Cab rides - showing the cab?

[Inversnecky]

It’s been great to see so many videos on YouTube of cab rides, showing the route, signalling, but I was wondering if there are any showing the cab controls (and their operation) too?

Are the controls typically not included because drivers assume viewers are interested primarily in the route? Or is there a policy against showing the controls (or for the privacy of the driver?).

I’ve only seen a few minutes of low res and grainy old VHS footage of drivers sat at the controls: it would be great to see more.

 

[XAM2175]

I suspect it's a mix of reasons - videos produced with official approval are more likely to be intended as route learning tools; drivers may not wish to have viewers figuratively looking over their shoulders; there may be multiple people in the cab (who may well have permission, but who will block the shot); technical limitations (even today) make it difficult to correctly expose both the interior of the cab and the view outside at the same time; and it's probably true that more viewers are more interested in the view rather than the specifics of operating the controls.

I can however offer this over-the-shoulder view from Germany, if it's of interest to you?

 

[py_megapixel]

I wonder if it's a liability issue - i.e. if somebody seized control of a train and attempted to drive it using what they'd seen in an online video, the video producer may be held liable for it.

Seems a bit far-fetched but it is the kind of thing that people have to guard against

 

[Fragezeichnen]

There are plenty of such videos originating from Germany and Czechia. Here's a playlist I made of some of them: R Rail Desk Views - YouTube. This channel has a large number of them Pohled z vlaku - YouTube : on some videos there is a sychronised compaion video showing the front view so you can watch both together.

Outside of the UK the use of electronics devices is much more relaxed, the use of mobile phones and tablets in the cab whilst driving is a everyday part of the job, and it seems to be tolerated too by many operators for drivers to do their own filming in the cab, so I guess there's a lot more choice. A few times I even saw videos in which the driver drove the train with one hand and held the camera with the other, which does seem to me to be pushing it a bit!

However, I would imagine most people do not want to be personally associated with what they film in case they later get into trouble over it. I did see one German YouTube video which consisted of pointing out serious errors, not obvious those not acquainted with railway operations made by drivers in Cab Ride Videos, e.g. moving up towards a signal after coming to halt, or exceeding the maximum permitted speed for a shunt movement.

 

[Inversnecky]

Thanks for the replies. I’ll have a look at the videos later. I’m a keen train sim user, and was curious to see how proper drivers handle the controls.

 

[XAM2175]

Here's a playlist I made of some of them: R Rail Desk Views - YouTube. This channel has a large number of them Pohled z vlaku - YouTube : on some videos there is a sychronised compaion video showing the front view so you can watch both together.

Oh excellent, thanks!