Longest trip that you can see front through the cab in UK

[Gostav]

Last weekend l took the ELR DMU and recorded a cab ride video, and I'm curious what is the longest railway journey you can take the front seat behind the cab as a regular passenger in the UK - excluding any cab tours that require special application.

Now l know ELR is 12 mi/20 km and it seems that the longest heritage railways in the UK are not too keen on running the heritage DMU.

Update: I think we should limit the scope to the UK.

Update: I do a list for the length of time that I can film cab view in the trip.

East Lancashire Railway: About 1 hour (include waiting a long time for other train passing)
Swanage Railway: About 40 min
Great Central Railway Mountsorrel Branch: about 25 min in travelling, more time stay at the stations.
Blackpool Heritage Tram Trip: 1 hour around the beach.

The following are not part of heritage rails

Manchester Metrolink Rochdale & East Didsbury: 1 h 20 min
Bury & Altrincham: 1 h 10 min

 

[railfan99]

Last weekend l took the ELR DMU and recorded a cab ride video, and I'm curious what is the longest railway journey you can take the front seat behind the cab as a regular passenger in the UK - excluding any cab tours that require special application.

Now l know ELR leigh is 12 mi/20 km and it seems that the longest heritage railways in the UK are not too keen on running the heritage DMU.

I note the aim of the post so won't off topic for long, but 'reluctance' may be because by and large heritage railways in the UK recognise steam is the crowd puller.

I found travelling in the DMU on North Norfolk Railway every bit as interesting, perhaps more so, than riding behind an historic Great Eastern Railway steam loco. My reaction though is not typical.

No modern railcars in passenger use offer a 'view seat' IIRC.

Well done for patronising the ELR that's an excellent railway. It ought be on everyone's visiting list.

 

[2192]

Docklands or Newcastle metro?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Docklands or Newcastle metro?

And even longer, ICE3s in Germany

 

[Howardh]

Docklands or Newcastle metro?

In Manchester you can sit behind the driver and see ahead through the glass, but they are trams, not heavy rail. Used to be though on the Bury to Altrincham line! So does that count?

Pity they don't use the display screens inside modern carriages to show the drivers view via cam, I think that would go down well!!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In Manchester you can sit behind the driver and see ahead through the glass, but they are trams, not heavy rail. Used to be though on the Bury to Altrincham line! So does that count?

East Didsbury to Rochdale Town Centre might be an even longer through journey on Manchester Metrolink.

Once did Doncaster to Peterborough (via Gainsborough Lea Road) in the front-most and forward-facing passenger seats of a DMU, in the little First Class compartment immediately behind the driver's cab.

 

[L401CJF]

Pity they don't use the display screens inside modern carriages to show the drivers view via cam, I think that would go down well!!

I presume the reason they don't is because if there was a fatality, they won't want people onboard to witness it.

Merseyrails new 777 fleet were originally designed with transparent glass behind the cab so passengers could see in the cab and out of the windscreen. I believe it was designed so that if the emergency brake was applied the glass would turn opaque to try and avoid passengers seeing anything gruesome.

I believe in reality this has been disabled and the glass is permanently opaque due to unions not allowing it. I'm not sure if this is a software change or whether the glass has been vinyled over

 

[SeanG]

NYMR run a 101 from Pickering to Whitby

 

[Western Sunset]

I'm sure I did Bishops Lydeard to Minehead in the front of a DMU once.

 

[Deepgreen]

If the reverse can be counted then I have done Halifax to Vancouver and it's (or was) possible to sit in the observation coach at the rear for the entire journey if you really want to! Run the video backwards and you have a facsimile of a 3,500-odd mile cab ride with the fun of going through countless red signals!

 

[John Webb]

NYMR run a 101 from Pickering to Whitby

I don't think the 101 is cleared for main-line running - I've only ever seen it run between Grosmont and Pickering.

 

[Eladkram]

I don’t know of any now but many years ago an AM10 unit from Northampton to Euston gave a great view of the road ahead, that’s if the driver left the blind open.

 

[Sean Emmett]

Weardale Railway from Bishop Auckland West to Stanhope in a bubble car was fun.

But forward facing view in one direction only due to guard's compartment.

 

[Bedpan]

I don’t know of any now but many years ago an AM10 unit from Northampton to Euston gave a great view of the road ahead, that’s if the driver left the blind open.

But didn't they have backward facing seats across he unit immediately in front of the glass? I recall back in the 80s when I had to go to the City once a month, travelling from Watford Junction to Euston, dressed in a suit with my briefcase, kneeling on the seats like a five year old so that I could through the window.

 

[alexl92]

Wensleydale - 22mi in a bubble car?

 

[Gostav]

Weardale Railway from Bishop Auckland West to Stanhope in a bubble car was fun.

But forward facing view in one direction only due to guard's compartment.

I checked their timetable on website and it seems that they only do short trip between Stanhope and Wolsingham which just a 20 minutes journey on the bubble car.

 

[The Puddock]

Last weekend l took the ELR DMU and recorded a cab ride video, and I'm curious what is the longest railway journey you can take the front seat behind the cab as a regular passenger in the UK - excluding any cab tours that require special application.

Now l know ELR is 12 mi/20 km and it seems that the longest heritage railways in the UK are not too keen on running the heritage DMU.

Update: I think we should limit the scope to the UK.

The Keith and Dufftown Railway is 11 miles long and they only run DMUs so every train has a view out of the front and rear. However the time I visited they had two members of staff crammed in the cab with the driver, so all the kids in the front seats could see was their backs and their silly hats which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a North Korean army General.

 

[Revilo]

I'm sure I did Bishops Lydeard to Minehead in the front of a DMU once.

There are some runs in the current timetable, albeit at the shoulders of the season.

 

[Gostav]

East Didsbury to Rochdale Town Centre might be an even longer through journey on Manchester Metrolink.

I actually done this trip in last month and got a through lens about 1h 20 m long which is the longest video l done, for comparison, I visited the Swanage Railway and boared on the class 117 at Easter and recorded a cab trip video about 45 minutes long and ELR in about 55 minutes.

 

[DJ_K666]

Hopefully once the Great Central railway is reunified it'll be 18 miles in one of the DMUs.
Back in the 90s you could view the whole of the Brighton to Cardiff run through the front of a 158 if the blind was open.

 

[Gwr12345]

I checked their timetable on website and it seems that they only do short trip between Stanhope and Wolsingham which just a 20 minutes journey on the bubble car.

They shut down for a period recently after the previous owners went bankrupt, and after their reopening the new owners no longer use the bubble car on the full length- instead using a pacer- but it was possible from 2018-2020. It may happen again in the future, they're just finding their feet.

 

[DelW]

Relatively short distance but high on all round visibility, the recreated / reconstructed Pier Tram on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway offers virtually a 360° view from on board. It has longitudinal seating with no internal screens.

 

[cmeads]

How about Wareham to Swanage on the Swanage Railway's 3 days a week heritage DMU 2023 summer service.
And it reaches about 45 mph on the first lap from Wareham to Worgret junction.

 

[peteb]

But didn't they have backward facing seats across he unit immediately in front of the glass? I recall back in the 80s when I had to go to the City once a month, travelling from Watford Junction to Euston, dressed in a suit with my briefcase, kneeling on the seats like a five year old so that I could through the window.

Yes but if the train was not busy you could stand and look out the front!

As per original question the SVR is 16 miles long and does run heritage DMUs, but not currently on the 2023 timetable.

I think I have referred in a previous thread to the 1980s Scarborough to Leicester DMU SO summer service via Beverley which offered a long run along interesting routes drivers eye.

 

[Gostav]

How about Wareham to Swanage on the Swanage Railway's 3 days a week heritage DMU 2023 summer service.
And it reaches about 45 mph on the first lap from Wareham to Worgret junction.

i did that at easter, it is a good trip and got a cab view record about 40 minutes long.

 

[33021]

Llangollen Railway is one of the best for a DMU trip behind the driver - fantastic scenery, tunnel, river crossing and will be longer this year with Corwen opening. I think it’s an almost 20 mile round trip….

 

[Bedpan]

Yes but if the train was not busy you could stand and look out the front!

When I was primary school age we used to kneel on the back seats of LT TD buses to look out of the back window. Fast forward 25 odd yeas and I could (a bit embarassingly) be found kneeling on the seats of a class 310 to see out of the front window.

 

[Bill57p9]

In Manchester you can sit behind the driver and see ahead through the glass, but they are trams, not heavy rail. Used to be though on the Bury to Altrincham line! So does that count?

Pity they don't use the display screens inside modern carriages to show the drivers view via cam, I think that would go down well!!

For a while I have thought that ScotRail should consider this to (amongst other initiatives) to further improve the draw on highly scenic routes such as the West Highland, Highland Main, Kyle and Stranraer lines. (Girvan to Stranraer is greatly underrated in my opinion)

Keith and Dufftown railway gives a reasonably long run with a view of the road too.

 

[Trainlog]

Llangollen Railway is one of the best for a DMU trip behind the driver - fantastic scenery, tunnel, river crossing and will be longer this year with Corwen opening. I think it’s an almost 20 mile round trip….

You dont have to wait that long either! The opening celebrations for the new Corwen station will be on June 1-4th with the public being able to access Corwen for the first time on 3rd and 4th of June.