Videoteca

location_onBerkshire, EnglandpublicGB

Underground Tracks 2020
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.

The Berks & Hants Driver's eye view 2019
Driver's eye view of the GWR from Exeter St Davids to London Paddington from the cab of a brand new class 802 Intercity Express Train.

Edinburgh & Glasgow Driver's eye view 2019
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.

Pendolino - Driver's Eye View 2019
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!

The Old Gotthard Tunnel Route - Driver's Eye View 2018
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…

Chiltern Mainline - Driver's Eye View 2018
Diesel loco-hauled expresses have made a comeback… For this Driver’s eye view we travel in the cab of a class 68 hauling a rake of refurbished Mk 111 carriages marketed by Chiltern Railways as ‘Silver Trains’

The Tyne Valley Line - Driver's Eye View 2018
The Newcastle & Carlisle dates right back to 1825, one of the earliest railway schemes in Britain. It opened in stages from 1834 initially to carry minerals. The railway roughly follows the course of Hadrian's Wall, marking the northernmost border of the Roman Empire in 122 AD. The railway has become an important link between the East and West Coast main lines.

The Chiltern Bubble Cars 2017
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.

Welsh Highland Railway 2014
The Welsh Highland narrow gauge steam railway runs from coast to coast through the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park, and what better way of seeing it than from one of the Beyer Garratt steam engines. This is more than just a Driver's eye view. With cameras mounted on the buffer beam and around the cab, we can see the line and the scenery even better than the driver does. Our ride begins at Caernarfon close to the famous castle, venue of the investiture of Charles the Prince of Wales. We not only see the railway from the locomotive, but also from the stations, the trackside, the carriages and even from the air. The 25 miles of scenic line was only reopened throughout in 2011 and Arfon Haines Davies's narration gives all the fascinating facts and chequered history of the line. This is your chance to see this magnificent route as never before.

Reading to Waterloo 2013
This Driver's eye view is the South West Trains service for London Waterloo. Calling at Earley, Winnersh Triangle, Winnersh, Wokingham, Bracknell, Martins Heron, Ascot, Sunningdale, Virginia Water, Egham, Staines, Feltham, Twickenham, Richmond, Clapham Junction and London Waterloo. This is the service from Reading. This train is formed of eight coaches. This busy commuter line has a minimum half hourly service throughout the day including Sundays. Almost all the trains are formed of Alstom Junipers and we follow ours from three signal boxes. Surprisingly, Wokingham signal box is still operated from a traditional lever frame. Our train is then passed to Feltham power 'box. From Richmond, control passes to Wimbledon PSB which takes our train all the way into Waterloo. This Driver's eye view was filmed in the summer sunshine of 2013.

Welsh Marches 2012
The term Welsh Marches refers to the border area between Wales and England. The railway diverging from the South Wales Main Line at Newport closely follows the border through Abergavenny, Hereford, Shrewsbury and Nantwich. We join a 3-car class 175 Coradia DMU en route from Milford Haven to Manchester Piccadilly on the approach to Newport, the area having only recently been re-signalled to the South Wales Control Centre. From the SWCC, signalling passes to a 1960’s panel signal box at Little Mill and then to traditional mechanical signalling at Abergavenny. Cameras inside all three signal boxes vividly show this technological progression. Dozens of former and existing junctions coupled with some magnificent scenery make this a fascinating route, filmed in mid-summer sunshine all the way to Crewe. Dozens of mechanical signal boxes control our progress, including Europe’s largest at Shrewsbury.

The Royal Scot 2012
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

Isle of Wight - Driver's Eye View Documentary 2010
SHANKLIN TO RYDE PIER HEAD (electric) SMALLBROOK JUNCTION TO WOOTTON (steam) Filmed in 2010

Liverpool & Manchester 2010
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.

Classic Railway Newsreels 2010
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

Victoria Line (Driver's eye view) 2009
The Victoria Line is London’s busiest underground line. 15 out of the 16 stations provide interchange with other underground lines or Network Rail. The 1967 stock trains were filmed in their last few years of service in 2009. These were the first fully automatic trains in London running on the Victoria line which was opened in stages from Walthamstow in East London. The whole line is seen in virtually real time from the operator’s cab with the aid of additional lighting. This is more than a Driver’s eye view, for we also follow the progress of our southbound train on the track diagrams of the service control centre, we see inside all the stations with their famous tiled murals, the exteriors of many and of course the operator himself.

Eurostar: Brussels to London St Pancras 2009
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.

The Swanage Railway Experience 2008
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.

Kent Coast 2007
Ramsgate has been on the railway map since 1846. Eventually two rival companies served the town for over fifty years until the Southern Railway built a connecting line between the two. At the time of filming there were two main routes into the town, one via Ashford from Charing Cross and the route we are taking via Chatham into London Victoria. This Driver's eye view was filmed before the introduction of SouthEastern's high speed Javellin services into St Pancras. It therefore shows our 4 coach class 375 Electrostar starting off as the hourly fast service calling at selected stations to Faversham. Here we join up with a similar 4 car set from Dover. We then call at Sittingbourne and the Medway Towns of Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham and Rochester. Once over the Medway itself, our 8 coach train runs fast to Victoria calling only at Bromley South.

The Golden Valley - Swindon to Gloucester 2006
Skirting the edge of the Cotswolds the line from Swindon to Gloucester runs through the valley of the River Frome – enchantingly known as the Golden Valley. The viewing platform for our 36¾ mile journey is a 2-car class 143 Pacer operated by Wessex Trains. Some of the delights of any journey over this route are the classic GWR stations at Kemble and Stroud, little changed over time. As well as the usual shots of the driver at work, trackside runpasts and station sequences, there are aerial shots taken from a helicopter.

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