Something I love: Soham officially (re)opened on Sunday - but no trains could call there as they brilliantly chose a weekend where they were doing rail replacement works on that stretch of line.
@ianhenderson45602 жыл бұрын
No, they chose the annual timetable change date. Seems sensible to me. What other date do you suggest?
@AceCrickey2 жыл бұрын
@@ianhenderson4560 rush hour on a Monday morning. Get bums on seats.
@sr64242 жыл бұрын
What I never understood was how a station in the middle of nowhere (Shippea Hill) survived Beeching but a station at a sizeable village( Soham) didn’t! I don’t believe passenger trains stopped passing through.
@paianis2 жыл бұрын
Shippea Hill was busier in the 60s.
@MervynPartin2 жыл бұрын
I'm not sure if this was a Beeching or a Barbara Castle Hack, but it was fairly obvious that some people in the railway industry were not as dedicated as they should have been to their industry, so deliberately ran things down to achieve their targets. The ones who tried to run a railway did not fit in with the Establishment. If only there had been the likes of Chris Green at the top then.
@sr64242 жыл бұрын
@@paianis interesting-
@HFStuart2 жыл бұрын
Shippea hill existed for a while as a means to get the signalman come crossing gate operative to his box. And as said it used to be slightly busier as it is just about in walking distance of RAF Mildenhall.
@sr64242 жыл бұрын
@@MervynPartin they were still at it 10 years ago. The Walsall Wolverhampton train left 2 minutes before the train from Cannock arrived in Walsall. Deliberately run down and closed.
@tellat2 жыл бұрын
Grew up in Soham and desperately wanted the train station to reopen. Felt trapped, relying on busses that took hours or lifts. So happy for the people of Soham.
@Andy-ju8bb2 жыл бұрын
So good to see more of Beeching's work being undone.
@jimmysavile692 жыл бұрын
So am I!
@Koganman1232 жыл бұрын
Agree totally! A great day !
@jerribee12 жыл бұрын
Well, it was really Marples the road builder; Beeching was just his hatchet man.
@simonjames38452 жыл бұрын
Nothing to do with Beeching.
@passiveaggressive61752 жыл бұрын
@@simonjames3845 really?
@PokhrajRoy.2 жыл бұрын
I love how Geoff is doing an informal audit of Soham Station and wants dibs on the Bin Bag 😂
@vigilantcosmicpenguin87212 жыл бұрын
The christening of the bin bag is an important ceremony.
@stevenclark18832 жыл бұрын
Someone from Network Rail spotted Geoff & said quick get a bin bag ready.
@stephendey50562 жыл бұрын
How long before those bin bags fill with rain water, considering they seem to have no lids and are out in the open.
@grahamcroucher52512 жыл бұрын
Missed you this morning Geoff, but the video would have been a bit bleak in the dark at 05.30! Interestingly enough I was talking to the retired signalman of Soham who rode the last train when the station closed. He told me he also had the very last ticket from Soham; I managed to get the first from both machines!
@ronaldellis78352 жыл бұрын
i saw this in the news this morning and was wondering how long it would take for a video from Geoff to appear!
@EternallyDisappointed2 жыл бұрын
That footbridge and footpath with those security fences looks depressing as hell! And not the sort of place you'd want to walk after dark. Surely there was a better design possible...
@kinghani2 жыл бұрын
props to geoff for filming and editing this in one day
@88kristina2 жыл бұрын
He did it with the NLE and said "he'll never do it again", just wait for Crossrail...
@chrisjardine74062 жыл бұрын
Amazing to see this crop up in my timeline ... my Grandfather was the station master at Soham and Fordham in the 1960's up until it closed! He'd be very happy to see this reopening again.
@dazzlingdaz1872 жыл бұрын
I am so glad you were there at the opening of the bin bag. There should be a plaque for that
@vigilantcosmicpenguin87212 жыл бұрын
They should have had Geoff cut a ribbon for the grand opening of the bin bag.
@darrylrichardson79402 жыл бұрын
Geoff would even turn up and make a video of the opening of an envelope if he thought it would get enough views.
@4KExplorer2 жыл бұрын
Great to see a Beeching cut getting reversed! Maybe Greater Anglia could get onto Wisbech next?
@robertyoung96112 жыл бұрын
Haven't read anything about that recently, is it still in the pipeline for 2026?
@stevieinselby2 жыл бұрын
@@robertyoung9611 A service from Wisbech via Ely, Soham and then a reinstated curve to Newmarket and Cambridge (and maybe on to London?) would be a great addition. I'm sure the majority of people in Soham will be wanting to go to Newmarket and Cambridge more than to Ely, Peterborough, Bury St Edmunds or Ipswich, so while having this new service is better than nothing, I don't expect it will be attracting anywhere near as many passengers as that potential new service would.
@simonjames38452 жыл бұрын
Nothing to do with Beeching.
@isaactimmins89592 жыл бұрын
well the mothballed line is still there potential for a Wisbeach Parkway edge of town station although alot of work will be needed to recommission all the crossings including the notorious one on the A47,
@PeterGaunt2 жыл бұрын
I can remember the Beeching Report when I was in my early teens and my grandad getting irate that the 'Cheshire Lines' were going to be closed down - how was he supposed to go see his friends? So much has been lost forever but it's good to see new stations being opened.
@PokhrajRoy.2 жыл бұрын
10:39 The fact that a camera was placed in a bin bag. Genius cinematography 😆
@alexandertodd43472 жыл бұрын
Amazing turnaround on this! I grew up on Nightall Drive, named for James Nightall and his actions in the rail disaster. Lovely to see a plaque commemorating the 4 men
@theessentialguideforblokes79602 жыл бұрын
I lived on Nightall for a few years, Soham was a great town, allegedly it had the longest high street in the country.
@iankemp11312 жыл бұрын
Indeed, good to see all 4 remembered. Fireman Nightall (who died) and Driver Gimbert (who remarkably survived) received the GC and had engines named after them but Signalman Bridges, although he was killed, didn't have either. Nor did Guard Clarke. Certainly Gimbert's and Nightall's were the key actions that saved the town from annihilation, but Bridges and Clarke also did their duty.
@johnstephens6492 жыл бұрын
Love the guys from the train company putting up posters about engineering works… on the morning the station opens!
@jtbwilliams2 жыл бұрын
Quality Bin Bag in the Wind shot 👍
@vigilantcosmicpenguin87212 жыл бұрын
"The bin bag, my friend, is blowing in the wind..."
@jameshodgson16092 жыл бұрын
I love the fact that there are so many similarities between that ceremony and the excitement it caused and what we read about when the first railways and stations were opened nearly 200 years ago. Given the changes in the world since then I find that rather comforting. You don’t get the same level of interest when a new bus stop opens !
@darthwiizius2 жыл бұрын
Ironically there probably is a new bus stop to service the station too.
@TalesOfWar2 жыл бұрын
Some bus stations get fancy opening ceremonies too, which I think is more comparable.
@worldcomicsreview3542 жыл бұрын
Looks to have about as many facilities as a bus stop, though!
@OneKnifeYeHand2 жыл бұрын
@@TalesOfWar And even bus stops can get attention. Geoff paid brief attention to the bus that now serves Oakhampton station in the reopening video.
@marchampson0062 жыл бұрын
How wonderful to see Jeremy Sallis(Jezza) out to cover it on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Midmorning show 1000-1400. Marc In Bletchley
@caramelldansen22042 жыл бұрын
I just read about the Soham rail disaster this week past! Great to see another station, here's hoping to see more!
@johnstilljohn31812 жыл бұрын
Brilliant stuff - this has been far too long in coming. Good to see the plaque revealed, too... Let's hope the service pattern meets local needs...
@andrewwebb34312 жыл бұрын
Oh I really do hope they reopen the Newmarket loop, it'd be great for Soham to get a Cambridge service. There's a public footpath running alongside where the loop used to be and the banking is all still there (bar a gap where a farmer dug through to make a roadway) so it would be dead easy to reinstate it. Go on Network Rail, you know you want to!
@cepg3092 жыл бұрын
Money and funding! its the same reason there isn't two tracks back in Soham right now. We are working with other Rail Users groups to keep pushing the business case to reopen Chippenham Triangle and redouble from Soham to Ely. Apart from anything else, we need the capacity for freight!
@frglee2 жыл бұрын
Not just to Cambridge, it must also be a tad irritating for Soham locals that there is no direct service to the nearest town of any size (Newmarket) although the train passes close by it. I guess there is a bus service to both places from Soham, though.
@Benyboy0012 жыл бұрын
Yes indeed this would be a massive benefit to the local area. Would be great too if the track could be redoubled from Coldhams Lane Junction in Cambridge to Chippenham Junction (or at least additional passing loops installed). The hourly services get too crowded at times especially when the races are on at Newmarket.
@stevieinselby2 жыл бұрын
@@frglee A bus every hour to Newmarket and Cambridge (and Ely in the other direction), Monday to Saturday daytime only. No buses at all to the station, and while it isn't a _big_ town, some of the residential areas are a good 20 or even 30 minute walk away, so not as joined up as Okehampton.
@a52092832 жыл бұрын
When I heard the high pitch noise of the train at the end, I thought it was class 142 flange squeal. Oh I miss the pacers. Just set in my old ways. Haha.
@NiXnipe2 жыл бұрын
1:03 I can't belive I've pronounced Ely wrong all these years. It turns out it's pronounced 'Ee - Lee' and not 'Ee-Lie' that I originally thought.
@DavidWilliams-km5xu2 жыл бұрын
Well done Soham! Nice to see a station reopen after many years.
@mystscot98142 жыл бұрын
I suspect the surrounding fields will become property developments in the future.
@keith8002 жыл бұрын
Yes properly so the new station must enhance the value of land and entice people to move out to the leafy countryside .
@12crepello2 жыл бұрын
So the old Soham was a railway station, but the new Soham is a train station!!🤔
@cepg3092 жыл бұрын
Great to meet you today Geoff! Excellent coverage of this new station, was a pleasure to talk with you briefly.
@geofftech22 жыл бұрын
Thanks, you too! it was a mad full on day, wasn't it?
@cepg3092 жыл бұрын
@@geofftech2 Indeed, Full on, but really positive. As you've heard, plenty of people in the region have long wanted a station to return, so this was a great day.
@johnniec90972 жыл бұрын
Geoff thanks for the post ! My mum has lived in Soham for the past 35 years. It’s been talked about the opening for as many years ! Cheers 👍👏
@richardbrooks502 жыл бұрын
I went past Soham yesterday and there were loads of passengers awaiting the new service.Great to see after so long
@markusstudeli29972 жыл бұрын
I understand the significance of opening a new train "station" after a time of shrinkage, but being Swiss it amuses me how such a sparcely equipped mere train stop can be labeled "station". The platform is extremely narrow with no roof, it's got a tiniy shelter, it doesn't seem to offer bike parkings, a coffee or food vending machine, let alone toilets!
@danh.49952 жыл бұрын
It is so good to finally see you in Bury St. Edmunds! I lived there for a stretch and as my first exposure to English life it holds a special place in my heart. Cannot wait to go back!
@Nimmo14922 жыл бұрын
I love how excited the general public get when a new station opens. When Horden opened last year, I went to visit and saw loads of people there, just wanting to check out the new station.
@ITFNBiteBayKon2 жыл бұрын
I'M THERE NOW!!! I recognise it from the bin on the wall haha. Only here due to bus replacement, bur either way this is awesome!
@ITFNBiteBayKon2 жыл бұрын
Just passed through again, on the train this time, on the way home. Interesting to note to path to nowhere still goes nowhere!
@baystated2 жыл бұрын
This was a nice event that the rail network and community put together. Thanks for taking us there Geoff!
@locohauledforum2 жыл бұрын
Wow, they have been talking about this for years, amazing it has finally happened. Drifting of into the wild world of my imagination, it would have been nice to have 47577 and 47579 - the original locomotives to carry the names of the driver and fireman from the Soham disaster - there, both still (just) exist.
@vigilantcosmicpenguin87212 жыл бұрын
I'm always amazed at how many details know about specific railways.
@megalodon51852 жыл бұрын
47578 was there yesterday on the 14/12/21 along with a pair of 37s.
@justanotherviewer48212 жыл бұрын
Always good to see new train stations opening (Can this one platform, no building, track already there station really cost £20m?!) - or closed stations reopening - but this is solely to make Soham a Cambridge commuter town... the footbridge is to connect it to housing they will build a little further into the field. I would have thought it would have cost around a quarter of that. Must be nice profit margins!
@grassytramtracks6 ай бұрын
There's no direct service to Cambridge
@rachelwalker70912 жыл бұрын
What a splendid video and how delightfully British the opening event was. Very satisfying. Thanks Geoff you made my day.
@tomasdionnet8122 жыл бұрын
A station opened like 12 thousand kilometers from my house, and somehow im excited
@UTubeThePatient2 жыл бұрын
Loving teh precision of 715m to the next signal! Also victorian newly-opened stations would have had a brass band. Well done Soham.
@PokhrajRoy.2 жыл бұрын
I feel like the opening of the entire (kind of) #CrossLizPurpLine is going to be the major event on this channel. I’ve been waiting for quite some time and I’m not English 😂
@ericrabinowitz63902 жыл бұрын
1) FYI: 100.584 M = 5 Chains (330') 2) What fun to find this video on it's day of publication! 3) So a net gain of 7 stations since All The Stations in 2017, have any closed since then (IBM?)? :)
@transitimprover2 жыл бұрын
I’m really glad you got to do this Geoff
@dansoper2 жыл бұрын
Wonderful to be able to end the day watching this, having started the day myself being on the first train.
@MrGeeyess2 жыл бұрын
Winslow in Bucks on the East West Rail is scheduled to open in 2023. I'm not holding my breath as it was originally said to be opening in 2014 but at last they are beginning to build the platforms but no metals in sight yet..
@DavidAndCharlotte2 жыл бұрын
Not going to lie, it’s really surreal seeing Geoff starting a video at your home railway station…! 😳😂
@haco69302 жыл бұрын
Can't beat bury station! Always weird having to go upstairs to get onto the platform.
@DavidAndCharlotte2 жыл бұрын
@@haco6930 Always had such fond memories of that station as being this “route to a 1000 places” out of Bury. That and Thurston, my other local.
@vigilantcosmicpenguin87212 жыл бұрын
Well, considering he's been to every station in the British Isles, the odds of that happening are surprisingly high.
@sparbundet4318 Жыл бұрын
6:18 “What am I going to do the next hour?” *shows bin bag in the breeze*
@joacimnilsson63412 жыл бұрын
I knew the british love spotting their trains, but the fact that there were already 82 other railway enthusiasts named Simon on youtube before he joined is nothing other than AMAZING!
@666Tomato6662 жыл бұрын
I'm pretty sure it's his birth year...
@alexandershepherd49902 жыл бұрын
Or he was born in 1982.....?
@Lieutenxnt_Dxn2 жыл бұрын
@@666Tomato666 I’m pretty sure this was a joke lol
@davefrench36082 жыл бұрын
Wonderful to see this famous station reopened. The best was the rededication of the memorial to the brave railmen who saved the town that war time night.
@keith8002 жыл бұрын
I hope the memorial is in a prominent position it is something not only as part of local history but to the train crew and others who were involved.
@MrGreatplum2 жыл бұрын
Brilliantly done, Geoff - very impressive to edit this in a day. Also noticed that at 10:38, you must have thrown your coffee cup in the bin, retrieved it, put your camera in the bin, and then thrown the cup back in 😀
@bobsrailrelics2 жыл бұрын
Filmed and edited in one day! Nice work.
@geofftech22 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@everlonging32072 жыл бұрын
I see how having a disposable cup is a nifty way to remember to check for bins at stations, but I do also wonder why someone who spends so much time in the cold doesn't have a nice freshly brewed flask of coffee
@TheMrTomkennedy2 жыл бұрын
Great video, as usual, Geoff! Disappointed, though, that you didn't start with 'I came to Bury St. Edmunds, not to praise him.' :))
@LoganSpooner2 жыл бұрын
The turn around time on this video 🤌🏻
@timothymeyer32102 жыл бұрын
Looks like they left enough space for a future double tracking the whole way long
@Pesmog2 жыл бұрын
If the container traffic to the midlands continues to increase, then its a matter of when and not if they add the second line.
@brianbell49372 жыл бұрын
Another very good video Geoff. I know Soham fairly well from using the bus routes, but I always think it would add a lot to such videos (same goes for the least used ones etc) if you popped into the town, when you have time, and showed the viewers what the station is serving, and also how convenient the station is for thr town.
@stuarthall66312 жыл бұрын
I find it strange that the double track starts just beyond the station. One would think that the station would be on double track (even if single platformed) to allow for running past?
@sillypuppy59402 жыл бұрын
I heard that the footbridge is there just in case another platform gets built. I'll believe it when it happens.
@jimmysavile692 жыл бұрын
Space I think
@frglee2 жыл бұрын
Yep, I thought that. It means when services run badly, you can get stuck before the platform waiting for the train from the other direction to come through.
@misterflibble97992 жыл бұрын
I guess that extending the double-tracked section would have cost more money, and moving the station to the existing double-tracked section would take it further from the town centre and put it on "the wrong side of the river". As it is, you can have trains stopping in both directions on a single platform, whereas if you placed the station on the double-tracked section, you'd either have to have two platforms or run some trains wrong-way in order to allow them to stop at a single platform. That's the problem with Pilning station (or, at least, one of the problems) - the removal of the footbridge due to electrification of the London-Cardiff mainline means that only one platform is available, so only eastbound trains stop (two per week).
@missemma-louise13552 жыл бұрын
Oh man, I was the manager on the train and I didn’t get the time to come and ask for an autograph from you ☹️. I know someone that would have been happy had I got one 😪 x
@6yjjk2 жыл бұрын
Not even officially open and the engineering works poster goes up :P
@gillchatfield32312 жыл бұрын
I expect Soham Comrades Band played lots of seasonal music. Brilliant that you chose a clip of 'Joy to the World' for atmosphere, Geoff. I look forward to playing 'Name that Tune' in future station-opening videos. Hope there will be lots of joy in Soham and Cambridgeshire.
@balham56062 жыл бұрын
Good that Soham has a railway station 😊
@christopherbentley52162 жыл бұрын
One day you might be doing a video of Bletchley high level, Winslow and Steeple Claydon. I hope so , I've been waiting since 2017!
@martinbalmforth26652 жыл бұрын
The new DEMUs are great for me being in a wheelchair, as I recently had to use them to Peterborough from Ipswich, no ramp needed unlike the LNER Azuma cracking trains. This stock runs on the knitting between Ipswich and Stiwnarket, then on diesel to Peterborough
@broderfoder93482 жыл бұрын
The question that everybody is desperate to know, but seemingly too shy to ask: does it have "new station smell"?
@lohphat2 жыл бұрын
“I’m loathe to tread…” is the most English thing I’ve heard this month.
@HenrysAdventures2 жыл бұрын
Great to see Soham back on the railway map! I can see that bridge bring popular with railway enthusiasts!
@philsharp7582 жыл бұрын
Thank goodness there was a mobile cafe. I would be distraught if you had to suffer a lack of tea for over three hours, as you did on your recent expedition to France
@vince91962 жыл бұрын
Same day film and edit and still same high quality output! Winner!
@altvctr2 жыл бұрын
Amazed to see so many people come to the opening of the station. Wholesome vid!
@jack_sugg_agriphotography2 жыл бұрын
This is now my local station! Can't wait to catch a train from it. Also is Soham getting double track and another platform
@rubinaakther91882 жыл бұрын
This so exciting and it's nice being back after a few months.
@maecarpenter692 жыл бұрын
Congratulations on getting the editing done in time and releasing it today!
@skritchesdeath57522 жыл бұрын
I had ticket no.47 from the ticket machine that morning, second public purchase, apparently first commuter. I was super excited and only had one guy in front of me as we waited to be let in at 6.30am I will be commuting from this daily.
@Ztbmrc12 жыл бұрын
Wow a new railway station with a grand opening! (But an old worn out W sign... they could have cleaned it or replace it with new one...) Cool that Mr Burles gave you an interview. Tnx for sharing.
@farmersteve1292 жыл бұрын
Good to see new stations arrive, but a ridiculous amount of money spent (£18.6m) on what is basically a single short narrow platform with passive provision for doubling & that's without all the costs spent on feasibility studies & talking about the possibility for years...
@farmersteve1292 жыл бұрын
@Capt Shiny not at all, we just need to stop making things stupidly expensive...
@transportexpert40572 жыл бұрын
I love these vids I watched these since I was 3
@sanchoodell67892 жыл бұрын
They should memorialise that bin. "The first piece of litter to be placed in this very bin was place here by Geoff Marshall in December 2021"
@CaptainbVR2 жыл бұрын
At that point where you said you don't know what you are going to do for the next hour would have been an ideal time for a KZfaq live stream Q&A..
@SebastianPeitsch2 жыл бұрын
Amazing video Geoff. This was so much fun to watch. What a lovely station and it's so great that the trains a bi-mode
@eastpavilion-er60812 жыл бұрын
I live in Cambridge and I just came back home from visiting Soham station. There were plenty of railfans of all ages, which is great!
@lsm882 жыл бұрын
Coventry's rebuilt station opens before Xmas
@DC4260Productions2 жыл бұрын
Incidentally my parents told me they also went to Bury St. Edmunds in 1998. I dare say the trains they rode on wouldn't have been anywhere near as nice as the Class 755. As for Soham, it's always great to see train services or railway stations being revived in this day and age. I only remember the name Soham because of a train fire / explosion that happened there in 1944.
@Mrmayhembsc2 жыл бұрын
Hope they put that it in so they can increase serve from ely to Cambridge if possible. Soham is also a Cambridge commuter belt so means they wouldn't have to drive to ely for the train or drive direct to Cambridge. Nice to see dr nik johnshon :)
@topmark992 жыл бұрын
I love the pomp and circumstance we give to a new station in this country. So British! Look forward to the next one.
@H3ADSH0T_GAMING2 жыл бұрын
I was glad to be apart of the construction:)
@moxon23132 жыл бұрын
Another Great Video Geoff Marshall! I am really looking forward in visiting this 'Newly' Opened Station in Cambridgeshire - Especially since my family now live in Sheringham in North Norfolk.
@BritishTrainsRBX2 жыл бұрын
Maybe that line has some abandoned allotments
@richardmabe94752 жыл бұрын
Great video. There will be new stations on East West Rail line that will be going through Cambridge to Oxford into Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. In fact me and a mate went to the abandoned Verney Junction where the Met Underground line terminated and took pictures just few months before re-building the line. You can see it around Bletchley upto Aylesbury with signs about the new line. I think some of the new line is running now around Oxford.
@DWtrainsNZ2 жыл бұрын
10:27 that was smooooooth Geoff. Nice one 😄
@tomdarling-fernley31782 жыл бұрын
Blimey, thought this was still just a plan! Good to see. Given Soham is on a strategic freight route, in a sane world more frequent passenger trains should really just be a by-product of a double track all the way from here to Ely. Have to sort out Queen Adelaide and Ely Nth Jn first of course. Oh and obviously wire it, so those Flirts can pop their pans up.
@tamerkamal93402 жыл бұрын
My home town, noticed Sohan on the peterbourpugh service today glad to finally see gou at bury!
@huliganalter60952 жыл бұрын
2:30 I saw these trains at my home station (Durmersheim) in Germany, ready for the ride to Great Britain 😍😍
@kiles992 жыл бұрын
Good vid Geoff, and always pleasing to see a new / reopened station. What a waste of a footbridge though - would have been interesting to put it at Pilning and give them a 2 hourly service to Bristol / Cardiff to see the potential there.
@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth13012 жыл бұрын
Presumably the footbridge forms part of a right-of-way . . .
@richardwarner54912 жыл бұрын
No Station really opens until a Mr Marshall KZfaq video !
@Simon-ho9db2 жыл бұрын
Good to see you on my local patch. I travel from Ely a lot as my son is mad on trains. An hourly service would be great. At the moment if you miss your Ely to Ipswich train it's quicker to go via Cambridge than to wait for the next direct one.
@chasc3012 жыл бұрын
Hope you have the opening of a brand new and never before station in your diary at Exeter Marsh Barton….some months off Geoff but you could combine it with a ride to Dawlish to tour the new sea wall maybe? Thanks for these videos.
@philipbrailey2 жыл бұрын
Great to watch this video from Australia 🇦🇺 Will visit next year providing Covid has nicked off. 🚂
@gerrymckenna48782 жыл бұрын
Enjoyed the video. Google street view from June 2011 shows a muddy Station Road . Great timing at 10:34 :).... just a shame the mayor wasn't present at the "first cup in the bin bag" moment.
@nickvanruiven2 жыл бұрын
"So here's the map" why did I hear this in Jay Foreman's voice? 🤣