A short documentary about the operation of the British Military Train, filmed by the BBC in 1981 with Gavin Hewitt. Please note that the copyright to this footage is retained by the BBC.
I travelled this train there and back twice, once in 1976 for the Queen's Birthday Parade and once in 1977 for a Boxing Match. I don't remember getting that service, I just remember being locked in a carriage😮😮
travelled on this train many times even got a champagne bottle from the train, used love how they served breakfast at the checkpoint waiters in white jackets
Thanks for sharing! A remarkable piece of history! I remember there was some sort of ceremony for a civilian trains where the West and East German locomotives would be 'chased out of each other territory during the locomotive 🚂 change
Just have a question here I am wondering why American soldiers prefer this one? Over their own Berlin Duty train which combines Frankfurt am Main & Bremerhaven sections at Braunschweig then to Helmstedt Marienborn. Excellent video
@@cosmicdebris2223The main reason the doors were secured was to prevent East German stowaways boarding the train. This was at the insistance of the Soviets plus it saved a potential diplomatic incident for the Brits. Checkpoint Alpha was at Helmstedt on the Autobahn not anywhere near the tracks. There was a military rigmarole at Marienborn where Soviet Officers would check the passenger manifest and movement orders. The East Germans had no rights regarding the train. They would have a snoop around the outside at Marienborn and Potsdam, but any physical interaction required the Russians. There was no Russian presence at Magdeburg Station. It wasn't uncommon to see trainspotters there who were actually Stasi narks though. Dan-Air were also regular operators to Tegel and had a base hub there too.
@@RebelRebelious Checkpoint Alpha was indeed of course the first checkpoint in Helmstedt on the (A2) Autobahn for personnel travelling by car. I did mess up with my description there. I lived there as a child and often went to the NAAFI roadhouse being the first stop and BP filling point for military personnel driving to Berlin. The station wasn't in fact that far away, I used to get off the military train in Helmstedt (I was the only one to get off) on my way home from forces boarding school. My father was at the train station with RMPs from the Helmstedt roadhouse base to ensure I did get off. One never knew, if I had overshot Helmstedt without papers, what might have happened given my father's position and occupation. It is too long ago now but I don't recall them taking off the chains on the doors for me to exit the train because I did exit in Helmstedt albeit under extreme supervision by the RMPs both onboard and those waiting at the paltform with my father. I was only 11 to 13 at the time due to boarding school travel on my own. It's possible that the chaining of the doors was introduced after my time (post 1972) or I never noticed that the RMPs removed the chains briefly before I got to the doors to disembark. I also occasionally went to the checkpoint on the Autobahn (just to try to provoke east german watch tower personnel when I got bored, though they nearly always ignored me in their towers and just carried on looking around with their famous binoculars). I then sometimes go back to train station to watch the loco swap ritual from the ouside. The station was in fact only about 1.5 Km away from checkpoint Alpha (I'd cycle down Rotertorweg and Am Ludgerihof to get there). As said, I lived there for 4 years from age about 9 to 13 as the son of a British government official. As for air travel, I never knew of or heard of Dan Air providing an inner German service as a "regular operator to Tegel" for flights to Berlin. Perhaps they did from the UK, but within Germany as an inner German service, is new to me.
@@RebelRebelious Hi there. I responded to your last comment and now discover that it has gone. That's a very strange thing. Can you let me know if you saw that comment?? Thanks. I can't understand why it's no longer there or has even been removed???
I travelled this train there and back twice, once in 1976 for the Queen's Birthday Parade and once in 1977 for a Boxing Match. I don't remember getting that service, I just remember being locked in a carriage😮😮
travelled on this train many times even got a champagne bottle from the train, used love how they served breakfast at the checkpoint waiters in white jackets
My dear dad there at 01:28
Thanks for sharing! A remarkable piece of history! I remember there was some sort of ceremony for a civilian trains where the West and East German locomotives would be 'chased out of each other territory during the locomotive 🚂 change
Just have a question here I am wondering why American soldiers prefer this one? Over their own Berlin Duty train which combines Frankfurt am Main & Bremerhaven sections at Braunschweig then to Helmstedt Marienborn. Excellent video
Why is there the presence of British soldiers on the train? Was the train carrying military and diplomatic people? (Sorry for my bad English).
@@cosmicdebris2223 I thank you so much for answer and congratulations!
@@cosmicdebris2223The main reason the doors were secured was to prevent East German stowaways boarding the train. This was at the insistance of the Soviets plus it saved a potential diplomatic incident for the Brits. Checkpoint Alpha was at Helmstedt on the Autobahn not anywhere near the tracks.
There was a military rigmarole at Marienborn where Soviet Officers would check the passenger manifest and movement orders. The East Germans had no rights regarding the train. They would have a snoop around the outside at Marienborn and Potsdam, but any physical interaction required the Russians. There was no Russian presence at Magdeburg Station. It wasn't uncommon to see trainspotters there who were actually Stasi narks though.
Dan-Air were also regular operators to Tegel and had a base hub there too.
@@RebelRebelious Checkpoint Alpha was indeed of course the first checkpoint in Helmstedt on the (A2) Autobahn for personnel travelling by car. I did mess up with my description there. I lived there as a child and often went to the NAAFI roadhouse being the first stop and BP filling point for military personnel driving to Berlin. The station wasn't in fact that far away, I used to get off the military train in Helmstedt (I was the only one to get off) on my way home from forces boarding school. My father was at the train station with RMPs from the Helmstedt roadhouse base to ensure I did get off. One never knew, if I had overshot Helmstedt without papers, what might have happened given my father's position and occupation. It is too long ago now but I don't recall them taking off the chains on the doors for me to exit the train because I did exit in Helmstedt albeit under extreme supervision by the RMPs both onboard and those waiting at the paltform with my father. I was only 11 to 13 at the time due to boarding school travel on my own. It's possible that the chaining of the doors was introduced after my time (post 1972) or I never noticed that the RMPs removed the chains briefly before I got to the doors to disembark.
I also occasionally went to the checkpoint on the Autobahn (just to try to provoke east german watch tower personnel when I got bored, though they nearly always ignored me in their towers and just carried on looking around with their famous binoculars). I then sometimes go back to train station to watch the loco swap ritual from the ouside. The station was in fact only about 1.5 Km away from checkpoint Alpha (I'd cycle down Rotertorweg and Am Ludgerihof to get there). As said, I lived there for 4 years from age about 9 to 13 as the son of a British government official.
As for air travel, I never knew of or heard of Dan Air providing an inner German service as a "regular operator to Tegel" for flights to Berlin. Perhaps they did from the UK, but within Germany as an inner German service, is new to me.
@@RebelRebelious Hi there. I responded to your last comment and now discover that it has gone. That's a very strange thing. Can you let me know if you saw that comment?? Thanks. I can't understand why it's no longer there or has even been removed???
@@cosmicdebris2223 My previous comment is still there. I can see it as I type.
What a cool era better times than now, countries took pride in themselves.
A fat ex ranker RCT Officer…….a Movement Controller…..🥱