There is much to do before a Diesel Multiple Unit Is ready to run on the railway. Here we get a feel for what is involved. We then set out from Bishops Lydeard along the railway before we have to stop to clear a fallen tree branch
Brings back memories when I was a youngster my late dad was a guard on the dmu s usually a 116 unit on the rhymney valley line with the smell of the heaters on a cold winter morning was something that you will never forget
When I was a kid I used to ride on the old class 101 metro camel dmus up to Newcastle from where I live . I always sat behind the drivers cab and watched the driver. A few years ago I got the chance to drive one at the NYMR , it was the best day of my life , the sound of the vacuum brake when applying brought back so many memories.
Robin is one of those valuable people who keep the trains running for no financial gain, just for the love of the WSR. It was very good to be able to get a closer look at what being a DMU driver involves and to be able to let other people know more.
Robin is a regular admiralscorner viewer who I have only met personally this year. He very kindly offered me the chance to do this after i featured him driving the DMU into and around Minehead station a week or so back.
first time i ever visited i sat up front but behind the driver. had 3 children with me and my lady. those children are now about 30 years... blimey. lovely chance for you Mike. well deserved
Good evening, some single track museum railways in the United Kingdom are still operated with staff or token blocks although all their stations are equipped not only with home signals but also with departure signals (generally "railway semaphore signals" with arms positioned at 45º in the dial lower or in the upper quadrant to communicate to the driver that the way is clear). It is therefore not clear to me the need to have a staff or token block in the presence of starting signals. In other words, the signals that authorize the sending of trains in the opposite direction along the single track section could not be interconnected with each other in order to avoid head-on collisions as well as pile-ups as happens on double-track lines equipped with "Absolute block" ? If I remember correctly, the intermediate railway stations of the lines operated with the "Radio Electronic Token Block" do not have departure signals, except the "Stop Board". Grateful for the attention given to me, I would like to take this opportunity to extend cordial and sincere regards
There is a lot involved! DMU drivers need to be more than fit and good drivers! I have several times seen one dismount and crawl underneath to fix some problem !
At about 11:21, Robin says '...I used to do the ...at Williton station...' Being Australian, I couldn't understand the missing word. What was it? Your UK tokens are like the Victorian Railways' previous miniature electric staff safeworking: same principles. We used to have exchangers on main lines for locomotives passing at up to 115 kilometres an hour (70 mph). Excellent video: many years ago I travelled on these railcars on the western main line in between my 'branch lines in a day' travel, starting at Penzance and doing branches such as Falmouth/Newquay/Gunnislake and best of all, Lisekeard to Looe. Lovely scenery.
Gosh. I have only just come across your enquiry. I think the word is Shop. I expect you are presently in the middle of your great UK Railway Tour. I hope you enjoy it all and all goes well!
great video the nearest heritage dmu to me is a 107 on the avon valley raiwlay which is number 52006 and 52025 and the somerset and dorset joint railway at midsommer norton which they have a 115 middle car which is used by the volunteers there
It is good to have such railway centres relatively near to you. After making this series of videos, I was tempted to put a model of one of these on my birthday present list!
@@Hiddenuser-bv5mo I think it requires a bit more than staggering. Besides, I'm talking about the standard of maintenance and the amount of exhaust clag produced. Sorry, I'm afraid maintenance under BR was very often shoddy
I enjoyed that experience very much. I could well imagine a younger version of myself being such a driver. As regards being on the footplate, I would need to be a very much younger person to endure all that physical work!
The WSR could have been (and still could be) as originally intended, a successful working branch line between Taunton and Minehead. Instead, a certain clique of hobbyists by refusing to complete the short Taunton mainline connection have turned it into little more than a full-scale toy train set.
The mainline connection is there already. Special trains have run in and out onto the mainline. Now that the WSR have decided not to run trains this year, one wonders it it were that easy to do, just why the mainline railway doesn't offer to run a limited service themselves.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER I am not refering to specials, of which I am aware, but to regular daily services. Two or 3 years ago Arriva trains offered to run their regular daily Cardiff-Taunton services to Minehead via Taunton instead of terminating at Taunton but certain elements of WSR put obsticles in their way.
@@freeman8128 That's not good. They should work together for everyone's benefit. Now would be an ideal time to run their trains with no problems with trains from the WSR. They could discover if such a service would be profitable.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER The aim of the original founders of the WSR who reopened the railway in stages following Beeching closure, was to restore the branch line service linking Minehead to the mainline at Taunton. The WSR decided to include steam trains in their stock to boost the line's profitability by attracting steam enthusiasts in addition to other users. Thus WSR became a heritage line as a spinoff to its original purpose as a working branch line. Later on, complaints from bus operators who objected to competition in the passenger sector temporarily delayed the completion of the passenger service over the short stretch between Taunton and Bishops Lidyard. Unfortunately this delay allowed a clique among the steam heritage hobbyists who had no intention of completing the project to becoming a fully operational branch line, to gain influence. Thus, in spite of the existence of a dedicated platform at Taunton and repeated calls to complete the original project, these hobbyists made the short gap between WSR and mainline services at Taunton permanent (until now) - thus changing the nature of the WSR away from its original purpose. Daily scheduled heritage services between Bishops Lidyard and Minehead are profitable so there is no apparent reason why daily scheduled services between Taunton and Minehead should not likewise be profitable as well as adding a further dimension to this beautiful line. Such is the case of the Bluebell Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway who eventually established daily scheduled passenger links with the main line and benefited greatly from doing so.
@@freeman8128 Yes I quite agree with the original aim. Somehow the desire for that has sadly faded somewhat. Lets let the main railway try running trains now back into Minehead to see if its profitable, or what the problems may be.
In a normal year the railway would offer driver training courses for anyone wanting to know what its like. However It has always been on steam locos as far as I know. If you are serious about wanting to be a Diesel driver on the railway they must put you through a curse of training. In that case contact the railway at Minehead initially by post.
The driver subscribes to admiralscorner and after I filmed him getting the DMU refuelled recently, offered me the opportunity, subject to WSR approval,for which I am very grateful.
Train to Taunton then the 28 bus from the station. Get off at Bishops Lydeard for the inland terminus of the railway or stay on until Watchet for the Sea or Minehead for the other end of the line.
