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Black 5 cab ride on Channel 5 TV to Mallaig

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Engineer

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Just in case you missed it, still available on Channel 5 My5 catch up TV, Google link if you need to see. Magnificent scenery from Fort William to Mallaig including the Glenfinnan Viaduct, Loch Eilt and sound of locomotive climbing the Beasdale 1 in 48 bank is awesome. Great to see the Flying Scotsman rebuild engineer and legend, Ian Riley, driving one of his own Stanier Class engines for West Coast Railway. This programme was broadcast December 30th, they may repeat it again on Channel 5 sometime in the future..
 
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Richard P

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I watched it having been fortunate enough to travel the line several times in the past. Enjoyed the footage, especially the shots off the front of the engine but too many adverts and not enough facts for me in terms of the line overall. Ultimately it felt like an advert for the Jacobite and Ian Riley rather than a feature on the line itself, watch in isolation and you wouldn't know service trains operated on it as these were conveniently omitted at the passing places. That said a good watch but I'd like to see a similar drivers eye view of the run between Crianlarich and Fort William - personally I prefer it to the Fort William/Mallaig section with some stunning line features, bridges and gorges
 

Dunfanaghy Rd

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Quest showed a similar film on Christmas Day. Called 'The West Highland Railway', it looks as though it is a different edit of the same film. No interviews, maps or labels of passing scenery; just overheard conversation and announcements. If its available on catch-up its worth a look.
Pat
 

theironroad

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Quest showed a similar film on Christmas Day. Called 'The West Highland Railway', it looks as though it is a different edit of the same film. No interviews, maps or labels of passing scenery; just overheard conversation and announcements. If its available on catch-up its worth a look.
Pat

Tbf, there were maps and scenery labels on the ch5 prig the other day.

There were also a lot of forward facing footage scene and a lot of trees.....

I thought there may have been a bit more commentary, like at the Glenfinnan stop

I thought Ian Riley's snippets were good though.

Overall, I'm not sure if this was really a programme for a general audience , as I think many would have switched off long before it's two hour end.
 

Dunfanaghy Rd

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Tbf, there were maps and scenery labels on the ch5 prig the other day.

There were also a lot of forward facing footage scene and a lot of trees.....

I thought there may have been a bit more commentary, like at the Glenfinnan stop

I thought Ian Riley's snippets were good though.

Overall, I'm not sure if this was really a programme for a general audience , as I think many would have switched off long before it's two hour end.

It's known as Slow TV. (Just for once it does what it says on the tin.) There was a very good on of 2 hours from Bath on the Kennet & Avon Canal a while ago.
The Quest programme was better, for me, as there was no face to face dialogue, just the journey.
Pat
 

theironroad

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It's known as Slow TV. (Just for once it does what it says on the tin.) There was a very good on of 2 hours from Bath on the Kennet & Avon Canal a while ago.
The Quest programme was better, for me, as there was no face to face dialogue, just the journey.
Pat

I did wonder if it was some sort of slow TV and tbf it was good at that. It's definitely worth a watch.
 

linesider

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I enjoyed the programme but was wondering why the train stopped in the middle of nowhere and the driver checked his phone then carried on. It didn't appear to be a passing loop.
 

DDB

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I got a bit bored, I much prefered the repeat of the one of Flying Scotsman on the SVR as you got to here the footplate crew talking and they explained what they were doing/talking about. That's still on iplayer. Link below. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b087k5rf
 

ajs1981

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I also preferred the Flying Scotsman program due to hearing the talk between, and explanations from, the crew.

With reference to the Mallaig program - with cameras placed on the side, or top, of the engine would they have had to do any gauging checks or would a small addition like that not require checks?
 

Welshman

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I enjoyed the programme but was wondering why the train stopped in the middle of nowhere and the driver checked his phone then carried on. It didn't appear to be a passing loop.
I thought the driver had stopped to take a photo of the scenery.
 

theironroad

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Yes, and he said as much. He explained that as long as they weren't causing any delays and that it was safe to do so, they are able to stop to do that.

Though owining the engine can't do much harm I guess lol

Would have been interesting to see what he decided was so good to stop.

I think occasionally trains have been know to stop briefly or go very slow on Glenfinnan viaduct as long as no delays as I think west bound at least the Jacobite stops at Glenfinnan station to allow a eastbound ScotRail get by.
 

Peter Mugridge

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Would have been interesting to see what he decided was so good to stop.

I think occasionally trains have been know to stop briefly or go very slow on Glenfinnan viaduct as long as no delays as I think west bound at least the Jacobite stops at Glenfinnan station to allow a eastbound ScotRail get by.

On the first point he was saying about how the light and shadows are different every time, so it was probably just a landscape he was photographing.

As to the second, they do sometimes come to a stand on the viaduct to allow the passengers a better look at the view, but again this obviously depends on if it's running to time and, presumably, also the weather conditions. As you say, there is a booked passing at the station nearby.
 

AndrewE

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Being repeated at 1710 on Channel 5 (in a few minutes) plus 5+1 of course.
 

Greybeard33

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I have recently watched both programmes on catch up. Quest's "West Highland Railway" is on dplay, while "Britain's Most Scenic Railway Journey" is on My5.

Both have their pros and cons. Personally I preferred the Quest programme, which is "pure" slow TV, all shot from multiple fixed cameras on the train. 5 adds some human camera work and drone footage, and some bits of commentary, background music and traincrew interviews, but has fewer fixed cameras.

Quest shows much more of the train itself, with cameras looking forward, back and sideways from several locations along the loco and train as well as on the footplate (although I thought too much time was spent on the internal view of a carriage). 5 has better views of the scenery and gives more information (captions and crew comments) about points of interest along the route.

Beautiful weather for both journeys!
 

Bedpan

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Last Friday at 8pm on Channel 5 there was another in the same series featuring Inverness to Edinburgh through the snow with an HST (The Highland Chieftain presumably). I haven't watched it yet, it seems to be available on My5 for months. Then this Friday (tomorrow) it's Leon to Ferrol via Bilbao, again condensed into an hour.
 

DelW

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Last Friday at 8pm on Channel 5 there was another in the same series featuring Inverness to Edinburgh through the snow with an HST (The Highland Chieftain presumably). I haven't watched it yet, it seems to be available on My5 for months. Then this Friday (tomorrow) it's Leon to Ferrol via Bilbao, again condensed into an hour.
Some earlier discussion of the series on these threads:
 

Engineer

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Interesting you noticed the white lights on the rear of the departing Highland Chieftain. Probably this saved time and money filming the empty train platform arrival and then jump on, at around 0755 it leaves Inverness. I have seen that film directors like to play games with us and can show their families the reversed or mirror images. Like Torquay Station on Michael Portillo Great Railway Journeys original series introduction, mirror image train seen entering the station against an opposite direction green colour light signal, in real life it has obviously passed the green signal leaving the platform. Fun to notice anyway..
 

Bedpan

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There was one particular one that I remember, but cant recall which programme (could have been Portillo), where there was an out of control train heading backwards out of Clayton Tunnel at great speed. How an accident was avoided on such a busy line I will never know! :D

Re Inverness, I wouldn't have thought that it would have taken much to taken much to alter the film to show red lights at the back.
 
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