Cab Ride: Bristol TM to Ely via Swindon, GWML, Acton, Willesden, ECML and Cambridge.
The transfer of HST sets from the Western Region to Scotland has generated a lot of interest. With power cars or full sets either heading straight to Scotland, via Doncaster for overhaul or to Castle Donington or Ely for storage, there have been many moves undertaken by the Rail Operations Group.
This cab ride is filmed on board back-to-back power cars 43131+43137 on a journey to Ely for short-term storage. Having started at Laira, we board at Bristol TM and due to engineering work, we are routed via Bath and Swindon, joining the Great Western mainline and passing Didcot and Reading. At Acton we head towards Willesden with a steady crawl around London's suburbs, passing Gospel Oak and joining the East Coast mainline at Finsbury Park. Forward on the ECML, we head to Hitchen and the flyover road, then onto Cambridge and finally Ely.
These stock moves to Ely had previously been routed via the Midlands making this one quite unusual, even more so for a GW HST! Further to this, the number of trains and the variety of them passed en-route is quite staggering. From 40-year old HSTs and EMUs, to brand new Class 800s and even a Eurostar, plus freight and both the Inter City and Blue Grey HST power cars.
Important: This journey was filmed on 1st November 2018 and started at Bristol in lovely sunshine. By Didcot the weather had deteriorated and by the ECML, the rain was falling. Normally, sequences filmed in rain and poor weather are edited out but on this occasion, in order to show what a varied route this was for a HST and to appreciate an autumn cab ride in full, the whole journey is shown - nothing is omitted. Reaching Cambridge at twilight, the journey ends in the Down Passing Loop, just out of Ely station at dusk.
The Blu-ray is £22.95 (1 disc), or if you prefer you can select the DVD (2 discs) at £19.95.
Produced by - Train Crazy
Running time - 230 minutes (3 hours 50 mins)
Format - 16:9 widescreen
Blu-Ray (1 disc) and DVD (2 discs)
Released - March 2019