Doug Copley's Lineside Images
'Doug Copley's Lineside Images' are 68 titles filmed 1980's, 1990's & 2000's variously 12-90 minutes long. They come with Doug's own commentary and tend to follow lines of route, or particular workings, filmed over multiple return visits.
Doug's videos often include interludes of impressively vocal bird song!
In Alfred Hitchcock (filmmaker) style, Doug occasionally makes brief cameo appearances in his own films.
Doug Copley
Doug gave annual shows to Peak Rail Sheffield Branch. When he died in 2008 his films were kindly made available to the Peak Railway Association by his family so that appreciative enthusiasts can continue to enjoy his work in his memory.
During his working life as a steelworks commissioning engineer he travelled extensively and the collection includes South America, South Africa, India, Turkey (steam), and Australia. The UK collection includes many secondary lines, and also industrial railways. A treasure trove.
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A brief overview because Doug's commentary identifies all the locations.
Starting in Huddersfield the sky is overcast for just the first 8 minutes but thereafter it is sunshine for the impressive Pennine landscape as rail and canal ascend to reach the 3 mile long Standedge Tunnels, and then the long descent towards Manchester through Diggle and Stalybridge to join the former Woodhead line at Guide Bridge. The Woodhead DC overhead masts remain but the Manchester-Glossop-Hadfield rump of that system is now 25kV ac, and at Guide Bridge we see an inbound Greater Manchester PTE liveried class 323 emu plying that route.
Throughout the film EWS class 60 and 66 are seen in frequent views of the Greater Manchester Household refuse container trains, which in 2005 were working to landfill in the former iron-ore quarries at Roxby Gullet, on the North Lindsey Light Railway which branches north at Frodingham, Scunthorpe.
The frequent express passenger services are TransPennine Class 158 (mostly triples) wearing the former Northern Spirit maroon livery, but now with a deep blue lower bodyside with "First" branding recognising the new franchisee.
Local services are in the hands of 150/1, 150/2 and 156 Sprinters, with some Class 142 and 144 Pacers.
Lovely canal views, cobbled streets, terraced housing, and imposing former mill buildings now being re-purposed or converted into desirable residences with spectacular views.
At the junction of Huddersfield Narrow Canal with The Ashton Canal, Doug twice manages to get all his ducks lined up in a row. Literally! (31m 05s swimming, and 31m 10s standing)
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