Rail nostalgia NG | Vital Football

Rail nostalgia NG

Excellent video for rail buffs (unfortunately I’m not).

There was one of these put up on Facebook a little while ago of the journey on the old line from Gravesend out to Hoo, Stoke and Allhallows. About the same era as this video. Actually the same lady’s voice doing it.

Now it’s only a goods line, but used to take passengers in the day and I hear that may happen again in the future.

I’ll try put a link up if I can find it.


Edit - video is halfway down this page about The Hundred of Hoo Line

http://www.cliffehistory.co.uk/railway.html
 
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I'm not a railway buff as I don't have the knowledge but I love railways and this particular line is the one most etched in my young mind. This is how I picture those stations when I think of them. Longfield for Fawkham & Hartley my home station, what a wonderful name. Closer to the Victorians than we realised at the time.
 
A lovely film, I spent many hours sitting by the four tracks between Preston and Blackpool train spotting as a youngster with the occasional trip to Crewe and the risky trip along the tracks to the sheds close to Bloomfield road, now a giant car park.
Later in life and in uniform I was somewhat early for my train on platform 9 at Liverpool street en route to East Anglia when I spotted a Britannia class loco "Black Prince" which had just arrived from Norwich and was now uncoupled.
I got chatting to the driver and his fireman and they invited me on board and as the coaches left the station the engine with me on board reversed down the platform and onto the turntable a couple of hundred yards out of the station.
A little later we reversed again to couple up to a set of coaches for the Norwich service but alas I was traveling as a passenger.
Incidentally back in the sixties it was common to see members of the military travelling on trains and buses and out and about in uniform, a bit of a rarity these days.
 
There are some lovely train journeys to be had in the North of England and in Scotland. Any route south out of Oban is a very scenic journey and the journey between Settle and Carlisle is worth doing for anyone on holiday in the Lake District area.

But, Jokerman, I realise that this thread is a ruse to encourage Wayne out of that long tunnel he disappeared into !
 
In my defence, you nearly see GFC as the train leaves Gillingham Station and runs past the old loco sidings and the Ingram Road crossing. Then it jumps to the “new” setup between Rainham and Newington.
 
Just as a matter of interest the opening lines in the article about the Hoo line’s potential reopening are;

“The Local Plan has been dogged with problems and two attempts to introduce a Local Plan failed and were withdrawn. With the pressure to build more houses, the latest Local Plan has to deliver just under 30,000 homes with around 16,000 on the Hoo Peninsula.“

Thats the same Local Plan that’s held up the club’s potential new ground !
 
Do you know what year that film is? My Grandad was a train driver, unfortunately he died before I was born, but I know he drove the Dover to Victoria line. I'll show that film to my Dad, he'll love to see it.
 
This is going to be really sad, but I like watching the driver view railway journeys on you tube! Pretty damn good on the 55 inch TV!
 
Teg78 said:
Do you know what year that film is? My Grandad was a train driver, unfortunately he died before I was born, but I know he drove the Dover to Victoria line. I'll show that film to my Dad, he'll love to see it.
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The one of the Hoo Railway that I linked to in post #2 was 1958. And it is exactly the same style (and lady commentating) so probably same year or not far off.
 
mozzer59 said:
This is going to be really sad, but I like watching the driver view railway journeys on you tube! Pretty damn good on the 55 inch TV!
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I don't know whether it's still showing but there was a German TV company that put up driver view journeys through the night, a bit like a test card. It turned out that relatively large numbers of insomniacs, train buffs and others were tuning in to watch.
 
jogills said:
I don't know whether it's still showing but there was a German TV company that put up driver view journeys through the night, a bit like a test card. It turned out that relatively large numbers of insomniacs, train buffs and others were tuning in to watch.
Click to expand...

What is this "buff" of which you speak? Creeping Yankery is what it is. Enthusiast please. Buffs is or was Royal East Kents.

Incidentally, I looked up its US origins. Allegedly enthusiastic volunteer New York fire fighters on account of their uniforms so not a million miles apart from our own use.
 
The only update for the Grain line is that nothing has been agreed. It is hoped to be completed by 2024, development finished by 2043...
Good news for people in Margate (Margate Matt, where are you?) The Thanet Parkway station will be completed in 2023, with lots of services, including high speed services.
 
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