Thanks again Paul all if the C2C tracks covered. Many journeys on my commutes for part of my working life followed those tracks. Again encyclopaedic knowledge made this video and absolute joy. Well done 👏👏👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌👌👌👌🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Excellent video. Being an Essex boy, (Pitsea), I grew up using this line, so it has fond memories. I remember the steam standard 4 tanks, and the tragic fatal train accident at Pitsea of 1961. I was nearly 4 years old. I would add that at Fenchurch Street, many passengers use a side entrance, from the platforms, for quicker access to the Underground station at Tower Hill, therefore would not see the grand Barclay frontage.
One wonders how drivers have managed to stop at the right stations for the last 200 years without daft electronic voices warning them that they are approaching the next stop!
Less about how they can’t manage and more about supporting. If you’re someone who has been on a run of services that don’t stop at ‘x’ and are now on a service that does, it gives that reminder. If you’re travelling at 90-125mph and have other things going on in the background, it’s a useful cue. 98% of drivers will know what stations to stop at, locations of signals and speed limit changes but it’s an added safety net. Also, I realise your comment is >2yrs old but felt it was important to ensure people don’t see this comment and think train drivers are incapable of following a timetable.
@@OfficialRyanx My point was that drivers are perfectly capable, and almost certainly don't need nannying voices, though I guess that everyone can do with a little help sometimes! I do remember a night time trip on the ECML many years ago - it was a special train so stopped at some unusual places for an IC train. It was pitch black everywhere and I wondered just how do drivers know when to slow down and stop when there aren't any visual clues from the landscape - I guess they must know every mile of the line intimately and know every signal.
I very much like your videos. I love trends and your narration adds to the moment. Information you give is very helpful. By the way, I am watching these videos from Milford, New Hampshire, USA.
I’ve been on c2c Class 357 and they are very reliable trains. Plus c2c have ordered 12 5-Car Class 720/6s that will be mostly operating on Fenchurch St-Shoeburyness, Southend Central, Grays, Basildon and Laindon services during peak hours. And should be in service from next year because of the Class 387/3s have gone to Great Northern.
I remember back in the early 2000's, heading to Pitsea from Fenchurch street on a cold, dark winter evening. That bit of track between Tilbury Town and East Tilbury; when thundering along in an old, clunky Slam Door Stock train, when it's pitch dark and you can't see anything out of the windows except a few pinpricks of light.... that was flipping terrifying!
I went to school in Grays and living in Cranham (where the Distict Line stables are), I went from Upminster station every day, almost always from platform 1A, and almost always the driver swapping tokens at Ockendon station for single-track running, as they did in those days with the driver in the passing loop.
Great video. But I would just like to make a slight correction & add a few more bits of info. CORRECTION: Just after West Thurrock Junction (in the UP direction), the rails to the LEFT actually used to serve Proctor & Gamble & NOT Thames Matex. The Thames Matex siding was just before the A282/M25 bridges ADDITIONAL INFO (all in reference to the UP direction): Thameshaven Branch: Used to be used by numerous Fuel trains to & from the former Coryton Refinary sending fuel to various places as Cumbria & the final regular flow was to Llandarcy, near Swansea, in Wales Tilbury Power Station used to have an extensive sidings system for coal deliveries & in now "Tilbury 2", which has replaced Tilbury International Rail Freight Terminal, which in turn replaced the former Tilbury Riverside station. Grays: beside the station, on the left, used to be a reasonably sized goods yard which used to be a stabling sidings for Tilbury Docks as well as other things. It also used to have it's own Loco Shed where a few class 08 Shunters used to be based which were used in Tilbury Docks, Proctor & Gamble yard (see above) as well as the sidings around the Purfleet area. More Info to be added again shortly
@@datboi04 that's fair I guess. I suppose it could be improved by just having a shuttle service between Upminster and grays... Might even get it down to a once every 20 minutes service. Nothing worse than coming back from Lakeside, only to see your train leave and knowing you have to hang around for half an hour!
Couple of interesting points about Purfleet Station and the long-disappeared Purfleet Rifle Range Halt just to add a bit to the excellent information you've provided. At Purfleet Station just past the station building you can still see the brick abutments of the old footbridge next to the platforms on both sides. The footbridge was demolished when the line was electrified as it would have interfered with the overhead cable and a new footbridge was built at the end of the platforms adjacent to the level crossing at London Road. If you walk further along the platforms you can still see where the line crossed above an old tramway which was used for ferrying chalk from the Botany pit to a wharf near the Royal Hotel. Purfleet was at one time a garrisoned major munitions storage centre. A narrow-gauge railway running from the old Rifle Range halt served both the ranges and the cordite and munitions storage area, once again extending down as far as the riverside for wharfage. There were extensive military encampments during both World Wars as well with virtually all troop movements being handled through the Rifle Range halt. The old Rifle Range together with part of the munitions storage area are now within the RSPB's Rainham Marshes reserve with some of the range target stands still being visible.
It's worth a visit to the museum which contains many interesting exhibits including a stripped-down Merlin engine from a Spitfire. And one from, I think, a Messerschmitt.
It's because during rush hour, trains via Rainham terminate at Pitsea, or the occasional train via Ockendon terminating at Pitsea instead of Grays during rush hour, so that's why they used the odd platform 3.
The units I drive have TAS installed but it isn’t in use yet. I’d rather drive without it and stick with my own RTC, judging by the awful sounds it makes!
![C2C - (Upminster to Grays and Pitsea to Fenchurch Street) - DRIVERS EYE VIEW [Part 2/2]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
