Great video of a rare stretch of line. I still cant believe Chiltern haven't taken over the Greenford line, seems such an obvious way to reduce congestion at Marylebone and provide a cross platform interchange with crossrail.

I love these railway videos, like a peaceful walk in the country, or driving your own train.

@hastingsdiesels

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mike, glad that you enjoy them.

Superb video. The annotations are the icing on the cake!

@hastingsdiesels

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you - glad you appreciate them!

As a kid I got left on the platform at South Greenford. The Class 121 pissed off before my Mum could haul my sister's buggy out the door! Supposedly I was fine though, as I got to see the Bubble Car from a different angle. Railway Mania affects us from birth, it seems. Fascinating to see this view, even since the early nineties things have changed a lot - no cement terminal at the old Greenford station, which I remember Class 33s and 47s chugging their way out of. Ealing has changed a lot too, as someone else said in the comments. Eclectic route and interesting video, many thanks.

Another great video. Very informative. Look forward to next one.

Just so interesting. I'm always looking out for old railway infrastructure, and those semaphores are wonderful!

Excellent video (as ever) with the added bonus of some unwelded track and splendid semaphore signals. Thank you!

Well just found what I will be doing for my evening viewings for the next week, watching all your videos. Wow

Excellent the added information makes the video so much more interesting. Thank you.

Superb video and most informative captions re locations, signalling etc! Will watch this many times.

Really enjoyed watching all three parts. Love the editing and the descriptions as we approached different areas. Thanks for sharing would love to see more of these type. Safe travels ahead for you. God bless.

Another great video for us train lovers to enjoy.

great video and thanks for the written commentary , it makes all the difference and is informative :-)

Fascinating knowledge and a super video thank you. ....... Its also nice to be able to read the captions in good time.well done.

Fantastic video loved the thrash out of West Ealing. Loads of great information, many thanks again.

Another interesting video, as a retired driver amazed at the number of semaphore signals and old boxes still around, keep them coming!!

very enjoyable. that was very good quality, useful info, lots of history and interesting. Would be great to meet you. I'm sure I could listen to you all day. Thx

I used the Greenford to Ealing branch in my schooldays 1957 to 1962. Much has changed. The remnants of the milk depot at West Ealing are still visible. Spent many a happy hour there in steam days and on Jacobs ladder. Wonderful videos

Thank for the interesting video, sad to learn the old GWR route to Paddington is now closed. I am glad that I made the effort to travel on it earlier this year, courtesy of Chiltern Railways once a day train, my last trip was in 1966!

Always look forward to your Videos. So informative and interesting. .

Superb; love your stuff!

Another cracking video - waiting for the sequel!

Fascinating video, I have lived at various points along this track over the years, but never realised that it was all connected from Ruislip to the push-you-pull-me track after Greenford.

Very interesting and varied bit of footage there! Great job!

Outstanding video......thanks for sharing 👍

Thanks for another great video - the comments during the video are always so informative. I enjoy following the route with Google Maps (Satellite view) alongside the video, & occasionally lose where we are - until your comment comes up (eg 'Crossing the Grand Union Canal') & I'm back on track!

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks David - as you'll gather, I'm doing the same detective-work to put the captions there in the first place. Sometimes getting a positive ID on a feature (particularly in a relatively featureless area like Romney Marsh or Lincolnshire) relies on having multiple estimates coincide, e.g. estimating mileage since a known feature based on speed or mileposts, then looking at aerial photos, current mapping, 1890s mapping, Sectional Appendix... until the conundrum resolves. You may safely assume I enjoy puzzles like that. :)

Great to see my neck of the woods from a different perspective.

Great video and thanks for sharing.

Top cab ride - Thank you : )

enjoyed that route! and all the routes I've watched on your videos altho I grew up in Northolt and used to spot Kings and the brand new Westerns at that bridge before Northolt Central line. Love the tangle of lines around west London esp the North London line thanks!

Great video and fantastic sounds. I remember this going through Northolt. I was on the track at the time (Central line side) carrying out a track familiarisation with colleagues and sure enough, there we are!

@squarewheelsorguk

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks, glad I captured this moment for you! I began my railway career as a CSA on that group, and remember being in the ticket hall at Northolt when a Class-37-hauled railtour came through on the New North... with the rail joints and the triple-axle bogies, how the building shook - "Bam-bam-bam, bam-bam-bam"!

@robbiefstrains9083

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you@@squarewheelsorguk . It was a nice surprise seeing this coming down the line whilst on the track.

Greenford South Junction was a godsend after the West Ealing derailment involving a Class 50 in August 1989. That junction allowed a separate route to Paddington via the now closed Old Oak junction. Also, in the 1980's the London platform at West Ealing was after the road bridge.

Excellent video(as always). I'm ready to sign the road now!Mister B(ex Ripple Lane Pathfinder).

I have been on the route few times on steam tours in the mid 90s and early 2000s one was to Paddingdon via the now closed line via Greenford from Banbury (which had less weeds and trees along the line) also on the North London Line to Willesden sidings for loco changes. Great video and sad that the line is now closed (to Paddington).

Brilliant video thank you

Another superb educational video. I'm not a London lad or rather OAP but never realised that even these days there are so many backwaters which can be explored in these videos!! Well done. Only one comment and that is that an indication of speed for these old girls would be interesting without the calculator, stopwatch and mile markers!!! Great stuff though. Thank you all.

@hastingsdiesels

3 жыл бұрын

Hi David, thank you and glad you've enjoyed this one. It does contain a few hidden (rough) gems, doesn't it! Indication of speed... hmm, the camera I've more recently been using does allegedly capture a GPS speed trace but to be honest I've never seen its output nor worked out how I might incorporate it. Will give it some thought in due course I hope.

What an interesting tour through some of the byways of West London. That seems an awkward arrangement at West Ruislip, having to run wrong line for that distance.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Yes, it does seem odd to effectively block the Down Main for all that time & distance. If you watch the late-1980s Video125 “Chiltern Take 2” you can see how different the layout of Northolt Junction was - the route towards Marylebone looks like “the branch” while (initially) 4 tracks head towards Greenford.

Another excellent video. Many thanks for putting videos of the travels of the Thumper unit. They are very interesting and being a guard on the Mid Hants I spent a fair amount of time on your units little brother!

@richardwestwell4902

5 жыл бұрын

When I started on the Mid Hants young man it only ran from Alresford to Ropley.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Mid-Hants? You’ll enjoy the next series then... ;)

Thanks, great video with useful information in the captions - subscribed :)

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you and welcome :)

great and interesting presentation. thank you

Greenford East Signal Box is the last mechanical box in the (G)WR London area. Castle Bar Park Halt (as it was) was originally timber construction. In its last years, a GWR 57xx with a short goods train passing through would cause it to shake. Until being rebuilt with a prefabricated concrete structure in the 1960s the Up end of the platforms ended at the footbridge. Drayton Green Tunnel was originally a cutting until covered in the 1970s to provide road access to new housing. On the Up side between Drayton Green Halt and the road entrance to Plasser's Yard was a coal yard. What is now Plasser's yard in the triangle at West Ealing was originally the area P/Way and S&T depots. Adjacent to the present platform 5 at West Ealing there was originally a milk dock where rail milk tankers from the west country were emptied into road tankers. It was the first place I went on the footplate of a steam loco. Because of the milk dock, West Ealing platform 4 was on the Up side of Drayton Green Road bridge. The last surviving stone built Broad Gauge goods shed was on the down side behind platform 1 where Waitrose now stands. There was an Iron Mink body standing outside until demolition. The goods yard stretched down to the footbridge, Jacob's Ladder. Before running to/from Paddington, the Greenford Car terminated at Ealing Broadway. At the up end of the island platforms (2 & 3) between the Main and Relief lines there was a reversing siding known as "The Car Park". When it ran as a class 121 double ended power car (Bubble Car) with a trailer in the peak, the trailer was left in the car park during the mid-day off peak.

Great video, what I got out of it is the amount of track that could be used for passenger trains taking hundreds of cars of the roads, loads of areas for New platforms etc shame the railways aren't doing more.

@michals4249

4 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately public services are unreliable . Snow , wrong type of leaves a lot of excuses not to run. Sorry but I prefer my trustworthy car .

Great video thank you.

20:50 onward....... the sound in that tunnel !!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Brilliant Video. Wish I could run opewn train times at the same time time so both screens are visible at once

very nice cabride!!

Very interesting thank you

Nice to hear the wheels over the rail joints no butt welding here

The last time I did this line was on a Virgin Voyager "Express" from Coventry to London Euston which went that way during engineering works, to get to Euston

I think I read that there's plans afoot to run a full passenger service once more over the New North Main line to allow Chiltern services to reach Old Oak Common when that opens, and relieve Marylebone. I'm from Wycombe and would certainly use such a service if it led to quick interchanges with Crossrail. I hope this happens!

at 14 min in Semaphore signals still in use 2018 amazing

Great video thank you.you definitely need to know what's what in this occupation. I always wonder at how trains stay on the rails on bends in icy weather !

19:20 Bask in the 'olde world' charm of the modern train station. And we let how many beautiful railway stations fall into ruin?

@peterbuckley265

4 жыл бұрын

BUT WHERE WAS THE PUBLICITY, NOT IN ANY OBVIOUS PLACE, HENCE I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT TILL SEEING IT ON YOU TUBE TUES 28 APR 2020. SO WHEN WILL IT RUN AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME PROPEWRLY PUBLICISED !!!! ????.

I really enjoy watching your videos - particularly over routes I knew when a lot younger. How the buildings have changed! But one minor point - at 24.19 you say falling gradient is 1 in 1204 about 2 feet per mile. I reckon its 4 feet per mile - a mile being 5,280 feet. 4 x 1204 = 4816, so just over 4 feet per mile!

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

DrivermanO Yes you're absolutely right, I was dividing into instead of by there. I'll add an Erratum.

Wait what? Ratings are enabled? Nice.

I remember riding to Reading in one they were noisy for passengers too. They were fast though.

I wonder if there are any other semaphore signals in London, or if you happened to run by the only set.

I do love watching these videos, thank you! Two questions, the inner twin rails by the Plasser aocl - can you tell me what they might be for and also all of the white painted rails - particularly in that section but across the network... Can't wait for the next videos :-)

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Hi bananaman100, thanks for this. 1) The inner twin rails look to me (and I may be wrong) as if they're there to help constrain a derailed vehicle; such twin rails are more commonly seen on viaducts. A sharp curve, particularly negotiated at very low speed as with this one because of the AOCL too, represents a greater risk of *flange climb derailment* (witness the repeated carbon-copy incidents departing Angerstein Wharf). 2) White painted rails, generally in the vicinity of pointwork but particularly found at diamond and switch-diamond crossings, are so painted to reflect sunlight and avoid getting as hot; reducing the range of temperatures a rail is exposed to will reduce the range of its thermal expansion. Points mechanisms tend to fail through becoming de-adjusted if their components expand or contract too much. With reference to your first question again, it is possible that the inner twin rails on the curve are present for this purpose too - to counteract expansion and buckling forces, particular relevant as this is a curved section of track between two sets of points.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

@Aussie Pom Most days last summer in southern England were nearing 30 degrees. All railways suffer from expansion and contraction of the rails as temperatures change.

I am surprised that line still exists with the central line offering a faster and more frequent route into central London from Ruislip - I wonder if Chiltern line trains even bother stopping there?. Ditto to the Greenfield branch where again the tube is faster and more frequent - can't get many people riding those trains out of West Ealing - just a matter of time before that closes too.

I could quite happily watch a live stream if it were at all possible. Perhaps in the future.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

I have no idea how we could achieve that - live 1080p coverage from the train?

@D0csavage1

5 жыл бұрын

@@hastingsdiesels Some are already live streaming from mobile devices from moving cars using 4G. With the arrival of 5G, it will be the difference between night and day. A totally different way of presenting visual and audio as it happens has arrived on KZread. With 5G, live VR becomes a reality also.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

@@D0csavage1 Hmm. Thank you for your info. I don't have unlimited data nor perfect connectivity (especially not in tunnels!). More importantly, feedback leads me to conclude that most viewers would find this material borderline un-watchably boring if it didn't have the captioned commentary to provide context, metadata and interest. I can't produce that in real time, it takes me a day or two per hour of output! As we cannot interfere with the operation of our train in capturing this footage, I'd have to be able to use back-cab audio at all times (seeing as I couldn't edit out any unpublishable audio from the leading cab if it's live). Transmission latency for two different uplinks would vary which is no good, so video and audio would have to be mixed on-board (120 metres of shielded cable taped to the floor? No thanks!). Who would monitor the live feed constantly (seeing as I'm already on the train and often busy in another capacity), to fix faults and cut it instantly in case of incident? I can see how a professional OB crew could make this work, but not without placing several unworkable requirements upon both the traincrew and our passengers... and all just so that viewers get a worse video slightly sooner than currently?! Thanks but I'll let someone else do this.

@adrianhodges7060

5 жыл бұрын

D0csavage1 ii

@D0csavage1

5 жыл бұрын

@@hastingsdiesels I fully understand the work involved in producing video's, taking considerable time and effort. Live streaming would in this case be an impossible burden to achieve even if there were as you say a dedicated film crew. Without being demanding and inconveniencing everyone. Sorry for putting the thought forward.

Good ride, it would help with a map of this journey :)

@hastingsdiesels

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Some of my more recent videos do in fact have a map, but for this one I can recommend the Ordnance Survey Landranger maps - you can see them by going to maps.bing.com and pressing the S key, so long as you are zoomed in appropriately.

I’m a GWR driver and I’ve turned the Sleepers and occasional HSTs round the Greenford Loop many times, but never seen the line and route beyond the Greenford Box from the other direction, so for me it was double interesting. I also used to regularly drive a Hastings Thumper on the privately owned Okehampton Branch, which was a real labour of love. Will there be anymore of these trips?

@hastingsdiesels

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks - glad it was of interest. Was that a Hastings unit on the Okehampton branch, or a Hampshire / Oxted thumper? I don't know much about it, but see that a public service is being reintroduced on the Okehampton branch soon.

Another great adventure thanks richard,When were your dmu's last in service with br,Looking forward to your next series cheer's bob.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

The fleet was mostly withdrawn in 1986 but a few cars & reformed units lingered on until around 1990 off the top of my head. If it comes to that, ‘Caroline’ an ex buffet car is still in use by BR’s successors.

Passed my old School by Castle Bar Park

The reason was explained, but how often does a green signal turn to red in front of a train?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

In theory, never. In practice, occasionally either through taking a release on a wrong route or (more exceptionally still) through emergency.

Can someone explain why on this video, and many of the others by Hastings Diesels, there is so much disused track lying about. Not just plain rail, but crossovers as well. Surely this has a vale, and in some cases allow surplus land to be sold.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Because the network has evolved in a way which typically has meant a smaller amount of infrastructure in use but being worked harder and with less financial resource. Maintaining fewer tracks saves money, and in many cases the scrap value of rail is probably exceeded by the cost of cutting it up into tiny pieces and then removing it (it is incredibly heavy).

@ 16:51 you can see my mate Connor on the platform! :D

@dustybinproductions4779

5 жыл бұрын

whoop, I am indeed there :P

Nice ride. How come the GWR route to Paddington has been closed from this month itself? In several areas I have also noticed that there are disused tracks on the side and in many places the speed restriction of the train is thirty miles per hour and twenty miles per hour.

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

The New North is closed at the Paddington end, as is Old Oak Common HST depot, because of construction work for HS2. Yes, the New North has multiple disused tracks and many abandoned sidings along its length which once served the many industrial areas in Greenford, Perivale, Park Royal et cetera. Lower speed restrictions mean less maintenance which reduces cost.

@adamw2911

5 жыл бұрын

@@hastingsdiesels Glad I took one of the final 'ghost trains' along the entire NNML. Indeed the amount of decaying infrastructure is evidence that this was once a very busy section of railway. Up until around 1990 there was a once a day locomotive hauled 'fast' service from Banbury to Paddington and back that used to use the NNML. Remember seeing it thundering along at around 70mph through Hangar Lane a few times in my youth. Was still very much a main line back then, even if it was lightly used. Most of the line had a blanket 20mph limit East of Greenford Junction towards the end. Clearly wasn't worth the effort maintaining track that had no future. I do wonder if anyone had any timings for that loco hauled service??? Originally this service started at Wolves, then was started from Birmingham, possibly then Leamington Spa and eventually Banbury.

@phildavey3135

4 жыл бұрын

Adam W yes I remember the evening loco hauled service out of Paddington along the NNML. I grew up in South Ruislip and used to cycle down to the trackside between about April and October when you could see it easily. The 17:42 Paddington- Wolverhampton as it was then. Still got a record of the locos I saw on it....about 70 different 47’s, most 50’s, and the odd Peak. 47546 from IS (Inverness) was my all time best ‘cop’ on the service. Did I ever bring a camera with me....did I ever get around to going up to Paddington and travelling on it just for the hell of it?🙉🙉🙉🙉😫😫😫

the signal in 33:35 is the same you can find in lines in argentina

The Acton dive under line seems to be pointless, is it for some future upgrade?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

It allows Up trains to run whilst goods trains enter/leave the busy Acton Yard. With Crossrail it’ll be more important. See www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2015/12/06/a-look-at-crossrails-critical-acton-dive-under/amp/

Surprised to see all of the line left in place and not used ,is it too expensive to remove and recycle all of the steel ??

Is there another in this series that follows the rest of journey to Hastings please?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Sorry, no. I couldn't 'change ends' with the camera when the driver changed ends, as it would take longer to retrieve the camera after the driver had alighted, walk through the train past passengers, trolleys etc, and install the camera at the other end, than it took the driver to walk along the ballast from one end to the other.

I think you’ll find the GWML is rather annoyingly littered with splitting distant signals, I struggle to understand them

never seen feathers positioned like the ones on that first gantry

@hastingsdiesels

4 жыл бұрын

You have now. ;)

Is this 'hidden' route of tracks now only used industrially for the moving of freight -- away out-of-sight of citizens?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't say it's hidden, or for hiding the movement of freight; it's just a line whose importance has diminished because of the course of history. As such, it's mostly only used by freight or diverted passenger trains.

Ever since I subbed my neighbours have complained that my house sounds like Kings Cross. I'll have to turn down the volume.

Boeiend !

Is this a diesel hydraulic or diesel electric train?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Diesel-electric

So trains do not use North South East West there in the UK?

@hastingsdiesels

5 жыл бұрын

Railway directions on the national rail network in the UK are generally described within the industry as "Up" (decreasing mileage, usually towards the major town/city) and "Down".

@SynchroScore

5 жыл бұрын

Even here in the States, the directional terms can be a bit odd. For instance, on the old Milwaukee Road, one heads "west" from Chicago to Milwaukee, even though you're traveling almost due north by compass, while on the Southern Pacific "east" meant "any direction away from San Francisco".

🚂👍

Why do I sometimes think I am seeing this on train simulator

It's great watching these videos and I find the railways fascinating, but to the point in comments below about usage and reducing cars, it won't happen. The trains are unreliable and expensive. The network isn't good enough, and the unions hold the fare paying passengers to ransom. For me to use a train to travel 40 miles to work, it's a 2hr journey. On the road, and assuming traffic is OK, it's a journey of between 40 - 60 minutes. When I do go on the train, they are often crowded, full of people talking loudly on phones or with music blaring and feet on seats. Why would you want to use trains unless you had to? Thanks for the video, it's great to see a different perspective.