Piccadilly Line. Acton Town-Uxbridge. Drivers View with Commentary. London Underground 1973 stock 

The golden hour is a lovely time of day to film. Makes west of London look a pleasant place to live… almost.

24:19 That's the very reason I don't want driverless trains. Driving trains isn't only about doing a job. It's a passion as well. What kids would smile at a train that never whistles back when waving at it?

Watching from across a very big pond in south Brooklyn, New York USA. Your video is like Don Coffey, a train driver for TransPennine Express. By the way your voice is very relaxing and calming to listen to. Very odd to say but true.

Thanks for a very informative video. It is so frustrating to open one of the cab ride videos only to find that there is no commentary or even station identification. Your videos are full of interesting information and chat. No matter how superfluous some information may seem there will always be someone who will be interested - like myself. Also it is a treat to find someone who is proud of the job they do. Keep up the good work.

I used to live in South Harrow and the station has never changed. I moved away from London 37 years ago and now live on the South Coast in Brighton. I will be making a trip next month to meet up with an old school friend from my early days in London and he lives at Sudbury Hill. I'll come up by train to London Victoria then tube it from there on the District Line to Acton Town, change there onto the Piccadilly Line up towards Uxbridge. Looking forward to it

Great video , full of information and a cracking sunset . Roll on the next one 👍

Acton town to Uxbridge route + sunset/dusk video= I LOVE IT!!

I am loving it! Thank you!

I think it would make a lot of sense for the Royal Albert Hall foundations to be avoided and I think you are probably spot on right to make that assertion in your videos. I have published a Travelogue on London and the South East and have done a lot of writing on the Underground and other services. What you say about South Kensington etc does make quite a lot of sense. Well done by the way, keep up the good work with your videos.

Thanks so much for your fabulous video. I grew up in Ruislip and Eastcote so it was really cathartic. When you blew your whistle between Eastcote and Ruislip Manor, that was where I used to wave from.

Commuted Uxbridge - Earls Court for seven years. Interesting to see driver’s view with explanations. Thanks Dale!

Hello friend from the USA! I love the running commentary as I’m pretty much ignorant how things run in Britain. Hope you are doing well and best luck for you!

Hello from Houston, Texas, I love your videos, Mr. Dale and love the chitchat along the way, thank you for the wonderful videos. Keep up the good work.

I watch your videos all the way from Malta. I just love the way you channel your passion for this work. I've always wanted to be a train driver since I was a nipper. Alas, none of those here on our island. Cheers.

Fascinating videos. I am from Birmingham, I go to London frequently, driving to Uxbridge (M42, M40.) and usually get the Piccadilly into London. Excellent channel, really informative. The thing that sticks out for me is just how safety conscious the operators of the tube are.

I'm a lifelong. SH/RL retired resident and occasionally use this line. Grandfather remembered RL when it was a wooden halt and the service was steam driven i. e when it was all open fields, before the 1930s housing development took the place. Mother recounted tales of the line in the 1940s when so many workers from the then busy industrial estate used to get on the train at Park Royal that it was standing room only. Today, a lot of that light industry has gone and those that remain use a car to get to work. Also told that ma had to walk home after workn one evenng, during an air raid, from PR to TG, after the lne in Hammersmith was bornbed. Note the re-vamped Hillingdon Station following the A40 road re-routing 25 years ago. Recently, had to use the Piccadily line to travel RL to KC early in the morning i. e. Before 7:00. Train was all seating occupied by Acton Town and no room standing once it departed Hammersmith. As a l living-out uni student in the 1970s I used to travel daily RL to UX .

Loved it. I lived in North Harrow until I was 24 and can only ever remember going once from Rayners Lane to Park Royal and back. Never went to Uxbridge

Love this video as I catch the Met line from Hillingdon and sometimes the slower Piccadilly line. I agree, please do not risk your job. The rule of London is "Don't mess with TFL!"

Thanks for the tour! Absolutely love the commentary.

I am in agreement with you about not showing the viewes "How it's done"; there are various other videos on You tube which do show the actual driving but I think that was because it was this particular driver's very last day. But my thoughts are that none of the viewers should really try this at home. Driving a train of any kind is a serious business and you are right to want to preserve your job (and of course your home). Well done!!

The District ran up to Uxbridge till 1933 being taken over by the Piccadilly.

Very interesting and quite relaxing! It's amazing just how many signals you can see in some places. Lovely evening light. Compulsive viewing with a pot of tea.

Living the dream Dale. Hi from California.

Again, good commentary, nice scenery, informative info, safe journeys, and enjoy Australia.

Thank you for such an interesting video, I’ve certainly learned a lot. I’m a seasoned Piccadilly line traveler so thanks also for being part of the team that get me to work everyday 👍

What an amazing experience watching you explain the things I always wondered. Coming from the driver himself - couldn’t have experienced it any better than this. I hope it’s safe for you do so while still on your duty. Acton town and Uxbridge hold very special memories. It’s probably time they transformed these almost historic stations. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend 👍👍

Brilliant videos - can't wait for more. I've watched many, some with captions, some with just the driver talking in the background to someone else, but your commentary is very entertaining and enlightening 👍

Really like these videos so have joined as a member. I find them extremely interesting and informative as well as being well put together. The camera is very clear indeed. Thank you for putting the many hours in making the videos for us to see.

Great upload, I used to live in Rayners Lane and would watch the piccadilly line travelling from South Harrow to RL from my bedroom window. Grew up a bit further down the line near Acton Town as well so very familiar with the piccadilly line and all of these stations.

60 years ago I travelled daily from Hillingdon to Barons Court for school. This video has been a very pleasant nostalgic experience. Thanks.

Loving these videos, very interesting. Thank you.

I used to work in Ruislip from 1970 to 1972. I took the Met line from Harrow on the Hill to Ruislip for a year. I'm in Australia now. Thanks for the memories. Your commentary is very informative.

This is just great. I lived between eastcote and pinner so could walk to either branch. I used eastcote mainly, you can hear but not see the trains approaching you could know which train and direction it was after a while. So much nostalgia thanks dude

Thank you for the fascinating series.

excellent video mate, love the explanations as they are so informative

Very interesting and enjoyable video. I also like the commentary as there is a lot of interesting information. Thanks again and have subscribed!

Only just discovered your channel and i'm loving it . These cab views are absolutely fascinating , thank you for sharing them

What a lovely video with such a nice explanation, thank you Dale!

Thanks Dale. Another really enjoyable video. There’s something very relaxing and comforting about watching those rails gliding towards us and listening to your very relaxed conversational style.

Regarding the South Kensington bends, the line doesn’t run near the Albert Hall anyway, so that won’t be the reason. If you look at the TFL asset map online you can see that going westbound the line follows underneath Brompton Road for as far as is feasibly possible (to avoid having to appease landowners above) before having to veer off to hit the right point underneath South Ken. station, hence the sharpness of the turns required.

From Alperton to Wembley Stadium is just over 2 miles I used to date a girl who lived in Alperton & I worked in a warehouse on the stadium grounds & thanks for another great video Dale

Thank you, another great video. love the evening views. Can't wait for more.

I love the underground. I am always amazed by the sheer amount of electric cables along side the railway.

I've learned something today, thanks for explaining the four rails, now I know....

I used to live in Ealing and caught the tube from Ealing Common to Angel most days. The start of this video was very nostalgic!

You are a very good driver

A very interesting trip with an excellent commentary as always. The Ealing and South Harrow line was originally part of the District Railway. It was the first part to be electrified, apart from a trial run from Earls Court to High Street, Kensington. There was a small two-road depot somewhere near Park Royal, I think, and two District Railway 'A' stock trains ran the service.

I noticed a number of surface platforms have the ends fenced off. Presumably when you get the longer trains they can just move the fences. (And the video, mirror and train stop position) I was pleasantly surprised as to how good the simple mirror is for seeing along the train. It's a really effective low-tech solution.

Another great informative video, many thanks Dale.

Hello Dale, ive travelled the Underground many times on our family trips up to London from Liverpool. Your videos are a fantastic insight into what its like to be in your seat. Keep up the great work!

Well that was so cool. The stations looked great with all the lights on. Very enjoyable. All the best.

Dale lovely video and love your commentary and thank you ❤

Excellent video. Thank you so interesting to see how the underground works after travelling on it hundreds of times as I was born in North London and lived there for 19 years.I would have absolutely loved to have been a train driver unfortunately I am colour blind so that prevented me from doing so. Also what a fantastic piece of engineering the underground system is

Good morning! New subscriber here, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this series of videos on your day to day on the Pic, very informative with some interesting views. In regards to the bends east of South Ken., it would be a combination of reasons. Yes, the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway, which is what became the modern day Piccadilly line, was formed as an amalgamation of two other railways, the Great Northern & Strand, and the Brompton and Piccadilly Circus railways. However, it must be noted that the new route authorised to connect the two railways was from what was originally going to be called Cranbourn Street (now Leicester Square) to a redesigned Holborn with the branch to Strand, which was later renamed Aldwych. This new route is of course not in South Kensington, so can be discarded. One of the more likely reasons the reverse curves were put in was to keep the railway alignment on public land through the more expensive parts of town since, much in the same manner as the US's Air Rights, property owners in the UK have rights to the ground beneath their property and would be entitled to compensation for the railway to cut a tunnel beneath their foundations, and more so if the railway damaged them. Therefore to reduce costs, surveyors would have planned a route directly beneath public spaces and thoroughfares as they had no such compensation entitlement. This can be observed with a georeferenced route map of the Pic as it swings northeast out of South Kensington, roughly following Alexandra Place before running directly beneath Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, Long Acre, Great Queen Street, Kingsway and Southampton Row before breaking off to run into Kings Cross. It is also worth noting that utility services like gas, water, sewage and electricity would have also have been avoided or diverted during the construction of stations and shallower tunnels, which would also have played a part in its alignment, though not nearly as much as on the subsurface railways like the District and Met. I hope that puts that matter to rest. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing your next adventure. Cheers from Bristol.

This is very enjoyable Dale. A wonderful way for a Canadian to get a grip on London. (I'm in London, Ontario, Canada) I had no idea how big the Tube really is!. Just pulled up a map to see your stations. (Whoa - as big as Tokyo) You have a great voice and are a natural calm presence. Dang but I love trains of all kinds. Thank you.

Thanks Dale, I enjoy your videos with your commentary. A quick question for you if you don't mind - How do you judge your slowing down / stopping distance etc considering speed, track conditions and the like. I'm sure it's easy to overshoot slightly or stop short a bit. Thanks Dale.

My understanding of the winding tunnelled routes was that when the lines were bored, the companies were liable for compensation to property owners for any settlement / vibration experienced by the buildings above, so it was safer to closely follow the roads. The Central London Railway still fell foul of this as they used heavy locomotives with frame-mounted motors and you could feel the buildings shake each time a train passed by due to the unsprung mass - they were quickly replaced with electric units

travelled on this line many many times over 60 years, retired and in Devon now but still pop back occasionally.

I have once been on an Uxbridge train which decided to go down the hill to Ealing Broadway after Ealing Common. Luckily for me, I wanted North Ealing, no big deal, but it was disconcerting for the other passengers. Thanks for this bird's eye view.

I Really enjoy watching your uploads, Very imformative 😊

Very interesting. Looking forward to my next London trip 🇧🇻.

I found the video very interesting the first time too Uxbridge.

Thanks, I'd never seen Uxbridge station before like that. One day soon I'll see it as a passenger I hope.

Great commentary and an informative video, thanks! Keep posting, subscribed!

Really good Video. Really inspiring. It is also interesting and educational. One day, I hope to become a driver on the Northern Line. Though, I still got work to do. Keep up the brilliant work with the videos, don't stop. (Nice how you also got a passion for the job as well!)🎉🎉🎉🎉

Great videos! I love the commentary! It's always so interesting to see "behind the scenes" I would love to see you operate the controls, can hear a lot of clunks and sort :) Or maybe explain them. Cheers from Sweden 😊

Thank you Dale, another top class video, quality graphics and excellent commentary I hope you keep posting them.

I am i train operator out of Washington dc its cool how each system is different

Thank you Dale for another interesting video👍

Once again loved the journey and I always wondered how a stop at the end of line crosses back to come the other way.

Hello from a wet Washington state! Another fine video, very relaxing. Thank you for making these.

Sub-surface LUL trains are allowed to run on the section of the Piccadilly Line between North Ealing, Alperton, Sudbury Town and Rayners Lane as the line was originally built by the District Railway in the early 1900s with a crossover at South Harrow, so all the road bridges and footbridges which cross over the Piccadilly Line at this section have clearance for sub-surface stock trains to pass under safely.

Amazing Video Mr Charman

Much appreciated Thank you for your efforts. Looking forward to some more, as possible.

Very clear video and your comments are great, thank you

Again a great Video. Do you only oppetate the piccadilly line? I would love to See some other lines to. But great Video and best comments!! Please Keeper up with this🙂🙂

Thank you, your explanations are very good, really enjoyed your video to Uxbridge. May I suggest you pause, after you have named an interesting point, gives us the aged time to to listen properly. Once again thank you

Another great video

Great video's, brings back all the memories of when I lived down there(Greenford-Central Line!) Keep up the good work, nice Merc. by the way !

This is my second time on your channel loving it

i dont see any issues as long as your not showing anything security related I dont see a issue speak with your train management team and also I would like to see same depot movements great video

Hi Dale from Australia 😊

Another great video Dale. Interesting how and where the Met shares the Pic with the same line. Please keep the commentary going with all these snippets of information!

An interesting event happened on this section of the Piccadilly Line in 2001/2002 when a train of Metropolitan Line A60 stock ran along this section by pure accident late one evening on an empty stock movement from the former East London Line to Neasden Depot. Normally the former empty stock movements from the East London Line up to Neasden travelled via Aldgate East and then onto the Metropolitan Line through Liverpool Street, King's Cross St Pancras, Euston Square and then from Baker Street up to Finchley Road and into Neasden Depot that way. However one driver of A60 stock accepted the wrong signal at Aldgate East Junction so he instead had to drive his train of A60 stock westwards along the District Line through the likes of Tower Hill, Embankment, Victoria, Earl's Court, Hammersmith and Acton Town. Then the train of A60 stock had to go onto the Piccadilly Line through Ealing Common, Alperton, Sudbury Hill and South Harrow before reaching 'home turf' at Rayners Lane. From Rayners Lane the A60 stock reversed onto the Metropolitan Line eastwards towards Harrow-on-the-Hill and Wembley Park before eventually reaching Neasden Depot.

Brilliant Dale, been up this branch many times with my old mate Darrel Clark

Another great video👍

Again, so enjoyable and informative. Impressive the amount of infrastructure, ie track, signalling, cables, safety, all kinds of signs etc. Those signals are at really short disctances. I assume to be able to run as many as possible.

I'm not a train nerd and don't live in London, but I really like these videos! A couple of things I've noticed, the positive power rail is always furthest rail from the station platform and swaps sides just before the platform. Secondly the signals don't seem as confusing as I first thought, lol As a suggestion, I know it means more work in the edit, but a little graphic in the corner showing the section of tube map your travelling, would be very useful to people who don't know the line. Thank you.

Love the video I’ve watched the others used to use the Piccadilly line quite a bit to get to Hammersmith from Kings Cross I’m jealous You can look at the plans as you’re driving sounds like my dream job keep up the great work

Another excellent and informative video, looking forward to more.

Great ambassador for TfL. Love your videos 🙂

Amazing videos - I've always loved the Tube and have lived on the Pic my whole life, so seeing stuff like this is amazing! I've always been interested in being a driver, but never went down that route. I work as a roller coaster operator, which surprisingly perhaps has a fair number of similarities; a lot of focus on pre-dispatch (or pre-departure) safety checks, a lot of concentration and potentially a lot to handle when things go wrong! Maybe I should aim for a job switch 😭

As to the reason for bendy tunnels, it is basically because the old tube tunnels were following the line of the roads above. If they went off the road alignment and under private land, there could have been liability issues if they happened to cause any subsidence or damage to buildings above. So in order to be safe, they stayed under the roads where the financial risk was lower. Newer lines like the Victoria and Jubilee felt no such constraints, and so you can hear the rumbling of passing trains inside any buildings that they happen to pass below.

Hi mate I am from Southgate but now levering in N lreland it was great to see am old home again I remember the ,1959/60 shock on the Piccadilly line and the 1973 shock coming in to service I am looking forward to seeing the new trains in service mate

I found you channel yesterday, and about to binge watch :) I wish the sound were a bit louder. Greetings from windy Aberdeen, SCO

I love the tube but just out of interest, do you need TFL approval before filming a video as I would've thought it could potentially cause a distraction

just found your channel recently, great videos and nice with the comments from you where you explain things :)

I also remember once when there was engineering work, on the district line They ran a shuttle service (I think it was a shuttle service) between Acton town and Ealing Broadway on the Piccadilly line, but they only did this once never again. But I definitely remember taking a Piccadilly line to Ealing Broadway it was so weird seeing a piccadilly line train train at Ealing Broadway

Hello from south africa, Great cabride videos Dale! in the 1980s i used to work for south african railways. Love Your vids, i do like British trains, i used to buy British railway magazines, now you dont find them here anymore lol.

With well maintained track the 73s ride is very good for a tube train I noticed this between Park Royal and Alperton after they laid CWR in the trailer car very smooth ,do sub service operators get more per hour 😂,great video your a good 😊😊ambassador for the tube mate All the best Mark