The Problem of Merton Park 

19th Century Railway Political Drama: (exists) Jago the Journalist: “Please, tell me more.”

So how did William Shears get by? With a little help from his friends, I should imagine...

The Problem of Merton Park - kind of expecting Poirot to put in an appearance...

To quote a line form the Merton Parkas - "A man ain't a man with a ticket in his hand - you need wheels!" Sums up much of the 1980's thinking on public transport.

A tram stop and abandoned station in one episode! You do spoil us young Hazzard.🤣

As a boy in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s I lived in the houses next to the Merton Park level crossing It had four gates, two on each side The man in the signal box turned a huge wheel ( similar to a ship’s wheel) to open and close them No lifting barriers back then! These were wooden strong gates with a red disc in the centre of each The footbridge you mentioned was what we used to cross the railway when the gates were closed As a child I used that bridge countless times Either to get a hair cut at the traditional barbers 💈 where I sat on plank across the arms of the barbers chair or to walk into Wimbledon I also walked across the abandoned platforms to get a train to London The footbridge, all nicely painted is now at Corfe station and I’ve walked across it again with my children

Billy Shears. Well played Mr Hazard, Well played. I did indeed enjoy the show/video.

And just as I was getting ready to complain that the Merton Parkas didn't get a mention, you went and dropped it in right at the last knockings! Such a tease. 😊

I'm very impressed that you managed to make an entertaining and interesting 15 and a half minute long video (and make enough B-roll footage) about a tram stop. Next level Jago!

Great to hear the verb 'filch' being used. An under appreciated word.

Merton park was only ever a single line on the Croydon side (platform 3) until the trams doubled it so there was only one line that could be electrified. It was only the tooting track that was double here. You used to have to cross the Tooting line at track level to get to the Croydon platform - very exciting! - but when the track was finally lifted they installed an earth bank at platform level to serve as a more accessible walkway to get to Plat 3. Fun fact, part of Platform 2 can still be found if you choose to root about in the undergrowth at the end of the new houses beside the old station.

Until I was 7 I used to live on Tramway Path, overlooking the station. We occasionally went to Wimbledon for some reason ( just remember the dog on the platform), but never went the other way beyond Mitcham Junction. I used to wonder about the wonderful, exciting world beyond Mitcham Junction - romantic, far away places like Croydon...

William "Billy" Shears, is a Paul McCartney look-a-like who joined the Beatles in 1966 after McCartney was killed in a car crash. I love a good conspiracy theory and this one has been running for years. McCartney / Shears denies the whole thing, but then of course he would, wouldn't he? 😁

The advert for freight at 3d per chaldron sent me down a rabbit hole. It's a volumetric measurement used for but not necessarily limited to coal with a convoluted history of definition both in terms of volume and weight, simultaneously. Since it was a volume used for tax and rate calculations, the more solids you could cram into the space, the more you got away with. There was the Newcastle chaldron for coal and also the London chaldron. It started to fall out of use form 1836 when coal then had to be calculated by weight, and was finally abolished by the Weights and Measures Act of 1963.

I have a feeling that Paul Merton took his stage name from the area too.

Fun fact: John Innes also sponsored a 'research farm' on the Merton Park estate, which researched agricultural improvements. Hence, 'John Innes No. 3' compost.

The Merton Parkas' ace drummer, Simon Smith, worked for London Country Bus Services for a while, but he was still a bit of a petrol head. We used to call the West Croydon to Wimbledon line the Waddon Marsh Flyer.

I remember the mostly empty two coach trains that shuttled between West Croydon and Wimbledon via Mitcham Junction - just like those on the Elmers End to Sanderstead line. It's great that the trams have revitalised both of these routes.

That station was so useful to me in the years when I lived on the fringe of Wimbledon and worked in Croydon, admittedly a long time ago now.

I love your videos for three reasons: 1) I'm an Anglophile, 2) I'm a railway nerd, and 3) I love your segues and puns. Keep up the good work!

I see that Carshalton is mentioned at 1:05.There is an excellent pub there, not 3 minutes from the station, called "The Hope." I highly recommend it.

As a local, I can already guestimate that 15 mins of runtime will be inadequate to the task of explaining the problems of Merton Park. Perhaps an 134 part series...... With charts.

Looking forward to Jago's 750 page book, "The Unannotated Listing of All These Goddamned Railway Company Names, Victorian Era to the Present Day".

The Wandle has interesting history as well. The water wheels, obviously, driving industry and then appaently an abilitty of the river to generate supermatkeyt trolleys. Cleanups which worked (it was a drain in living memory, and not like The Drain) and of course the Borribles. All that rabbiting on caused by another HazzardVid, of which I am very fond. Thanks.

Ironic that my late father was passed out for Merton Park and like the footbridge spent his remaining years at Swanage railway as their senior signally chap, I remember him talking about signing out a signal box around that time and wonder if Merton Park was that one as he had maintained his grade D passings despite being grade E based at Wimbledon A with BR using him as a "lite" reliefman paying him E grade for a lesser grade box.

Bravo for the Billy Shears comment.

Loving the Billy Shears reference !

Bravo on the totally seamless segues into and out of the ad read.

There was a photo of The Merton Parkas on scooters outside the entrance to (the British Rail era) Merton Park Station.

The level of detail and research on this channel is unprecedented. What a time to be alive (and a self identifying nerd). Thanks Jago.

Used to use Merton Park at weekends to go shopping in Crydon some 50 years ago. The level crossing (as at Dundonald Rd) had a footbridge and the trick was to race over it before the gates opened (leaving behind friends with vertigo who wouldn't use it). Trains were awful 2 coach slam door stock, and there used to be a diesel shunter trundling coal wagons presumably to the Croydon power station. The station building was pretty. As I remember Crydon wasn't a brilliant destination, nor were the intermediate stops blessed with joyous views. That much remains, but the tram is now at last well used..

My Dad grew up locally to Merton and went to Wimbledon Tech, crossing the footbridge you mention daily. Following relocating to Dorset he was amused to be able to cross the footbridge at Corfe Castle once more.

'...they merged [...] in 1846.' It never ceases to amaze me how long railways have been around, especially so in the UK.

Love the Billy Shears joke. 😎😆❤️ The Merton Park old station house, reminds me of the many houses and businesses in my neighbourhood, that are in converted stables of bigger old houses, next to them and the original Osterley Station building, on a bridge which is when I last saw it, was a bookshop.

Thanks for this Jago - scenes of my childhood. I remember the footbridge, in fact I remember when it was a complicated, sort of double bridge, with a section crossing disused line. Until today I didn't know it had been moved to Corfe Castle.

Lovely! Thank-you. The Wandle Industrial Museum near Mitchham Green Man is a much-loved by me place to visit. Its 3-d map of the Wandle valley is great!

Interestingly explained, this is of an area rich in history, for which here the railway here has its own story to reveal.

Talking of Tyneside, it has another connection to the Tyneside in that some of the last trains to run on the line where 2EPBs, of which the tyneside varient did regularly visit the line. The survior (5791/5793) i have seen pictures of it opperate on the line. The unit is owned by the Suburban Electric railway association.

I take it that this line was what was known (when I lived in Sutton for a short time in the late 80s) as the "Wimbledon Ghost Train". Described to me as a rarely seen, almost mythical, service that meandered into central London by heading off in the opposite direction out of Sutton station from the "normal" services via Carshalton or Carshalton Beeches.

Always love your work Jago! Please come back up north sometime and give us more Manchester stuff in your beautiful eloquent style!!

I note that the Tramlink's system uses the catenary wire as the contact wire.

The swanage footbridge seems seriously lacking in a long section and the footbridge over the Merton Abbey route, which enjoyed three sets of stairs on that.

Good video...and just down Kingston Road was Merton Park studios, i think closed down in 1969. It also had the record of being the closest film studios to a railway station in Britain narrowly beating Elstree studios.

Anyone else remember The Merton Parkas? Useful band.

Merton Place, situated between what are now Merton High Street and Merantun Way, was Lord Nelson's house between 1801 and 1805, and was demolished in 1823. There are roads named Hamilton, Hardy, Nelson, Trafalgar, and Victory to the north of Merton High Street.

A surprising amount of history for a small station / tram stop - great stuff, Jago!

We used to call the Wimbledon to West Croydon line “The Winkle Line” (possibly someone misheard “Wim -Crow”?). In the 1970’s it was half-hourly, operated by 2 two-carriage trains (2EPBs) which would cross at Mitcham Junction where the single-line tokens would be returned to and withdrawn from the interlocking machine. In the 1980’s the service was reduced to a single train running every 44 minutes. This made it impossible to remember what time the next train would be.

Ten upvotes for "Merton Park yourself right there"

A seamless presentation.

For the History/Archaeology Nerds (and I'm sure theres an overlap) Time Team did an episode right by those water wheels looking for Liberty's lost factories. If memory serves they even investigated the river to see if anything remains in it.....

There's also Paul Merton, real name Paul Martin, who grew up round there. Did he name himself after the station... Well his dad was a tube driver, so maybe! You'd have to ask him!

Yes! Got it! You are the footpath to my abandoned railway! That makes me, what, 2 for how many? Jago?

The line from Merton Park to Tooting served what was once the largest toy factory in the World, Tri-ang. A lot of that railway is now Merantum Way (A24) and the factory location is retail including a large Sainsbury's/M&S complex.

Tube challengers may be well-acquainted with this station.

I feel like this video was made just for me, as someone from Wimbledon, now living in the northeast, who goes to Swanage and Corfe every year on holiday!!

Remembering the old Wooden Level Crossing Gates, that were on the Kingston Road. They were there until construction of the Tram Link started. Quite often, I used to run into ITV's The Bill, being Filmed in that area, and if I didn't, I used to "Location Spot" on the Television!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

Bidder needs a video of his own, including his archealogical work

Most enjoyable and beautifully filmed. Thank you.

Great video thank you Jago. I spent many a year around Merton although Merton park was a bit upmarket for me. Merantun Way was a bit of unused railway that got turned into a road. Also always amazed that railway and now road were able to cut through Merton Abbey (trashed by Henry 8). I used to live in Nelsons back garden :), there was a sign saying this was the site of.....but someone pinched it, not me i hasten to add.

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hears Club...Railway Adventure? That would be one helluva series! Nice one Jago. Cheers!

I’ve been going to Rutlish for the last 7 years, and it’s honestly fascinating about the history of my local stop.

For convenience, you should say WC :)

Very good. Interesting and informative. Local history, the things you can turn-up.! I discovered recently that there was a WW2 Italian POW camp at the end of the road where I used to live in NW London.! Now a council housing estate.

"...who would join Sgt. Pepper's Lonely hearts Club Band" More of this kind of thing please

I remember Merton Park Station around 1979, I worked on High Path, and we had a satellite office in Hartfield Road, we used the old railway track which was lifted by this time as a short cut between the two. Later we moved offices to Deer Park Rd and I would use Morden Rd station occasionally. Back then it felt very much like a rural branch and not part of the London commuter network.

Ah, good ol' Billy Shears... You got me cracking there, Jago 😁

Nice and informative as always, jago.

Really interesting. Can still remember passing Merton Park in 1997, could say as sitting right at the back of the train like to think was the last paying train passenger on the last train. I really liked the Video camera had at the time as could swivel the eye piece and film safely at any angle. You can if so wish see the route with the film I took, and good friend put it on RU-vid titled "The Last in Last Out Tour - LILO - May 1997". As well as Wimbledon-West Croydon. So many people on route giving a final wave was a wonderful thing to see. it was the same day as was also the last triain to Addiscombe.

The Merton Parkas (featuring Mick Talbot who was in the Style Council with a bloke from Woking) had their big hit with “You Needs Wheels” it contains a line that retorts, “You need a car, if you wanna get far” therefore their mention on your wonderful channel should be removed.

I was going to mention The Meron Parkas in the comments, but as you mentioned them in the video I don't need to bother. Damn.

Love your videos!

another brilliant video, very pleasing for someone from Mitcham!

Another footbridge on Tramlink. Wandle Park. R.I.P. Jack Scales. X

Thinking of london's trains in general, having just tried the Lizzie line just yesterday and being disappointed, dark and dinghy carriages with hard seats, how about a video on the comfort of all the trains under the TLF banner. My vote being the S stock, soft seats, good head room and bright carriages. Over to you. Edit, blame android text for the small boats on the elixabeth line trains.🤣

Wasn't Merton Park the site for a film studio as well?

Cracking video sir!

Merton Park station was used in the movie 🎥 Horror Hospital starring Michael Gough, Robin Askwith & Dennis Price.

also available for kids under title The Little Station That Refused To Die :)

The historical companies have filtered down to this day. Southern run to Portsmouth, Southwestern through Wimbledon

Very interesting, thanks Jago,

Not the same John Innes who invented compost?

Fine video JH 😊

Cheaper, more frequent and faster services = more passengers. Who'd have thought.

Why can't you board a tram if you are feeling unwell? (6m40s)

I remember travelling along the line in. The early 1990s.I would describe it as a dilapidated country branch line in the middle of suburbia! Was is still electrified then?!

Ah, William ' Billy' Shears - the one and only.

goodness, what a complex chain of events. Would not like to write that up as a flow-diagram.

Yay trams! Do you know why there is a single track bit of tramlink? I've had to wait there a few times for the tram going the other way, and as it's a new(ish) system it seems suboptimal.

great stuff thanks

Great video, as always. Any chance of a history of the LBSCR's attempt at electrification, with overhead wires?

One thought just occurred to me, what would've happened, if the Wimbledon to Croydon line became part of the Overground? IF the Overground had existed around the late 90s

I used to know the area well, strange to see the level crossing with a tram crossing and a new building on the corner.

I thought Mr Hazzard was supposed to be taking things easier for a while? Oh, of course - trams are slower than trains.

But Jago! Will Surf Shark protect me from Charles Tyson Yerkes???

The only Merton I know is Robert K. Merton who was well known in the field of sociology.

In the mid 80's I used to get off at Morden Road, very near Merton Park. Why is this station never mentioned...did I imagine it? 😊

Appreciated the Sgt Pepper reference!!

Merton Park sounds like it could be the name of some old ham actor from the 1950's. An ageing male juvenile whose best days are long in the past and who is now a member of some provincial repertory acting company in its final death throws. Ironically though, Merton Park was also the name of a film studio that concentrated mainly on low budget productions.

Did a trek of that footpath on Tues, quite nice walk. Mind if I ask, would it be possible to do a video on Beddington Lane?

For sure I would have complained about a band nobody ever heard of…😂😂😂