I don’t know what it is about your videos, but I always end up falling asleep . Whether it’s the sound of the train or just your voice, I become so relaxed that I can’t stay awake. Take that as a compliment, not an insult.
Thanks, Dale for these video's strangely relaxing to watch. Having found out about your daily commute, it would be interesting to see a journey to work.If anyone else is interested of course.
Dale, I really enjoyed this video, thank you! It brought back many happy memories of visiting those western stations though I was through late at night.
thanks so much for posting this, it's soooo nice to watch and get to know the route as well. Wish the driver from my city would do that!! 😂 Hello from Montréal! 🎉
Thanks for sharing your videos with us and I did enjoy you show me driving the trains and and specially when went first class on a plane that was exciting because I never been in the first class and it looks amazing so thank you show me that 😊
Another very interesting and enjoyable video, thanks for keeping it up. The tube has always fascinated me and having lived on the Isle of Wight my whole life, the tube has extra appeal to me where we have a long history of using ex LUL stock on our railway. Having been a bus driver for years prior to my current employment on the railway, I found it a bit alien that you were able to knowingly run early! I appreciate it is down to your control room to deal with regulating the service and clearly you did your bit by making them aware. It didn’t work, but you tried! As a signaller now, my heart sank when you said that the signal at Arnos Grove was put back in front of you.. I know you weren’t about to make any further movements, but still not the point! It’s drummed in at signalling school that you don’t ‘put back’ without confirming first with the driver, except in an emergency.
If I was a train driver I don't think I would be able to resist belting out the chorus to Billy Ocean's Red Light Spells Danger' every time I encountered a red signal.....but that's just me! 🤣
@2:10 Signal A386 on the Heathrow loop is the last "pop-up" in use on the "main line" (of all the tube line). Basically they were put in a locations where there was a very long sight distance and the signal was expected to clear long before the train got their even at full track speed. Rational for existence is the belief that drivers when presented with a red signal at distance in these cases would unnecessarily start slowing to lengthen the time before they reached the signal and have to come to a stop, where it would still have cleared long before the reached it. As for the name, "pop-up" probably worked better in the early 1940's UK than "approach lit" which is used other places.
I think I've found out why I'm addicted to your videos - because you're as daft as me🤣🤣 I spend all day driving up and down the country, and do exactly the same things that you do - commenting on people to myself, singing a single part of a song that's then stuck in my mind for hours, ooo ing and ahh ing as you go - you name it🤣🤣 Edit - just got to end of the video, mate you crack me up, absolutely hilarious seeing the faces you're making🎉🤣
Another extremely enjoyable and informative video, giving us a view of the sometimes-unpredictable nature of railway operations. Thank you for taking us along in the cab with you once again - watching it was a very enjoyable way to spend time with a cup of coffee (but, sadly, I was also without any chocolate Hobnobs or Bourbon biscuits!) So, Dale, the “pop-up” signal that you mention between Heathrow T4 and T123 is also referred to as an Approach Lit signal (certainly when I was a licenced signalling designer with LU), albeit just the red aspect that’s affected by that function in this instance. I recall that it is featured in this location as the approach to the signal is a long, straight section of tunnel - and that would mean that Train Operators would be able to see the red aspect a long way before the calculated Sighting Point for the signal and may be inclined to ‘back-off’ the power and slow the train rather earlier than is ideal, thereby potentially affecting the service. It’s not designed to catch anyone out as it does illuminate when a train is still sufficiently in rear of the signal for Train Operators to react normally to a red aspect. Of course, the service frequency nowadays (i.e. since the line to T5 opened in 2008) is rather lower than it was at the time that the signalling in this particular area was introduced, so whilst this signal may not be one that Train Operators encounter at Danger very often, the approach-lit (pop-up) feature is one that should continue to serve its purpose in the event that trains run along this section more frequently for any reason - for example, late running or other forms of service disruption. Anyway, I’m looking forward to whatever your next video brings us - I know it’ll be good! Thanks again for another enjoyable instalment.
Hi dale thx for the shoutout Tattoo Joe, love the videos watch em all very interesting so much more to your job keep up the good work stay safe keep them wheels a rolling 😁
I very recently travelled the Heathrow Loop the other week on the heritage 1938 stock train, running out from and back to Northfields local platforms. I was in the seat right next to the open passenger/cab door, so I had a really good view into the cab. It was a great insight and trip, like your videos!
Loved part 2 of the video Dale. Watched it a few days ago but forgot to comment. Regarding haunted London Underground, I'm sure over the years I've read that Covent Garden, Holborn (or British Museum?), Bank and Aldwych are supposedly haunted.
Hi Dale, don't know if you were driving today but the service went up the creek this afternoon and nothing was going east beyond King's Cross. Which meant I got to bash the crossover back towards Russell Square, very nice!
I have just finished. They did call me up and say we might have relief at Wood Green so you may have to reverse at King’s Cross and stable at Northfields. Glad I didn’t have to in the end
@@dalecharmantravels8057 Thanks for your reply Dale. It was a bit chaotic at King's Cross with Platform 6 packed and no stepping back for the drivers- they had to fight their way through the crowds on the platform if they'd brought a double ender in. Also a strange thing occurred while I was there- a train was ready to head back west but instead started to head into the tunnel towards Cally Road only to stop about a car's length in. They had to evacuate the passengers from the leading car to the second car and when it did eventually head off to Russell Square the now last car was left empty. Odd.
Dale I am an Ex Pat living in Las Vegas, USA and grew up in England until I was 21 and am now 56. I am a HUGE train fan and always loved the London Underground. It’s amazing how far behind we are in USA compared to Europe with trains. I have a few questions for you. 1. How many hours do you work a day and how many days a week. 2. What’s the maximum hours you are allowed to work? 3. How do you take a break for bathrooms, lunch, dinner etc? 4. What do you do if you are sick during shift - like a major headache that would effect safety? 5. What’s you favorite thing about the job and least favorite? 6. Have you used US subways in Chicago L train or New York - what did you think and how did they compare? Love your videos, stay safe and keep doing them. Great stuff.
I used the Caledonian bottom-tier room (those rooms don't have en-suite facilities unlike the Club rooms) on a trip to Edinburgh and back last year; it was great, and I had very restful sleeps in each direction. I don't know if it really made sense as I live in Cardiff, but partly I wanted to experience a sleeper, and partly I equated it with saving hotel costs for a couple of nights which probably would have been more expensive actually as a festival was on in Edinburgh at the time. I hope you enjoy it!
Interesting fact. T1 at Heathrow is still there and the building is fully maintained but not open to the public. The baggage system for the whole central area is run out of T1.
The Piccadilly line is the best tube line in London by far and the content that u do is amazing and I would like to know how I would get to be a tube driver in London many thanks and keep up the good driving
Most people become a train operator after joking the company in some other roles like station staff. They advertise the roles internally more than externally
Dale, did you hear about the man who trained his dog to play a trumpet on the London Underground? He went from Barking to Tooting in just over an hour!
IMHO the Surface Stock Detectors should still be used as a failsafe even when the new stock eventually works in automatic mode. Software can never be fault free, but rather fault tolerant, and in such situations, it is far better to have some kind of failsafe.
Have you ever had to do an emergency stop at Brompton Road, Down Street, or York Road with them still having emergency access? I became interested in the disused stations when Billy Connolly visted Down Steet on his tour of the UK series in the late 1990s.
@@dalecharmantravels8057- You would be great but saying that we have seen you in ‘grumpy’ mode (passengers throwing themselves at doors) so deep breaths when trainee messes up 😂
There was a rather interesting programme. 'Ghosts of the London Underground'. Unsurprising considering that the cutting of the tunnels may have disturbed burial grounds and there have been tragedies at stations. Particularly crushes at those used as Tube Shelters in WW2. A track- worker killed at South Island Place whom an inspector had a conversation with because he wondered why the man had an old-fashioned 'Tilley' paraffin pressure-lantern.
"It's the living you got to worry about,"😅 Talking of which, have you encountered any trespassers in the tunnels or sidings? Now, THAT would put the sh#ts up me!
I am sure I read somewhere that as built the evacuation shafts were also intended as two possible locations for the Terminal 5 station as well, although that never happened of course.
I did read recently that the T4 loop and the straight section is so long because they was going to add T5 station there. I think that would have been separate from the evacuation shafts
@@dalecharmantravels8057 As a layman that would make sense too. The Piccadilly is an interesting line, especially in terms of the closed (and potentially re-openable) stations, though pigs will fly before Aldwych would.
Loving the video's. Not living in the Big Smoke, therefore not being a regular tube traveller I have a question. Could you explain the difference in the tile colours over the arches of the pipe at the various stations? 🤔.
So when some of the older stations were built people couldn’t read so they used different coloured tiles and patterns at different stations so people could identify the station
Morning old chap. Thank you again for another quick upload for all of us to see. When you get your new trains, standing up to cure a ‘numb bum’ might not be an option, because of the placement of the TBC, until the Picc goes full ATO then you can move around the cab freely, keeping an eye on the road of course as you’re doing so. Also your knowledge of signal placement on the line is second to none, but when ATO arrives, whenever that is, if it’ll be anything like the Northern, where the train is in essence a rolling signal, you might have no signals at all, apart from depot moves, so it’ll be weird for you guys at first, total darkness lol. Anyways, take care, looking forward to seeing you when you’re fully trained up on the new ones.
Gotta love warning the higher ups of an impending issue with plenty of time to sort it out, only for nothing to be organised and the issue happening exactly as you warned them.....
16:59 Hi Dale, is there a reason that Hounslow East platform edges are illuminated when other non tube platforms are not? I noted that they’re lit even in daylight. Thanks for another great video! Regards, Neil.
Congrats. As for the weekend it all depends what depot and roster you are on. Some may be an average of every other weekend others may be more. I think on my roster I get 2 4 day weekends 2 3 weekends and I think it’s 2 2 day weekends in every 19 weeks
Sorry Dale, another question has sprang into my mind. When you're not in the tunnels and out in the countryside, do you find dead rabbits and foxes and the like that have got onto the live rails and electrocuted themselves?
Hi Dale, when running very early in time, couldn’t you just run slightly slower to use up some of the extra time ? You could maybe design a board game about the tube, with hazards and strategies. Lol 😃
You could but don’t forget just because I Amy be running early the trains behind may be on time or late. So it can have a knock in effect. If they wanted me to hold at a station to loose some time they would call and tell me to stay at a station for additional time
I am sure you have been asked this loads of times,but I am new to your channel so bear with me. How do your eyes react when you go from the darkness of a tunnel to the glare of a station.
just for a laugh, did you see the mouse come out on the bottom right by the tunnel entrance at 51:30ish. Just on the end of the platform by the control boxes.. little bugger....
Hi Dale first off cracking video as per usual. Couple of questions about the new stock anticipated, 1 are you aware if your cab space is larger and more comfortable? 2 im presuming that the new trains will be more comfortable in general, do you expect speed limit changes due the new stock or removal of some temp speed limits? 3 i only have fig rolls or shortcake which would you prefer
I will take a fig roll for a change please. As for the new train I believe the cab will have more space. As for comfort we will have to see. I don’t know about speed limits. I know the train will be able to go faster but unsure if the track and signals could cope with higher speeds
I've noticed quite a few notices to drivers about SPAD hotspots. Do you have any statistics about how often that happens in general or in any particular location?
