Crewe looks like an overgrown garden now, thanks to Network Rail's Neglect campaign. All those lovely loco hauled carriages too. All disgusting Voyagers or Pendolinos now.
A real trip down memory lane, about the time just before I lost interest in railways. I don't know why but when the DVTs came along it seemed to spoil the WCML for me. Also I would have been 18, and had just discovered the delights of beer and girls!!
The DVTs were introduced around 1990; I remember Manchester Piccadilly before their introduction where the locomotive that brought the train in followed the train out and then went to Longsight TMD or the holding siding. I think the 81-85 were withdrawn around 1990-91 following the introduction of the Class 90 & DVTs.
I dont know, class37 working Cardiff Manchesters was of the right era, maybe , very late eighties, as still some DMUs going to Shrewsbury, rather than Sprinters. Still, some good stuff. Much more on the Up Fast than these days. Boring Pendo's.
This isn't 1990, it's Saturday 27th August 1988 - 37084 on the 1V12 1212 Manchester Picc to Cardiff, I was on that train, only time 084 ever worked into Manchester Picc...also later in the day 37372 appeared which I was on also, by 1990 37084 was 37718, great memories, thanks
Thanks for the info Pete. The old VHS tape which was the source of these vids was labelled 1990 by me, and I don't have my original notebooks for this period to refer to any more so any additional detail is very welcome.
Some absolutely excellent footage, thanks for uploading. Some of the footage, if not all is from a while before 1990, 37084 before it became 37718 in early 89 for example, and 86's in BR blue were all repainted by nov 89. . 86233 with its grey cab roofs, 86426 in its 'electric' blue, and looks like 31227 on the breakdown train, that was cut-up by end of 89, and not a DVT in sight!! Wow, splendid memories down memory lane, thanks again, look forward to more :)
Passed through Crewe on the way to / from the Battle of Nantwich last January; first time at Crewe station for 30 years. It was still BR when we visited Jodrell Bank & Crewe Heritage Centre in the early 90s!
Thank you for capturing Great Britain's railroad history! I'm from the United States. And am an avid train buff or railfan. What station was this footage recorded from?! As their is a live camera feed of this same passenger station. AND the Class 37 was and is one of my all time favorite diesel locomotives. Here in America it's been compared to the EMD GP9 locomotive as far as overall versatility is goes.
Tom Ok This is Crewe station in Cheshire a major railhead in the UK. The station is at the centre of a 6 way junction. It's a magnet for rail enthusiasts.
1990 The year I joined BR. Still there now, only wearing a different shirt. Seeing The Breakdown Train, out and about, sadly all the Cranes have been withdrawn and although some of the Coaches are still fully equipped, it is very unlikely that they will ever Turn out again. I remember going to The Bungalow at Crewe Depot, to do my coupling in Multi and Tandem training, on a pair of 20s, happy days sadly missed.
Railfreight Grey, BR Executive, and BR Blue, plus some withdrawn diesels from all over, from the Northeastern Region to the Western.. How good could this get..? Very good! Nice shots, and thanks for giving us a video of the heyday of BR!
Cracking, footage with the eclectic mix of locos, units and liveries. I recon this was more likely 1988 or 89 though. I'm sure all the 86s and 87s had received sectorised liveries by 1990, and we see quite a few BR blue examples here. Also no DVTs that were widely in use by that time - still looks to be Mk1 brakes on everything, with the locos hauling rather than push/pull operation. The 90s are obviously very new here with the small running numbers that didn't last long.
That claggy old Deltic. I've been on a bridge when one went underneath....... I got skelped by me Maw 'cos my clothes stank of old diesel and soot. Even though it wasn't Sunday straight into the bath I went.
That was a very interesting variety of stuff. Brand new 90s too on driver training. I was surprised by the variety of 37s too rather than them all being Steve Morris's babies.
It was probably 1988 despite what the title says. DVTs were widely in use by 1990 and the 81s were mostly just on ECS work by that time, with a few 85/1s left on freight.
1990, good old railway era, intro of the black and white Intercity and N.S.E. livery, phasing out the classic blue white livery. Class 90's in the Intercity silver swift livery
An 81 and 85 on express services, that must have been rare as these were normally relegated to freight services. Nice mix of locomotives and liveries then.
I passed through Crewe on the way to / from the Battle of Nantwich last month and the station looks the same as it did when I last went there over 30 years earlier🙂 I expect major changes coming with HS2...
Even the 86s sound good watching this, where back then i sneered at them. Thank you for sharing such good times in my life. I miss BR and all that blue i had in my life. I went from BR Blue to Blue movies then. 😉
