British Rail at Newcastle Central in the 1980s – When the East Coast Main Line Was Full of Diesels

Newcastle Central Station in the 1980s – Remembering British Rail, HSTs, Deltics & Diesel Fumes.

Take a fascinating journey back to Newcastle Central Station in the 1980s, when British Rail ruled the tracks and this magnificent station was filled with the sounds, sights and smells of a very different railway.

Newcastle was one of the great railway crossroads of northern England, sitting on the East Coast Main Line between London King's Cross and Edinburgh. During the 1980s you could witness an incredible variety of trains here, from the legendary InterCity 125 High Speed Trains to Class 47s, first-generation diesel multiple units and, during the early years of the decade, the mighty Class 55 Deltics.

The InterCity 125 had transformed journeys between Newcastle and London, but plenty of traditional locomotive-hauled trains could still be seen. Cross-country services, Scottish expresses and local trains helped make Newcastle Central an endlessly fascinating place for railway enthusiasts.

But the station was very different from the Newcastle we know today.

British Rail in the 1980s could be noisy, grimy and gloomy. Diesel engines idled beneath Newcastle's enormous roof, filling the station with exhaust fumes. Looking back today, it is amazing just how much diesel smoke passengers simply accepted as part of everyday railway travel!

By the end of the decade, another enormous change was approaching. Electrification of the East Coast Main Line would bring overhead wires, Class 91 locomotives and the InterCity 225, gradually bringing Newcastle's great diesel era to an end.

Today Newcastle Central is cleaner, brighter and more modern, yet much of its magnificent Victorian architecture survives. Stand beneath that great curved roof and the station is still instantly recognisable.

So come with us as we return to Newcastle Central during the British Rail years.

Do you remember Newcastle in the 1980s? Did you see the Deltics, Class 47s or InterCity 125s here? And do you miss British Rail?

Let us know your memories in the comments.

Please remember to like the video, share it with another railway enthusiast and subscribe to Trains Trains Trains for many more journeys into Britain's fascinating railway past.

#BritishRail, #NewcastleCentral, #NewcastleStation, #Newcastle, #BritishRailways, #InterCity125, #HST,

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