Hats of to the signallers at Service Control for that one!

What a superb story. I can imagine back then it was perhaps less clean than it is now….is it’s pretty grubby!

I should also point the junctions at North Acton and Leytonstone on the Central Line are known to get busy on a daily basis even those those points are open air...

I’d love to see those pages sometime

Sounds like my life in a book….

@@alexgrundon2346 what a book! #imlateimlate

Looking forward to a Mad Hangouts Tea Party! 😂

we can certainly bring the tea ☕️ #sipsip

By anyone’s standards that’s an eventful Saturday night x

@@alexgrundon2346 or a normal Saturday night 😂

😘

The short circuit device….😉

The machine that reproduced what arcing and fusing on a train would look and sound like was something else. It scared the willies out of new recruits and that was a controlled environment. Imagine having to deal with that on a live railway!

@@Lisbonized It made me realise what training and knowledge was needed to be part of the underground staff. I do appreciate it so much more now having that insight and wish I hadn't left

Check out our specific episode on South Kentish Town too

The juxtaposition was weird. Second visit was like seeing an old friend. I have to say tho the silence at night in the tunnels still unnerves me

@@alexgrundon2346 I should think it would be even more unnerving if you could hear a train coming! 😆

Cannonball Run on the High Barnet branch

Definitely not after watching the horror movie Night of the Demon, filmed on the Watford to St Albans branch line!

We’d love to actually and it’s on our dream destination list with the nice people at TFL. Here’s hoping. There’s also somewhere else which is disused since the 60s and still there which we’re itching to show you. Stay tuned

@@alexgrundon2346Kings Cross loop is a must!

On a train via the ahem "secret" inter-line links. Carto Metro has a map. Just make sure you've got a cuppa before you dive in!

We have a cunning plan to explore one of those connections too!

She really has an amazing voice!

Yes - it says CASTLE ROAD - the original station name but it has been obliterated with paint as standard.

Every sinew of my being would love to take a group of people round there but the health and safety issues would prevent it. I feel very honoured to be able to do this on your behalf - and we’re always trying to think of ways to bring the experience to you as vividly as possible. Keep an eye out for series 9 of the Hangouts too

......as well as being useful for Kentish Town station.....

Yup - opened when the CCEHR opened in 1907 but wasn’t well used. So in 1924 it shut for good. Turned into a WW2 shelter but then closed since and is now just a vent shaft for the northern line. We’ve done an episode all about it and it’s one of my favs. Just search KZfaq for “hangout south Kentish” and it pops up

@@alexgrundon2346 Hello Alex, sincerely appreciate the response. Will take a look at that video tomorrow, 21:40 here now! 😅

Just watched it Alex, Liked & Commented. Absolutely marvellous station and so sad to see it in the state it is in. I guess they could never justify the re-opening.@@alexgrundon2346

Next one for us…not the next one for you! We had to adjust our plans to give you this bumper edition in time for Christmas

@@alexgrundon2346Cheers Alex

Bless you. I think for making raised beds in your garden…wooden 😉

Not just drainage. I remember one tv episode of hidden underground where Siddy showed Tim Dunn a culvert at the side of the rails carrying the remnants of London's Fleet river.

Tell me what I should look out for

The change of route could actually occur before the junction. It’s possible a shut down on either branch might cause a last minute diversion.

Relax. Have a Baileys. Turn the sound down. And take in the view

@@alexgrundon2346 make it a Jack Daniels and you are on 😂😂😂 Merry Christmas

Nice plums, by the way…. 😉

@@alexgrundon2346 hahah only the best buffed up plums

I know. There is logic to the naming but it’s historical from when the junction was built and the two separate lines were joined to make the Northern line as we now know it. We’ve got a lot of footage we couldn’t squeeze in so we are thinking of doing a driver’s eye special, explaining what you see and the history as we go. I’ll make sure we give you the full detail when we make that episode

Lovely reply. Thanks Alex my friend. Look forward to your future tube exploits !!!

Historically the Hampstead railway got there first and the CSL terminated at Euston so there was no concept of a Charing Cross branch. The enamel signs are for staff on foot. They might be walking Northbound on a Southbound tunnel or vice versa so drivers don’t usually see the signs. Only if the tunnel lights are on or a lovely member of Hidden London is filming! When the CSL was finally joined, more enamel signs were added. City or Hampstead, referring to the original railway companies. The “Charing Cross” branch was coined later on. Hope that makes sense.

I asked about this in a previous video as it would be good to hear about the tunnels that were used for munitions production by Plessey between 1942 and 1945 between Wanstead and Gants Hill and Alex basically said it's on their 'to do' list.

It is very much doable. There’s quite a bit to see too!

There’s no crossover between Kentish and Camden from memory. There’s actually quite gradient between the north and south between Camden and South Kentish and by the time it gets to Kentish Town the lines are on top of each other due to way leave.

​@@alexgrundon2346 Looking at it again (at 41:30 in the video) I see what looks like a turnout on the right which may the remains of a trailing crossover, now no longer connected to the northbound track.

@@richardmellish2371 They’re spares, probably for Camden Town. Projects are required to provide lineside spares because of the bespoke nature of some of the track components.

In case an emergency rerail is needed during engineering hours, spare rails are always available in between the Negative rail and one of the running rails. But never both as it would make track walks nearly impossible. Abandoned stations have a lot more room for spare equipment. A spare set of points being left here for Camden Town makes a lot of sense as it can be carted down on an engineering train if needed. Hence the crane already in situ at Camden.

@@Lisbonized I'm accustomed to seeing spare bits of track lying around, either awaiting installation or left over after replacement; but at that point in the video the pointwork does seem to be connected to the right-hand running track.

Are you talking about the Northern City line Drayton Park to Finsbury Park. If so check out the Hidden Hangouts “Lost Tunnels of Finsbury Park” episode.

@@Lisbonized don't know. But I guess it was a line in the London east?

@@Profimaulwurf48 no idea then. Unless you’re talking about the East London Line being taken over by the new London Overground network. That sounds more like it.

Oh bless you. And thank you for watching. Happy (and healthy) new year to you!

No he certainly isn’t a relative but thanks for asking :)

Alf Garnett?

@@Lisbonized 😂

The guest was talking about the routing a driver may be asked to take…not necessarily carrying passengers. As one of the hosts there was no point where I assumed the same as you. The crew we took with us are all experts in their roles, are full-time staff and are helping us as a free favour. But thanks for watching all the same.

@@alexgrundon2346 LOL

The Kings Cross Loop is used to transfer “engineering” trains to and from the Piccadilly line. It can, as Alex GS pointed out, be used to reverse “passenger” trains during traffic hours with passengers detrained before leaving Euston on the Southbound city platform. It is technically part of the Piccadilly line and so a “slot” is given by the Piccadilly line control centre for this move. The Piccadilly line doesn’t need to use the loop to reverse as it can be done using the crossover at Kings Cross.

In every way, yes

Merry Christmas!

agreed, i felt the blonde woman was coming across as condescending and such, but thats just me, lol

💇‍♀️

Nixy wasn’t doing it tho. Don’t blame him

For some reason the TV series Allo Allo came into my mind! 😂

To be fair that’s easier said than done. I guess you mean create a segmented script and by doing so you’d lose all the spontaneity. This product is one with two audiences - new viewers can savour the view and go places they’re frankly forbidden from going. Regulars come for the fun and banter too. As a producer of radio and tv shows for years I have a few ideas for series 8 but none of us want to lose the spirit of joy and ‘of the moment reaction’ we have created since the start of the Hangouts. Glad you found us though. There’s a lot of this kind of stuff out there so thanks for tuning in. Happy New Year.

May I pass comment as an interested bystander independent of both of you? Sometimes we are reminded that we are lucky to live in a generally polite, respectful and diplomatic country, thankfully more than just this one on the planet too.. T'was a pleasure to read your thoughts, both. I reckon you're both right too. DJ, as you elegantly stated, we engaged members of the audience do get frustrated by the loss of nuggets of info from our hosts when they talk two at once. I completely agree that such attenuation does them no favours. Alex makes a fair point about the natural human bumping into one another, as it were, making the videos entertaining and real. (cf. my horror when Geoff Marshall let it be known in a recent offering that even the guest's answers to his questions are scripted!) much as I still find them visually interesting and he's still quite informative... Lastly, if you haven't done the Hidden London tours, you _absolutely_ should treat yourself. To many and several! Reason being, coming to Alex's point at last, is that they're full of gasps of *Oh my goodness. Look at... What? But...WOW!" tripping-over-yourself spontaneity. To script it would be joyless. As Alex says you just can't beat it. So, we have to like it, love it and occasionally lump it, I'd say.

There’s always one. Merry Christmas.

@@alexgrundon2346 Arrogance supreme. You insult Ruislip, you insult its history, you don't correct anything, don't admit your mistakes and errors, and laziness. ONE RUISLIP IN THE WORLD, and you can't even pronounce it correctly. A HAPPY and HOLY CHRISTMAS to you, with an acceptance of the REASON FOR THE SEASON.

This gratuitous insulting of Ruislip has got to stop!!