Video 125

These unique trains have long been called Thumpers due to the distinctive sound of their single on board diesel engines. Now, after the units' well earned retirement, this record of their unmistakeable sound (from trackside and on board) lives on in stereo. Surprisingly, the Uckfield branch is fascinating in itself. It is the stub of a former through route from Tunbridge Wells to Lewes. Nowadays the route features both single and double track sections. Following the fatal head on collision at Cowden in 1994, strict new operating procedures were put into place including the provision of SPAD signals at strategic points.

With a top speed of 100 mph, the hourly InterCity trains normally cover the 115 miles between the capital of East Anglia and London's Liverpool Street Station in well under 2 hours. One feature of note is the single line swing bridge built at the time of electrification to Norwich in 1987. It is one of only a handful of operational swing bridges in the world provided with overhead line equipment. Our InterCity express calls at Diss, Stowmarket and Ipswich. South of Ipswich, Anglia trains are joined by those of GER, and at Colchester by Clacton services - all squeezed onto just two tracks signalled for bi-directional working. Relief comes at Shenfield where the Southend lines provide an additional pair of tracks. With freight traffic to Felixstowe and Harwich a wide variety of trains rush past.

Each year, thousands of holidaymakers experience the thrill of riding through the picturesque Purbeck Hills on one of the Swanage Railway’s classic steam trains. The line runs for 5½ miles from a new Park and Ride station at Norden through the unique Corfe Castle station and Harman’s Cross into the small seaside town of Swanage. Today’s railway is thriving and this film takes you on a guided tour of the line by steam train, looks behind the scenes and talks with some of the staff and volunteers who work on the line. To look at the railway today, it’s hard to believe that in 1972, under British Rail, the line was run down and closed, the track taken up and the buildings left to decay. With the aid of old photographs and archive film, we recall the mammoth struggle to rebuild the line - from scratch! Includes a full DMU cab ride from Swanage to Norden.

Filmed from the Driver's cab of a class 385 EMU we travel on a ScotRail express from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High, then from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central via Shotts.

The 19th May 2017 was the last day that first-generation DMUs ran in regular passenger service on Network Rail. These were the two class 121 Bubble cars owned by Chiltern Railways that were used on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury branch. To record and commemorate the event, Video 125 cameras followed the single units (affectionately dubbed Bubble Cars) in the weeks prior to their withdrawal. The idea for this film came from the former Managing Director of Chiltern Trains Holidays, Tony Parkins, who has been closely associated with Chiltern Railways ever since his involvement with the writing of our Driver's eye view Chiltern Take Two. It was Tony's idea to produce this film and as such has not only co-written and researched the information but actually presents it to camera.

One of Britain's premier expresses, The Flying Scotsman completed the 393 miles from King's Cross to Edinburgh in just over four hours - an average speed of 94.3 miles an hour! Highlights Part One includes the exit from King's Cross with the various tunnels, the infamous Welwyn bottleneck, which brings the ECML down to just two tracks, the Newark flat crossing, (the last in the UK) the Selby new line, and Stoke bank, where "Mallard" achieved the world speed record for steam traction. We even take a look inside the A4 engine housed within the National Railway Museum at York. Part Two covers the second leg from York to Edinburgh calling only at Newcastle. Highlights include: Darlington Bank Top avoiding line, the approach to Newcastle - crossing the mighty River Tyne, the notorious curve at Morpeth, the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick, the scenic coastal sections and the approach to Edinburgh Waverley itself.

Originally filmed and released in two parts on video cassette, we can now see virtually the whole of the WCML on the one DVD. Part one covers the leg from Euston to Preston, scheduled to run non-stop at a maximum speed of 110 mph behind a classic class 87 electric loco - now nearly all consigned to the scrap heap. The former LNWR main line takes us via Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Stafford and Crewe. Due to a broken rail the train takes an unscheduled diversion onto the slow line for a few miles north of Watford. Part two covers the second leg of the 401 mile journey to Glasgow Central, running via Lancaster, Carnforth, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, and Carstairs. Our class 87 manages to maintain a speed of 90 mph over the legendary 1 in 75 banks up to Shap and Beattock summits - an achievement that would have been unimaginable in steam days. Filmed in 1995/1996

Since 2007, Eurostar high-speed passenger trains have been running over HS1 into London St Pancras International. All services transferred there with the completion of High Speed One - the UK’s first high-speed railway line (running between the Channel Tunnel and London). Prior to that, from 1994 to 2007 Eurostar trains ran over the former Southern Railway lines into Waterloo International. In 2004, Video 125 produced a Driver’s eye view of the route from Paris Gare du Nord via Lille and the Channel Tunnel and the first section of HS1 but running into London Waterloo International via Fawkham Junction. As Video 125 produced a NEW Driver’s eye view in 2007 showing the current line into St Pancras International (from Brussels Midi) we withdrew the Waterloo production from sale.

The original Gotthard railway tunnel through the Swiss Alps, took ten years to build and cost 147 lives. It was a mammoth undertaking and required the construction of long ramps on either side totalling 85 miles. Dozens of tunnels, viaducts and bridges were necessary. The ruling gradient of 1 in 37 was deemed to be just about the maximum that the original steam locomotives could handle, even then, trains were usually double-headed and even had banking engines attached at the rear! In order even to keep to this severe gradient, the engineers had to construct a number of additional spiral tunnels to gain height, hewn out of solid rock…

The railway between Aberdeen and Inverness was built by the Great North of Scotland Railway, the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction and the Inverness and Nairn, the former two companies meeting end on at Keith. Of the 50 stations that have come and gone over the years, ten remain open. In little over a hundred miles we encounter 16 existing, or former, rail junctions - on average one every seven miles - a remarkable testament to the commercial rivalry and duplicity of lines between the Highland and GNSR companies in the latter half of the 19th Century. Today the route is operated by First Scotrail class 158 "Express Sprinters". The route is mostly of single line and features tokenless block and electric key token sections controlled from manual signal boxes with semaphore signals. This scenic route was filmed in sunny or good weather from the cab, from the trackside and from the air. Much of the fascinating history is to be found in the narration, expertly delivered by Sally Magnusson.

Long before the invention of YouTube and smartphones, Video 125 cameras were out and about filming the London Underground for our Driver’s eye view videos. Although mainly filmed in standard definition, the sound was a different matter. 100% of the time we were using full broadcast television standard microphones and recording equipment. This means that long-since scrapped 1959, 1962 and 1967 tube stock on the Central, Northern and Victoria lines can still be heard in full stereo sound. The long-since scrapped A, C and D sub-surface stock on the Hammersmith & City, Circle, District and Metropolitan, lines also heavily feature in this unique video production filmed between 1988 and 2014.

This film represents great value for money. It actually begins at Wolverton with a brief look at the class 319 EMUs’ metamorphosis. Then to Brighton for the start of the 50 minute journey, seen virtually in real time. At the time of filming in 1998, Connex Expresses ran between the south coast and the capital with just one intermediate stop at East Croydon. The trains then ran non-stop through Haywards Heath, Gatwick Airport and even Clapham Junction! There is a great deal of history crammed into our journey such as the tragic accident in Clayton Tunnel, the tunnel with a house above the castellated portal. In 1998, Connex held two of the former Southern region franchises but today they have none. Relive the yellow days of Connex here.

The line follows the coastal contours through Invergordon to Tain and heads inland via Lairg. After Rogart we pass through the long-since closed "Mound" station, still with it's platform for the Dornoch branch derelict but intact. We take a look at the remains of this erstwhile line and discover Dornoch station building still surviving. At Golspie the line became the "Duke of Sutherland's Railway" - one of the longest-ever privately built lines. Dunrobin Castle station is next on route. Here we learn a little about the Third Duke, from his great great grandson Lord Strathnaver. By the time the train reaches Helmsdale, the coast has become more rugged than ever. From there it proved absolutely impossible to drive the railway any furthe ralong the coast, so our "Sprinter" heads inland again, this time through the remote Strath of Kildonan for 25 miles to Forsinard. At least there is a road along the valley but from there to Georgemas the railway is quite alone. Filmed in 1991

Manchester Airport to Liverpool Lime Street We travel aboard a Northern Rail class 156 Sprinter for an exceptionally smooth ride. This limited-stop service shows us the whole Airport Branch, the Stockport-avoiding line built as recently as 1909 and the approach and through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly followed by the elevated section through Oxford Road. We then join the very original route surveyed and built by none other than George Stephenson. The stone block permanent way has long since gone but the history is still there to be told by former Calendar anchor Alan Hardwick.

Experience the thrill of riding in the cab of an iconic Pendolino tilting train, travelling over the West Coast Main Line, the UK’s busiest. We travel on board the 1220 Virgin Trains’ London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly service running via Stoke on Trent. It’s quite amazing to see the degree of tilt from the driver’s viewpoint and how easily the class 390 takes the curves at speeds of up to 125 mph!

Driver's Eye View: Machynlleth to Barmouth Narrated by Dafydd Hywel This driver's eye view manages to convey the sleepy backwater that the Cambrian Coast line is nowadays. Our class 150 "Sprinter" makes an unscheduled stop at Dovey Junction to pick up a couple of passengers deposited on this out-of-the-way station with no road access. Out onto the coast we encounter the most notorious section on the whole line - the narrowest of ledges cut into the sheer rockface of the Friog cliffs and the site of two disasters. Finally, there is the half-mile long timber trestle bridge at Barmouth, still standing in splendid isolation across the Mawddach estuary. Two other railways are featured en route, the Talyllyn narrow gauge railway at Tywyn and the Fairbourne and Barmouth Steam railway. Filmed in 1988.

This Driver's eye view begins with a brief look at the unique street-running Weymouth quay "tramway" from a class 73 Electro-Diesel Locomotive. It is unlikely that this line will ever see a train again so it is also included on the DVD as a menu driven bonus. Our main line train is a class 442 Wessex electric still in Network SouthEast colours. We head out of Weymouth and climb up towards Dorchester South, the 5 coach train taking all the power available from the third rail. Turning east the train calls at the intermediate stations as far as Poole and Bournemouth, with their classic causeway approaches. Speeding up, we call at Brockenhurst (for connection with the Lymington branch) and pass through the delightful stretch of unspoilt New Forest to Southampton. We then run non-stop at up to 100 mph along the former LSWR quadruple track main line via Basingstoke, Woking and Clapham Junction into Waterloo. Filmed in 1994

Unprecedented cooperation from Eurostar enabled Video 125 cameras to film a high speed journey from the Capital of Belgium to the Capital of England via the Channel Tunnel. Riding with the driver at speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour, or 186 miles an hour, is an exhilarating experience. Just click on the preview to see what we mean. The entire route is shown in virtual real time.* As well as calling at Lille Europe and Ebbsfleet International, we follow our class 373's progress from the five control centres which are responsible for our train as it passes through Belgium, France, the Channel Tunnel and England. There are two bonus features: Temple Mills Depot, opened in time for the start of services into St Pancras. Comings and goings at Brussels Midi. While our cameras were set up on the platform we filmed a dozen or more trains to show the diversity of traction and rolling stock.

Classic Railway Newsreels Steam & Modern, with John Huntley Part 1 and Part 2 on one DVD, a truly wonderful record of the day captured by Movietone. Classic Railway Newsreels Steam & Modern, with John Huntley Part 1 and Part 2 on one DVD, a truly wonderful record of the day captured by Movietone. Short films on a wide variety of railway topics

In 1989, the Hammersmith and City line was still known as part of the Metropolitan line. This is a Driver's eye view from Hammersmith to Whitechapel (where the H&C trains used to terminate) on board an unpainted aluminium C stock train and a District D stock service from there to Ealing Broadway. A lot has changed; witnessed by our recent re-shoot on board S stock trains.