Thanks Don. The 1830 Liverpool to Manchester line forever changed history. Impressive how Stephenson not only crossed Chat Moss, but challenged landowners who didn't want this new thing on their property.

Excellent, Thank you for another very enjoyable video. The annotations, are 1st class. Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something new.

You really do have the best job in the world Don. Thanks so much for sharing. I loved the fact that Stephenson crossed Chat Moss with the railway all those years ago, whereas the builders of the M62 went around it! Wonderful.

Watched the video. Amazing! It certainly backs up our views on how much we owe the navvies. So many of them died and are unknown. The skill displayed by the engineers with primitive equipment is astonishing. The fact that they were so near in their calculations to be inches out when linking up the workings. Thank you for introducing me to this documentary.

I like the way you let us know the stations as we pass them [or stop] ,gives a good feel of where we are . I know some are just happy to belt through them all , but then a Don Coffey vid' is not just a casual watch , bucket loads of info ' along the way ,top shelf stuff .

Never thought a seemingly common intercity line is actually the first railway line of the world... I'm a railfan from China (or more specifically, Hong Kong), and these rail history is interesting.

Nice one , lots of fascinating bits of information. Great video 👍🇬🇧

A big Respekt to you for all the research and history that you add during the journey as well,,,

Absolutely stunning. A privilege to have that view through the window at such historic railway locations that, formerly, only were associated with school history lessons or horrific new stories. Thank you.

Amazing video as always! I love reading the annotations, a wonderful amount of detail going into them!

You, Don have woken me back up to the world of British Rail/LNER/LMS/GWR etc., when I used to go on summer holidays from Aberdeen to Milford Haven to spend the break with my grandparents every year. Most times we went down by train, they'd drop me off and Mum and Dad would go back up to go back to work. Same again at the end of the eight weeks. Every so often we'd drive down and back. It's quite a memory-jog to see all the station names that we'd go through or switch trains-at. I imagine most of the Welsh sectors have had their stations closed but I remember Llandrindod Wells, Llanyrtwyd Wells, Llangollen and all the little coal-mining spots etc. where the service was comprised of a two-unit "battery-car". There were others like Chirk and Ruabon. Occasionally our route went a bit further East via Shrewsbury but that was rare.

Hello from Melbourne, Australia. I really enjoy your videos, especially your historic notes. Thanks for putting in all the work that is necessary to bring us these videos.

Evening Don Just discovered your channel and i have to say i love it.The captions of information and Railway infrastructure are a pleasure to watch. Many thank Regards Rich

Thanks Don - another excellent video with lots of interesting historical detail.

Thank you once again for your efforts. I always enjoy visiting the bits that we the travelling public don't usually get to see.

Hooray! My Friday night is looking up! Another of Don’s superb films has landed. Thank you so much for making these!

Really really thank you, you enable me to watch this and relax at night, many thanks.

Once more, thank you Don for another wonderfully presented trip around the North West.

And another great video and history lesson. Thanks Don. In my younger days I used to travel fairly regularly to Liverpool and places along the way. Always preferred the Chat Moss route because of the ingenuity required to overcome the bog and other obstacles. I especially marvelled at the Olive Mount and other cuttings and tunnels on the approach to Lime Street. The Airport line was another that up until about 1980 I used approximately weekly when visiting a cousin who lived in the shadow of Gatley Station before moving to Heald Green. So this brought back many happy memories.

Thank you so much Don, I really appreciate seeing the new railway and it's procedures from my front row seat in Phoenix Arizona. I have got a great deal of information and pleasure from watching your videos in lockdown. I ration myself to 1 a day. I haven't been full time in England since 1994, up to when I had an office in Waterloo Station as a consultant for Railtrack on Project Management. I still have the cups! Definitely the major pluses of your videos are the quality of the camera, naming of stations and your route knowledge, plus the speed dials. Other people don't know how frustrating it is trying to identify the route without station names to guide you, especially if you have an atlas dated October 1978. I notice even your atlas hasn't been updated with Manchester Airport! Much appreciation, keep up the good work!

Another fantastic video and very interesting information. Huge appreciation for the time taken to edit these videos. Thanks also to TPE and Northern for allowing us to view these fantastic journeys.

Very interesting and educational, thoroughly enjoyed both videos, thanks.

Thanks again Don for another excellent video. Again, so much has changed in the area since my days on the railway in Manchester (early to mid 1980s). Couldn't believe that Miles Platting station had gone and the junction so simplified.

Info is really excellent and adds to the enjoyment. Thank you VERY much

Thanks Don, great video and an excellent shout out to the victims of the 2017 atrocity.

Another excellent video Don and I love the captions explaining the history and technical aspects. I am from Oldham and probably wouldn’t know Manchester now with all the buildings going up. Was last there in 2005, and that was the first time since I left in 1976! Mike, Johannesburg

Another great video, Don. Nice seeing the centre of my world getting some attention (St Helens!) Keep up the good work.

I have watched a ton of train videos and this is absolutely one of the best.

Excellent Don - again. The approach and exit routes from Liverpool Lime Street never cease to amaze and you used the correct term for George Stephenson's route across Chat Moss - "float." Stephenson had been to London a couple of years before promoting this inter city route to a committee of MPs. They couldn't understand his Geordie accent. They thought he was German!

Another very interresting video Don! Keep up the good work!!

Many thanks, Don, the run down to the TMD with the ECS movement was very interesting and something most people never get to see. Very informative video as always. Thank you for taking the time to do this for us. Look forward to the next one.

Another great and comfortable ride. Thanks Don. Cheers mate.

Amazing video. The tunnels at the beginning were breathtaking.

Superb. Excellent to see that Philips Park stuff, Don.

Excellent video. Thanks for the pause at Skew Bridge. I've often heard of it, but never seen it.

Thanks Don for another very enjoyable video. You are the master and the comments you share are the making of it. Here in Tasmania in Lock-Down they are a great distraction, Look forward to more of these videos. Cheers.

Great upload again Dan. Thanks and regards Graham

Wonderful video. I'm going to recommend it to my US friends to illustrate the historical context of contemporary rail operations. (I'm an expat Brit living in California.)

Thanks Don, a fantastic video, each one gets better! Thanks for solving the mystery of what the Japanese drivers are pointing at in Japanese videos.

This railway must be the ultimate construction for the men who built it through the rock of lime street and over chat moss as it must have deemed an impossible thing to construct with simple tools and dynamite a monument to their grit and determination to succeed this video does much to show it well done superb .

Another Great video Don, i am amazed to see so many routes and railways around the Manchester area and i thought Manchester was only known for its two Football teams. Those few photos of the navvies building the cutting is great too Don, i love railway history, the town i live in here in south africa got a mainline and a branch line coming through here, the only town that would get close to Manchester railways would be Johannesburg, with lots of railway routes, but nothing like the UK! Thanks again Don, lol i am watching this again!

Always remember the memorial - best seen from the bridge. We lived on the edge of Chat Moss within earshot of the trains passing over the line a mile or two away. The softness of the ground (peat) meant that you could feel the trains pass. We used to cycle over the moss and cross the line to cycle through Astley. I also used to trainspot from the flats in Salford with my cousin and was fortunate to see the last days of steam from the balcony overlooking this line.

I love watching your videos. Very interesting too.

Very informative Don. We used to work a Diesel Parcels Unit from Man Vic to St Helen's Shaw Street. (Now Central). You can still see where the line branched off to the right at St Helen's junction. (Heading for Liverpool) The DPU was carrying newspapers.

thank you DON that was a nice evening bank holiday Sunday watching something better than what's on TV

Another great video informative as ever good to see the photos at the start well done Don

Great stuff Don. Almost makes me wish I was back on the front. That was a long time ago in the days of the old black Rule Book, Rule 55 and in the new book, (red), Section K. I look forward to all your videos. Thank you.

Great Video Don as an ex railwayman its great to seee how much has changed on the system since my days !

Thanks for that trip around the City because it explained a bit of bewildering geography I experienced last year. December '18 I went up to Liverpool, from Norwich, to see some long ago mates (The Wizards of Twiddly) play jazz rock again - the journey took me through Manchester and for a horrible moment I thought I was on the wrong train. Cor, that City ain't 'alf changed since I used freelance up there (for the BBC) in the 1970s. I remember Manchester as a City of red stone and now it'd gorn off to be a boring slate grey, high rise building site. Oh well, times change. Excellent vid' again - well done. When I were a lad in those far off 'London freelance' days we were still on sprocket holes with cameras that weighed a bit although much better for carting about on a train.

Excellent video, but a couple of fact corrections. Broad Green is one of the oldest stations on the line, but the likes of Roby, Huyton, Earlstown, Newton and Eccles, are the same age. All opening on the 17th September 1830. Also the stone from Olive Mount went to make the Roby embankment between Broad Green and Roby. I am going to share the link for this, as it is brilliant quality and nice and fast ;-)

I have felt like I have gone in circles Don !!! Thank you for sharing !!! :):):)

If i ever go back to the UK, im going to ride that line out of liverpool so i can see that magnificent cut and those incredible tunnels myself. Thanks, loved the two in one video!

Another great video, the speed of today’s trains is awe inspiring,in the steam days we didn’t go so fast and we had the length of the steam engine in front of us.Kind Regards

Again DON, an excellent job adding the "nuggets" of the trip and especially the STOP action to show off different points or items of interest. Maybe more later am only @19:08 but great so far

these videos get better I wished you drove around the Birmingham area.I have seen videos of the stour line but not in the class you keep producing we keep up keep up the good work and thanks again

that cutting has to be one of the 7 wonders of the railway world its quite beautiful in a very practical way and when you think how it was constructed it really fills you with admiration for those men that did it. "Navvies" got a lot of bad press through allegedly antisocial alcohol related behaviour but it makes you wonder if they could have had the energy after a full days work on this!

Don, this showed up in my recommendations! 🤣 I watched it for old times sake. Good video mate. Hope you are well and hope to see you soon. All the best. Paul.

Enjoying from Vancouver. Was in UK 1990 when it was still BritRail. Got a 2 week 1st class BritRail Pass & traveled all over including the Cornish Riviera.

Another excellent production

Gosh!! I wish was the Minister of Transport sometimes. I would issue you with a 007 license to drive any train anywhere in the UK and film it. Don't worry about picking up and dropping off any passengers and turning a profit - who cares!!

Another excellent video, Don.

Thanks for the ride Don.

Thanks don for another fine journey,cheer's bob.

Many thanks Don for another great video. Your appreciation for the architecture, the infrastructure and the navies who built most of it shines through in your commentary, Any chance of showing an external shot of the appropriate train in your videos so that those of us who only class as "body warmers" can say to ourselves "Ah, that's what a 185 (or whatever) looks like"?

Another great video Don, there's no view like a cab view.

Informative as ever Don well done. The section of track near the motorway at Eccles, as you know, was the scene of a horrible crash in 1984 where a passenger train hit a stray oil tanker carriage and subsequently burst into flames, and, it was "fortunate" that it had uncoupled from the rest of the carriages otherwise it might have blown up most of Eccles. I remember that day very well.

Excellent video!

Very nice ride. Thank you 😉👍

Splendid video as always. Greetings from Canada.

Class 47 locomotives used to haul passenger trains on the Phillips Park line. They ran from Harwich via Sheffield to Glasgow and Edinburgh through Ashburys to Manchester Victoria

Thanks for another excellent video don. Horse on a conveyor belt! Wonder why that didnt catch on.

Another great Video Don! Sadly I remember the very bad Train crash just after Eccles station as the train aproaches weaste back in 1984 on this line right next to the motorway I was 14 at the time and saw it on Granada reports ! 28:49 in the video is the site it happened! ....Also coming into Victoria i remember as i kid that the platform was a hell of a lot longer ( think it was at one point the longest platform in the world) due to the old exchange station just being outside Victoria! sadly very little trace of it is left now ...a small portion of the original station building still stands( you can JUST see it at 32:59 on the right ) below the church tower but they are now building on the rest of it as evident in the portacabs and partialy built concrete as for the second vid i loved that as i often wondered if that line was used at all (used to see it when getting a bus that came along past the stadium) was it a loop line originaly? only asking because when you look on google maps there is a spur branching off near the end just after the footbridge in the vid that is now no longer used (bridges ect demolished) that would have taken you back to Piccadilly ! sorry for long post lol im a bit of an anorack when it comes to local rail and infastructure that we have lost! Just fasinates me seeing what we once had before the Beeching cuts and subsequent failures through the BR days to invest ect and now rail travel is up ect they are having to re invest in things like the new loop in town! they should bring back that lost bit of track too i just mentioned as im sure it would help congestion ect and trains could take that route from victoria or piccadily to reach other lines that you currently have to go to get a tram and swap stations and that way they would have a FULL loop around the town centre !

Thanks Don a superb video most interesting, I see on leaving Edge Hill I noticed a large rake of Biomass wagons is that there home base or just a lay over point. Thanks again for two very informative videos.

Beautifully shot, fascinating and informative as ever! Good points well made about the navvies. If anyone's interested in learning more about their way of life and work. I strongly recommend tracking down a copy of Terry Coleman's "The Railway Navies". A very interesting read.

Great to see the kiltie on the platform at Newton le Willows!

The best History lesson. Great tour.

Liverpool to Manchester, such an evocative line and a great trip. Chat Moss, amazing. I found myself imagining a loco like Planet or Rocket proudly chuffing along with some pretty coaches. Not much fun for the crew in all the weather though :-) Cheers.

Although I must have been through that cutting a number of times, this is the first time I've seen what it actually is. It is magnificent; what a shame passengers don't see that view!

Like the old photo's Don. Some hard graft that cutting out all that rock.

Fantastic video, Don, as ever!! Thanks to you and TPE for letting us ride along 👍👍 Which charity/charities are you giving to? I'm sure we'd all like to jump onboard that giving train with you.

Another great video as always. Am I right in saying that there are still remnants of platforms from the old Exchange Station on the approach to Victoria?

Great video Don ! Tha's gettin' a bit good at this filming lark !!

The mind boggles at the shear hard graft that navies must have had to endure to build such { even today } what seems like the impossible

Yet again, superb and thank you Don. Would love to see mph, inclinometer and gps on screen someday if at all possible?

So many cranes on the buildings as the train passes thru Downtown Manchester, quite a construction boom going on these days.

Thank you Mr Coffey. As Much as I am impressed with the Chinese high speed rail, I am far more impressed by our own railway heritage and the difficulties that pioneering engineers overcame. I just wish the people in charge would see this and not just think of £££ signs.

Is it just the one empty or more than one sets.. fantastic views again

10/10 . Who would have thought that part of the line was on a boggy marsh?

Hi Don and thanks for another great video. I have travelled into Lime street a few times and always admired the cutting so fascinating to see it from the drivers perspective. Also the engineering brilliance of Stephenson to cross Chat Moss,in particular when you consider how long ago this was completed. By the way towards the end of the journey to the depot it looked like the locals were using the railway as a rubbish tip. Does this present a hazard? Looking forward to the next trip.

Hi Don. Good to see you this afternoon at Ferriby. What a debt we owe to the navvies. I wonder if Crossrail workers realise how fortunate they are?! So much interesting information you provide. Thank you.

I really Enjoyed this video and the commentary was excelent

Awesome as always. Quick question what do the white signs with Black Triangles mean, there's a number of them in the tunnel as you leave Lime Street, plus there looks to be one visible just as you reversed as Ashburys.

Many thanks for another informative cab ride, Don. A question - what do the white circular signs with an upward pointing black triangle visible on the exit from Lime Street mean? On a lighter note, one wonders what you would be driving these days if that horse-powered contraption would have won the Rainhill Trials!!! Have a good and safe week's driving, Don.👍🏼

What great videos Don, thank-you very much. Can I ask a question, please? I know there is a need to do some ECS, like bus services 'Not in Service' as well. But is it not losing revenue from the Airport to say Piccadilly or Victoria running all that way ecs?

I enjoy your videos sir - the captioned tidbits are a very nice touch. For my own selfish reasons, I wish you have an alter-ego operating out of London Euston. Incidentally (anyone) - why is the check rail at P14 Piccadilly on the "wrong" (outside) rail of the curve...? I'm used to seeing checking on the "inside" (low) rail of curves.

Brilliant 👍👍

Eccles station used to be a traditional brick-built railway station (if my memory serves me right), c1960 I used to buy my records from "The Music Box" which was incorporated into the station buildings. Patricroft is now really a bus stop, a shadows of its former self with sidings and engine sheds where the industrial estate now lies. It used to be a popular train spotting venue in the 50s & 60s although I didn't visit until March 2019! You mentioned the Clifton Line, this closed after the Black Harry tunnel collapse in the 1950s (Google it), I used to play on the track bed when I was kid, but now it has been converted into a footpath and the tunnel portal hidden and landscaped. I took some photos www.flickr.com/photos/rtbcomp/albums/72157690409729803 Hope you don't mind me posting a link. As for Victoria station it used to have a common platform with Exchange station, which I believe was the longest in Europe at the time.

wow just shows how George Stevenson was brave enough to attempt the impossible and its still here 200yrs later and yet the builders of the M62 were to scared to try Stevenson's theory they knew it lasted by the railway so they could have used the same method assuredly a railway is more heavier than the road, if Stevenson was alive today he would have laughed his head off at all those road builders who opted to go round the march land

Interesting video, with a lot of useful information in the captions. I was a bit puzzled though as to why the train didn't stop at any of the Manchester stations - can only assume this wasn't a passenger service. I've travelled from Manchester to Liverpool and back a few times, but not in the past few years, and had the impression that the services from Victoria and Piccadilly used two entirely separate lines and routes. Have they now been combined?

That was good time-keeping in the 1st part, but when nothing goes wrong that's what you expect. Re 'the eyebrow' - is that just a characteristic of led signals or for driver nearness as in the older type tungsten lights with that quadrant directed at the driver's cab? 'Long road for a short cut' and 'Long Way Round' are two expressions that come to mind when viewing the 2nd part. Oh yes, you probably can't answer this one, but a native Liverpudlian might. The Tunnel Street refered to at the beginning I presume was named because of the tunnels, but what was it named before the tunnels were dug? Perhaps the street post-dated them.