I knew a guard on the line to Stratford many years ago, and on more than one occasion on arrival at 'The Lakes' he was met with requests from people with American accents asking "is this the stop for Windemere"'? Alas, seems they had asked for a ticket to 'The Lakes' and ended up in rural Warwickshire, rather than the Lake District.....
There is an oft-told story about people getting off a Stratford (East London) and asking the way to Anne Hathaway's cottage. Presumably there are some lakes at The Lakes, just not quite as big as "The" Lakes.
Something similar has happened more than once in Germany, where people came to Obersdorf in Brandenburg (somewhere between Berlin and Poland) instead of Oberstdorf (the southernmost town in Germany, near the alps) to go skiing.
We had a friend from abroad staying with us a while back whose English accent was a bit difficult to understand. He asked us which London station he needed to use to get to ‘Brissle’? We thought for a moment and decided he meant ‘Bristol’, so told him to go to Paddington. He went off for his trip, returning a couple of days later to tell us we had got it wrong, and he had to leave from Waterloo, but never mind, here was a present of some of the local chocolate. Only then did we realise he had meant ‘Bruxelles’!
Geoff: How did you know to stop? Train Manager: Well, I saw that it was Geoff Marshall and supposed he was doing a least used all the request stops so 🤷♂️ This is on my route to work. Now even more tempted to skip the office and just go to one of these lovely stations.
I had a vision of a cctv operator in some far off control room watching Geoff rolling a bicycle wheel along the platform of some remote railway station. I cannot imagine what he or she must have thought upon watching the loon with the bike wheel doing his stuff.
I'm a bus driver and some fifteen years ago, I did a duty on Rail Replacement on the North Warwickshire Line! A very pleasant Sunday afternoon driving a 15 metre single decker around nice, leafy lanes!
The reason he stopped at Wood End without anyone requesting it is because the Guard had no way of accessing the front unit, due to a lack of end gangway. When this happens, it is common practice for the train to stop at all request stops, just in case anyone in the front unit wants the stop. As such, it wasn't a hunch, just the norm.
@@simontay4851 Lots of trains in the UK have what is called a gangway on the front, which is basically a corridor to allow the guard, and passengers, to walk between two trains coupled together. In this instance, it was two trains coupled that didn't have this facility, and thus, the guard could not get through to 2 of the 4 carriages to ask if anyway passengers wanted the station. In normal practice, the Guard would ring the driver, or even use the signal bells, instead of walking up to the cab and telling the driver verbally, if a passenger wanted the request stop.
@@TCX757Pilot Compare the trains at 4:04 and 7:27. The first one has a gangway in the end of the unit so when it is coupled to another unit you can walk from one unit to the other. The second train has no gangway in the unit end - built that way because in their original home in north London they only ever operated as individual units - but in their new home in the Midlands four-car trains (two units) are the norm.
Hello Geoff, I hope all is well. This is actually the line which I get to school every morning and come home every evening (from Whitlocks End to Stratford-Upon-Avon). On the morning service (arriving in Stratford at 8:23), the train almost always stops at the request stops, similarly to the 16:26 service departing in Stratford. On the 17:26, the train rarely stops at any of the request stops. I think it is only request during Off-Peak hours, and times when less people are on the train.
Geoff - the black and white running in boards are typical Great Western Railway style - the posts which support them have distinctive finials on top. Incidentally, the footbridge from Henley in Arden was replaced a few years ago. The original one was donated to the GWSR heritage railway and now resides at the rebuilt Broadway station in Worcestershire. (I should say, most of it is there - the support towers and footsteps were corroded beyond rescue!)
Small correction Geoff, as shown at 1:39 the Edstone Viaduct is the longest cast iron viaduct in England, not Britain. Interesting fact: Longest aquaduct in Britain is the Pontcysyllte* Aqueduct (also highest in the world) and is located in Wales. Truly an engineering marvel of its time and worth a visit. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct * Never mastered pronouncing the name!
My season ticket takes me to Wootton Wawen. I have never embarked or alighted there; I commute in to Bham New St. But it is the same price to include all the way to Wootton Wawen. Been meaning to go there on my bike and cycle all the way home, but you’ve saved me the effort of exploring. Thanks Geoff!
The guard normally walks through the train after Henley-in-Arden saying "Any request stops". As there was no gangway between the two 172/0's forming the train, this would not have been possible, hence the reason for stopping at Wood End without any actual request.
Yes it was a former 172 of the goblin as it has a flat faced front as the other 172s are similar fronts to the 377s and 375s. I think they also have interconnecting doors as well.
Running-in Boards were originally placed near the ends of the platform so they were easily read as the train ran into the station. Those particular ones are the typical GWR style. Although the board may have been replaced the cast letters and posts are almost certainly original GWR features.
Hi Geoff, I just love your videos. Especially this one. I went on the Shakespeare Line many a times from Brum to Stratford upon Avon since an old time friend lives in Alcester. Not long ago the (from my point of view) elegant trains of London Midland ran on this particular line. Best regards from Vienna, Austria.
I used to work in Wootton Wawen, so used that station very regularly. Only twice in two years was there no guard and I had to get off at the next stop and get the next train back. Danzey is great for Tanworth in Arden. Used as ‘Kings Oak’ in TVs Crossroads for many years.
Thank you for finally doing these! I used to commute on this line but never far enough towards Stratford and would see these request stops on the next stops of the train
stations should return to large "running in board" signs, that you can read easily when passing through stations, Fun fact; the Edstone aqueduct used to have a pipe on the side to allow railway steam locomotives to fill up with canal water !
Most if not all trains have on-board audio announcements and visual indicators these days so the station boards aren't so important. In old films there was always a stentorian railway employee to announce the station over the din of the trains.
@@caw25sha Indeed. In fact, a suggested method of sabotage during the war was for railway staff in occupied countries to make station calls very loudly late at night to keep German soldiers awake.
I noticed that the train that you got off from at Wood End is one of the ex-London Overground Class 172 units. I believe they were displaced from the Gospel Oak to Barking line by the Class 710's.
How thoughtful of the planners at Wood End to give raised platforms and signs for prams and wheelchairs so when they get off they can sit and wait to get back on to more accessible stop.
Always wondered what was up these steps at Wood End. Used to be old concrete ones exiting from the side Geoff was hanging out on. Did an all stations bike ride once from Shirley to Stratford and found that Wood End is a seriously well to do place. Next to nothing in the vicinity of Danzey Station but Tanworth in Arden is just up the road, birthplace (and resting place) of Nick Drake. I believe Mike Hailwood is buried in the same churchyard. I used to drive this line regularly and had a great rapport with the regular passengers. Great to see the guards I used to work with too. All good blokes.
My dad was 47 years on the London to Brighton line as firemen then engine driver in 1949. Found his certificate the other day very humbling. Love watching your videos reminds me of my dad he used know a lot of quirky things about the railway too. Actual took the train the other day to Brighton rather then drive for a change.
My first train journeys since March 2020 were on this line earlier this month - got the train from Stratford Parkway into Birmingham, ran down the Stratford Canal and then got a train back from Stratford to Parkway. Lovely line though I recommend taking the canal/towpath if you have the time!
The North Warwickshire line came very close to being closed around 1969! Replacement bus services were ready to go but the Minister Of Transport (which would then have been Barbara Castle) reprieved the line about two days before it was to close!
Geoff. The train that you left at Wood End was a 170, not a 172. Wood End always fascinated me as a boy as we used to pass the entrance on our journey from Broadway to Birmingham Airport. There was a station sign and a gate but no sign of a bridge or where the station actually was. From Broadway our journey took us past Willersey Halt, Weston Sub Edge, Honeybourne Junction, then after the river bridge at Bidford on Avon there came Wixford Halt, where we crossed the line, and then re crossed it before Alcester. After the mysterious sign for Wood End station the next notable railway infrastructure was the level crossing which had massive gates to cross the four track main line between Birmingham and Lapworth. Having been interested in railways all my life, (Train damaged my sister said) I now work for West Midlands Railway .
As you like Trains etc ....Have you heard of 'The Selsey Tram' ....it was a small railway that ran from Selsey to Chichester.... it closed years ago and most of the line has disappeared but bits can still be seen .... it is quite well known and there is the Selsey Tram walking route......
172004 is ex London Overground. It was transferred up with a few others earlier this year, had the DOO CCTV removed, a toilet fitted (at Ilford if you care about this sort of thing) and got a lick of paint. The Harrington Humps at stations on this line were fitted when the other 172s came into service in 2011, I believe they had to be installed because the gap from the train door to the platform surface was bigger than it was on the old 150s which used to work on the Snow Hill lines and was on the wrong side of some kind of threshold.
That's what I'm into. I take my bike on day trips out on the train. I have even done that as a holiday. It's great fun. Its nice to know that you have the same taste as me, awsome. I'll have to check that place out some time soon.
I hope you're going to Yorton soon Geoff. Great little request stop, with a two-door-sized platform on the northbound side and the southbound station building now being a house, and it having survived Beeching, it's really quite unique!
Henley-In-Arden actually has a no-longer used third platform, behind platform 2. Used to be a terminus but is no longer since services no longer run through Stratford-Upon-Avon
@@PaddyWV www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwr-misc1820.htm on this map here, you can see that the line appears to branch off to the east, to provide a service through henley then up through Lapworth and Solihull (something that would be quite convinient today). There's a picture also of a bridge to the north of Henley-In-Arden, which no longer exists but the supports are still in place. ( www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha2813.htm )
Those Black & White signs are the original GWR signage that were in two shades of brown. I think under BR they painted them Black & White as were their normal tin signage. (white background with black writing).
Some interesting facts. The line got within a day of being closed in the late 1960s. It was saved by getting a high court injunction. You will see plaques in honour of the late Derek Mayman who lead the campaign to save it. The injunction was lifted in the 1980s when BR tried to close Henley to Bearley Junction. Danzey Green station was once used as Kings Oak Station in Crossroads - it serves Tanworth in Arden which was Kings Oak in the TV series. Wood End has a pub by the station entrance. It also very expensive houses - famous residents included, Roger Moore, Mike Hailwood and Karen Brady.
@@alexwright4930 They were going to divert Birmingham, trains via Bearley, It was under closure threat again in the 1980s. They did their usual trick of trying to make it unattractive. The last train which went past Shirley left Moor Street at 18:10.
I American and I've only taken the train from London to Manchester and the price seemed quite high. A nice feature to include in these videos would be the cost of each leg.
Geoff .. To correct you, whilst the Edstone Aqueduct at 145 metres is the longest in England - see sign in video, surely the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in the Vale of Llangollen at a length of 307 metres is the longest in Britain.
This is a coincidence that this video cropped up on my “Recommendations” as I was Googling Wood End Station the evening before as I was going to make the journey there from Shirley Ststion as I was meeting some friends for a catch up at The Warwickshire Lad pub that is just above the station on Broad Lane in Wood End. It is well worth popping in there next time if your in the area and if your into pie they do one of the best pie and mash meals around. There is a great choice of real ales as well I must add. By the way, my brother works on that line as a Senior Conductor. I was looking to see if he was on duty when you did your journey but I couldn’t see him. Great video Geoff. 😊👍
Enjoyed the latest video, Wood End and The Lakes are fairly local to me. Wood End a great station to view the Shakespeare Express steam trains when they run through to Stratford-on-Avon.
Sign is called a "Running in Board". Old BR and pre-nationalisation ones go for a packet. The one for my local Station, Seend, and another for Bromham and Rowde Halt, would easily fetch £4-5000.
In Argentina all of our signposts for the stations are in that font and, of course, balck & white. A small piece of heritage of the railways you´ve built for us jajaja
Geoff, have you ever hired a narrowboat and sailed on the canals? I did that like four ties and I loved it. Last time (2015) I went to the Llangollen Canal.
Slightly off topic, but whilst in the area you ought to ride the Lickey Incline which is the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain. The climb is a gradient of 1 in 37.7 (2.65% or 26.5‰ or 1.52°) for a continuous distance of two miles (3.2 km). The Lickey incline runs from Bromsgrove to Barnt Green and passes through Blackwell (disused) where bankers used to be kept to help trains ascend the hill.
I hate to tell you but I cycle past all of these stations on a very regular basis & I’d say there is less at danzey than wood end. Wood end is actually quite a large hamlet. With a really nice pub next door. Also the start of the K36/5 Time Trial is tight outside.
Yeah they are great aren't they. At Henley in Arden they have replaced some of them when they have needed to, but there has been no wholesale replacement meaning there is a nice selection of different light fittings. Also in the midlands and further down this line the disused island platforms at Small Heath have loads of the twin fluorescents just left abandoned!
If I'd known you were coming back, I'd have taken you to 'Elmdon Halt'! See if you can find that on a map! I'll give you a clue, it's 3.5 miles from The Lakes.
Why doesn't the trains who go on request stop lines have a "request stop button"? We in Germany have this in ou trains and this easily circumvents the problem with the train guard not being in the same part of the train...
I was wondering that. Buses have always had them so why not trains. (I can just about remember when buses had a cord running along the roof connected to a bell!)
so if the platform is 19 revolutions and is the wheel circumference or diameter 26 inches. let's say the diameter is 26 inches circumference = pix26 =81.68 81.68x19 revolutions=1551.9 inches which is equivalent to 3939.54cm or 39 and a bit meters
Ever get the feeling that the settlement was supposed to be named Wootton Warren, or Rotten Warren, but whomever told the surveyors or census-takers had a speech impediment like rhotacism? 8:15 When he said he had a hunch, he probably didn't want to say that you're infamous enough among the rail workers that he recognized you and figured what you were up to... Dumb question based on your egress at The Lakes, do the Harrington Humps at the various stations all align with the front car? I could see it being problematic if the hump at one station aligned with a later car, such that one couldn't get on or off so easily at stations with either humps aligned for different cars, or stations where some cars don't align with platforms at all.
Rosie Thompson me too! I hear that “please let your request be known to the conductor” announcements, and I worry that sometimes there will not be a conductor on board.
In Germany you use buttons in the train and at the station to make sure the train stops. Isn't that something for Britain, too? I think it's much safer :-)
Why did you have to detach the front wheel to measure the platform length? Does your wheel measure differently depending if the rest of the bike is attached?
When I travel on the railways I make a habit of taking pictures of the platform signs and recently I travelled down the Shakespeare line to S-u-A and the train stopped at all 4 of the request stops, so I managed to get my pictures, but at only 1 did someone get off. It was an early rush hour train, it left Moor Street at around half 4, so maybe that was the reason why?
Annoyingly these trains on this line seem to almost always stop at every stop - which is why the trains on this line are consistently a couple minutes late towards the end of the line
I've always wondered what on earth was at those mysterious request stops on my train journeys from the Black Country to Stratford-upon-Avon. You put your arm out like a bus??
Fun Fact: When I used to go to Sheffield to meet my grandad from work I always used to pass through Darnall thinking ''Why is it so quiet'' then after seeing the Least used Stations map I found out why.
Sometimes it is hard to find guard for request stops - surely if there are to be request stops, trains should be required to have a bell like on the bus to request the stop. Otherwise, all stops should be taken if no bell ....but it's not being done so sensibly currently.
I knew a guard on the line to Stratford many years ago, and on more than one occasion on arrival at 'The Lakes' he was met with requests from people with American accents asking "is this the stop for Windemere"'? Alas, seems they had asked for a ticket to 'The Lakes' and ended up in rural Warwickshire, rather than the Lake District.....
There is an oft-told story about people getting off a Stratford (East London) and asking the way to Anne Hathaway's cottage.
Presumably there are some lakes at The Lakes, just not quite as big as "The" Lakes.
Wow, so what you’re saying is... Americans are stupid?
Something similar has happened more than once in Germany, where people came to Obersdorf in Brandenburg (somewhere between Berlin and Poland) instead of Oberstdorf (the southernmost town in Germany, near the alps) to go skiing.
Bib The Boulder I’ve had some Chinese tourists asked me at Tottenham where Tottenham Court Road was.
We had a friend from abroad staying with us a while back whose English accent was a bit difficult to understand. He asked us which London station he needed to use to get to ‘Brissle’? We thought for a moment and decided he meant ‘Bristol’, so told him to go to Paddington. He went off for his trip, returning a couple of days later to tell us we had got it wrong, and he had to leave from Waterloo, but never mind, here was a present of some of the local chocolate. Only then did we realise he had meant ‘Bruxelles’!
Geoff: How did you know to stop? Train Manager: Well, I saw that it was Geoff Marshall and supposed he was doing a least used all the request stops so 🤷♂️
This is on my route to work. Now even more tempted to skip the office and just go to one of these lovely stations.
Looking forward to "All the Canals"
All the buses
“All the Narrow Gauge Railways”.
Ik me too
For "All The Canals" see Michael and Jo Morehouse's excellent series of videos. They are called "Minimal List".
@@unknown-im2bh yes definitely @GeoffMarshall should do a couple of videos of all the buses!!!
I had a vision of a cctv operator in some far off control room watching Geoff rolling a bicycle wheel along the platform of some remote railway station. I cannot imagine what he or she must have thought upon watching the loon with the bike wheel doing his stuff.
Conductor: Geoff is getting on. Better tell the driver to stop at next request stop
I'm a bus driver and some fifteen years ago, I did a duty on Rail Replacement on the North Warwickshire Line! A very pleasant Sunday afternoon driving a 15 metre single decker around nice, leafy lanes!
The reason he stopped at Wood End without anyone requesting it is because the Guard had no way of accessing the front unit, due to a lack of end gangway. When this happens, it is common practice for the train to stop at all request stops, just in case anyone in the front unit wants the stop. As such, it wasn't a hunch, just the norm.
@@simontay4851 Lots of trains in the UK have what is called a gangway on the front, which is basically a corridor to allow the guard, and passengers, to walk between two trains coupled together. In this instance, it was two trains coupled that didn't have this facility, and thus, the guard could not get through to 2 of the 4 carriages to ask if anyway passengers wanted the station.
In normal practice, the Guard would ring the driver, or even use the signal bells, instead of walking up to the cab and telling the driver verbally, if a passenger wanted the request stop.
@@TCX757Pilot Compare the trains at 4:04 and 7:27. The first one has a gangway in the end of the unit so when it is coupled to another unit you can walk from one unit to the other. The second train has no gangway in the unit end - built that way because in their original home in north London they only ever operated as individual units - but in their new home in the Midlands four-car trains (two units) are the norm.
Simon Tay There’s a cab-to-cab phone that drivers and guards use to talk to each other. I worked this line when I was a guard.
@@simontay4851 like the class 350 it has a gangway in the middle but the class 172 ''Goblin'' Dont
Hello Geoff, I hope all is well. This is actually the line which I get to school every morning and come home every evening (from Whitlocks End to Stratford-Upon-Avon). On the morning service (arriving in Stratford at 8:23), the train almost always stops at the request stops, similarly to the 16:26 service departing in Stratford. On the 17:26, the train rarely stops at any of the request stops. I think it is only request during Off-Peak hours, and times when less people are on the train.
You didn’t count the stairs at Wood End, but there are probably as many as a 15 storey building
This is not an underground station tho.
Come on that’s a London joke
Did you know that Clapham Junction has now become a request stop? Every April 1st all trains will only stop there on request!
Also the steelworks at Redcar british steel opens every April 1st as well, making the station busier than Waterloo on that day!
I don't get it :(
Mr. Wray160 IBM also opens on April 1st
My god the amount of people sticking their arms out, and the amount of signallers Network Rail goes through as each one faints from shock
Geoff - the black and white running in boards are typical Great Western Railway style - the posts which support them have distinctive finials on top. Incidentally, the footbridge from Henley in Arden was replaced a few years ago. The original one was donated to the GWSR heritage railway and now resides at the rebuilt Broadway station in Worcestershire. (I should say, most of it is there - the support towers and footsteps were corroded beyond rescue!)
Small correction Geoff, as shown at 1:39 the Edstone Viaduct is the longest cast iron viaduct in England, not Britain.
Interesting fact: Longest aquaduct in Britain is the Pontcysyllte* Aqueduct (also highest in the world) and is located in Wales. Truly an engineering marvel of its time and worth a visit.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct
* Never mastered pronouncing the name!
Being Dutch I still don't know why I keep watching these videos haha
My season ticket takes me to Wootton Wawen. I have never embarked or alighted there; I commute in to Bham New St. But it is the same price to include all the way to Wootton Wawen. Been meaning to go there on my bike and cycle all the way home, but you’ve saved me the effort of exploring. Thanks Geoff!
"There you go bab!" Awww. Makes me feel homesick.
Geoff Marshall, The unit you got on at 07:20 , 172004 was indeed on of the former GOBLIN units being part of the eight units from the 172/0 range.
yep, formerly ran for london overground
The 172s with wmr with no gangway are EX goblin units
I was just gonna say that lol thanks!
Now fitted with toilets and unlike all the other WMT 170s & 172s have new WMT moquette as opposed to LMT green moquette
The guard normally walks through the train after Henley-in-Arden saying "Any request stops". As there was no gangway between the two 172/0's forming the train, this would not have been possible, hence the reason for stopping at Wood End without any actual request.
I think Pilning would love to have that footbridge at 5:23. The steps are the equivalent of a 15 storey building
Pilning could have the one at british steel redcar as trains no longer stop there
Yes it was a former 172 of the goblin as it has a flat faced front as the other 172s are similar fronts to the 377s and 375s. I think they also have interconnecting doors as well.
Running-in Boards were originally placed near the ends of the platform so they were easily read as the train ran into the station. Those particular ones are the typical GWR style. Although the board may have been replaced the cast letters and posts are almost certainly original GWR features.
Hi Geoff, I just love your videos. Especially this one. I went on the Shakespeare Line many a times from Brum to Stratford upon Avon since an old time friend lives in Alcester. Not long ago the (from my point of view) elegant trains of London Midland ran on this particular line. Best regards from Vienna, Austria.
Wouldn't it have been easier to leave the wheel on the bike and just walk with the bike? :-)
yes, but not half as much fun.
I was thinking the same thing! It made absolutely no sense to disconnect the wheel to roll it. lol . Geoff, youre a legend :)
@@geofftech2 ..and it would have avoided us all waiting to see if the wheel might fall off the platform.
I used to work in Wootton Wawen, so used that station very regularly. Only twice in two years was there no guard and I had to get off at the next stop and get the next train back. Danzey is great for Tanworth in Arden. Used as ‘Kings Oak’ in TVs Crossroads for many years.
Thank you for finally doing these! I used to commute on this line but never far enough towards Stratford and would see these request stops on the next stops of the train
stations should return to large "running in board" signs, that you can read easily when passing through stations,
Fun fact; the Edstone aqueduct used to have a pipe on the side to allow railway steam locomotives to fill up with canal water !
Most if not all trains have on-board audio announcements and visual indicators these days so the station boards aren't so important. In old films there was always a stentorian railway employee to announce the station over the din of the trains.
@@caw25sha I think he means it'd be nice to see what stations you pass when your train doesn't stop
@@caw25sha Indeed. In fact, a suggested method of sabotage during the war was for railway staff in occupied countries to make station calls very loudly late at night to keep German soldiers awake.
I noticed that the train that you got off from at Wood End is one of the ex-London Overground Class 172 units. I believe they were displaced from the Gospel Oak to Barking line by the Class 710's.
How thoughtful of the planners at Wood End to give raised platforms and signs for prams and wheelchairs so when they get off they can sit and wait to get back on to more accessible stop.
At 10:19 The announcer is called anne. Like the clear actions
The signs are Great Western Railway signs, as is the colour scheme of some of station buildings.
There one at Hanwell.
WAIT I KNOW YOU
The Great Western styling on this line is great, Moor Street is one of the nicest stations on the whole network.
Wood End must be about the *least* step-free station in the country!
Step-full
Always wondered what was up these steps at Wood End. Used to be old concrete ones exiting from the side Geoff was hanging out on. Did an all stations bike ride once from Shirley to Stratford and found that Wood End is a seriously well to do place. Next to nothing in the vicinity of Danzey Station but Tanworth in Arden is just up the road, birthplace (and resting place) of Nick Drake. I believe Mike Hailwood is buried in the same churchyard. I used to drive this line regularly and had a great rapport with the regular passengers. Great to see the guards I used to work with too. All good blokes.
Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire is a fantastic English village name that I just found out about thanks to this video.
I live in Leek Wootton, Warwickshire but it doesn't have a railway station or any buses on a Sunday
My dad was 47 years on the London to Brighton line as firemen then engine driver in 1949. Found his certificate the other day very humbling. Love watching your videos reminds me of my dad he used know a lot of quirky things about the railway too. Actual took the train the other day to Brighton rather then drive for a change.
Malcolm Walls lovely comment Malcolm, thank you. appreciated!
My first train journeys since March 2020 were on this line earlier this month - got the train from Stratford Parkway into Birmingham, ran down the Stratford Canal and then got a train back from Stratford to Parkway. Lovely line though I recommend taking the canal/towpath if you have the time!
At 7:30 it’s a West Midlands Railway class 172 004 which is an Ex-London Overground Train from the GOBLIN
The GWR would call the signs 'Running In Boards'.
That looks like a GW board yet.
Do the guards recognise you when you get on now? “Oh no. Here comes Geoff Marshall stopping at all the stations.” 😂
"Oh no, he's going to make us stop at every @#&%ing station."
By chance I drove past Bearly Station 🚉 yesterday morning, great videos.
The North Warwickshire line came very close to being closed around 1969! Replacement bus services were ready to go but the Minister Of Transport (which would then have been Barbara Castle) reprieved the line about two days before it was to close!
Geoff. The train that you left at Wood End was a 170, not a 172. Wood End always fascinated me as a boy as we used to pass the entrance on our journey from Broadway to Birmingham Airport. There was a station sign and a gate but no sign of a bridge or where the station actually was. From Broadway our journey took us past Willersey Halt, Weston Sub Edge, Honeybourne Junction, then after the river bridge at Bidford on Avon there came Wixford Halt, where we crossed the line, and then re crossed it before Alcester. After the mysterious sign for Wood End station the next notable railway infrastructure was the level crossing which had massive gates to cross the four track main line between Birmingham and Lapworth. Having been interested in railways all my life, (Train damaged my sister said) I now work for West Midlands Railway .
Totally agree about the atmosphere at request stop stations. My favourite one is Santon Station on the Isle of Man, where I go on vacation most years.
As you like Trains etc ....Have you heard of 'The Selsey Tram' ....it was a small railway that ran from Selsey to Chichester.... it closed years ago and most of the line has disappeared but bits can still be seen .... it is quite well known and there is the Selsey Tram walking route......
172004 is ex London Overground. It was transferred up with a few others earlier this year, had the DOO CCTV removed, a toilet fitted (at Ilford if you care about this sort of thing) and got a lick of paint. The Harrington Humps at stations on this line were fitted when the other 172s came into service in 2011, I believe they had to be installed because the gap from the train door to the platform surface was bigger than it was on the old 150s which used to work on the Snow Hill lines and was on the wrong side of some kind of threshold.
Do they actually paint trains these days? I thought they were wrapped in vinyl like that Greek bloke does on Dave.
Danzey Green, where you get off to visit Tanworth in Arden for Nick Drake grave. Brilliant walk.
Tanworth, please. Tamworth is an ancient town in Staffordshire.
These are no longer request stops as of the May 2023 timetable change 😮
That's what I'm into. I take my bike on day trips out on the train. I have even done that as a holiday. It's great fun. Its nice to know that you have the same taste as me, awsome. I'll have to check that place out some time soon.
I hope you're going to Yorton soon Geoff. Great little request stop, with a two-door-sized platform on the northbound side and the southbound station building now being a house, and it having survived Beeching, it's really quite unique!
You didn't have to take the wheel off. Would be much easier to do with it on the bike.
Beautiful old lampposts in Henley-in-Arden.
Henley-In-Arden actually has a no-longer used third platform, behind platform 2. Used to be a terminus but is no longer since services no longer run through Stratford-Upon-Avon
@@PaddyWV www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwr-misc1820.htm on this map here, you can see that the line appears to branch off to the east, to provide a service through henley then up through Lapworth and Solihull (something that would be quite convinient today). There's a picture also of a bridge to the north of Henley-In-Arden, which no longer exists but the supports are still in place. ( www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha2813.htm )
Those Black & White signs are the original GWR signage that were in two shades of brown. I think under BR they painted them Black & White as were their normal tin signage. (white background with black writing).
Some interesting facts. The line got within a day of being closed in the late 1960s. It was saved by getting a high court injunction. You will see plaques in honour of the late Derek Mayman who lead the campaign to save it. The injunction was lifted in the 1980s when BR tried to close Henley to Bearley Junction. Danzey Green station was once used as Kings Oak Station in Crossroads - it serves Tanworth in Arden which was Kings Oak in the TV series. Wood End has a pub by the station entrance. It also very expensive houses - famous residents included, Roger Moore, Mike Hailwood and Karen Brady.
Simon Richards Given how many tourists visit Stratford now and how many commuters must use it that's ridiculous!
@@alexwright4930 They were going to divert Birmingham, trains via Bearley, It was under closure threat again in the 1980s. They did their usual trick of trying to make it unattractive. The last train which went past Shirley left Moor Street at 18:10.
Fantastic video Geoff! I always feel honoured watching your C R E A T I V E RUclips Clips and Vids; keep up the excellent work! 👍
I American and I've only taken the train from London to Manchester and the price seemed quite high. A nice feature to include in these videos would be the cost of each leg.
just imagine how many times geoff has to go up and down with his bicycle for his shots XD
Geoff .. To correct you, whilst the Edstone Aqueduct at 145 metres is the longest in England - see sign in video, surely the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in the Vale of Llangollen at a length of 307 metres is the longest in Britain.
This is a coincidence that this video cropped up on my “Recommendations” as I was Googling Wood End Station the evening before as I was going to make the journey there from Shirley Ststion as I was meeting some friends for a catch up at The Warwickshire Lad pub that is just above the station on Broad Lane in Wood End. It is well worth popping in there next time if your in the area and if your into pie they do one of the best pie and mash meals around. There is a great choice of real ales as well I must add. By the way, my brother works on that line as a Senior Conductor. I was looking to see if he was on duty when you did your journey but I couldn’t see him. Great video Geoff. 😊👍
I use Stourbridge Junction often to get Birmingham but have never stayed in further than that watching this video gives me an incentive to do so.
Enjoyed the latest video, Wood End and The Lakes are fairly local to me. Wood End a great station to view the Shakespeare Express steam trains when they run through to Stratford-on-Avon.
Everyone's always welcome on the Brigg line on a Saturday to visit either Kirton-in-Lindsey or Brigg
Sign is called a "Running in Board". Old BR and pre-nationalisation ones go for a packet. The one for my local Station, Seend, and another for Bromham and Rowde Halt, would easily fetch £4-5000.
In Argentina all of our signposts for the stations are in that font and, of course, balck & white. A small piece of heritage of the railways you´ve built for us jajaja
Geoff, have you ever hired a narrowboat and sailed on the canals? I did that like four ties and I loved it.
Last time (2015) I went to the Llangollen Canal.
Slightly off topic, but whilst in the area you ought to ride the Lickey Incline which is the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain. The climb is a gradient of 1 in 37.7 (2.65% or 26.5‰ or 1.52°) for a continuous distance of two miles (3.2 km). The Lickey incline runs from Bromsgrove to Barnt Green and passes through Blackwell (disused) where bankers used to be kept to help trains ascend the hill.
I hate to tell you but I cycle past all of these stations on a very regular basis & I’d say there is less at danzey than wood end. Wood end is actually quite a large hamlet. With a really nice pub next door. Also the start of the K36/5 Time Trial is tight outside.
Lovely to see you in my part of the country
4:34 Love the Twin Fluorescent Street lights going strong too, wonder how long they have left.
Yeah they are great aren't they. At Henley in Arden they have replaced some of them when they have needed to, but there has been no wholesale replacement meaning there is a nice selection of different light fittings. Also in the midlands and further down this line the disused island platforms at Small Heath have loads of the twin fluorescents just left abandoned!
@@pauldanks9878 Need to see if any good pics on Google now :)
@@pauldanks9878 Does the Lights on Small Heath Disused platform still light up.
@@SkunkMantraTechnoSkunk no they are usually turned off. They were on a few months ago but only a couple were still working.
Geoff you should do the Newquay-par branch line, 4 out of the 7 stations are request stops!
Fantastic, awesome aqueduct.
If I'd known you were coming back, I'd have taken you to 'Elmdon Halt'! See if you can find that on a map! I'll give you a clue, it's 3.5 miles from The Lakes.
I believe they are called 'running in boards'.
Why doesn't the trains who go on request stop lines have a "request stop button"? We in Germany have this in ou trains and this easily circumvents the problem with the train guard not being in the same part of the train...
I was wondering that. Buses have always had them so why not trains. (I can just about remember when buses had a cord running along the roof connected to a bell!)
The big station name boards you asked about are called 'running in boards'
Dauntsey in Wiltshire which is a no longer a station was called Danzey by locals and meant an island in a marsh.
so if the platform is 19 revolutions
and is the wheel circumference or diameter 26 inches.
let's say the diameter is 26 inches
circumference = pix26 =81.68
81.68x19 revolutions=1551.9 inches which is equivalent to 3939.54cm or 39 and a bit meters
In years to come that map you have done will be worth money.
We've a lovely Meccano bridge at the Nob End area of Little Lever's canal!
Let us know when you're coming, and we'll get the Tunnocks in!
I had to do a bit of Googling to confirm that is a real name. Not the highlight of my evening.
GWR style signage. You'll see lots in the south and west of the west midlands stations.
All the Canals, featuring Bikey
The 172 is from the London overground
Bike wheels are measured by rim size, so your wheel would be bigger than 26 inches because of the tire.
Ever get the feeling that the settlement was supposed to be named Wootton Warren, or Rotten Warren, but whomever told the surveyors or census-takers had a speech impediment like rhotacism?
8:15 When he said he had a hunch, he probably didn't want to say that you're infamous enough among the rail workers that he recognized you and figured what you were up to...
Dumb question based on your egress at The Lakes, do the Harrington Humps at the various stations all align with the front car? I could see it being problematic if the hump at one station aligned with a later car, such that one couldn't get on or off so easily at stations with either humps aligned for different cars, or stations where some cars don't align with platforms at all.
Circumference of your tyre is of course pi * the stated diameter
(On the assumption that it is the diameter, not sure...)
This is my local line to Birmingham :)
Rosie Thompson me too! I hear that “please let your request be known to the conductor” announcements, and I worry that sometimes there will not be a conductor on board.
In Germany you use buttons in the train and at the station to make sure the train stops. Isn't that something for Britain, too? I think it's much safer :-)
I thought the GOBLIN 172s would go off to Cardiff and the Valley Lines, but they apparently went to WMT...
Great video, there is also a sign like that near me at Hebden Bridge
Why did you have to detach the front wheel to measure the platform length? Does your wheel measure differently depending if the rest of the bike is attached?
Rare for the new 172/0 WMR have had to run Stourbridge Junction Stratford-Upon Avon,it must of been replacing a 172/3.
Oh I don't know, we get them on the Hereford to Birmingham New Streets and in pairs on the Malvern to Stratford services now and again.
When I travel on the railways I make a habit of taking pictures of the platform signs and recently I travelled down the Shakespeare line to S-u-A and the train stopped at all 4 of the request stops, so I managed to get my pictures, but at only 1 did someone get off. It was an early rush hour train, it left Moor Street at around half 4, so maybe that was the reason why?
The lovely old station names are called running-in boards. NSE brought them back in the mid 80s, but most private companies soon scrapped them again.
Annoyingly these trains on this line seem to almost always stop at every stop - which is why the trains on this line are consistently a couple minutes late towards the end of the line
I've always thought you were quite sane until the very moment when you took your bike wheel off to a measure a platform!!
Love the 125 shirt! Reminds me of the HSTS!
Glad you like it! That one and other 125 T's are available to purchase at dztz.co.uk in the RAIL section!
I've always wondered what on earth was at those mysterious request stops on my train journeys from the Black Country to Stratford-upon-Avon.
You put your arm out like a bus??
Seems like yes.
At Wood End did they have a raised platform section, providing level train access to the platform with massive staircases?
Just for your information, this line used to be called the North Warwickshire Line, not sure if it still is.
yes, it is still called the North Warwickshire Line.
Fun Fact: When I used to go to Sheffield to meet my grandad from work I always used to pass through Darnall thinking ''Why is it so quiet'' then after seeing the Least used Stations map I found out why.
Sometimes it is hard to find guard for request stops - surely if there are to be request stops, trains should be required to have a bell like on the bus to request the stop. Otherwise, all stops should be taken if no bell ....but it's not being done so sensibly currently.
Dripping blood from your hand. Was that from messing about with the wheel
Or did he just pen himself in the map drawing portion?
Geoff on a bike again!
Hello from Woodend Australia :-)
9:45 he summed it up perfectly