I love how they took time out to recreate the ending of The Italian Job just before opening the line.

Ah, the soothing tones of Jago. The best digestive aid known to mankind!

Mr Hazzard spares no expense with his MS Paint rail diagrams. We are truly blessed.

That accident reminds me of the recent Rotterdam Metro "Saved by the whale" accident. They're oddly similar.

"We'll call it South Greenwich." "But Greenwich is on the other side of the river!" "Yes, but you can see it from here." Only in England, also known as "South Scotland".

Ryanair should do that with their airport destinations: "London (Machu Picchu)"

So early even Geoff Marshall isn’t here yet.

As a long time Isle of Dogs resident, Jago's healthy obsession with the DLR is a thing that brings me great joy. These soothing vocals bringing me peculiar facts about places I see on the regular!

When i lived in London and i had visitors i always took them sightseeing i always took them to Canary Wharf(being Canarian myself)and then we would board the DLR and i would make sure we sat at the very front window and they would say, "wait,where is the driver?"

I love your content for several reasons (as I have told you in many comments by now) but I just found another reason: you are a explorer. But you decided to explore the obvious which is such a great idea because anyone can do it and find out interesting things in their own city. Thank you for inspiring me to keep my eyes open from now on :)

"This being a British transport project it actually opened in 1999" Ouch!

I remember going by DLR to the old Island Gardens and then walking through the foot tunnel with a waterfall coming out of the roof half-way over. Got a move on to the other side after seeing that!

In the early 1990s I lived on the Isle of Dogs. One Saturday, i got stopped by a couple of men in a car near ASDA who asked me where Millwall football club was. They were rather disbelieving when I pointed out it was not in Millwall, but on the other side of the river. I always wondered if they made their match.

I love the design of the former Island Garden station. The glass and steel tower in the middle had a kind of steampunk vibe. I wished I could have seen it with my own eyes had it not been demolished... PS : I'm watching you from Paris, please keep making greats videos like this one :)

I remember how exciting it was taking the "space age driverless trains" all the way to Island Gardens, when the line first opened. I imagine that Greenwich foot tunnel numbers increased rapidly as a result too

"Luckily no one was hurt" gave me strong ringo starr thomas the tank engine vibes

Part of the DLR station was even more short-lived. The railway was planning to introduce trains of two units, so platforms had to be extended. This was at a time when the Lewisham extension was being planned, and it was known that the original station would soon have to close, but it was considered necessary to extend it even for this short time. Just one leg of the ‘Y’ was extended, and after this the other platform was little used. I can’t remember which side the extension was on.

Always a pleasure to watch. Thank you.

“I always feel a bit rotunda after Christmas” 😂

There's always one train every so often that takes a hissy fit and goes off the rails. Don't ever let one see a steering wheel. It might get silly ideas beyond its station.

Ahh yes, the locomotive pose, the precursor to death by selfie! 🤣

"Such a modern system could be so old." Wait till he finds out about the Singapore MRT system, which started running in the same year. The oldest sector, between the stations of Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh, still look relatively modern today, although somewhat dated compared to our newer MRT stations (maybe with the exception of Bishan, which was extensively renovated/rebuilt and expanded in the 2000's when it became a transfer station between the North South Line and the Circle Line).

I remember the old Island Gardens station. Traveling on it when the trains were on strike or some other problems with them. Getting from the square mile to Tower gateway then onto Island Gardens, then the rest of the way through the foot tunnel, then pick up a bus. Long journey and only as a plan D. But it got me home.

With regard to your question about Victorian railway worker fatalities, I'd imagine any railway workers of the time were afforded excellent protection by their safety flat caps.

does anybody else remember the DLR gift shop at the old Island gardens station?

The Millwall branch closed.....apparently no-one loved it....

Your age is NEVER something to be ashamed of! I'm very much a fan of your videos, very informative and absolutely something to watch when you want to "relax".

While working on the DLR Bank Station tunnel construction I stayed at the Ibis hotel in Greenwich and so my daily commute was from the hotel passed some great pubs in Greenwich. Passed the Cutty Sark, down the circular staircase/or lift to the pedestrian tunnel, under the Thames and up to Island Gardens Park, across the road to the DLR station and more stairs, then board the train for Tower Gateway. Then wow down the escalator, a quick walk around the corner to the construction site. In those day The Train Captain would often take control of the train, which meant opening a panel on the dash board and pushing lots of buttons, the TC also opened & closed doors at stations and guided drunks to seats.

An old friend of mine, Mark, worked as a civil engineer on the extension and embedded a penny in the concrete at one of the stations for a friend. Before the extension opened, the 'economic benefits' started occurring in Lewisham with an increase of people walking around looking at properties and an increase in the listed prices of the properties they were looking at.

There is "North Woolwich' which prior to 1965 was officially part of Woolwich north of the river... and gave its name to a station from 1847-2006. It probably didn't feel too strange when they invented a "North Greenwich" place name for the purposes of naming this station.

Oh the irony of having a brake test centre where a train failed to brake on time.... 🤔

I remember taking a trip from Tower Gateway to Island Gardens soon after the DLR opened. You had to be careful to mind the bi-fold doors on the trains then.

old island gardens stations looks so beautiful in that aerial shot

Once again London reminds me of Rotterdam 5:19 something similar happened with a Rotterdam metro in November last year. That time it looked as if it was stopped by a statue of a whale's tail, which made it look truly surreal. Search for Spijkenisse metro whale statue and you won't be disappointed. Great video again! Love the stories you dig up, and always great visuals.

Jago,you did it again,got another obscure railway,and made some small history,grow big,as it did effect more people than met the eye 👁! In the US,one example I know,sort of fills that category! The A line(IND),of New York City transit,falls into that notch! It originally was the Long Island Railroad's Rockaways line,and was,at one time operated jointly with the BRT( Brooklyn Rapid Transit),so it also has a hundred year history! Suffice it to say,it also connects to a driverless line,that goes to JFK Airport,(Airtrain),so there is a bit of crossovers,and it does get complicated,shades of the Millville line! Thank you for your attention 👍! Sorry,for my long winded soliloquy! THANK YOU!!!

Thanks for this. My first visit to the UK was in 1998, and I distinctly remember catching the DLR from an elevated platform after walking through the tunnel after some time south of the river. I couldn't understand why, when I returned (in 2006) I had this memory, when Island Gardens is clearly underground. Thanks for showing me that I hadn't completely lost it.

Bravo Jago; you’re an inspiration demonstrating what content creators could do with a bit of knowledge, editing skill and charming wit, in a relatively short time. Edit: unsure if London is similar to Manchester, but we have so much derelict “green space” surrounding the city, where once industry thrived. I walk the dog wondering why so much rubble underfoot and what must once have been here?

I love seeing the place thru your eyes, another great video. The city has changed so much just in my lifetime.

Always informative & interesting thankyou.

Your video reminded me that Los Angeles began reviving its rail transit system in 1990, and yet, only last year, did it create its first abandoned station since the last streetcar lines were closed in 1963. Like Island Gardens station, Little Tokyo/Arts District station became surplus because the at-grade line was diverted into a new subway. By 2023, railfans will have a lot of new things to see in the City of Angels.

Lived near Island Gardens DLR for two years. Brought back fond memories. Good to know a bit about the local history.

Thank you Jago, I love all the historic photos with present day to compare. So many traces of the past within an urban landscape. Place names are arbitrary!

Great & interesting video as always! I’ve got a video suggestion, can you cover the former Overground/Silverlink line to North Woolwich? That’s one line I haven’t seen covered much so I’d like to know about it’s history. That’d be appreciated. :)

I felt sorry for the newsagent and the other outlets which had opened up in the arches underneath the original DLR station at Island Gardens. There was even a "DLR Shop" in there, selling books and memorabilia, novelty items and souvenirs, including spare copies of the "High Performance Vehicle - please hold on tight " labels, which appeared inside the original DLR vehicles!! It would have been possible to remove and relocate the station without closing down these outlets, sadly this wasn't to be. They'd just about filled all the arches and got the place looking really nice when they made the decision to sweep it away.

Another excellent report, thank you very much.

Great video jago, lovely old photos, interesting story 👌😀👍

Brilliant and entertaining as always. Yeah I recall the opening being a big deal when I was younger. Keep up the good work fella and stay safe.

Greetings from that corner of Zone 8 I am now going to refer to as East Greenwich.

i know more about london than I know about my own town, that's all because of your very entertaining and educational videos

Fortunately I travelled on the DLR in its early days and remember the old stations very well. Especially the rotunda!

You deserve more attention. Incredible content. Especially love your videos about tower blocks. More architecture please.

Again very interesting as always, and very well presented

3:25 and a bit: You can’t fool us, that’s clearly the Plar Wing Club.

Spent my 1st 7yrs of railway career working as a Passenger Service Agent on the DLR. The train that went over the viaduct was the same one that carried tge queen on the offical opening day, so I was told by an old supervisor.

Me being a Millwall supporter and me family on my grandfathers side hail from Greenwich... what's not to love? :D Along the old East London line ran another, an elevated branch to quite a sizeable yard at Deptford wharf which used to ferry coal from there to other smaller yards like the Croydon coaling train picked up at New Cross Gate for the power station and heavy industry. Deptford also had a power station but I remember when they decommissioned that poor old thing putting a fair few on the dole :( Hey what about doing a "then and now" video to the Special's Ghost Town which was shot primarily in Bermondsey and Deptford with a bit of Royal Docks and some tunnel action, I remember me dad telling me about film crew spotted lurking in some of London Bridge's under viaduct area and another mate caught some piccies when they were moving about the place along Old Tobacco Road.

I loved this video. Used to live here and watched all of the DLR stuff happen. We used to have a replacement weekend bus, D9 when the Bank bit was being built and it felt like a luxury when the DLR opened on the weekends finally! The old Island Gardens had a good 'corner' shop below it too. It was a cold place to stand on a winters day however as there was no protection really from the elements. The Ferryhouse Pub is a good one to visit closeby too.

It's cold and snowing here in Scotland, and I am so glad Jago comes along to cheer me up!

Jago you channel is informative and interesting so thank you very much!!!

Fantastic video as always Jago, I learn something new with every release!

you missed a gem. You could have said 'the line was never all that poplar' . ok i'll leave

I live in Australia but was living in London in 1987 and witnessed the rapid growth of the regenerated Docklands area. I remember heading to Island Gardens, the terminus on the I think only route available and then taking the foot tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich - a great day out. In 2018 i recreated that trip and was astonished at the huge expansion of the DLR but when I alighted at Island Gardens it wasn’t as I remembered and now I know why - thanks for this - love your work!

Excellent as always. Thank you, Jago.

Jago, with that stove pipe type chimney the Millwall Extension Railway locomotive looks more like an Emmets one than the emmets line at Battersea Park did

Another nice video ! I strangely miss the old station - back in the late 80s and 90s, it had a sort of quiet, peaceful feel to it - it's all a lot busier now - not quite so nice ....or maybe I'm just getting old(er).

I remember being on a school trip to see t dlr and city airport being built

Ive only been to London once, so seeing that stairwell in Greenwich made my day as i was very fascinated with it when i first saw it.

Seriously awesome video sir!

I remember an expedition to see the DLR when I was a nipper, and experiencing the original Mudchute and Island Gardens.

I lived on Westferry road for many years and walked so many times in that park wondering about the remnants of the old train line and now I know! Great vid.

Really enjoyed this Jago.

Plenty of interest here ! Didn't realize many of the points so early , thanks for the film jago !

Thanks for another great video.

saw that the text you've put in this video is a similar font to the original dlr typeface. nice little touch :)

Reason for Isle Of Dogs Secession & Revolt: They were getting *Ruff* Justice! Now let's get *bark* to the video! (4:10)

I remember taking the kid on the DLR just after it opened. I have a cardboard model of one of the trains somewhere.

Another fine video! Millwall Junction looked pretty cool!

Fondly remember going to the old London Arena for a number of concerts way back in the late 80s/early 90s. Trick on leaving was to go south (no queue), then come back - with a seat - and watch the hoards try to get on at Crossharbour. Maybe the ill-fated Arena is another video topic?

Sometimes I feel like you're following my around the city, Jago. Just like Robin Hood gardens etc I was in Millwall Park earlier this week having lunch in between jobs! the viaduct is always a nice sight

Another great video!

Jolly well done!

Thanks for the info Have been there on a number of occasions and never realised I will take a close look next time I'm in the area 👍

One of these days I need to go back to London and go on the DLR. It should be quite interesting looking out the windows.

I grew up in this area, what a great channel

Worth doing something about Silvertown Station now abandoned. I used to use it in 2000 weekly to get to City Airport. Involved walking across something resembling a scene of The Sweeney wasteground to get to the airport. Sometimes I used a bus from Canning Town. Now I hear the airport is served by DLR,eventually.

Love your VIDEOS

I love your DLR series as I live along the route! 😁👍

I worked on the island gardens and mudchute stations back in 99

1:07 Man, I do so hate the Docklands developments, the Greenwich naval college building has such astonishing grandeur -it’s no surprise it’s in so many films- but it’s buried deep in a skyline dominated by ugly Lego brick towers now. (friend lives in one and his, like several, is clad with scaffolding presently: not even fifteen years old yet falling to bits and in need of emergency repair)

Funny how extending the new Northern line beyond Battersea Power Station to Clapham Junction was blocked as 'the model' showed that too many people would get on at Clapham and the poor souls waiting at Battersea and Nine Elms might not get a seat.... yet the DLR extensions to Lewisham and Woolwich never considered the locals at Island Gardens having the same problem? (bet they were miffed when the seats at the front were already taken and they couldn't play at being the driver anymore?)

Nice. Good work.

5:39 classic phrase from Thomas

Great way to get around....DLR...used it many times....

Thanks for the video jago love the thumbnail

Great video.☺️

Always enjoyable 👏👏

Would have been fun if they'd kept it open as a really awkward bay platform for reversing trains. I like the idea of really confused people having to go all the way from underground to a viaduct because of a late platform change.

There were two busses that served the island, 277 went all the wae round and the 106 which went half the way around. terminated and returned.

"If it wasn't for the viaduct you wouldn't know there'd been a railway here at all." Some heavy-duty irony there, Mr H!

5:42 the signs make reference to the former train operator Connex which became South Eastern Trains in 2003.

Excellent