(HD Blu-Ray) British Railways Today: Issue 9 - December 2023
Description
(Run-time: 1 hour and 38mins approx.)
In this programme:
We begin the programme with a feature looking at the main railway through the Hope Valley between Edale and Grindleford: we also visit the Buxton area to view stone traffic at Peak Forest. Filmed in 2021 and again in 2023 we call in to many stations and photographic locations along the route. As well as Class 66 on the freight side, we see classes 150, 156, 158, 185 and 195 and also Class 68s on empty coaching stock.
The annual Diesel Gala on the Severn Valley Railway is a highlight in the railway calendar, bringing to the line visiting locomotives as well as their own stud of motive power. We called in to the event where we captured some of the variety of locomotives working the trains including, Classes 17, 20, 31, 33, 37, 40, 42, 47, 50, 52, 56 and 60, with a couple of on-board sequences where we soak up the sound from the front of the train!
A visit is made to Dorridge station in the West Midlands on the route from Birmingham, south towards Banbury and London. Classes 168, 172 and the noisy and powerful Class 68 diesels are all seen during our mid-morning stopover.
A look at suburban-line action from East Croydon at a time when Class 455 units were still in operation prior to their recent withdrawal. This busy London station is popular with observers where the near-constant action quickly fills a notebook with numbers. It’s all go at East Croydon!
Returning to the Hope Valley route we look at trains and traffic on the section east of Edale and on through Hope to Grindleford.
We travel to West Sussex to view trains over the spectacular Ouse Valley Viaduct situated to the north of Haywards Heath on the London to Brighton main line. This most impressive and listed railway structures plays host to trains every few minutes throughout the day and is a marvel of engineering.
We conclude the programme with a Class 170 at Edenbridge on the Uckfield line.