Class 37 Driver's Eye View: Exeter St. Davids to Kings Norton (Birmingham) 

One of my uncles was a driver based in Dunfermline (62C) and back in the late 60s I returned home from school to find him visiting. The next day I had an important French exam and needed to study for it but he told me he was taking a goods train that evening from Dunfermline to Alloa and back and asked if I'd like to do the trip. I hesitated for a couple of seconds and then agreed. It was a Class 37 and I even got the chance to drive it on the way back. Great memory. Oh, and by the way, I passed the exam the next day.

The driver's eye view of the extended nose & the engine sounds are the two reasons why i love this video.

I love the sound of those engines. It's the best place you could have put the microphone for me. Thanks for a fantastic ride down memory lane.

Every now and then, in the early hours, I hear the sound of a “Growler” going northbound. It remains one of the most iconic traction sounds going.....and after the best part of thirty years on the Railway / Underground, the only thing that I truly miss not Operating......Long Live the Class 37’s! ❤️

Thank you for this post. The class 37 was such a common sight when I was a kid in the early 70s, its great to see that some have survived.

This has to be the best sounding of all your excellent vids ! 👍 1700 horses is super quick without a load on.

Class 37 cab view - I'm in heaven

Love this Ben, we've just recently found a photograph of my Grandfather in the mid 60's driving a Class 40 which now numbered 40013 and is still very much active in LMS fleet, I know this is a 37 but I imagine its quite a similar view as in a 40, we are hoping to catch up with the loco in February and to try an recreate the photograph.

Wonderful... Its hard to believe that some guys are actually getting paid to for driving this wonderful vintage 37 through wonderful countryside..... I'd pay the company for allowing me to do it 😂..... The guys driving those passing boring passenger trains must be green with envy 😂. Wonderful vidio 👍

Funnily enough I was sat in a white van going up the M5 and saw this go past at the 10min mark I'm the passenger of the van 👍

This is a really therapeutic video! So restful with such a magnificent backing track.

It sounds absolutely effortless like it's just ticking over. Lovely piece of kit that.

Why do I like watching these

My favourite traction of all time is the Class 37. My friend father was a driver and sometimes we would catch a lift with him to Tonypandy, Porth or Pontypridd if he was leaving Treherbert while we were waiting for our train. We were really high off the ground, , Our visibility was almost non existent (at 13 years old in 1973 I would perhaps expect so), it was really noisy and when he applied the brakes it was even more ear-splitting. But we loved it.

A fantastic video. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of it. The 37 made short work of the Lickey. 😊

I really enjoyed this excellent video. I've always had a special affection for 37s with their unique character. They hauled us on so many of our most memorable journeys. I wad at Exeter University too in their era so this was doubly evocative.. Thank you for making this.

Awesome video, the sound is just incredible! Thankyou.

These vids are so relaxing, don’t know why

I have never been interested in trains but have discovered the 37 videos…absolutely brilliant! Thank you.

Thanks for a wonderful cab ride, Ben. Great to hear the sound of the 12 CSVT without the exhaust. More interesting to hear how the power is regulated on a light engine run like this. I see the photographers were out for the Western. You'll have to get us a cab ride on Champion next!!

Thank you Ben. I llked the audio being done this way, for what it's worth :)

Excellent Ben love the sound of a class 37 at full belt. Thank you.

Fantastic to see part of my local mainline from the view of a drivers cab!

Brilliant video Ben.. you just gotta love a 37..

This has to be one of the most anticipated cab rids I’ve been waiting for. Thank you so much 😊 ❤

Doing 100 light is still a marvellous acheivement for one if these. I like the new cab sound insulation.

Thank you for a great video Ben, the sound track is awesome. Nothing beats hearing an engine at work, especially if it's an English Electric in a 37!!

Enjoyed that, thanks. I have good memories of seeing 37s and 55 Deltics running through Peterborough in the 1970s when I went with my father to collect my grandfather from the station.

Brilliant video and I enjoyed the sound from the engine room rather than the cab

This was brill - thank you for sharing this video cab ride!

So enjoyable. I remember travelling this route many times in the 70's behind a Peak. This is a great piece of work you have done and much appreciated. Thank you very much. It is a real treasure.

Thx for uploading this. What a beast.

Thanks Ben and team

So relaxing. Thanks Ben.

Great video. Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed it very much here in USA.

Fantastic Video Ben Thanks so Much

Another great video, Ben. This is a very different perspective of the line from being down a little lower in the cab of a MU. This is like riding on top of the world.

The growel of that engine at the start. Its a dragon.

Love the drivers view showing the front. Great video 👍

Thanks Ben. Another winner.

Now this will be epic!

thanks for taking the time. x

Brilliant loved watching the video fabulous sound love the 37s 👍

What a soundtrack... thanks Ben!

hiya excellent video, great to see the view from exeter and especially around eckington...

It must be fantastic to drive one of these deisal trains with a fantastic birds eye view and the great scenery.

Love this all of 185 litres of pure heaven

Great video, especially seeing you go though bridgwater, happy memories of days gone by. Lets have some more please

Fantastic video Ben

Brilliant! Thank you.

tremendous video. really enjoying this but have paused at Bristol Parkway for a work break 😀 will resume at the next available opportunity to finish my journey! i gotta say, the engine sounds amazing, the whole video is epic 👍

Another great video ben 👍 thank you for this I grew up with these engines class 37/31/43 and of course the iconic class 55's the Deltic's The sound of the 37's is fantastic that English electric But stood next to a deltic that was powering to pull away from Darlington Station was something else Once again thanks for this video it brought back lots of fond memories of my youth 👍👍

Excellent, many thanks.

Great video. Impressive acceleration out of Bromsgrove station - a nice sharp reminder never to judge a diesel loco by it's age.

Loving where the camera is nice one Ben

Looking forward to this

Thanks, love these. I do miss the whistle off and and through the crossings like in the US. I'm a "car counter", I like to count the cars of passenger and freight trains we pass.

This Is my Fave Video for 2024 , so far , i watch a lot of youtube ! train spotter at 14 /15 , Filton Junction our Fave spot , Thanks for all the Noise , just how i Rememerd it , Thank You 😄👌❤

unusual route not seen before, lovely engine, great video and audio... loved every minute or it.. Thanks Ben That was so smooth and clear it was like Train Sim.. found myself trying to look out the side windows at times. The exit from Bromsgrove must have put a smile of the face, and a ring in the ears, of the spotter you stoppeed next to.. rocket machine when running light! Longbridge is a sad reflection of its former railhead.

Fabulous video ben

Also good stuff, good quality footage and I like the idea of having the mic in the engine room

Brilliant. And ever a quick glimpse of a Western at stoke Giffords.

As a lorry driver I find these videos very interesting and follow them on a road map its great getting a different view of the country .Class 37 is my favorite loco and sounds much like driving a long nose cat powered Western Star .

As a signaller i definitely chose the wrong career 🙃 brillant video 👍🏼

I rember early 80s going from Glasgow to my gran up in tain in Xmas holidays always seemed to be snowing I think that's sound and raw power has stuck in my I'm not a typical train spoter but the sight & sound of a 37 always turns my head I live near the old coal loading station near hunterson so used to be lucky to see the od one now that's gone can't remember last time I saw one up close enjoyed the video 😊👏

These 37’s sound awesome.

Enjoyable to watch. In particular, it was interesting to see what the relatively recent alterations to the signalling north of Cheltenham are like.

great video thanks

A proper jolly for the driver.

Full Chuff Ahead Captain!

3 hours of non stop English Electric thrash.... LUV IT!!!!

Now this is a 37 video.. quality stuff. 😊 I get to use them on heritage, so it’s cool to see them at full send rather than 25mph.

I don’t really know about the technicalities of locomotives but I like this footage very much.👍

Not bad for a 60 year old (very nearly). Great video Ben

It is a very good 3 hours of authentic ( how do you say "clagg and thrash" ) the journey isn't half bad either. You certainly get about,geographically speaking Ben. Very enjoyable thank you 🙂👍

Interesting video from a class 37. I have over the years been on many call outs on this entire route shown up as far a Spetchley .

It is quite interesting to hear inside the engine room as you don't often get to hear it from that perspective.

Phwoarr, the graphics on this version of trainsim is epic.

Another great video. I noticed loads of people out along the line, it's almost like there was something else running, maybe a 52 on test.

Thank you Ben for a great video.Hope I haven’t caught a chill up on that roof. Query. when I was on the footplate it was Up to London and down away, but we seemed to be on a up line most of the time.Kind regards 🚂🚂🚂

Thanks Ben. This makes a lovely "retro" change from the modern stuff although that's just as interesting. What a shame the 37 wasn't hauling 500 tonnes of freight - that would have made for some great sound effects, especially up the Lickey! Not a complaint of course, just an observation. Is 37219 still used on test-trains? I know you have a link to that operation so it would make sense. I've seen photos of her with the front mounted cameras.

Another brilliant video shot, edited and uploaded in an incredibly rapid sequence. Thanks so much. You create the material almost as quickly as they used to have to do film injects for TV news: the film was shot at the news event location, developed and then wet projected in the telecine equipment because there wasn't time to dry it after processing. That's going back a few years, obviously, but amazing how much more convenient digital methods have made it!

The new OLE is such an eyesore.

Wish we could have a speedo like a dashcam but maybe that'll come in future, nice video.

Fabulous video, thanks so much for posting. Lots of familiar places having lived in Devon and now in Yate. Judging by the number of spotters I’d guess this was the day that the Western was doing it’s load trial? TonyS

Very smooth. No pot holes ..... 😅

I remember Cam and Dursley station being built / opened, they had campaigned for it for years

This really is outstanding! The sound of the loco is mesmerizing and just as fascinating as the cab view. Very grateful for both and thoroughly enjoyed listening and watching. Thank you! I wondered, would you consider making the audio track available for download on its own? Somewhere like Soundcloud or similar. I'd be happy to make an appropriate contribution. It really is that Good! 👍

Filmed on the 10th by any chance? If so, the 323 at Northfield at 2:57:00 was me 👋

1:36:25 Lovely chug up the incline. Great sound!

Growing up yards from the pit yard I was used to seeing these Diesel engines pulling coal..I always thought it looked very intimidating the that truck of Dual 😂

Saw Western Champion double heading a 66 on its test run back to the SVR at Stike Gifford 👍👍

Excellent video. One small request. When you get looped to let another train past, can you just show what you were waiting for

Blummin eck that sounds good

Nice 👍👍

37219 used to be a regular local loco fitted for RETB workings, many a happy hour working her 👍

Hi Ben, many thanks for the Exeter video. I know the stretch to Bristol well, my home station was Highbridge and you brought back many memories I don’t live in Somerset now and so it was great to see my old ‘stamping ground’. On another note, have you any footage of Highbridge Loop. Some very unusual movements there according to Real-time Trains? I remember a 47 hanging around there after ‘loosing’ a con rod. Unless my memory deceives me it was the County of Somerset!

No music, perfect!

Beauty Kings Norton king train beautiful

You choose a nice day to film.