1967: CHARMING couple's FANTASY RAILWAY | Man Alive | Weird and Wonderful | BBC Archive
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2022
- "You can't go anywhere from this station - except in the mind"
Man Alive's Trevor Philpott looks at the people who try, by various means, to make their childhoods last forever.
Vic and Lou Martin live on the Isle of Sheppey, and spend their retirement running the Warden Central Station - a fantastic model railway world based on the pre-war Midland Main Line between St Pancras and St Albans.
Every day, the couple dress in full railway uniforms and go on duty - opening up their signal box and railway offices in the garden of their home - before diligently helping the little model trains on their way. Charming stuff.
Originally broadcast 16 August, 1967.
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In my mind I hope it's all still there and someone's looking after it.
Apparently this kept going as it was until 1986 when Lou died and then Vic cut things back to a weekly schedule.
Beautiful
You know after i watch this i wonder ive this still exist to this day our maybe its already forgotten
Same it’s lovely. Love those two.
This is quintessentially English. 🏴🏴🏴🇬🇧
Its refreshing when people's personal obsessions can be channeled this way. If it brings them Joy, and harms no one, more power to them!
Proper old-fashioned British eccentricity.
These people were in a good place. They weren't harming or bothering anyone or anything and they were having great fun. They were emotional millionaires.
This is as impressive to me as any painting or sculpture in the Louvre, as this is a man's lifetime work. What a wonderful couple, living their dreams and behaving and speaking as stalwart Englishmen who won two world wars, invented many wonderful modern inventions, and built some truly scrumptious cars.
I'm a model builder and Aston Martin restorer. I spend days at a time in the workshop, and I have never been happier. Been that way since I was a kid. I would have loved to sit with that couple and hear them speak. Would be great if they were my grandparents!
I could chat to good old Vic for hours, love to have been his neighbour popping in to see him for a regular cuppa and catch up. R.I.P Vic and Lou.
The original LARPers! I love it! Happiness breeds happiness. It's contagious!
Unfortunately after privatisation this railway was dismantled, the couple (despite already being dead) were sacked, their grandchildren put on zero hours working and to generate further profits for shareholders the trains were replaced with soulless uncomfortable plastic trains with sliding doors and constant annoying automated announcements.
And ironing board seats
😂😂😂😂😂
what nice people.they loved what they did,R.I.P the pair of you.
Barking mad but absolutely brilliant. Loved every minute and brought a huge smile to my face. We need more eccentricity like this to make up for the rest of us who are, well, boring.
The lost art of English eccentrism
...A portrait of perfect contentment
englands gift to civilisation eccentricity.
Oh I think England has contributed far more than just eccentricity.
People calling them weird but in those days there was no train sim on PC so you built a model railway and it took far more skill and dedication than sitting in front of a screen making something that does not really exist. I wonder what became of it all.
Heart warming, luv to see when folk enjoy trains,planes cars on a model scale,magic. Best wishes to everyone and thanks to the uploader.
what a sweet couple
If the world was full of people like this ,there would be no wars
The world is filled with more infantile, cos playing, emotionally stunted grown up children than there has ever been and global conflict is more prevalent than ever.
If they were doing it for kids it would be a cool thing to do. These people are just weird...
Grow up.
@@alexandertroy9621 true but they are harming nobody.
They are just eccentric
@@alexandertroy9621 no there not weird there doing what they like🚃 just the same as people who use mobile
Phones 📱 play a musical instrument 🎷🎸🪕ride a Bicycle 🚲🛴🛵they are wonderful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
@@patdoyle3686 Look up homonyms and homophones, words such as _there,_ _they're_ and _their._ Then practice using them correctly in a sentence. 😂 🤣 🙄
I think it's great and they enjoyed it , they're nor harming anyone , thats what makes the British who we are , its bloody brilliant and I hope it has bn carried on in their memory, WONDERFUL ! Children would love that , great stuff ! It's things like this that makes the world a better place , better than anything Disney could come up with .It's about a world of make believe and that's what keeps you young 👍🤗🙂. great models , well done you two 👍🙂
Colonialism and exploitation made "who we are"
@@yanikkunitsin1466 arse
@@JP_TaVeryMuch nice to meet you
@@yanikkunitsin1466 Indeed so
@@yanikkunitsin1466 You're not blaming these people for the Empire are you? You can't blame individuals for what the psychopathic rulers did in the past. There aren't many countries that haven't got a sinister political underbelly.
I heard of a man who ran a model railway to a timetable and his wife would check the time before phoning him in the attic to tell him it was time for tea etc.
lol
I remember that. The trains had to run to time or there would be crashes.
Why are some many comments saying these good people are eccentric, they are not eccentric but living their dream and it's wonderful.
This couple would make Great Airport Tower controllers today with such enthusiasm and dedication
🐱👍🏿
No they wouldn't. They'd be over 100 years old and dead. Neither are things one should put on their CV when applying to get into air traffic control.
Oh yes they would ✈🛩🛫🛬🪂
This..... This is absolutely bloomin fantastic!!!!!!!!
These two sure lived on their own special little parallel branchline of reality.
People still do it now they call it a museum gives a cover for enjoyment ❤❤
Take a look at Do it Yourself Railway (1966) at British Pathé channel. It's about the couple's collection too. A delight to watch as well :-)
Yes, that's a lovely film.
Thanks for the recommendation Nataliya.
Ian
What a lovely model Railway. I hope it's been kept in the family or has been bought privately and kept together.
@@martinhall60 isn’t it, I really hope so too😊Think of the 1000’s of hours of effort it must have taken to build that and maintain it!
Apparently it was operating until 1986. I read that in another comment.
Many years ago I had an elderly neighbour, who had a huge model railway in a shed, but this is one lovely eccentric move, way beyond that. ❤️
They've got great faith there's no derailments in those tunnels,must have a really good permanent way gang.
Great characters god bless them !
I photographed all this at the time for a proposed book on eccentrics .still have the photos.
Class!
Marvellous English eccentrics!
Interviewer : is there a derailment maybe? Railwayman : no, it's probably mice.....
Hey, BBC Archive, what ever became of this station? Are the trains still there? I like to think they are, but my practical mind says no. I was almost two years old when this was made.
Absolutely charming, thank you
I ride a 1952 James comet Deluxe, the only way to get the feeling of the period is to go back in time I am 67 and we'll remember a better way of living. I have to be very careful in todays traffic
Oh it’s only going to get worst. The more people in the world, the more people buying cars, more people buying cars to go on the road ends up blocking the roads, so for one thing is that your lucky that the traffic for you now is much lighter then it will be afterwards
I think this is brilliant. We simply don't have characters like this anymore. I blame it partly on those who are supposed to care for us as a nation are hell-bent on controlling us and telling how to think, act and behave.
Of course we have characters. CZcams is full of people with interesting and crazy hobbies.
@@johntate5050 No. CZcams is chocker-block with attention seekers, most of whom have no discernible talent.
l love the way he operates their railway while being interviewed simultaneously.
Those two also appear on an edition of Look At Life, as shown in Rank cinemas, in about the same year... and in colour!
The fantastic things you could do before the internet.
“Here’s one gone wrong now.”
“You think it might be a crash? A derailment?”
“No.... No.... not a derailment... Might be mice... y’know....”
The 5:30 from Leicester has been delayed due to rodents on the line. Classic.
Were they carrying cans of spray paint?
Rodents eat through cabling on the real railway sometimes.
More,like,this,please,
Brilliant,too,watch,these,,,many,thanks
Wonderful
great beats sitting watching day time tv.
iv seen there other video, is this a follow up.nice old couple.R.I.P
So realistic, I wonder if he ever hired out his signal box to British Rail to train new recruits?
When kids had time to have a imagination into adulthood.
I bet my house that Rod Stewart watched this as a kid to make his own model railway utopia.
Rod would of been in his early 20's!
@@andrewjohnston2850 Rod is still a kid lol
I wish Rod Stewart would do a tv documentary about his layout and what inspired him to build it.....
@@nigelbevan8449 that would be nice to see,
@@davepayne9162 I know he did an interview with the magazine Railway Modeller a few months, or a couple of years ago and there were a few photos of his layout bud..... It's, flippin massive...
"Self Delusion" is such a comforting thing. Well done to them both
They aren't deluded, they know they are playing. It's a hobby.
Everyone is deluded in some way. A better car, a bigger house, always striving for something out of reach. Vic and Lou's reality was at their fingertips, and they enjoyed it to the hilt.
This would make a really good feel good sitcom
I still wonder what happened to all of his and his wife’s railway?
Superb! Happier times😊😊👍
🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂EXCELLENT 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
That equipment would be priceless today . . .
I wonder what survived in their garden now.
Wow
Amazing! Thank you for the video!
Loved this video, could this lad be related to Tony Robinson.?
I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this.
These people still exist of course but out of sight of the agenda - driven commissioners of today's TV companies who would be too scared to air such a unique film as this.
You can tell just how wonderful and of its time it is by the paucity of snide remarks in the comments.
Who watches tv? We're all here watching fantastic stuff like this on CZcams.
Super. 💙 T.E.N.
Reminds me of that episode of "The Avengers", "The Gravediggers".
The motorcar.....my late mother liked that episode i looked after her for 27 years
This is so fascinating, it would be nice too hear, what has happened to this dream, does anyone know what became if it all, the station and railway?
charming folks long gone now ...its quite sad to think its not there anymore.
Many people will think its strange but to those who were a railway anthusiat will think its kinda interesting for a old man and his wife work on their fantasy railway that sadly never come to live witch they actually lived on small island where there no rail link to it unlike isle of wight
Whot a lovely man
Brilliant, must have taken years to build, if that was mine there’d be real steam engine sounds, my dad would have loved to have had a go on it.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This was an early indication that people on the Isle of Sheppey are.....different
At last! Someone commenting on the famous isle.
Except this couple are arguably the exception that proves the rule.
@@JP_TaVeryMucha clear lack of third eyes or webbing between fingers confirms your thoughts.
I take a space walk everyday thats why i usually have the biker helmet on. 😄
Makes a change from leaves...mice on the rails.
As a kid John Easterbrook took me to see this set up👁👁💦
😊😊😊😊😊
Nothing wrong with a bit of fantasy to keep reality at bay although fantasising about eight people being killed in a crash was a bit creepy. I wonder how Lou really felt and if she had a fantasy of her own.
I'd guess they had that to add an element of potential chaos to make it seem more real. Trains will crash, and they have it in their lore. If they were like Gomez Aadams, and planned to blow up the trestle as the train crossed, then it would be creepy. But I'd still watch it. Fantasy almost always is spiced up by danger.
Rpg before videogames be like
Yo Rod you watching
People balk at the price of 40K miniatures, I wonder what all this cost?
This was a simpler time before rail strikes
Pov: me when I'm 70
...and they called it "SIM Railway"
A bit too British matter of fact
weird eccentric Britannica.
Hahaha Hahaha
With the lower quadrant semaphore signal, and Great Western on the signal box door, they should be working model trains in and out of Paddington, not Saint Pancras.
And I thought I was mad?
It's hard to remember that TV used to be so varied and entertaining. Now its reality ,quiz shows, wall to wall sport and box ticking Woke drama.So sad.
Nothing wrong with sport, realty nope, quiz shows depends, define woke drama?
@@2511dhall Nothing at all against these programmes as such.Just feel BBC and ITV offer little variety eg sitcoms,music, films etc.By woke I mean most drama seems to be issue led and very PC.. Streaming channels are great but not available to everyone.Hope this clarifies that I was not slagging off TV in general!
I don't understand why people moan about tv when we are all watching what we want on CZcams. Who the hell needs tv in the 21st century?
I wonder if she kept the uniform on in the bedroom sometimes. 🤣
I thought the first signs of madness when you start talking to yourself. There’s more than one sign in this video😂🤣😂
saome meej corriesj
More real than transwomen and interesting too.
Weirdos or legends in their own head.
Not at all.
They were doing something that they both enjoyed, involving no-one else, and were happy doing it.
Can you say the same of yourself?
Hipster
That poor woman
That fabulous woman!!!
@@thomasburke2683 That *happy* woman ...
That *happy* couple.
(Not like today, when they spend thousands on a ludicrous marriage which doesn't last.)
@@Offshoreorganbuilder oh god don’t get me started on the oh I’ve got more followers on Instagram that you so I’m better then you thing.
@@LolLol-xy4rh I don't use 'Instagram': I was referring to your '3 people seem to agree with me' comment, which, I see, has either been removed, or you have taken it off. (lol).
Most Brits still live in the past and steam engines and prop aircraft would suit them fine , also they can pretend they still have jobs in their once mighty shipbuilding , car , motorbike , chemicals , aircraft , tools , etc , because non of them now exist .
Clearly you're completely unaware of things like The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight, the many heritage rail lines and museums including working steam pumps and engines, etc, etc. We don't all live in the past, we just enjoy and respect our history. 🙄
Actually, all of those still exist!
Everyone wants to live in the past time travel ⌚⌚⌚back to the FUTURE 🎠🎡🎢📻☎️📺🎥🚂the present
Is so boring only for our ancestors and there inventions we woudent have the internet today
This is how the rest off the world views Britain in 2022 .
You seem to have issues, Bruce.
Oh no they dont 🌏😊😅🤣
That’s what you think. You need to get out more.
Imagine all their time and efforts had been invested in something that was actually useful...
They invested their time, effort and money into something that makes them happy, I would say it was worth it. This whole thing may seem pointless to you but they love doing it
Besides, they’re just running trains. What’s wrong with that?
@@MrNoUsername Quite...
There constructive in there own right,
it's complicated work timetabling...
the person is jealous , with there boring existence & married humdrum b&q Sundays .