Built to LAST: Riding the OLDEST train still left in service in Denmark!
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Follow me on Twitter / intercitysimon
Today, we find ourselves in the far west of Denmark, exploring a small branch line known as VLTJ. This picturesque route is home to the last three remaining Y-tog trains, which once crisscrossed various branch lines across Denmark. Come along with me on a nostalgic journey aboard this living time capsule as we traverse the stunning marshlands of the region. Throughout our trip, I'll share the fascinating history of these trains and shed light on their imminent replacement.
Train type: Litra YM Midtjyske Jernbaner
Route: Thyborøn - Lemvig - Vemb VLTJ
Train: Lokaltog 93
Distance: 51 km
Journey time: 1h11m
Average speed: 45 km/h
Price: 52 DKK or about 7 Euro
3:43 I love how there’s all these danish sounding names and then there’s _”VICTORIA STREET”_
Yeah that has a whole history behind it but iirc it has something to do with it being in an area full of holiday homes, and some people there deciding to take the name of a street close to the station, Viktoriavej, and make the area sound a little more exotic by putting up a sign at the train stop saying "Victoria Street station", which the railway simply adopted over time.
This little local railway line is one where theres a very strong bond between the railway company and the locals in the area. The railway regularly sponsors cultural events in the area, they and the municipality make some departures free to ride to kids can get to school easily, they do what they can to make track works short and keep locals well informed. Its small and close knit, I wouldnt even be surprised if some of the drivers know the regular routines of some people living near the line and which trains they take.
Great to see rural branch lines still in existence, shame we lost most of ours in the UK, they provide a great local service.
The Thybøron is also an odd railway to exist. Most other rural lines like it in Denmark have already been axed.
Like someone else commented, a ton of Denmarks rural branch lines got decomissioned back in the 60's and 70's. This single line is an unlikely survivor that got by on a shoestring budget. Theyve always bought a lot of second hand equipment, they used old World war 2 era railbuses and 1930's motorcars all the way into the 1970's, and then in the 70's bought old Swedish 1950's railbuses which they used until the turn of the millenium. And in the 1980's they finally bought 3 brand new trains from Uerdingen of the type seen in the video.
Similar trains could have made many small UK lines viable. Beeching chose the easy options.
@@michaeltb1358 One Danish rail line actually trialed a British built Pacer in the 1970s but it was too rough riding to be comfortable for passengers and too expensive to operate so it was decided against buying them.
Only 10 percent of private railroads survived the axing of the late 1950 til mid seventies
What a gem of a train - hope some will be preserved. This is what rural train travel is all about, and thank you for making such an interesting video.
Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :D
Looks more attractive and more comfortable than anything built today by Bombardier.
Also would fit right in on an episode of Thunderbirds. 😁
I agree with you 100%
In belgium they just started to take out also the trains that where riding from 1966.
That is a lovely train Simon, 40 years old and still moving and they look awesome! You have made a great choice to show us the beautiful flat Landscape of Western Denmark from an iconic train! Reminds me of our Dutch Flat Landscape from the Dutch Provinces of Friesland and Groningen in the North of The Netherlands, Keep on moving Simon, You are the best, Greetings from Rotterdam!
It has some Wadloper vibes indeed 😂
@@paulthiel5145 Yeah you are right! 😁
Thanks Marco!
@@Simon-AndersenOur oldest trains are the CIÉ HB 8100 Dart class
Ten times more comfortable than the replacement ..... The new train are cold in the winter seats are hard and ride poorly on the rails......i miss them soo much from hfhj, gds, and lillenord
As somebody who is 50+ years old I hope I don't get replaced lol.
Excellent video and very informative simon 👍
Thanks! With proper maintence and care, im sure you'll last many more years 😀
Hey im a train driver for Midtjyske Jernbaner but i mostly drive their Holstebro-Skjern rail line
Thank you from USA. Video is great! Understandable and perfect English; Educational, informative, helpful, enjoyable; Great photography and captions.
Thanks for the kind words David! Happy you enjoyed it 😀
Only two of the free departures (Vemb Lemvig) are because of Desiro trains going to and from the workshop. The other free departures are because the municipality pays for them as a "school-bus" - those departures are only free on school days. So during school holidays you have to pay to use those departures.
Ah alright! Still pretty cool
@@Simon-Andersen Yeah Lemvig municipality was one of the pioneers of the now somewhat popular trend of a municipality taking over their internal bus service and making it free to ride. They've done the same on all of their internal "school bus routes". And though they're very infrequent, the fact they're free does help making people use them. Struer municipality right next to it also made their buses free starting this summer, though the regionally run bus between Struer and Lemvig still costs money to use.
It reminds me, that local buses will become free here in Kerteminde from next year.
9:49 These simple stops are great. It means you can run a true "milk train" with almost as many stops as a bus line.
and thats basically what this line feels like!
I remember taking one of these every time I needed to go to Helsingør as a child.
My strongest memory is how half the train was a constant smokestack, as one of the two carriages was for smokers. When we went somewhere on the train with the kindergarten (or later on a school trip) we could only ever fit all the children in the smokers' carriage. Ah, the 90s.
When were those retired? I think I took it in the late 90's and early noughties.
It’s funny that this train there it counts as ‘retro’. In Hungary our newest diesel locomotive is 40+ years old. And we have passenger coaches still in regular use that was made in 1969..
50 years old, and still looks more comfortable than some of the rubbish that UK travellers have to ride in! London has Underground trains that date back to the early 1970s I think, and there plenty of 1980s trains in use across the UK.
But at least the Pacer sets are gone now (but only because they no longer met the National Disability Strategy requirements).
@@ktipuss But the Sprinters (now Cl 150-156) are almost as old - they date back to the early 80s! And even the 158s are over 30 years old!
I really thought they were ever old, however I just realised the new trains in Inverness in Scottish Highlands are 47 years old (albeit refurbished inside).. class 43
The door sound is the sound of my youth. In every holiday in the eighties at danish westcoast I travelled by Vestbanen to Varde and than by DSB. I also love the VLTJ Line since the eighties and visited it last year again. Greetings from Hamburg!
Thanks for watching! Glad the video woke some memories. Greetings from Copenhagen!
rookies, in Romania we have perhaps the oldest train in commercial service in Europe, the Malaxa 700 Series built between 1935 - 1951. of course, they were re-engined and somewhat modernized but their interior, suspensions, etc. are almost 90 years old.
In Melbourne, Australia the Tait EMUs lasted a whopping 74 years in service (9 were as passenger cars behind steam engines) on our suburban commuter network. There's a few in preservation and they do tours many times every year. All of our trains are used for a long time (usually 40 years) but these were in service for far longer than anything else.
i love the VLTJ route and trains. they might have been the first ever train i have ever taken a trip on, i lived in Holstebro the first decade of my life before moving to Lemvig. i started as a Boy-scout in the house you showed just as you left Lemvig st. it was built as the resident of some chairmen/managers of the line back in the 1900´s. i think it was that exact train i was on when it collided with a van crossing the track in Bonnet, the van driver "only" broke some bones in his neck or back and i do believe he was ok after a trip to the hospital.
I think you forgot a very fun fact.
A Danish group called Tørfisk (which translate to Dry Fish) has made a song about this rail line, which is very a popular drinking song in most of Jutland.
That was a major oversight of mine 😆
Simply beautiful. Ol trains have their own charm
Ah yeah. The railway line so beloved amongst the locals that it got a now famous folk song named after it that was written by a local band in Thyborøn.
it's almost as old as polish EN57, i'm impressed, altho the en57 isn't going to be replaced anytime soon xDD
great video as always
A "Victoria Street Station" in Denmark? There are a few around elsewhere, but mainly in English speaking countries. U.K. has a few, one in New South Wales (Aust) and one in Perth Western Australia. I suppose Victoria Terminus in London might just count.
I remember those trains! I used to rid one of them regularly as a kid it's great to that some of those old beauty's are still in use.
I still remember ''Skagengrisen'' from when i was a child
This wakes up old memories for me. I actually rode this train as a kid/ early teen (approximately 10+ years ago) on holiday.
It's probably more busy in the summer, since it's pretty much a tourist region, especially around Victoria Street Station
These trains are absolutely beautiful. Back in those days people knew what real design was, unlike today when we have 3 companies dominating the market with trains that look identical.
2:38 Yes, exactly, this is where I'd sit as well! 👌
I remember "grisen" at the Varde - Nr. Nebel route.
Very similar, might even have been the same trains, but with new interior.
I did like the couch seatings.
That door closing sound.
Yup.
They are the same trains as Grisen.
Yes they are the same trains 😀
A very nice train.
The trains on Liverpool's Merseyrail have just been replaced, being from 1978. The new Stadler trains are battery/3rd rail hybrid.
Nice to hear battery trains are being introduced.
Only 10 are battery powered
0:22 Wait, you had the English name for Tøndermarsken? Good one.
5:11 No way, you kept Victoria Street Station like it's in English.
Missing 2 things: You also have to press a button, when you are on a intermediate stop so the driver will know you wish to travel. Forget it and the train passes by! And that there is a reason there is an English sounding stop "Victoria Street" along the route....
The beginning of "this is what to expect from a station in a town with 2000". Come to Finland. If there's train station... The train won't stop there and the old station house is vacant.
I can hear from the sound of the motor that the newer diesel engine of this Y tog must be similar to those of the BR 628. Which makes sense, as those were the working hours for smaller lines in Germany until the 2010s.
Fun fact: About 15 years ago some of those Y-Tog trains were shipped to Peru where they were used for a few years. I am not sure, but I think they have been scraped there.
Ah thats true! Would have been a fun fact to mention!
Nice video, the Y-Trains are lovely :)
Ha, the doors sound like you just hit the jackpot xD
Fantastic!
I grew up in Lemvig and when i had vocational training in school i got to drive theese trains, while suoervised by the driver. Good times. And they are so easy to operate.
Thank you so much for this video, Simon.
My pleasure!
that door closing sound scared the h out of me😂🙈
Damn I miss Oddergrisen!
Nice video! Here in poland theres one unit like that in Arriva RP, but it's sitting in the depot as it's too old to run passenger service in the voivodeship. Last time it operated was in 2010 as i believe.
Wait you know about that unit! That came from my local line in Northern Zealand and was made way back in 1965. I was worried it didn't survive since I haven't been able to find any info on it at all! Please tell me more if you can. I'd hope for that one in particular to be preserved by a Danish heritage society.
Visited Thy and Thyborøn a few times. I liked it there, especially near the bridge from main land.
I have seen this type of train many times when I camped in Vallø near Køge on Sjaelland.
Yes indeed, they used to run all over Denmark!
In Køge we called the train Grisen (The Pig) because the front looks like a pigs face if you use your fantasy.
Now we just have some boring Lint or similar.
Amazing video as always!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I used to live in Lemvig and take this train to Thyborøn to visit my min at work. It was always such a cozy ride. They will be dearly missed 😢
I really enjoyed this video, thank you very much! There is an undeniable charm in the old train models, small rural stations etc. It's sad they cannot be refurbished so that these oldies can run the rails forever.
Cool video! Maybe I can add 2 nice facts: 1. Battery powered trains are not new and were for instance in service in Germany from the mid 1950s (ETA150). 2. Quite recently the 1099 series electric loco's of the Austrian Mariazallerbahn have been replaced after an unbelievable 102 years in normal line duty!
Drumm battery trains ran successfully in Ireland during the 1930's between Dublin and Bray.
The battery ones are new for the operator, and line.
Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by us. These older trains are most acceptable passenger cars, though they do not have lavatory facilities it may be that the stations do and also that it is a fairly short journey.
i was living in an air bnb at that time when i looked out the window and that exact train drove right past the air bnb i was in nice to see it was also in a movie called olsenbanden i think
I feel like a song is coming up. :-)
great video. it could have been fun with a view from the driver position, and how the train are operated.
i remember my home town also had one of these for the local train line as well, mostly in a red livery.
They have had quite a few liveries over their history :D
You missed the old station in Thyborøn across the street which is now a car park. Nice building though! And you missed the Bjergbane in Lemvig, Danmarks eneste bjergbane!
I was in Vrist in October and I love the rumble of the Y-tog. But a silent train is pretty neat and Y-togets brakes are waaay off for modern traffic! One disc per axle just doesn't cut it anymore!
The VLTJ even hast their own song, it's on UA-cam!
Too bad only, VLTJ doesn't seem to be too interested in its own history. I would bet a vintage train on the weekends during the summer months and the holidays would be a blast!
There is plenty more i could have mentioned about this line! So much history for what's really just a small branch line
Honestly preserving even just one unit in their own fleet for heritage trips would be a pretty good idea ngl.
Nostalgi for alle pengene tusind tak for den video
Australia has second hand NOHAB locomotives ex Danish railways built around early to mid 1970's still running on our main lines, but they don't look as good as the rail car set. I wonder what the original seats looked like? Good video Simon, well presented, most enjoyable.
Thanks Dave! Yeah I know there is a few MZ class locomotives running around Australia! I hope to see one on my trip there very soon :D
Det er muligt, at det er gamle toge, men de fungerer . er hyggelige - og jeg tror at de lokale elsker dem 👍👍🌹🌹
The door closing alarm sounds like it’s played by Eddie Van Halen
The area is so stunning. I have driven truck freight service for years in that area some 20 years ago. Lemvig actually have a “mountain railway” from the station shown in the video and literally downtown! Probably decommissioned years ago, but it might be in use for veteran trains?
I think the volunteers at BjergBanen still run the line on tourist packed summer and early fall days 🙂 It's a beautiful 15 minute ride.
@ Sure is! I haven’t had the opportunity yet!
The "Bjergbanen", which uses the one-car-Y-tog, is closed, awaiting track renewal, if possible.
Similar kind of trains from Ganz-Mavag but in worse condition run on most important route in Croatia, Rijeka-Ogulin-Zagreb 🙃
Most interesting! Thank-you!
Were these units, please, diesel-powered? They seemed very quiet!
Yes they are! Most of the audio is turned slighly down to allow for the voice over so they may appear a bit quieter
Where did the letters(m) and (g) go when you prenunced Lemvig don't you prenunciate those letters in Danish? So many surprises for a Swede when they hear Danish people talk.
g er stumt efter langt i, y og u, så 'vig', 'syg' 'uge' ("vik", "sjuk", "vecka") udtales 'vi', 'sy', 'ue'. M'et er ikke forsvundet, men Simon taler kanske lidt hurtigt (lite fort) netop her.
Jeg var selv overrasket over at den lokale udtale af Thyborøn åbenbart er 'Typerøn'. Man bliver klogere hver dag.
Troels forklarede det godt :-). Jeg er selv fra Lolland, så jeg er ikke helt up-to-date med den lokale dialægt i det vestjyske
du skulle have sagt du kom forbi@@Simon-Andersen så vi lokale kunne "hjælpe" dig lidt med dialekten :P
Det må blive når i får batteritogene i drift :P@@joenke9
@@Simon-Andersen der er jo "heldigvis" ikke lang tid til
Nice
Well, have you ever heard of Czechoslovakian 810 type motor car? Developed in the end of 60's, first cars produced in 1971, still in service...
Yes! Will probably be back in the Czechia and Slovakia during 2024 so might go and catch one :)
What a cute little train. I lived in Denmark for a year in 1998 but never explored Jutland. Maybe one day I'll get to return. Those old trains are Diesel, correct? Greetings from Australia.
Yes they are
Y-trains are nice rides .
VLTJ sangen!
En klassiker🕺
Sort of a Danish version of the British "Pacer" trains (same flappy doors) but a lot better.
Nice video! Do you know if they are going to sell these or if they are going to get scrapped?
I dont know about their future unfortunately
I am completely unfamiliar with the concept of request stops on trains. How does this work, I assume the train only stops at stations that are requested? And if someone wishes to be picked up on one of these rural stations is there a button on the platform or does the train operator have to keep a keen eye to spot any passengers?
I am glad small lines like these are stil in service in Denmark, seeing train lines getting overgrown/disappearing or being taken out of service brings out a special pain in my heart. Same with old stock being scrapped. Don't get me wrong I understand we all need to modernise but I am guessing those old Y-Tog would start and move (if maintained) pretty much in any weather or condition. And something inside me tells the new modern stock is going to struggle under certain conditions (I am in my 30s, if anyone thinks I am to hung up on the past)
Well regardless, thanks for this little inside look of Danish rail :)
Thanks for watching! On the station there is small button that activates a signal (light) that shows the driver from a distance that someone has pressed the button.
It is NOT the only train in Denmark where you pay the fair on the train - Nærumbanen in Copenhagen has the same 🙂
Were the ticket machines not removed on that a few years back, it was on the other North Zealand Lokaltog lines at least? Eitherway Nærumbanen does not have rejsekort readers onboard, so its still kinda special :-)
Hi Simon
Nice video of the good old train, which looks like it is good shape. Do you know what will happen to them when de-commissioned? Regards from Fyn /Adam
I dont know what will happen with them, if a decision has even been made yet.
I have no idea either what will happen to the remaining Y-tog units. I do hope that they might be able to sell some to heritage units. These trains are still remembered fondly, even by non rail loving people and they're not very well represented by heritage societies. And this is basically any society's last chance of getting any units
I hope 1 train could go to Jernbanemuseet (railway museum) in Odense@@drdewott9154 BR Adam
i believe one is going to be preserved in a museum or by another group
Virkelig god video, en tur i cockpittet havde været prikken over i'et..
Desværre er det vidst det svært disse dage med de nuværende jernbane regler :(
Hygge. Delightful cosy , stylish train.
I like Thyborøn. Looks like my kind of village to be happy in.
It looks like a lovey little village with a equally lovely railway
Is there an exact date for the final ride? Im going to Jylland this summer and it would be heaven to ride one of these.
Not yet no. If i was to guess i think they might be gone in time for the timetable change in december next year, so summer should be safe!
@@Simon-Andersen Godt! Ved du om de kører andre linjer?
@@andreaspettersson2096 det gør de ikke. Dette er den sidste der er tilbage
Vi kørte også med VTLJ, da vi var på ferie, i Lemvig, 2022, dog kun fra Lemvig til Thyborøn og retur🚂🚂🚂
There are older train in NYC subway that has operated well over 50 years.
There are plenty of older trains around, but not in Denmark :P
Are there only passenger trains on Saturday.? We had a service from where I live to where I used to live. It was 3 trains each way on Saturdays. At the last timetable change in May it became1 train each way Monday to Friday. Absolutely useless to me as it works out from Sheffield in the Morning and back from Cleethorpes in the afternoon. They also cut some stops out which would involve a change of train to get to where I want to go ( the train still runs through the station,but doesn’t stop.
Yes! On weekdays there is about 9-10 departures 😀
as i have experience with BEMU trains (Stadler FLIRT3 BEMU) i can say that they perform poorly, especially in cold weather like we had a couple weeks ago in northern germany. Almost all trains are broken and are in service
Let's hope that won't be the case for these trains 🤞
That was chep a trip from hørning to århus 14km coust 46kr
There are some EMUs in Belgium that entered service in 1967 and still running. Soon to go I believe.
Yes, next year will be their final year, as they won't be equipped with ETCS.
Turen er en dejlig rejse ned ved fjorden ud mod havet gennem Jylland når man rejser med VLTJ
Victoria Street Station? Wasn't it worth to mention? Nice video, anyway!
I also really want to know about that one. 20 Danish sounding places and the that 😂
I totally should have made a mention of it! But i forgot to film the actual station there. It comes after the locals put up a station there naming it in english after the nearby Viktoriavej and the name stuck. It was originally called Vejlby
@@Simon-Andersen now that is funny 😁
@@Simon-Andersen OMG, Danes are so funny and clever!
We don’t even talk about how most trains in the uk are 50 years old
As much as I know the times are always changing why does it seem that modern design in these times tries its hardest to look as alienating, deconstructed and hostile as possible. The new battery electric trains looks like something that would kill you in a sci-fi horror setting. Unlike the charismatic Y-train the replacement has a face only its mother can love. To ad insult to injury I fear that it will follow the trend of other modern trains to have hard uncomfortable seating.
Yeah.that is the story of branchinesithtro out most ofeurope.sadly the oil companiesand car androadlobbyclose down the branch lineswithoutgicing a thought to thetravelling public😮
så Simon, jeg har to spørgsmål til dig, hvornår blev denne rejse filmed? og ved du noget omkring hvad der vil ske med Y-tog, når de nye tog ankomme?
September 2023 og jeg har ingen ide hvad der skal ske med de tog, men mon ikke de ryger til skrot
Det var meget interessant.
Jeg ønska å reise rund Danmark med et biljet interrail.
Jeg vet ikke om det er en biljet bare i Danmark?????
Only in summer we have something called Rejsepas. Otherwise you can buy a Interrail one county pass
come to Romania, and you'll see rolling stock from the 40`s and 60`s :))
I have been to Romania many times 😁
Payment is not done onboard trains (in Denmark) anymore. Try takling the S-tog or Any other local train and you have to pay before you board the train 😉
I know, as mentioned in the video, it's the only train where you still can pay onboard
@@Simon-Andersensomehow the un in unlike didn't reach my ears. 🙉
Hej Simon. Jeg er også fra danmark, og jeg ville forslag dig at lave en video om S-toget.
Det har jeg for et godt stykket tid siden ua-cam.com/video/kJSwPXESl3I/v-deo.htmlsi=OC_rCInhSY12Dszj
et sted mod vest på jyllands kyst 🎵
The inside reminds me a lot of the Polish EN57
Den tager fra Vemb fra morgenen af
Tager over Lemvig og kører derfra
Tager ud mod kysten hvor den ender helt i Thyborøn
Turen er en dejlig rejse ned ved fjorden ud mod havet gennem Jylland når
Man rejser med VLTJ
Grisen..det vækker minder 😅
You should have just heard the train driver, if you couldn't get a look inside the cab.
De gratis ture er jo ikke fordi det ene tog mangler udstyr , den ordning var der allerede i starten af firserne , dengang var var sæderne af træ .
Men turen er stadig lige hyggelig , det gamle tog kører bedre på det ujævne spor .
Men tak for billederne .
Nogen af turne er pga de køres med Desiro - De har ikke rejsekort læsere på toget. Men som du korrekt siger så er der også et par stykker som køres som skoletog og er gratis for alle
@@Simon-Andersen
Om eftermiddagen kører der også et gratis fra Lemvig mod Vemb , dette tog kører derefter gratis fra Vemb mod Lemvig .
I find your lack of Tørfisk references disturbing ;)
Yeah looking back should probably have mentioned it