Notice how certain things are painted in red. This is because the Waterloo & City line used to be part of British Rail, and was operated by Network SouthEast, who painted all their stations in red.
I wish there was an American guy (or anyone, really) who made amazing videos like these for the Subway in NYC. I've visited London a couple of times, and I've traveled the lines plenty while I was there, but it's not quite the same thing as learning something cool you never knew about a thing you use everyday back home and often take for granted. Brilliant series!
I have loved watching the whole series. Thank you so much. You should be given a TV series. I lived in London for 25 years and never been knew most of what you have shown 10/10!
Waterloo and City did/does have some other secrets. 1) Before the EuroStar platforms were put in at Waterloo the carriages used to be lowered down via a water lift. 2) I believe it is still the only line to have it own signalling controlled by a lever frame box at the end of the Waterloo platform.
You'll have to take this project global now, Geoff. Secrets of the Metro/Subway etc. in Paris, New York .. etc etc ... The world is your oyster (card). Thanks for a brilliant series.
Berlin's BVG as well. There were even some underpants sold, with really provocative station names written on it; all in German though. I think that was in 2004...
Many thanks, Mr. Marshall. Pausing by the red arch a few days ago was a real pleasure. Credit to the Underground for installing a plaque for those who do not have to hurry by.
+Londonist Ltd tell Geoff I'll chew him out if he still tells lies. Ground him for a week until I can get to London on the Geoff and Plonker line and change for a central to Ealing Broadway. Kisses, Olli
That crane isn't used for lifting the stock in and out; it's far too small, a large road crane is used. The fixed crane is used for lifting small items, such as the guide wheels fixed to each end of the vehicles when they're being lifted in and out.
Some of your commentators have already pointed out that the W&C used to be part of British Rail. In fact it was built by the Southern Railway and before the current trains (which were built as part of the order of the 1992 Central Line trains), it was operated by Bulleid designed tube stock, with weird almost oval, small windows. They were pretty ancient as well, dating from 1940. In fact this line is far older than that, opening in 1898 (and with a previous generation of trains) and therefore one of the oldest lines on the network. The 1992 trains were also delivered in Network South-East livery. The Wikipedia entry for this line is worth a look, and reveals that one of the 1940 Bulleid trains is in the London Transport Museum depot in Acton, which has open days from time to time.
little tibits in comparison of Waterloo & City line with it's cousin in New York, the 42nd Street Shuttle (or as the transit authority calls it on their internal paperwork, the Zero Train. there are three "shuttle lines, and each has an internal name that matches the number/letter system the other lines use, publicly all three are "S"). Both connect a major rail terminal (Waterloo and Grand Central Terminal) to one of their network's largest hubs (Bank/Monument and Times Square) Both are by far the shortest lines on their network. Both run with abnormal train lengths. W&C four, Shuttle ranges from three to five depending on the track. Both do run much less than the rest of their network. W&C no sunday or holidays, Shuttle does not operate overnight and is the only Subway line that actually closes. (during these times, passengers can take the parallel #7) Both are direct one stop rides that pass by stations other lines stop at. W&C runs past the Dristict and Circle lines at Blackfriars and Mansion House while a wall literally separates the Shuttle from the station at 6th ave and 42nd where the B,D,F and M stop and the connected 5th avenue stop on the 7) Both are often used to portray other sections of the system in TV and movies. For the record, the differences being the shuttle is a repurposed section of disconnected track of the original 1904 "Day One" subway line. It was disconnected in 1918 during the switch over to what is known as the "H" system, two main trunk lines on each side of Manhattan with the shuttle crossing between them. It is still connected by track to other line sections, so it does not need it's own storage and maintenance facility. The shuttle is shorter and takes officially 1 minute to run end to end. It uses three tracks and each track operates independently of the other two.
I've noticed that the Waterloo & City Line's trains still retain their original armrests between the seats, despite two changes of moquette since they were introduced. Their counterparts on the Central Line lost their armrests very early on, as they used to break off easily apparently!!
Saw the Greathead shield (Gratehead?) yesterday --- my grandson pointed it out HAVING SEEN THIS VIDEO !!! He also told me the bit about 1000s of people walking by and not knowing what it is, and the bit about the W&C being the only line that is totally underground (even the depot), and, and .... Thanks Geoff - sterling work.
I'm living far far away from London, in fact in Austria ( not Australia!). But I enjoyed this video series as much as I think all the commuters of the Tube did. Hope to see all this things in real some day. Best regards from Austria, keep up this funny and intersting videos about London. :)
You missed the best fact about the Waterloo and City line. It will be in most movies the Tube is featured in, because they can film there on weekends. The W&C Line stood in for the Circle line on Skyfall for example. Which is funny because circle line trains look different.
I was hoping for some facts as to why build a tube line of 2 stations? etc :) Went on this line for the first time today, changing my route to Moorfields, hey at least there was no chance of me missing my stop! :) Saw the red head shield and remembered it from your video, thank you x
So that's great. I've sat through all those videos, learning facts that were really interesting- and only now at the end of the series has he told us that many of them weren't true. Nice one.
One major problem... The crane in Lower Marsh can not lift the W&C cars it doesn't have the lifting capacity, it is used to lift maintenance materials in and out of the depot. When the cars where removed & returned they used a very large road crane parked in Lower Marsh, and the cars only just fitted into the hole.
Martin Tyler The LSWR did build a lift on the Western side of the station, it survived up until some one built a temporary international station on the sight of the top of the lift.
Oh I see it was the other side of Waterloo I presumed it was where the existing depot is. "temp international station" like that. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Martin Tyler It disappeared when Waterloo Station had to be adapted for the Eurostar trains. They terminated in Waterloo for some time, now they terminate in St. Pancras.
I have a secret for the Waterloo and City; In the 1950s they built a large network of deep level cable tunnels to protect London's telephone lines from a nuclear attack. A part of the Waterloo and City line tunnel is used to take the cables underneath the River Thames.
Glitch, not quite. The tunnel with the cables is the Old South London and City Tunnel from King William Street under to London Bridge (replaced when it was extended beyond Kennington and the tunnels needed widening for new trains. Deep Level Tubes were built pre-WW2 between Roughly Camden Town and Clapham South to normal Railway Loading Guage - but never used for rail - they should be used to accomodate HS2 to Brighton Extension. In the 1950s more tunnels and underground exchanges for the Government Telephone Network were constructed - around the High Holborn Tram Tunnel Area and Chancery Lane above the Central Line in Particular linking into the BT Tower Transmitter - one reason why GPO engineers had to sign the official secrets act.
Oh man, you got me with the caption thing! I didn't watch this video until the end because I clicked on a previos video before to check the captions and I didn't get the clue. Now I have watched this video until the end and I have noticed that there is no clue! Shame on you!*gg* I like your videos! Btw.: Did say something about the "Baker Street"-Station? Berhaps I missed it but I'm not able to remember anything!
You can add the fact that Waterloo and City line was before a part of British Rail, and that the 1992 Stock trains on the W&C had originally blue doors and Netweork South East logo ;)
You can add the fact that Waterloo and City line was before a part of British Rail, and that the 1992 Stock trains on the W&C had originally blue doors and Netweork South East logo ;) -imaginox9 I was surprised to see a Network Southeast livery on a 1992 stock tube train. I thought the image was edited. I was wrong. It surprised me at first.
The reason the numbers for the W&S are so high is cos it was owned and run by BR for many decades so the surface numbering merely continued in the tunnels. Waterloo also had a track over the concourse for many years, the bridge carrying the spur from the Charring Cross branch still visible - you should do "Secrets of the Teminii"
Just four carriages. If my home of Carlisle got four car trains it would be a blessing. We usually get one or two car trains except for the intercity. But nobody really uses them.
That crane on Lower Marsh which lifts out the Waterloo & City Line cars from the depot beneath out into the open air only came into being around 1993 as originally on the former western part of Waterloo station on the 'Windsor lines' side was a lift (called the Armstrong lift) which was where the Waterloo & City Line cars were taken out as the lift was connected with the sidings which were part of the LSWR main line. The Armstrong lift was taken out of use when the former Waterloo International station was built in 1992 but apparently the lift is still there but encased in concrete beneath the site of Waterloo International station. The 'new' crane off Lower Marsh came into its own in the spring of 1993 when the old Southern Railway and BR class 487 EMUs dating from 1940 were replaced by the new fleet of class 482/1992 stock which still runs on the Waterloo & City Line to this day.
A brilliant series! Apparently back in the 1980s (when under BR), there were plans to add an intermediate station at Blackfriars, but nothing ever came to it. There were also plans to merge the line with the Moorgate to Finsbury Park branch, but that never came to anything. Due to the fact, that new platforms would have to be built at Bank. Plus I also heard plans for the line to be merged with the DLR quite a while ago. But yet again, nothing came to anything, due to again the Waterloo and City platforms at Bank (and possibly the DLR's).
The Waterloo and City Line is nicknamed 'The Drain'. I understood the stock is smaller than other tube lines as it has smaller bore tunnels. Also the coaches are shorter to negotiate the bends. It was also not part of the London Transport tube network as such because it was owned by British Rail. Another interesting fact is that unlike all other UK railways, the Drain had a strict queuing system set by markings on the platform surface. Finalamento, It's a whole lot faster than the 76 bus.
The rolling stock used is the same as used on the Central Line, and is driver by Central Line drivers who sign on a the depot in Leytonstone. In effect it's a branchline of the Central ... If TfL ever ran out of colours, they could colour this branch red, and re-use the W&C colour ...
Another great fact is that it was run by National Rail (or Network SouthEast as that part of it was at the time) until only a couple of decades age. Okay, that's not that great of a fact, but the interesting part is that you can still see the Network SouthEast branding on the platform edges.
There's a documentary about the Waterloo and City Line where they show cranes replacing tube train cars. I saw it once on TV a few years ago, but I can't find it anywhere now. Anyone have more info?
Imagine if you use the W&C line everyday and it was closed for maintenance you'd have to take the bus which would probably take longer, or take an alternate route through Embankment on the Bakerloo and Circle/District.
You also said , on the Heathrow express video , that the line wich connects terminal 5 and terminal 4 was the only line in London using two drivers for two stations , but the Waterloo&City line also uses two drivers for only two stations during peak hour !
The 42nd St Shuttle in NYC is pretty much identical, as it connects two major stations. Also, like the Waterloo and City Line which is the only line with 4-car trains, the 42nd St Shuttle is the only line with 6-car trains. However, unlike the Waterloo and City Line, the 42nd St Shuttle runs every day except late nights. This is because it’s not crowded during those times and there’s an alternate service which is the 7 and it runs parallel. The reason the shuttle still exists despite the 7 connecting both stops is because Times Square and Grand Central are the first and second busiest stations, respectively and many people want to travel between them. The 7 is much deeper and harder to access. Also, there’s an extra stop, that being 5th Ave on the way, thus making journeys with the 7 longer. The Shuttle only connects both stations together and it helps ease congestion on the 7. However, the Waterloo and City Line apparently has way too few riders because there’s no alternative to quickly travel between Waterloo and Bank and yet, it doesn’t run on weekends.
I'm a bit confused by one thing: it says that the tunelling shield was uncovered in 1987 when the city extension for the DLR was being built. But I've read in lots of other places that the city extension for the DLR only went ahead after it turned out that Tower Gateway station, which didn't open until 31st August 1987 with the rest of the original DLR stations, wasn't convenient enough for commuters, and they decided that an extension from the DLR to Bank would be necessary. If that's true, they wouldn't have started building the city extension until after 1987. So that story must be incorrect and they must have had plans to build the city extension for the DLR even before Tower Gateway and the DLR opened. Am I right? If so, all the reports about Tower Gateway turning out to be not fit for purpose after it opened can't be correct.
The DLR opened at the end of July 1987 but even before it opened it was realised that usage would be different & much heavier from planned so the Bank and Beckton extensions were already being planned. Here's a question in Parliament about them from before the opening: api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1987/may/06/docklands-light-railway#S6CV0115P0_19870506_CWA_30
A Cool Fact: At Bank station, London Underground allow the drivers to park their Waterloo and city line trains on one of the platforms, especially during the off peak quiet times, or sometimes if their is a technical fault, they can shut down the train and leave it on the platform for half an hour, then reboot. I bet during the coronavirus lockdown, Bank Waterloo and city line station will be full of parked trains
One thing that seems to have been missed (in the comments as well - or, at least, as far as I got!), is that the W&C is built to a smaller loading gauge (because it has smaller tunnels than the tube) - so the carriages are smaller. So it cannot (for instance) use ex-tube stock, and extending it , or linking it to other lines , would be even more difficult. For those asking why it was built and why it was never extended, this is a clue to the answer. It was built entirely to get Waterloo passengers to the City, it was never intended to be part of the Tube, or connect to it, or anything, so the builders paid no attention to what else was going on at the time, they just built their line to meet their own needs. It is also (or was - I haven't been on the new trains) - by far the noisiest of all the underground lines!
The trains it uses are identical in design to those used on the Central line, there's even some old footage out there of them testing on the Central Line in the 90s
I was on the Waterloo platform of the Waterloo and City this afternoon, and I looked up and saw a walkway, I couldn't remember if you had said anything about it, and you hadn't.
Lies! I'm aghast. Next, up will be down, cats will be dogs, Arsenal will be Spurs. (Actually, I'm not aghast, brilliant video. Also, is the fact that the W&C was used as the District line in "Sliding Doors" a secret? The blue-doored trains are something of a give-away.)
You lied to me, I can never trust you again :P Seriously though, loved these videos. I think they should build more lines just so you can do another series
You forgot, there's still signs, if you look carefully in the correct tunnel, of where the Armstrong train lift was, what was used for transporting rolling stock from a track on the surface to the W & C, until the early 90's when it had to be removed to build the Eurostar terminal. This hoist could only take one car at a time. There was a smaller lift at the depot for boiler fuel wagons.
Used to be known as "The Drain", was owned and run by British Rail and the tunnel was smaller than those on the LU and hence smaller trains were used. Has the old platform queuing system ended?
1:29 I can't take the concept of Chalfont seriously, ever since I discovered a Little Chalfont, which presumably needs its own little comfy cushion. 3:03 Per comments below: I missed that, but yeah, it's there and it's sneaky and you heard correctly.
"The caption thing by the way is a lie" I just went through two videos trying to get one to work! Then when I was looking though this video and herd that its >.
Geoff, which Signal Box controls the Waterloo & City Line? The signal posts have WK on them, and they look like National Rail signal posts (ie with the signal box code) - white lettering and black background. You can see one very clearly at Waterloo, and if you look out the right hand side in direction of travel, you can spot the one protecting the scissors at Bank. Just wondered if you might know! Thank you!
