8405 Mmmmmm. The iron Lady and '80's PM Mrs Thatcher was certainly against the iron horse. They say she never travelled by train when in office. She preferred a convoy of royal claret Range Rovers, I saw her once topped and tailed being shipped into the RIAT airshow and that was after she had left office.
Trying to figure out what's on the other end... Can't be anything electric so it isn't a 90/91 - Probably not a 37/47/56 either - Anyone know what it is??
For those of you complaining or just wondering, eating and drinking is perfectly legal and allowed in drivers cabs, so long as you are not distracted, which in this case our driver is clearly not. Skip to after Tyesley if it’s getting on your nerves.
But the big question is - what flavour were those crisps? I say chicken.
(Great video btw. Enjoyed the journey)
I think hmm maybe never gonna give you up chips
The thing that get’s on my nerves are the colleagues that eat crisps and don’t clean their hands or the controls.
Yeh but he didn't stop at tyeseley .I used to enjoy stopping there for a great big shit
@@Thomas_TdK
Yeah, personally i find this issue of people not cleaning up the mess after eating and drinking...
As a frequent passenger on our local buses ( Double Deckers mostly where i live ) , people leave all the rubbish behind and i Hate this and just don't care about it ...
I agree with you.
When I were a lad in the 1950's expresses pulled by King class engines stormed through Bordesley, Small Heath and Sparkbrook (as it was then) maybe attaining 60mph plus on their way to Paddington Oh the glory days of steam and the smell they left behind. It never leaves you. Wonderful trip brought back many good memories. Keep up the good work and the videos coming.
This is great!
I ran it at 2x playback speed to get an early HS2 experience out of Birmingham.
I was a train spotter on this line in the later 1950s and early 1960s when I was a young boy. I grew up in Beaconsfield, which is the stop after High Wycombe. All the trains were steam trains back then, but they were all replaced by diesel by 1963. One of the steam trains that came through on a regular basis was King William II, which pulled the express passenger trains. We called it “King 23” because its number was 6023. It’s now preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre.
This brings back memories.For 4 years until I retired in 2012 I regularly caught this train to and from work. The 0803 from Solihull and the 17.06 from Snow Hill (first stop Moor Street) back to Solihull. I've been living in America since then.I wish I was back there now.
Fantastic video and plenty to see, when I was trainspotting back in the 1950s, I never thought I would ever get to see this route from Brum to Marylebone but lo and behold I can sit at my computer and watch such a great video, thanks from an ex pom now living in Australia.
Here I am in Tasmania, enjoying a great ride south to London. Well done.
Good to see a number of the MK3 coaches and the DVT cab units are retained in use.
0:12 Birmingham Moor Street
9:20 Solihull
14:05 Dorridge
23:05 Warwick Parkway
26:00 Warwick
30:05 Leamington Spa
47:55 Banbury
1:00:10 Bicester North
1:10:55 Haddenham & Thame Parkway
1:17:55 Princes Risborough
1:26:40 High Wycombe
1:51:00 London Marylebone
This is the alternative main line London Birmingham, the old Great Western main line once operated by pre historic Castles and Kings to 1961. In some senses it is what HS2 actually replaces. The old GWR main essentially serves nowhere between London and Birmingham.if you discount Warwick and Leamington Spa and Beeching essentially a fanatic and purist always wanted to close it.
This is some of the best video quality I've seen on a cab ride video, thanks for sharing!
been searching for “chiltern mainline cab ride” for ages now, this turns up! pleased beyond words ♡
No worries! Look out for more in the future
I love to listen to up close and personal crisp munching, while watching cab view vids.
So do we
I'm afraid that was the one thing that spoiled the video for me. I hate hearing people chewing anything, but crisps, right by the microphone as well, that was awful. (It's in my genes apparently). Other than that it is a great video. All I want to know now is, what were we travelling in?
@@chrsrwlns In attempting to answer your question, I'm assuming the video was filmed within the last six or seven years.. Although it was premiered in September 2022, it is evident from the trees and other vegetation that it was filmed during or around winter.
The camera is in one of Chiltern Railways' Mark 3 Driving Van Trailers. The coaches also will be Chiltern's beautifully fitted out Mark 3 coaches - some 30-40 years old, but still just about the best (i.e. most comfortable) railway coaches in the country. The train is powered by a Class 68 diesel-electric locomotive at the rear. If filming took place before 2015, the locomotive would have been a Class 67.
@@Martin_Adams184 Thank you for your reply. That explains why I couldn't here the engine. It might be just me, but I love hearing the engine, especially those of loco's. It's the sound of power, like an aircraft engine starting up that I used to hear a lot when in the RAF.
@@chrsrwlns - I totally agree. I was being sarcastic. The crisp eating was revolting. Especially how long it went on. Killed an otherwise great video for me.
Excellent production in every way. Thank you.
Great video in perfect conditions 👍👍👍👍👍 It's a long time since I last rode this route, is 1990s. Dorridge was my home, and I rode the route to Paddington two or three times a year in the 70s. Still recognisable but many changes. The biggest is the trackside vegetation!! It's like being in a jungle. No wonder they complain of leaves on the line!!!!
Excellent!
It feels very strange to someone like me (in their mid 70s) seeing a train slow down to 90MPH, when in my day 90MPH was really cracking on a bit.
Memories, memories.... I would have been heard slurping my tea, not munching on crisps!.... now happily retired for nearly 4 years after more than 40 years of driving trains.... not really missing the job either.... Nice video.... I do like the golden evening light too
Great video... London Marylebone - home of the Great Central Railway back in the day!
I lived beside Marylebone Station from 1941 to 1959 and he school's rugby and cricket ground was at Sudbury so each week we all travelled there on the train for day in the country. This was a really nostalgic journey for me as it was the first time since 1957 that I had pulled into Marylebone. Thanks driver for a good trip. It was much smoother and a good deal cleaner than I remember.
Very good cab ride, reminds me of journeys into Marylebone from Haddenham and Thame after the second track was laid.
Great video. This was such a rundown railway years ago.
Marylebone was marked for closure in the 1980s. Quite a reversal
Horrifically Marylebone and the route out was going to be used as a "Coach way". Thank goodness common sense oozed out of someone's brain up in the "Kremlin". It seems the Great Central Railway being the last line to reach London (excepting the HS lines today) always had a bad and difficult time and despite being very well engineered for high speed running was simply sacrificed--the same for the GWR "Cut Off" from Old Oak through South Ruislip and onward to Birmingham was as cruelly destroyed, a real absolute pity the Chiltern Services cannot run in and out of London Paddington, an absolute joy as the trains used to hammer along through Northolt Junction speeding past Park Royal to join the Bristol Mainline at Old Oak Junction, such a sad and cruel end for a great mainline between London & Birmingham, the sombre overgrown foliage and weeds along this wonderful railway a fitting memorial to the long gone Castles and Kings that used to speed along this line. 😞
@@ads1066 I think originally the GWR mainline went to Birkenhead via Wolverhampton and Chester
@@MIKE-lg1hz That's right 🙂The route was always known either as "The New Line" or "The Birmingham Line" but yes it carried on through Wolverhampton LL, Shrewsbury, Chester and Birkenhead.
@@ads1066the lines route coding is DCL for Didcot and Chester Line. It’s on all the bridge number plates
Enjoyable to watch this footage! A lot has changed over the last 30 years or so, not least all the buildings that have sprouted up. I had a lot to do with the Marylebone - Aynho reksignalling part of the “Total Route Modernisation” (TRM) project from 1987 - early 1990’s. It’s been updated quite a lot since 1989, when Marylebone was first commissioned. When it did come into service, it was only just the second IECC system in London - the other one having being the first stage of Liverpool Street.
That’s an interesting story John!
The Drivers constant eating crisps etc does get on my bloody nerves, we are trying to watch a route Video and not him gorging himself Okay!!!
Cracking video of high quality, thanks for uploading. Much appreciated.
Great trip in crisp winter sunshine. Thanks for sharing
hehe 😊
Superb video shot in excellent weather showcasing our lovely countryside. Didn't realise so much of the southern end of the route was cleared for 100 mph running.
Thank you! Most parts of the route were upgraded during project evergreen, definitely worth a Google
The former Great Western Mainline from Birmingham Snow Hill in particular beyond Banbury at Aynho Junction was specifically built for high speed running, generous well engineered trackbedding and a wide gauge allowed such notable locomotives as the "Kings" (which ran on these tracks for 30 years) to often hit speeds of 70--90 mph, a 100 mph wasn't unknown on the mainline between Lapworth and Bordesley Green. Chiltern Railways have been dedicated in improving this former mainline, notably double tracking the route between Northolt and Banbury, it is such a pity that the jungle foliage and weeds haven't been cut back and tidied up--and the section from South Ruislip into Paddington could be bought back into use, a far better speedier approach into London than Marylebone.
@@ads1066 The line into Paddington has been cut off south of Greenford as the land around Old Oak Common depot is required for the HS2 interchange station.
please consider subscribing, it really helps the channel. thanks :)
Your one of my favourite rail videos on TH-cam!! I will share, like, and subscribe 😃
Salut Prietene🙋🙋
You got it! 👍
My local train route from Leamington to London! Thanks so much for uploading
Nice video. To be honest I had never heard of this line. Glad they kept it open.
Love the sound of crisps.
Same
They have to be kettle chips, too crunchy for crisps. Seriously, is eating allowed in the cab?
A lovely early evening run into London...
I have Video125's DVD of London M to Bham M St on the Class 68, so this is good to see it going other way in the 82.
Excellent to see. I live off Mill Lane, 5 minutes from Bentley Heath crossing.
Fabulous quality! Thanks.
Thank you 😁
I’ve just subscribed to your channel! I’ve been looking for this amazing chiltern route for a long time! AWSOME vid 💯💎❤️
This train simulator is amazing! lol
thank you for sharing Greetings from Indonesia
Brilliant watch. Subscribed :)
Excellent video, thank you for uploading
Thanks 😁
Great service thanks. From Wendover.
Fantastic Cab Ride Video on the former Great Western Mainline Birmingham to London Paddington (Although we turn off at Northolt on the Great Central line to London Marylebone) This route had the "castles" "Kings" "Blue Pullmans" as well as the "Westerns" all ran along this line, it's most busiest times was the 1960's during the Euston electrification project, up until March 1967 this route had an hourly Inter-City service as well as 6 daily Pullman services, At Knowle & Dorridge station a replacement Pullman train (The "Wells Fargo" set) collided with a crossing freight at 20mph on August 15th 1963 just beyond the up platform we stop at before the footbridge ahead. The locomotive was a "Western" D1040 'Western Queen' driven by Ernest Morris a top link GW Pullman driver, famed for being in the BR film "Let's Go To Birmingham" Ernest was the driver, the 2nd driver and a crewman were all killed as the train hit the crossing freight which was released by mistake by the signalman (the track crossed over the mainline just before the footbridge, the signalbox was on the left of the video at the end of the platform) who was blamed for the accident, the freight train driver and crew all escaped. Just beyond Bicester was Ashendon Junction (we see the tracks part away) where the Great Central Line would come in on our left, our line would have been on an embankment (PSR 60 mph) and crossed over the GC route, this was later abandoned and leveled out, the girder bridge removed leaving only the old GW down line remaining. After March 1967 when all Paddington services to Birmingham were eliminated or moved over to New Street-Euston, this well engineered high speed line was cruelly eviscerated and rationalized--we can see as we leave the Birmingham area the former slow lines on our right were quickly lifted, these went as far as Lapworth a little beyond Solihull, as we go along this route a careful look either side of the tracks will reveal former trackbeds now long lifted. As we leave Leamington Spa station, on our left would have been extra tracks of the LMS route to Rugby, you can make out the segmented viaduct which carried this line away to our left, a little beyond was the former Leamington Steam Shed now built over. Leamington had two stations parallel to each other, the LMS station has long since been cleared away and the site built upon, the line from Coventry comes in on our left before entering Leamington Spa. A few minutes out from Leamington Spa station we see a slow line appear on out left which alerts us to the site of Fenny Compton Station, we see briefly sidings on our right which marked the station site of the Stratford-Upon Avon Rly, now the route goes as far as HM depot Kineton. on our right the siding goes a certain distance, originally it would have climbed and gone over our route to our left. A great video and interesting chance to study what was a very important Great Western Mainline--I just wished all that sad overgrown foliage was trimmed right back, and the weeds too! In the video the driver is in a former Inter-City West Coast Mainline DVT unit, if only it was the cab of a Blue Pullman!! 🙂
Fascinating story thank for writing !
Excellent !!!
I miss the old ex GWR route to Birmingham and old days Marylebone where you could spot both ex LMS and LNER locos
As a ex steam fireman/driver, enjoyed your video, but it’s such a fast world out there now.
Last time I did that route it was in a smoky class 115! 100mph through W Ruislip! Crazy.
Damned good view fore and aft in 1st gen DMMUs .... and SO much time to enjoy it (Though I never minded between Machynlleth and Pwllheli)
Thank you for a beautiful video, in perfect weather and just catching the last of the sunshine, of what I think is visually the most attractive main line into London.
I was sorry (but not surprised) to hear that the proposed reopening of the Stratford-upon-Avon/Honeybourne line won’t be going ahead. What I wish they would do is reopen the Fenny Compton/Kineton/Stratford line, which would remove the need for the interminable journey from Warwick to Stratford via Hatton and Bearley, which is 8 miles as the crow flies but takes over half an hour by train. But I suppose there aren’t enough communities on the Kineton route to make it viable.
That route will never reopen. The passenger services over it were withdrawn in the 1950s, well before Beeching which indicates just how poor the patronage on the route was. Just like the Honeybourne route the services into Stratford cannot be restored. Both were built over when the A4390 was constructed using a bit of the trackbed of the north-south route and bit of the trackbed of the east-west route.
In the UK, it is hard to reopen railway lines which closed during the Beeching Axe due to land being built on, and nimbies. But there is such as thing as trams also being able to run as trains; whether this would help ease the problem with land constraints in this country, in Stratford-upon-Avon and elsewhere?
See this page for more information on tram-trains: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tram-train
@@N32-o2n put tram tracks onto the A3490 and problem solved!
Banbury. Used to have direct trains,to almost all over most parts of England.
Superb video like that you put the station captions and lines verging and vice versa
Thanks alot 😁
Thank you for this good quality, well-captioned video. It would be nice for a railway cab view video to be made from Basingstoke via Reading, Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Coventry to Nuneaton. Thanks in advance!
Great video"
thanks a lot!
Started going into London this way a few years as an alternative to getting into Euston and a much nicer journey and nice comfortable and clean trains
It looks like at some points along the route where 125 mph might be possible with the right signalling/modifications. And I would think, again with the right modifications, the Class 68/Mk3's would be able to do that.
125 would be cool certainly
Would be cool but if only 1 type of train can do that then it would probably be better just to upgrade other parts of the route to 100mph operation
Class 68 top speed is 100mph. Would need a different unit to achieve 125mph.
@@droge192 I know, what I said was, with altered gearing, the 68's could do 125 mph, more so than a Class 67.
Gawd blimey, geezer! That bag of Doritos has lasted you six minutes already.
great cab view, and... what flavour were the crisps...? LOL
Amazing cab ride.
Thanks!
Absolutely superb !
Thanks alot 😁
Enjoy your crisps haha, I have this route on train sim but sadly it doesn't run smoothly , rode the Aylesbury section years ago but never ventured on this part
Thank you so much brilliant Cab ride video would you bd able to do one to Aylesbury
We will see, but no promises.
@@thechilterntrainspotters Excellent job! And yeah, hope we may see the Aylesbury branch one day😊
Really nice to see this route in great quality, and in such good weather! Your caption at 1:02:38 for Bicester South junction and the relatively recent new curve implies that the video predates the route's opening, as you say "opening in 2015" as though that is yet to come! Time-travel?
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my trip from Moor Street to Marylebone. Not a line I’ve ever been on. Not too much signage - in fact, would like to have known what stations we were passing as we were coming into London. Thank you.
After West Ruislip, it's South Ruislip, then Northolt Park, Sudbury Hill, Sudbury and Harrow Road before Wembley Stadium.
Never travelled this before but good
Can see very little of the London Extension left now. Except the split!
You can clearly hear the driver chomping away on a packet of potato crisps. What flavour were they? Plain? Cheese & Onion? Salt & Vinegar? Chicken?
Nice
A nice day for a train ride.
Marvellous
Nice Video, what to the 2 horizontal white lines mean under the signal image,
This designates an automatic signal, which the signaller has no control over. Hope this helps!
@@thechilterntrainspotters ☝Thanks.
Correction to my earlier post. The steam train was King Edward II, not King William II.
Just started watching the video of this cab ride. What is the type of train is the view coming from? Thanks in advance
Hi there its a good video
Thank you 😁
nice cab ride. I really want this route in TSW. Also, I wonder what crisps the driver was eating?🤔😅
Salutări din România🙋🙋
First few signals are upside down (green at bottom, opposite to your captions). What's going on there? The caption symbols look great, though!
We realised this after It was uploaded and it was too late to change it 🤦♂️
Lovely sunny conditions was that this year obviously in the winter ?
Can't confirm the year for privacy reasons, but was filmed in winter/spring
Great video! I must admit for a driver, that yellow bar at the bottom of windscreen must be really distracting in your peripheral vision. *but I ain’t a train driver!
I know this might be less relevant , or fairly obvious , but how is the stopping on the sets opposed to the turbostars?
Nice! How do you get the recording?
is that an HS2 site ahead of West Ruislip?
Yup
What flavour crisps did you have? I'm going for cheese and onion 😂
Yeugh!
Great video, but lacking in some information. Was the driver eating Cwisps and what flavour. Important things to know. 😉😉😉😉🙂🙂 And what is the rolling stock? Not as good looking as the class 67, nor as striking in livery.
The rolling stock is a class 68 loco, we chose to not give too much detailed info as in previous cab rides it had lead to a cluttered look with text covering the screen which people said they would prefer not to have
@@thechilterntrainspotters I don'tb like the new livery. Why did they change it from the grey and silver of the Class 67?
@@Demun1649 The livery on the 68's is very similar to that of the 67
Were West Midlands Trains on strike that day? I don't think I saw any
Nope, they just run a very lacklustre timetable
So, from Princes Risborough on in this was the route of the Met as well?
No, the Met runs on the line via Amersham, we hope to record a video on this line one day
Thanks for a great video, but the horn sounds as if it has a cold!
Great video..What class is this we are riding on?
Looks like a class 82 DVT with a class 68 shoving at the rear? Or was this in the class 67 era?
Class 19?
MK3 DVT pushed by a 68 probably
Correct
@@TransportCambs Ah right,thanks
Marylebone - the only non-electrified London terminus now. Excellent video, well done - now subscribed. Any more DEVs planned?
A few more in the works perhaps
Green aspect should be at the bottom of a two aperture four aspect signal
Yes, sorry, this is a mistake on our side.
@@thechilterntrainspotters Are you sure? I thought that red was at the bottom, reason being it could not be covered by a build up of snow on a lower shield. Ex BR man.
@@robertbate5790 yes you are correct on older style 4 aspect signals where each aspect has its own bulb but on modern LED signals which only have 2 light apertures the bottom one can show multiple colours (red, yellow, green) so the red/single yellow/green aspect will always be at the bottom. The top aperture will only show yellow to make the double yellow aspect if that makes sense.
@@79MBO Ok, thank you. I assumed two colours per lens. 👍👍👍
Sounds like this driver is eating some crisps on the job.
Does ATP not work anymore? I can’t hear any chimes from the system.
what does the prefix OL on the signals stand for, i know its the signalbox but which one ,please
The only OL I can find is Ordsall Lane .... and I haven't got a clue where that is either .... sorry!
@@TheHoveHeretic Ordsall lane is in manchester, cant be to do with chilterns ,never mind
Short answer: OL stands for Oxford to Leamington. These signals are controlled by the West Midlands Signalling Centre (recently renamed Birmingham ROC).
Sadly with modern mega boxes and ROCs the larger signalling centres don't have one single prefix and likewise the prefixes don't necessarily identify the controlling signal box. You can imagine that a single 'Y' prefix for all signals controlled from York ROC (which now goes as far south as Kings Cross) would be of little practical use to anyone - and you'd probably run out of numbers! No instead the prefix codes identify the section of line and actually this new way of identifying signals predates the ROC concept, I believe. OL stands for Oxford to Leamington and those signals are controlled from the West Midlands Signalling Centre (WMSC) (now recently renamed Birmingham ROC (BROC) and colloquially referred to as 'the Dome') in Saltley. But they actually date from 2004 when Fenny Compton Box closed and Leamington Spa Signal Box took over the signalling between Banbury North (exclusive) and Leamington Spa. The signals at and around Leamington Spa itself retained the 'LN' prefix at that time and that prefix is still used for those signals even though they are now controlled by WMSC/BROC. You can see from that how much more there is to it than all this. It's actually quite common for old prefix codes to be retained when ROCs take over and the same was true for IECCs as well, e.g. York IECC retained 'CF' as the prefix for signals which had been controlled by Church Fenton and L for those which had been controlled by Leeds Power Box, I believe. Or for example you might tack a prefix on the front. For example the VS signals which had been controlled by Victoria South Eastern became TVS signals when migrated to Three Bridges ROC. I think prefixes are more commonly retained when signalling is merely recontrolled rather than completely resignalled but there's a lot more to this topic and it's not really interesting enough to be worth the effort!
@@LUAu101 Thanks for answer
Were those crisps nice? Sound like McCoys.
14:38 I say, do they serve Porridge at Dorridge? LOL
Who knows in Knowle, but they did have a great Chip shop
Does the driver have a gadget in the cab warning him in advance of the next station stop?
No.
All ways go on this train to Birmingham this is one of best better then Euston
Just think if the 1960's road lobby had their way Marylebone terminus would be no more and buried under tarmac or high rise housing.
And they tried again in the mid 1980s!
@@chris8405 Mmmmmm. The iron Lady and '80's PM Mrs Thatcher was certainly against the iron horse. They say she never travelled by train when in office. She preferred a convoy of royal claret Range Rovers, I saw her once topped and tailed being shipped into the RIAT airshow and that was after she had left office.
Caption font too small, difficult to read within the time they are displayed for.
We chose not to make them larger to avoid clogging up the screen - will take them feedback on board
What flavour crisps were you eating?
What was the traction on this run?
class 82 DVT
@@thechilterntrainspotters What class of loco was the DVT controlling?
@@benglasgow a class 68 was providing the power 😁
@@thechilterntrainspotters not called a class 82, its just a DVT
@@ttvvideos2050 it is a class 82, if it wasn't a class 82 it wouldn't say 82 on the side would it!
Trying to figure out what's on the other end... Can't be anything electric so it isn't a 90/91 - Probably not a 37/47/56 either - Anyone know what it is??
class 68 :)
the speed captions are not intrusive, keep them, if you skip along you have no idea what the limit is, better still, the actual speed
Was heißt das OL oder ME unter dem eingeblendeten grünen Signal ?
das Stellwerk, das den Kalk steuert
Were you by chance eating a HUGE bag of crisps at the beginning of this video 😂
It was just a normal bag :)
how many carries has this unit got?