It has always been Clickety-Clack for me, and that is, again for me, scientifically accurate due to the doppler effect taking a click as the train approaches and making it into a clack as it passes.
Quite So! My daughter used to come home from Child Minding when she was little and came out with a curious imitation of a noise. It took us ages to figure out that the Minder used to take the kids out to watch nearby trains pass. The noise was a falling "Weee-Baaa", exactly the Doppler noise our single-toned train horns make! 🤔
Nice to see you do my local line, a few facts for you: -The 319 is liable to break at any moment (and component failures are often referred to as the cab door falling off) -319005 and all the LNWR 319/2s except 319216 are in TL white, and all have a mix of or are entirely FCC moquette. -With the condition of the track and wheels of the 319s, the track noise is always “bang bang bang” -Trains run peak hour Monday-Friday and Saturday off-peak -319s are scheduled to leave the Abbey Line in December and be replaced by class 350s. This will mean that St Albans will at last stop being served by 319s, having up until now been the only place served by 319s for the entire 33 years of their life, from 1987 until today
@@parrotyee I have no idea when the last 319 out of St Albans will be, rumours are simply as vague as “by December”. 319s will remain on peak hour Euston - Tring/Milton Keynes Central for a while after
319's (including the 319/2's for a while), were also seen at Watford Junction before their use on the Abbey Flyer and Euston services, whilst still in service on Southern. The Gatwick/Brighton to Rugby/Watford Junction/Milton Keynes services (now just East Croydon to MK) also used 319's before the Electrostars took over.
Well, nice video and a real eye-opener as I can reveal my age now at 77 and I used to take my little sister on this line when it newly opened back in the early 1960s - I was about 15 and my sister just 6. We sat behind the driver's cab (very different style trains now) and you could see and hear the driver change gear as the train sounded like it was powered by a lorry engine with about 6 gears. Never heard anything like that from Bakerloo or Metropolitan line trains. It never broke down. Passing Bricket Wood made me smile as one often wondered if there'd be a glimpse of the well known Nudist Camp there! None was ever revealed hahah. At St Albans no point climbing Holywell Hill we had nowhere to go so waited and took the train back to Watford. The handing over of the key at one of the stops was always a mystery to me how it worked to prevent a head on collision with 2 trains using the same line and only one passing place. Such days eh? My sister remembers nothing of it at all !! Oh well nostalgia ain't what it used to be !!
If you are a commuter, in the evening the train noise is a relaxing "takin' you home, takin' you home" in the mornings its a more tense "bringing you back, bringing you back"
The train is one of the five that were extensively refurbished for the fast "Connex Express" services from Brighton to Victoria in the early 90's, hence the 2 + 2 instead of 3 + 2 seating layout in standard class. The seats, since moving off that route, have been re-upholstered in different moquettes over the years, but the seat frames remain..
@@billyshearer1 Yes, I never thought when they were rushing up and down the Brighton Main Line in a million years that any would find their way onto the St Albans Abbey Branch!!
Great video Geoff, a few things to point out: a) the Bricket Wood passing loop was originally there but got removed a long time ago and plans are to re-instate it b) the line used to connect to the now abandoned St Albans to Hatfield Line (which is now the Alban Cycle way), in fact I think I saw the abandoned platform for that at the end of the video c) it has been suggested the line be turned into either light rail or a guided busway but in recent years it was decided to keep it as a railway line.
@@geofftech2 Unfortunately the Alban Way will never be a railway again, a key bridge has been removed and in many places there are obstructions (for example the local Morrisons)
@@geofftech2 No worries! I was lucky enough to be on your Highgate Hidden London tour a couple of years ago, so it is nice to finally give you some information back :)
Nice to see the line from my childhood. I used to go to Park Street School and would walk home along the path that now goes past what is now How Wood station on my way home, which was a full level crossing at the time. When I went to secondary school one of the options for getting home was to catch the train from St.Albans Abbey to Park Street, which I’d do if I missed the 361 bus from St.Albans high street to the How Wood shops. Sometimes I was unable to pay for my ticket as there were no machines or ticket office at St.Albans, and it often took longer for the conductor to get from one end of the train to the other than it took the train to get to Park Street.
I live in Park Street near How Wood Station. Good to see the line getting another moment of fame. That foot crossing also leads to a lovely area of lakes. Worth a visit if you ever come back this way.
Bricket Wood station was a favourite location with film makers and appears in many old films, it also had an old cold war railway control centre located next to it that still exists today.
The fantastic 1957 film The Night of the Demon has a couple of scenes shot at Bricket Wood and the original Watford Junction facade was featured in the finale of the film also.
My dear mum lives in Garston. I use to use the line back in 2018 when I moved to St Albans for a year from central London. Now I use the bus as I live two towns over from St Albans. There was a period of time where there were talks of removing the line and making it into a heritage pedestrian road to Watford. There was even make shift drawings from architects. It looked nice but I prefer the trains. It feels like an adventure.
Nice video Geoff Yesterday Me and Mum went to the London Transport Museum in Covent garden we got moquette face coverings your book and a tube train we went on the tube the tube is quite Noisy
@@pascalfarful952 319s weren't good on the abbey flyer; it was always a gamble. However, they make me nostalgic and I'd love to know about the event date when it's due.
I really hate these trains. As a shift worker I would be going into London on the first train or home on the last and they are freezing cold and made so much noise they I couldn't sleep the hour long journey home.
It is nice that my home line is getting some recognition after what happened last time. I remember it being unrealiable, but a great way to go to college
Reminds me of when Northern had a couple of Class 319/4.s which still had the First Class seats at one end. It led to come very comfortable journeys at zero extra cost.
The Abbey Flyer! I used to use that all the time, as did my school chum Eddie Knorn (the bloke who had a Class 101 in his garden). We both lived in Park Street, but Eddie was closer to How Wood. We went to St. Albans School. Eddie also owns (or owned) a Leyland National. At the end of the walk through at the foot crossing is my old doctor’s surgery.
At 09:20 you walked across a disused railway then also side its trackbed. When they built the Midland Main Line a short branch was built off the Abbey Line at How Wood to take constriction materials to the work site on the Midland Main Line. Now the branch is largely forgotten, although the bridge abutments still stand where it crossed the A5183.
@@HenrysAdventures Yes, I've often thought about getting the "namesake" collection of tickets, Earlswood (West Midlands) to Earlswood (Surrey), Gillingham (Kent/Medway) to Gillingham (Dorset), etc. I'm not sure Charing Cross (Glasgow) to Charing Cross (London) would be possible. And internationally, having lived in Crawley for many years, there's a station in Belgium called "Trois Ponts." (Three Bridges)!!
@@ianmcclavin There was once a steam hauled railtour from the Mid Hants Railway to Clacton but it was marketed as possible to travel from Arlesford on the Mid Hants Railway to Alresford in Essex!
that pub behind you hides a training kitchen for one of the largest pub/restaurant companies in the country. I did not enjoy my time in Watford but I did get the sleeper there so silver linings and that!
I've lived near a railway line for many years and can tell you, it's definitely Clickety Clack, although I know a guy that claims it is Clackety Click (but he can't be right, he lives at the opposite side of the line). Don't panic and wear your Mask. 🖖😷👍 ❗
I grew up in Garston to it's great to see the line on RU-vid always wanted to video it it but never seem to get round to it Family still living Garston
Hi Geoff I traveled from Watford Junction to St Alban's Abbey in December 1964 or 1965 , the return journey was in the brake end with both driver and guard of what became test car Iris 79900 happy days keep videoing Geoff.good stuff,
You are all mistaken. Everyone knows that these trains actually go “beeching was wrong”, “beeching was wrong”. As a watford resident in my youth this is actually sadly the first time I’ve travelled the abbey flyer, so thank you guys.
Used to live in park street, the train was always abysmally slow and unreliable. I spent many days squashing 2p coins at the end of the platform, but the hour long wait meant we had to come back to pick them up. I used to cycle to watford instead, it was quicker by far. I'm amazed it still runs, it connects to nothing either end and is empty always.
Geoff. You were going to tell us more about a passing loop. There used to be one at Bricket Wood before the 1970s (anyone know when it stopped?). There was also a signal box opposite the platform at Bricket Wood. The foundations are still there at the bottom of someone’s garden I think.
Back in the late 90’s, I remember there was a small period where the overhead cable would discharge a mini lightening bolt down to the line at Watford North. I was frequently intrigued / concerned by this 🤦🏻♂️😂
I am a bit old and senile but I remember a Neil Diamond song called a beautiful noise that had in the lyrics something relating to clickety clacks of the railway tracks .
Electrified? What is this madness? It was still a diesel unit last time I rode that line, and Park Street was my home stop! All before How Wood opened, too, which I remember well as my girlfriend at the time lived close to where that now is, and I had to walk each way. Ah, happy days.
@@Nayson I remember one Saturday after electrification, when class 117 diesels returned to the route for some reason. The wretched thing broke down, leaving a two-hour gap in the service. After about 20 minutes waiting at the Abbey Station platform, I adjourned to the pub over the road!!
Oooh! A fresh awesome video! So envious of all the trains you have there in the UK.....the United States of America could learn a few things from you guys.... Can't wait to visit....someday... :)
Ah, Watford Junction. My "home" station when visiting from Canada. Fun fact, this is the station we left from when heading to Corrour for our honeymoon. After watching your All The Stations Episode on it we decided we had to go and when we mentioned this to the staff up there they proudly showed us where you signed their guestbook :) Hope to get back next year, COVID willing...
When I used to travel on this line it had a conductor with a bus conductor's ticket machine who used to collect the fares on the train. Oh and when they built the Abbey Line they should have built a funicular connection up that ridiculously steep hill (Holywell Hill) from St. Albans Abbey station to the clock tower so that people would use the line... the Victorians missed a trick there... just sayin'
I grew up in St Albans and sometimes my mum would take me to Watford on that line (this was in the 80s)... I once got to ride in the cab, change the chain gears and do the horn. Was AMAZING!!! Wouldn't happen now though sadly.
If it was at Garston, the service frequency would like it is for the Island Line on the Isle of Wight, where the service frequency is a train every 18 & 42 minutes
Hello Geoff, the proposed location of the passing loop is to be at Bricket Wood, the halfway point on the line and NOT at Garston. Best wishes and tale care. Kind regards, Peter Skuce. St Albans. Hertfordshire.
Morning Geoff. Hope your ok 👍🏻 It was great seeing you on tv lol 😆 love the 319s as we’ve got then up north now hehe 😂 Take care until they best time cheers Stevie 😎
Geoff having fond memories of that December 2016 failure to do Park Street. I hope he put in for a delay repay that day 😂 By the way, trains go Clickety Clack. Bessie the engine from Chigley in the late 60s
You could have done the St Albans inter-station walk. There's a nice pub just up from Brickett wood station, and a nice chippie at Park Street. I walked How Wood to Park Street when I did the shacks on the line.
Did anyone know that on rare occasions that a LNER every wednsday pulls into Sunderland ( Virgin and LNER itself also ran * Spirit of Sunderland * until they got rid of HST ( none probs wanted to know that )
An interesting line that i have only been over diesel hauled!..... With a DMU before the wires went up, push-pull with a class 33+TC set on a Network SouthEast running day, and a railtour top & tailed with a 47 one end and a pair of Southern Region class 73s the other! I'll have to try it with an electric one day......
The level crossing at Watford North is a bit of an oddity as when the train is going towards St Albans Abbey, the driver has to get out at Watford North and press a button to operate it yet coming back towards Watford Junction it is fully automatic
According to Google.... "Clickety-Click": About 612,000 results "Clackety-Clack": About 269,000 results And what *I* was expecting to be the most popular... "Clickety-Clack" About 310,000 results
Enjoyable video as always Geoff. Have you ever thought of doing the Hertford East Branch? A very well used line but a very interesting early history.with a clash between the railway company and turnpike trust.
I love the Abbey Line. Especially because the 319’s are running on it at the moment and they will be replaced in the next couple years. It’s good to ride on them whilst they are still running.
I lived in Bricket Wood (1957-72) and use to travel by steam train to St Albans Abbey to school which was a fantastic experience. In those early days there were two platforms with a passing loop and a footbridge linking the platforms plus a siding for coal and building material deliveries. It's the obvious station to replace the passing loop with a rebuilt platform as it was before. A little short-sited to have removed it in the first place?
Im local to st albans well really im from harpenden and travelled to watford sad i missed a shot of seeing you hope come across you some day Geoff i work alongside your friend Matthew streeton
Might check this line out for fun at the weekend! I always hated the 319's on thameslink, however I like the sound they make and the novelty of a single track railway in the Greater London area is too good to resist.
We’re technically outside the Greater London area. Once you get off at Watford Junction with your Oyster / contactless card, don’t forget to buy a traditional paper ticket to ride this line!
I always love the Les Stroud "Survivorman" style walking away from camera shots. I have done some of those, and always feel like a complete dunce when walking about to pick up the camera while it is still rolling. :)
In South Africa its neither. Either the cables that power the tracks have been stolen or the trains have been set alight by the taxi operators. So (c) Fire Engine or Police siren sounds.
Great line, 16 mins end to end but 45 mins between trains, so that loop would be welcome. Reliability seems to be improving, but given they only run at peak times (replacement buses at other times) then so it should ! There is also a foot crossing just before coming into St.Albans Abbey.
Closest I've been is the abbey station on a Sunday; the tracks look disused, I love it. Bit of a memory jog seeing though FCC carriages, it's been a couple years.
There's a Garston in Liverpool too which is close to what was Allerton but is now Liverpool South Parkway which is a big station. I think the Garston station is now closed. After 4 years, Woger is now weleased.
