BBC documentary in association with BTF using footage adapted from the earlier BTF documentaries about the construction of the Victoria Line
Пікірлер: 1 500
@leonarddobbin20773 жыл бұрын
Shirtless, covered in dirt, lifting heavy bits of concrete and drinking water from a bucket. These guys are 10x more manly than i'll ever be
@notgadot8 ай бұрын
Top comment
@Jwnorton6 жыл бұрын
You'd think with the library the Beeb has, they'd start a BBC History channel, and show some of these gems. I bet their cataloge has more than enough content for several channels.
@barrybritcher5 жыл бұрын
That can't even do a plus one channel
@alanjeff5055 жыл бұрын
Content creators at BBC are simply lazy, they haven't the foggiest clue on the rich historical content that they are sitting on . We are literally forced to trawl on You Tube searching for historical documentaries, which they would have otherwise aired.
@segamegadrive39034 жыл бұрын
Naaaa not enough diversity in the old programs, too many white people, not progressive enough 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@welshwizard8224 жыл бұрын
They destroyed so much, they dont want people to know real history only what they feed us
@jesusislukeskywalker42944 жыл бұрын
they lost the telemetry tapes 😂 #transvestigate
@JazzFunkNobby19644 жыл бұрын
Respect to the Irish Navigators.
@k.r.baylor88257 жыл бұрын
The mid-60s BBC prose spoken throughout the film is classic. Such confidence exuded by the announcer about the precision of the work, with that proper "can-do" attitude taken for granted back then. Watch this just for the commentary.
@GenaFrog7 жыл бұрын
I wish commentary today was the same 'standard BBC' instead of the regional accents. Whilst I embrace my own Nottingham dialect, I detest it on tv when geordies, scouters, brummies etc are narrating.
@k.r.baylor88257 жыл бұрын
The Beeb made a decision in the '90s to be more welcoming of regional accents for their commentators to make the programming feel more welcome in homes outside of London. I can understand that decision, but the result just lacks that national pride that a confident Received Pronunciation voice brought to its programs, especially when they made it overseas. Of course, as a Yank, I love all English accents: RP posh, west and south London, West Counties, Geordies, Midlands...it's all fantastic to listen to when I'm in-country. Even better if that voice is female--now that's irresistible. :)
@cinesimonj7 жыл бұрын
That 'can-do attitude' was a self-serving myth. As for your bizarre 'national pride' remark: I can only assume you know very little about the U.K.
@TheHorsebox25 жыл бұрын
Yes that old boy was cool and measured . Excellent presenting skills.
@bernardlane45173 жыл бұрын
Well I'm a Yorkshire man and if I was narrating it I would say "eee bah gum they dint alf build that tunnel fast tha knows". So Personally I don't think I would have got the narrating job lols
@chrischris7703 жыл бұрын
16.58 when the mud and clay land on your bare back from above and you just carry on as normal. No near miss reports and no fear. Brilliant.
@Psychlist19724 жыл бұрын
I lost three fingers, a foot, and my right eye, and had a concussion, just from watching these guys work in the tunnel and on the "umbrella".
@cycleSCUBA3 жыл бұрын
I got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the background music. I could only be treated by NASA.
@NJTDover3 жыл бұрын
Pity these lads are already retired or probably passed away since they could have most likely finished Crossrail construction project on time and on budget. Bravo, old boys for a job well done!
@TheMusicalElitist2 жыл бұрын
@@NJTDover I highly doubt that, but pathetic attempt at trying to be funny, boomer.
@deanclayton67027 жыл бұрын
The equipment seen at the end of the documentary was decommissioned in 2011 and can now be seen in the electric railway museum in Coventry.
@MeiklesAndDimes6 жыл бұрын
Dean Clayton incredible it was in operation for so long!
@BilisNegra5 жыл бұрын
@@MeiklesAndDimes Last time I was in London was in 2009. I somewhat can figure out some equipment can be old, both because it's built to last, and so costly to replace, but well, 40 years (by that time)... That's mental no doubt!
@mrbigm57204 жыл бұрын
Thats when things was built properly and last longer, not like now shitty China makes everything
@somosuddin57434 жыл бұрын
@@BilisNegra ka7⁸8alksa8t8ly was in has has yet via ziizißiììiyis⁸⁷isg8izziisiys ii8zi⁸k⁸s⁸
@henrytomlinson36343 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the inside info. 🙂 Henry central uk
@erikziak12494 жыл бұрын
Excellent documentry. Facts, interesting points, great camera, edit, sound and narration. I wish they would do documentaries like this today. No stupid hype, no unnecessary drama, no repeating of every fact at least 10 times until you feel like being insulted, no constant re-use of shots... If this documentary would have been made today, it would be stretched into 10 one hour long episodes, diluted and destroyed. This is trully a piece of art. Also not just the documentary, but the eneneering and building of the Victoria Line itself. If there were documentaries like this one on the TV today, I would watch it. But all the things that run today on "documentary" channels are insulting the viewer, treating him like some heavily brain damaged person who needs special care. That is the reason I do not even watch TV anymore. Even though I have one at home, I did not tune any channels and use it just to watch things from the PC.
@calvbradley3 жыл бұрын
Couldnt agree more! what is with those discovery channels nowadays. utter garbage!
@TheMusicalElitist2 жыл бұрын
@@calvbradley Your lack of spelling is "utter garbage", you stupid, illiterate prick.
@tonbosma83472 жыл бұрын
You sad it! Fully agree!😁😎
@philhall1701 Жыл бұрын
Spot on observations, watched a doc on snakes the other day, Narrator repeated every 15 seconds that the snake portrayed was the worlds most deadly. Got boring very quickly. I think it has something to do with the later generations having shorter concentration spans!
@lowerquadrant4647 Жыл бұрын
True. All bad documentaries put together would probably fill eight olympic basins (or 17 football fields in American units)
@15october916 жыл бұрын
I love watching old videos like this.
@Bvic36 жыл бұрын
15october91 The era when there was no stressful music, no fast switch from scene to scene, no moraling voice. Just the voice of a calm and confident man explaining how the world is.
@vladnickul6 жыл бұрын
And propaganda.
@Bvic36 жыл бұрын
ShazamMafia Well, there was a lot of anti-USSR propaganda (they were awful, but it was still propaganda). And there was a lot of fear mongering about nuclear apocalypse.
@vladnickul6 жыл бұрын
Well... the "Nuclear Apocalypse" was indeed a self sustain propaganda system of its own. west was oh no the red have the bomb too lets build more, reds think oh no the west thinks they can nuke cites, let's build some :) If you see period documentaries from the "cold war era"every country was the first doing this or doing that. that's state own media. No government, since ever, really cared for the poor and the hungry :) especially the "imperialists" :D
@Bvic36 жыл бұрын
The only people who care about the poor are always foreign agents who want to exploit internal weak spots. The so called Social Justice lovers in todays West are good old bourgeois conservatives, when the "incel" movement started to protest the sexual misery of the ugly and the poor and theorise sexual inequality, the Social Justice bourgeois started attacking them like crazy. The difference with the 50s establishment is that it wasn't degenerate like today. Both were arrogant disconnected elites, but the elites from before were at least promoting proper boring lifestyles that enable stability while today, the advices given by the establishment about everything lead people to debt and misery if followed.
@rajdhillon47225 жыл бұрын
Incredible to see how these men worked in such dangerous conditions and what engineering
@AdamMGTF3 жыл бұрын
This is amazingly safe compared to the industrial Revolution.
@Joshyboy19286 жыл бұрын
LOVE this! It is so interesting to see how they covered Oxford Circus for 5 years with that steel umbrella, essentially raising the traffic by a foot. And I love the way the public all stood around watching them dig the holes. That wouldn't happen now - us Londoners are so used to seeing holes being dug these days it's barely noticeable!
@vaughnsigal45605 жыл бұрын
What I love about this era is that they had an ambitious idea, and they simply went out and bloody did it! How's that for productivity!
@ZnenTitan5 жыл бұрын
'Em blokes knew how to get the job done aye?
@miiiiinty4 жыл бұрын
The workers certainly got on with it! Though it took 18 years to go through planning before the first tool on the job
@garlandremingtoniii13384 жыл бұрын
ZnenTitan Type English.
@SubjectRandom214 жыл бұрын
Some might say that they were real men putting in real time and effort.
@tuboid0013 жыл бұрын
Have you heard of something called Crossrail??? These types of projects are still happening in London!!!!!!!
@ivanahavitoff73085 жыл бұрын
no hats no gloves no protective gear just a pack of players no 6. fucking awesome.
@GavinMorris13 жыл бұрын
All these cave ins are making me thirsty, pass the fire bucket.
@pangaeanconquest27316 жыл бұрын
Love how the commentary makes reference to 1984.
@AlJay00325 жыл бұрын
Little did they know what still would come.
@6sicSIX4 жыл бұрын
@@trebuh Erm.. what do you think they were talking about then? The year 1984 and not the book?!?
@gd57624 жыл бұрын
1984, the Sikh genocide
@kennarajora65322 жыл бұрын
where is the time stamp? I tried to find it but couldn't.
@shazanali692 Жыл бұрын
Just darn strange I saw this comment at the exact moment the commentator said Orwell 1984
@limeyosu20003 жыл бұрын
I could watch these old movies all night long
@peter80844 жыл бұрын
Amazing to see public walking around London looking where they are going as opposed to eyes locked onto mobile phones !
@chrisrebar23813 жыл бұрын
And without masks!
@cd0u50c92 жыл бұрын
Awareness of the world around you appeared to be a thing back then...
@peter80842 жыл бұрын
@@cd0u50c9 just imagine how images of crowds will appear say 50 years from now !
@kennarajora65322 жыл бұрын
we'll I won't say it's all good. Look at how they stare down the poor camera man with fury, at 3:12.
@supergub5 жыл бұрын
At 2:47 they overdubbed it to say "1863" when it appears the host said "1865"
@6sicSIX4 жыл бұрын
Completely missed that, good catch!
@squatchhammer72154 жыл бұрын
I had to rewind it because the sound was off.
@390h8er7 жыл бұрын
Absolutely brilliant. You don't get films like this anymore. The working practices seem unthinkable today but they did it!
@Sion.Ryan.Green.6 жыл бұрын
390h8er They built pyramids a while back
@TonyLing6 жыл бұрын
They weren't a bloody useful as railways though were they?
@MsMesem6 жыл бұрын
Team work goes far.
@Zephieish6 жыл бұрын
Vaccines & Islam destroy lives, Christ Saves Souls What use is a pyramid? How does it benefit others?
@frankieboyle62905 жыл бұрын
+Pedro Stanjel. what has Islam got to do with this. wtf
@wendalboy6 жыл бұрын
The engineering in the oxford street ticket hall dig was amazing
@thornimation54926 жыл бұрын
Before watching this documentary, I never realized that main ticket hall of Oxford Circus was opened as much as 69 years after the Central London Railway (now called the Central Line) opened. So much history since 1900, especially now that we're 18 years into the 21st Century.
@opaz.5 жыл бұрын
Such a pleasure to watch and incredibly interesting. Seeing the workmanship, skill and achievements of yesteryear. With not very much, they just got on with it and created something that has withstood the test of time. Magnificent!
@grassytramtracks6 ай бұрын
Well the Victoria line is a bit of a victim of its own success, it wasn't exactly given oodles of money, and there are stations that don't really have enough escalators. In comparison, trains on the Elizabeth line are twice as long. The Elizabeth line could have been done quicker and cheaper, but it wouldn't stand the test of time
@runi54134 жыл бұрын
Back in the days when the only safety regulation was "don't show up drunk"
@runi54134 жыл бұрын
@Stig Martin I suppose you're right about that. Although in this case... Even though spending hours in a damp, wet, dark tunnel SOBER sounds like a nightmare... I think it was still preferable to getting your arm caught in the machine and becoming part of the concrete foundation :)
@runi54134 жыл бұрын
@Stig Martin Haha, those really were the good old days ) Yeah..., can't say things were all at different over here in the Netherlands tbh. They weren't quite as lenient towards drinking and driving over here, but then again you also wouldn't have had to look very far to find a case of Heineken on just about any construction site in the country. And it's not like our friendly Polish migrant workers did much to change that "tradition" over the past two decades... But ok, look at it this way: If that was _your_ multi-million dollar Tunnel Boring Machine, would you let some guy who's shloshed off his ass operate it? I mean, to hell with the guy's limbs... What if his foot gets caught in the gears and messes up an axle? Who's going to pay for that?! And then you have your crying widows, couple of orphaned children with soot on their faces asking you when daddy is coming home... Best to avoid all that stuff, wouldn't you agree? :) (although the fact that literally no one in this video was even wearing a helmet makes me think this wasn't particularly high on their To Do list, lol)
@bretdouglas94074 жыл бұрын
Or at least not all the bloody time!
@stoolpigeon42854 жыл бұрын
Fred Dibnah said he had a couple of pints before climbing a chimney. Why, he was asked. "Would you do that sober", he replied
@marcusskidmore69133 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't do it full stop, it's flipping mental.
@Zerodghjj7 жыл бұрын
Safety gear didn't seem to be a thing back then.
@JeffDeWitt7 жыл бұрын
I especially noticed the guy using a jackhammer without any kind of hearing protection.
@justinreed70937 жыл бұрын
Adventures With Bash?? were yall not there when the four men went down the hole in a bucket
@Zerodghjj7 жыл бұрын
Justin Reed yup safety last
@timothybonis16147 жыл бұрын
Adventures With Bash?? Bcccc. Ffvfv
@stanley36476 жыл бұрын
Best one is from 16:55 (Man on left) get hit from falling clay ;)
@henrytomlinson36344 жыл бұрын
My god thay worked hard I love it how he drank out of the fire bucket, what a fantastic piece of film. Henry north of Birmingham
@julianthornton90763 жыл бұрын
shame they didn't show the guy pissing in it 5 mins before!
@bernardlane45173 жыл бұрын
Yes the wankers who we have today would insist on bottles of perrier water being provided every 20 minutes.
@bernardlane45173 жыл бұрын
@@julianthornton9076 the guy looked so hot and thirsty even if he did see it I don't think he would have given a shit and still drunk out of it lols
@jdee82673 жыл бұрын
Fire!! ... now where’s the bucket
@TheMusicalElitist2 жыл бұрын
@@bernardlane4517 Oh do shut up, you illiterate, uneducated boomer.
@jwatters98687 жыл бұрын
really good doc. i spent a few years working as a train maintainer on the northern and central lines. respect to all construction men.
@envirotechmaintenanceandse9305 Жыл бұрын
Well done gents!!! Salute you for your hard work. Most of these guys must have passed already.
@oconnorkieran58374 жыл бұрын
Those drills and no ear protection Must have went deaf. Great video 👍🇮🇪
@tobeytransport28024 жыл бұрын
And it’s still one of the best tube lines
@eXTreemator4 жыл бұрын
Slow and tight.
@michaelhiggins73654 жыл бұрын
Truly an amazing engineering accomplishment and much credit is due to the men who poured their sweat into digging those tunnels working in I'm sure, often extreme conditions.
@tropicalpalmtree2 жыл бұрын
I don't think many people in modern britain could even comprehend how hard those blokes worked.
@michael_mouse3 жыл бұрын
... I've watched this twice now and it's still interesting a second time... I remember going over the 'Umbrella' and was shocked at how long ago it was... thanks for uploading!
@jimlassen94224 жыл бұрын
Great documentary and I remember the Victoria line being built but didn't realise that it was so long ago back in the late 1960's. So much engineering effort going on underground, especially around the Kings Cross area when people above had no idea whilst they were doing their shopping or commuting across London. Well done to all those involved with making this happen.
@JeffDeWitt7 жыл бұрын
This was fascinating, and they actually managed to automate that line with the primitive equipment available in the mid 60's, very impressive!
@jwatters98687 жыл бұрын
Jeff DeWitt relays?
@JeffDeWitt7 жыл бұрын
Relays and rolls of paper with holes in it, just like an old player piano.
@Sion.Ryan.Green.6 жыл бұрын
Jeff DeWitt pyramids baffle you then?
@godfreypoon51486 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't say it was particularly primitive.
@ze_rubenator6 жыл бұрын
It's even more facinating that they went to the moon only a few short years after. Tunnelling and building is largely the same these days, whereas modern computing makes the Apollo guidance computer look positively archaic.
@darganx3 жыл бұрын
This documentary is a little gem, everything about it is delightful - from the RP trained presenter to the editing, the music and especially the delicious end credits with the old BBC indents.. a true snapshot of everyday 60s London. Reminds me of those afternoon interlude fillers they used to show when I was a nipper! Some interesting points made in this 1968 doc: strangely looking back at a time of advancement, in the next 2-3 years you would see a moon landing, the flight of Concorde and the spanking new ticket machines with their prices in shillings and pence also reminds me that Decimalisation is just round the corner. I could be the one who says 'things were better back then', but as the presenter himself says at the end: 'Embrace the future, or become the past'.
@lydiamusima58404 жыл бұрын
As someone who uses the Victoria Line often I’ve come appreciate it’s service. It’s the most reliable line
@bobdinwiddy6 жыл бұрын
all those elements flying around and perhaps ONE hard hat in the whole film...
@passthebutterrobot26005 жыл бұрын
Apparently you could even stick you head right next to the cutting blades of the tunnel machine while it was in operation with no hard hat required.
@EnglishLaw5 жыл бұрын
All down to the lawsuit culture I would imagine.
@tonys16364 жыл бұрын
@@passthebutterrobot2600 It would just get in the bloody way.
@TylerDurden-ij1np4 жыл бұрын
They were thick skinned in the old days, no offended crybabies then
@roymarshall_3 жыл бұрын
@@TylerDurden-ij1np Instead of being offended they just got seriously injured or died
@yggdrasil90395 жыл бұрын
Wow. Packing concrete sections into the tunnel wall with bare hands.
@bernardlane45173 жыл бұрын
Yes and a one second loss of concentration and your fingers are a distant memory.... Ouch!!!
@verdatum5 жыл бұрын
This is possibly the most british video I have ever seen.
@oh-totoro5 жыл бұрын
@@user-ky6vw5up9m Yup, it says in the video they were "the sons of Ireland, almost all of them". But they were paid well.
@Isleofskye5 жыл бұрын
Not necessarily , my friend. It's just that my London has changed from 99% White/British of my formative years in a very civilised,polite and friendly shared Culture to a London where in Inner London only 1 current birth in every 10 is to White/British indigenous.Quite a change in under 60 years. So if a small number of people aided by newly-arrived immigrants can produce that many children then imagine how many children the 90% No-White/British will produce and Whites will disappear altogether as they,virtually, have in parts of London already...@ @@omaismazhar3021
@steben33185 жыл бұрын
'most british' lol, watch the film Hector and the search for happiness - so british too :D
@fuguthefish4 жыл бұрын
@@Isleofskye Tbh the amount of non-britishness in London has is scaring me, as a foreign student there. The east of London looks like a 3rd world country.
@Isleofskye4 жыл бұрын
Of course there was a 200,000+ Jewish population in The East End and small Communities of Italians, Greeks, Turks, Cypriots and others in the 1960's when I grew up in the heart of London but I never heard another language spoken on a London street from 1954 to the early 1970's !!!!!!!
@Danny300119807 жыл бұрын
Interesting. I find Metros/Undergrounds/subways so interesting. No other traffic, no crossroads with traffic lights, going right under houses, gardens, roads and rivers...engineering marvel!
@thornimation54926 жыл бұрын
Me too! Glad to see other people who have this interest in common. If only the Government had offered the City of Birmingham the necessary funds, to build their first Underground Line, which still doesn't exist. But it's not too late, as of January 2018. So I still advocate, an Underground Line for Birmingham and to eventually serve the entire West Midlands County.
@icydsting60376 жыл бұрын
ThorniMation ...if they were able to get the funds together today then I reckon London would be redone again.
@UnseenVids6 жыл бұрын
me too!
@MrKen-wy5dk5 жыл бұрын
I have no idea. Here in Houston, TX, if you dig a tunnel you will be totally flooded by the next hurricane. Witness Hurricane "Harvey" that utterely destroyed downtown Houston's infrasture such as courts, jury assembly building, basements and drowning a number of citizens. I will stay above ground, thank you very much.
@kiwitrainguy5 жыл бұрын
Danny30011980 - The best way to get around London is to use the Underground (provided you have a map of course).
@matthewfield29585 жыл бұрын
Fascinating, both the subject matter and the narration. I wish the Beeb made documentaries like this today.
@foamige3 жыл бұрын
No hard hats, no high viz, no steel toes, and no over schedule. They just pulled double shifts and got it finished. Real workers right there.
@ce18343 жыл бұрын
The boomerness is strong with this one 😂Real workers = risking your life without safety equipment? 🙄 I’d rather people didn’t martyr themselves working to the bone for some corporation
@johnkelly1083 Жыл бұрын
Just like the good old days where people landed up with permanent hearing loss and life long injuries...
@stuart86635 жыл бұрын
What a superb BBC production, and terrific street-level narration. Excellent job.
@grahamallison86416 жыл бұрын
to divert a line from old to new in 15 hours is really amazing. imagine how long it would take these days..
@divaden476 жыл бұрын
Dread to think. 15 hours would most likely be spent in head shaking, sharp intakes of breath and muttering about it can't be done......
@marvintpandroid22136 жыл бұрын
It is still done in this way, its just that people no longer want to invest the money needed.
@ianmurray2506 жыл бұрын
Governments no longer want to invest the money needed.
@marvintpandroid22136 жыл бұрын
Quite right, the government as the operative of the people, the fact that cross rail was built is one hell of a miracle.
@grassytramtracks6 ай бұрын
@@marvintpandroid2213crossrail has far more voluminous stations and trains twice as long as the Victoria line. It's no wonder it takes longer and is expensive, but it's money well spent in my opinion if we want it to be resilient in the future
@michaelbarry27004 жыл бұрын
my father worked on the Victoria line, one of those big Irish men, 5 ft 8 tall & 10stone 8lb haha, mind you he did come from Co Kerry known for there strength, proper tough men them tunnel tigers
@richbrook1013 жыл бұрын
How come the Irish had a reputation for strength and toughness?
@1989Chrisc3 жыл бұрын
@@richbrook101 they drank like fish, smoked like chimneys, were wirey as fuck and worked 12-15 hrs a day building these tunnels and most of the infrastructure in the uk in the 19th and 20th century
@johnkelly1083 Жыл бұрын
Watching this film and seeing those men work was extremely impressive.
@bernadettebarry309911 ай бұрын
My uncle worked on brilliant job brilliant line used it 30 to visit my sister who lives in Walthamstow me at Warren st thank you to those wonderful gentlemen who made this possible
@richardmessenger94746 жыл бұрын
Can remember driving over this umbrella many times with dad who worked in London for Warner Pathe in Wardour Street just down the road..
@TheRealDoctorBonkus3 жыл бұрын
This was recommended to me for a whole month. Jesus christ, KZfaq, are you happy now? I HAVE SEE THIS BEFORE! It's facinating, alright?
@PP-vt9ug5 жыл бұрын
There should be some sort of statue or monument for the men who dug these tunnels. Or at least a plaque
@josephanderson72374 жыл бұрын
P P There is. It’s called a tombstone. 😊
@AMULET724 жыл бұрын
Here's a song....kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oaxdhbFyysqvcWw.html
@tispete9244 жыл бұрын
‘Tunnel Tigers’ from county Donegal. Built the hydro electric schemes up in Scotland too. In world record time.
@Gambit7714 жыл бұрын
Too white and far too much toxic masculinity for any woke committee these days to recognise. The tea lady might get a plaque for being forgotten and history rewritten to make her the brains of the outfit.
@user-ky6vw5up9m4 жыл бұрын
There is at Archway.
@gotany15 жыл бұрын
I was underpinning a house in barnes in the late 1990s and there was 7 different colour clays, i was told bythe engineer that it was spoil from the first london underground, a mile a day they could dig 2 steam shovels and a thousand men.
@macdjord3 жыл бұрын
I love the music. Those drums make me keep looking around to see if Thunderbird 3 has shown up yet.
@dekkerlundquist59383 жыл бұрын
How interesting watching this old footage. Extraordinary engineering for the time!
@isaacroebuck95146 жыл бұрын
Interesting how 50 years of innovation makes half the job take twice as long.
@bfapple6 жыл бұрын
Look at the comment above. Safety.
@andrewbrown24415 жыл бұрын
We are all sheeple now
@bikerchrisukk5 жыл бұрын
@ungratefulmetalpansy Ha! I liked that, nice one :-)
@samedwardson59115 жыл бұрын
ungratefulmetalpansy m
@HDESM5 жыл бұрын
In addition to the safety comments, the contractors have found more and better ways to make everything more expensive in the name of profit taking.....
@JohnRowley8 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing this, really enjoyed it
@mairtinodiomasaigh93776 жыл бұрын
John Rowley I
@jossym Жыл бұрын
The more programmes such as this I watch, the more melancholic they make me feel. I don't want to yearn for the past, but there's just something about looking back 40-50-odd years (such as in this video) that seems very sad now that particular world has gone forever, replaced by something much more technologically advanced yet seemingly unfit to lace its predecessors boots.
@stevedoubleu99B4 жыл бұрын
Some great filming there, as well as being super interesting and nostalgic. The narrator was easy on the ear too.
@Wasserfeld.3 жыл бұрын
I so do love this city. It still shocks me how advanced the Victoria Line was for the 60s. To think the automatic system must've been designed in the late 50s - early 60s is amazing. Small calculators we have today weren't even a thing, yet they managed to run a whole tube line from one room using machines.
@couchslouch132 жыл бұрын
whats even more impressive is that same automated system was still in use til 2012
@hoofie20026 жыл бұрын
My neighbour in the 70s was Mick from Donegal. He was a tunneller and worked all over the UK. Good money apparently but he had 11 kids so he needed it. When he retired eventually he had a fair few quid to himself.
@Mrrobackenson113 күн бұрын
Hats off to these guys. Amazing 🇬🇧
@dr.s.p.3 жыл бұрын
A great job! I had just joined HM Services when this was started and when I came out it was finished. Amazing feat.
@Edits_For_You_By_Hannah6 жыл бұрын
I love the way they describe what they did at Kings Cross as Threading the Eye Of the Needle, echoed as it was in the recent BBC documentary about Crossrail when they were at (I think) Tottenham Court Road, describing a similar exercise as the same. "15 Billion Pound Railway" I think it was called. Anyway, both great documentaries, but nothing has changed...
@adeh5036 жыл бұрын
Who needs health and safety and safety gear when you can smoke 30 senior service a day, drink 15 pints of Guinness and still be at work in the morning!! Good old boys 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@joea55725 жыл бұрын
I'll bet you had to be careful about expressing an unpopular opinion at the pub on Saturday night. No pajama boys there.
@OldUKAds5 жыл бұрын
And the kids up chimneys...was good for em. Bit of soot, kept the pollution out of their lungs! Then home for a good caning. Made them good men. Oh the days. Bring back cholera too, fortitude!
@user-ky6vw5up9m5 жыл бұрын
We have fatalities on Crossrail now!
@pfa20005 жыл бұрын
Makes for frightening watching.
@Grendel6505 жыл бұрын
Yeah, let's bring back the good old days of early deaths for the working classes, savage injury from poor safety practices and the good old English tally ho attitude to the welfare of the poor. They were better off dying early.
@glutinousmaximus5 жыл бұрын
Bloody amazin'! Thanks for posting.
@supergeek01774 жыл бұрын
Look at all those local manufacturing and industrial jobs! So much hard working local innovation supported by the government, definitely need more of this today.
@Isleofskye5 жыл бұрын
Re-visiting my Inner London era from 1954-83 until I "emigrated" to The London Suburbs makes ,e yearn for this era. I distinctly remember how civilised and polite and friendly we were and as we were not buried in our phones we had time for each other. I also remember the orderly queues, as witnessed here and the acceptance of those doing their job like the conductor stopping the guy doing what I used to do all the time i.e.Getting on the bus at the lights and being able to step off if the traffic was heavy..The other obvious point is that 99% of my fellow Londoners shared my Culture while only one in ten Inner London births are now to indigenous White/Brits...
@lkrnpk5 жыл бұрын
don't worry, when those born grow up they will share your culture, at least most of them
@Isleofskye5 жыл бұрын
Ah wah deh yah you ah act spooky you ah ghost ? @ @@lkrnpk
@anthonymctigue90383 жыл бұрын
Spot on my friend god b with the days great to hear the sound of jack Hammer
@Isleofskye3 жыл бұрын
Good Luck !
@Mujangga Жыл бұрын
@@lkrnpk Not really.
@mellowandjello4 жыл бұрын
This is absolutely fascinating to watch, the precision combined with speed is remarkable. It's a shame projects that are smaller take much longer these days.
@cd0u50c92 жыл бұрын
When people are knowledgeable and skilled speed and precision together are possible.
@nightwhisper8520 Жыл бұрын
Well, if you cut safety you'll have much time!
@grassytramtracks6 ай бұрын
The Elizabeth line, for example is definitely not a smaller project, the Victoria line is now one of the most overcrowded because it was built to more tube like specifications, and the stations at many points have quite bare minimum stations with out enough space and narrow escalator shafts. Walthamstow Central is one of the most overcrowded stations on the whole network
@GM-kc5gs3 жыл бұрын
Bloody Brilliant, one of the best doccos I have the pleasure to watch
@raymondwalsh75205 жыл бұрын
Interesting documentary. Enjoyed it. Thanks for uploading.
@gillianferguson79365 жыл бұрын
Yes my old dad was among those men -many of whom were Irish and this at a time when there were still signs saying 'No Blacks,no Irish, no Dogs' in Islington where we lived. No mention anywhere here,nor in the 50th anniversary celebrations ,of the accidents and fatalities that occurred during the construction of the Victoria Line. I have childhood memories of "Collections 'for the widows taken up amongst the workers.There must surely be a record somewhere?
@james099955 жыл бұрын
Fair play to your father Ms Ferguson....I have studied the contribution of the Irish in building from Manchester canals to the docklands and it is a source of pride to all Irishmen and women.
@carpenteire5 жыл бұрын
Try and get your hands on a book called "The men who built Britain- A history of the Irish Navvy" by Ultan Cowley, which records the work of the many Irish men who worked on the great civil engineering projects like this; it's a fascinating read.
@james099955 жыл бұрын
@@carpenteire Thanks Marc...much appreciated!
@chanchaniscool5 жыл бұрын
My dad worked on this project. He used to tell me about working in a dangerous situation,one death a week, working in compressed air, hard graft but he loved it. The money was good, the crack with the Irish lads was great.
@james099955 жыл бұрын
@@chanchaniscool Respect to you Dad. They were great men....tough, respectable men who'd put the modern generation to shame. I also love to see the Irish and the English working together...there has been much to divide these people but they have so much more in common and there is nothing as good as a good Irishman except a good Englishman.
@taiterobinson7935 жыл бұрын
Happy 50th Anniversary 1969-2019 it’s very interesting and the ambition of these men will never be seen again in the UK the design of the Victoria line in those days are better than today’s designs
@maxflight7773 жыл бұрын
Compelling content. Brave and hard working men. When we had workers not shirkers.
@quietusplus12214 жыл бұрын
This is a gem. Loved watching it
@HSMiyamoto5 жыл бұрын
I had no idea that tunnel boring machines existed in the early 1960s. These seem to be unremarkable, too.
@cobrasvt3475 жыл бұрын
Magnetically controlled tickets. Lol. We missed that one.
@visionpersistance4 жыл бұрын
I was recently in the U.K. and London and as a New Yorker born and raised, enjoyed the Underground or “Tube” the pace and rush of commuters, instantly reminded me of the New York City Subway in Manhattan during the rush hours
@user-ky6vw5up9m5 жыл бұрын
My uncle used to dig tunnels in London in 1950s and in later life he used the fireplace in the living room to demonstrate how they kept directional control.
@martinbyrne66434 жыл бұрын
The men from donegal were the best tunnelers in the world ‘ known as the tunnel tigers 🐯
@marksinthehouse19683 жыл бұрын
Agree my dads side is from there
@anthonymctigue90383 жыл бұрын
Yes they could drink 20 pints and at work next day not a bother very healthy strong
@VictorVonDoom.4 жыл бұрын
Them guys drilling without goggles, ear defenders, a hard hat or gloves on 😂😂😂 times really have changed
@stevegibson96413 жыл бұрын
And their shoes were polished!
@StevenTorrey4 жыл бұрын
This is about the construction of the Victoria Line which was completed at bout 1969/70. It would be interesting to see the technological and electronic improvements from 2019.
@stefankassbohrer27654 жыл бұрын
Much work, not many words ... respect. Best regards from south germany
@bigrustle68515 жыл бұрын
The Victoria Line will be 50 years old this Sunday, feeling old yet!?
@OldUKAds5 жыл бұрын
Considering the first tube lines were in the 1800s, that seems young to me.
@matthewdunderdale86855 жыл бұрын
@@OldUKAds what we now know as the metropolitan line... 1863 to be exact
@Lord-DJ6 жыл бұрын
If the BBC made this sort of thing now, ie, factual, informed, not politically minded etc then I would gladly pay for a tv licence and start watching them again.
@Bartimayus5 жыл бұрын
So blue planet 2 and other documentaries, like crossrail are too political?
@PiOfficial5 жыл бұрын
@@Bartimayus They are too few and far between for it to be remotely worth it.
@jamesrhew45425 жыл бұрын
divad noskcaj what the hell is a TV license?
@zforce695 жыл бұрын
If they did make it today the BBC would be bemoaning the lack of gender diversity on the project, not in the tunnels mind you, only the engineers and bosses.
@Channel205UK5 жыл бұрын
@James Rhew - In the UK if you own any equipment capable of watching television as it's broadcast either via over-the-air transmission, internet, cable etc you have to pay the state an annual fee called the TV License, this funds the upkeep of the transmission network, the services and production of the B.B.C. including radio. It also means there is no advertising on B.B.C. channels.
@edsilvester3 жыл бұрын
That was excellent. So nice not to have the fake jeopardy of modern tv documentary and to be spoken to like an intelligent human being.
@kgwaruka3 жыл бұрын
What a great documentary this is. These men had ambtion and hard work
@ps-ri2qk4 жыл бұрын
I didn't realize the tunnel boring machines went that far back with the concrete liners, etc. What an engineering marvel, hat's off to all the people involved in getting it done right.
@FalbertForester6 жыл бұрын
20:45 "It was like an episode in Doctor Who!"
@SenileOtaku3 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, projects these days are still like the current version of Doctor Who. And not in a good way. Politicied, shoddy workmanship, all hype and no real effort.
@johnwebsterwallace48844 жыл бұрын
Now, that was worth watching! Great documentary.
@sputumtube5 жыл бұрын
Wow!! That was fascinating. Thanks for posting....
@barbaraannecortina78996 жыл бұрын
This was first shown on BBC2 at 21:55 on 3 March 1969. Back then, BBC2 would have been the highbrow channel.
@passthebutterrobot26005 жыл бұрын
BBC4 is the new BBC2, or at least it tries to be
@JazzFunkNobby19644 жыл бұрын
Wow. How did you find that out?
@AnthonyMonaghan5 жыл бұрын
And this is called 'getting the job done' children.
@literallyanythingelseother3 жыл бұрын
So many ear drums were destoryed in the making of this tunnel
@hopefulharry3 жыл бұрын
incredible views of how they used to build
@chiyungwong37748 жыл бұрын
incredible how some technics have not changed even by 2015!
@nicolek40768 жыл бұрын
Technics is a Lego product.. You mean, I hope, techniques.
@chiyungwong37748 жыл бұрын
+Nicole K yeah you're right I did mean technique, well spotted!
@nicolek40768 жыл бұрын
Thank you taking my comment in the spirit in which I made it. Things like this somehow draw my attention. I can be looking at a whole page of text and the spelling mistake, misplaced apostrophe or grammatical error will leap to my eye like a carbuncle on the face of an old friend. I should do proof-reading.
@GenaFrog7 жыл бұрын
+Nicole K I am exactly the same, it drives me crazy. Once I was in an Iron Maiden concert in my teens flicking thru the programme I'd just bought and saw an error, London typed as Lonbon. Couldn't believe I spotted it in the gig. I actually did proof read...until redundancy enforced by modern technologies.
@sitahsinrva4 жыл бұрын
is there a link to the music from this? i love it! great watching this!
@ryanbonner254 жыл бұрын
every scene is fascinating
@greenaum3 жыл бұрын
Dozens of Health and Safety men had heart attacks watching this!
@Alfredromeothatsme4 жыл бұрын
Those guys underground deserved every penny they earned!
@cd0u50c92 жыл бұрын
And more.
@mshotz13 жыл бұрын
They left out the Buried Space Ship they found on Hobb's Lane! They never give Quartermass any credit!
@brendanECS6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for uploading 👍 great video
@markyoung72784 жыл бұрын
Wonderful slice of history.
@colinp22385 жыл бұрын
The days when you could get on a tube train and sit down ahhh the memories.
@johnpog19733 жыл бұрын
We still do that
@colinp22383 жыл бұрын
@@johnpog1973 It's difficult on the Picadilly line.
@johnpog19733 жыл бұрын
Yeah true,then it's really harder in summer on the central line
@colinp22383 жыл бұрын
@@johnpog1973 The picadilly is always busy because of Heathrow.
@TheMrB5 жыл бұрын
Just think, they did not have lasers or computers. Makes it even more amazing. Also worthy of note the public, not obsessed with sodding smart phones showing images of what other people had for dinner last night.
@rRobertSmith5 жыл бұрын
They had computers just not very good ones, solenoid logic and punched cards.
@TheMrB5 жыл бұрын
@@rRobertSmith Good point.
@edmund-osborne4 жыл бұрын
Yeah the public were obsessed with newspapers instead. There's never been a time when people have lived "in the moment" on public transport. It serves an important function, that's all it is to most people, especially if they travel every day.
@TheMusicalElitist2 жыл бұрын
OK boomer, calm down.
@gsimatty4 жыл бұрын
Wow, this is fascinating, thanks for this 👍
@marknestbox4 жыл бұрын
For those that wonder, Yes, this is 100% worth watching, its riveting stuff from start to finish! (Honestly, give it a go!).