Waterloo & City Line (1) - Class 487 (built in 1940)

[halomasterchief14]

whats a trav-o-lator?

[luerexbob]

I have to say, I absolutely love this video. Great to see the heritage of our Underground. Go London!

[citytransportinfo]

@luerexbob :-)

[craffte]

scary! omg..  awesome tho

[railroadrob2010]

The Waterloo and City Line was opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1896. In 1923, the LSWR became part of the Southern Railway (quite different from the present train operating company), which built new trains for the line in 1940. In view of the impending transfer of the line to London Underground after privatisation of British Rail, the current (third generation) trains in use were built to the same design as the 1992 Central Line tube stock.

[Murderdogs]

What's that on the right at 3:48? Looks like a blocked up tunnel with a load of junk around it. I didn't notice that when I was on this line, although I've only been on it once and I was in a hurry!

[citytransportinfo]

@Murderdogs good question but alas I dont know the answer.

However, nowadays it would lead to a walkway to the DLR, which is behind there.

[werkowiczfilm]

sorry.... but i think it is not so old film... 1970-1980 .. hmmmm?

[citytransportinfo]

@werkowiczfilm the trains are from 1940. The film is much newer - I think I filmed this in December 1989.

[jamwithmates123]

are you going up or down on the escalator? i cant tell! :S

[citytransportinfo]

@jamwithmates123 down I would suggest, since I started at the top and then went on to film at the bottom.

[ManiacalMichael504]

Awesome video, such a shame only 1 car out of the whole stock was preserved. They should've preserved at least 1 full set....

[o8b74z]

Known to many Londoners (and others) as 'the drain'. Nice film.

[citytransportinfo]

@o8b74z although it is not as 'bad' as it used to be!

[Cazkumali]

@citytransportinfo I assuming 1992TS (Class 482s) replaced class 487s

[citytransportinfo]

@Cazkumali yes, the 482s (as they were called at the time) replaced the 487's

[raakone]

Were the '40 stock cars shorter than the '92s that replaced them? Or are the new trains shorter? (but so because '92s must always be in pairs...and there isn't enough room for a six car train)

A rotten shame about that government thing. But I wonder if it was being done because Mrs. Thatcher's government WANTED to give a reason to just "privatize" the line as quickly as possible, without anybody complaining (well, it's obvious under government administration it's falling apart...)

[citytransportinfo]

@raakone I dont know about the vehicle lengths... the money and Thatcher thing will be partly because they wanted to privatise, partly b ecause they did not state ownership (did not agree with their political and econonic ideaologies) but also because there was a need to find new ways to raise funds for preparing for an event which is expected to occur later this year (Sept - Oct - Nov). I am refering to the comet, which many say is something more than that.

[undergroundsplee]

Excellent. :) Thanks for sharing this. I used to use the W&C quite a lot back in that era, simply because I loved the atmosphere. If you were there on a Saturday morning, the place was usually pretty deserted and it had a very eerie feel to it! Lovely to hear the growl of the motors again after a long, long time.

There was a lot of variation between cars, some were refurbished a bit and one even had strip lighting fitted. The place was unique and I loved it.

[Alteshaus21]

was für ein armes zugleben! immer die gleich 2,4 km lange strecke!

[kaiyan246]

that is not 1940 how come i see people and its world war 2 and a tv that looks like the 1970's

[citytransportinfo]

@kaiyan246 The train was introduced into service in 1940 - this was filmed in the early 1990's.

Simon

[kaiyan246]

1:05 very long escolator and is that in 1940?

[patrickov]

@kaiyan246 -- Looking up Wikipedia, it says that thing dates from 1959.

[MulanXP]

omg thats a very long stairway

[applesweeter]

Externally, the train looked like a loaf of bread. Internally, the train looked like a submarine.

I live in Hong Kong, and I have never seen such a old train. Our MTR system is less than 30 years old.

[MIKEMASTER1A]

WOW New Waterloo & City Line I'll never seen that before! So nice trains!

[Max404s]

One minute into the film we see escalator tunnels with no cladding. I can vagely remember seeing escalator tunnels looking like that when I was a child. Is that what they normally looked like those days, or were they being refurbished? Maybe they had to remove flammable material after the Kings Cross fire? I can remember the old wooden escalators (which were quickly replaced after the fire) very clearly.

[Doomsday2060]

I like how the driver is spoilt for choice when it comes to braking.....

ON and OFF and that's about it

[danauxilary]

the descrpition says it was filmed december 1989

[jkk45]

when was this filmed?

[amiausUSA]

The travolator at 0:43, reminds me of the same one in the "De Brouckère" station in Brussels.

[rayflute]

Anyone know what compressor was used on these trains?

[1973ts]

This is a superb video. I love it from 3:55 as the doors close and the compressor cuts in. Well done for capturing the atmosphere of the W&C in the '80s. Thank you for posting it here.

[60103Henry]

Great Video, 5 Stars! Would be nice to get a 487 running again!

[amarsbarr]

WHAT YEAR WAS THIS FILMED????

[Ropponmatsu2]

Ye gods that place feels like a urinal. The trains just compliment it somehow. Just how many people planned a suicide down there?

[hellooldchap]

Little bit of history there.

[CHRIS90ANDES]

man that place would be full of ppl in the war....

[yaumatei1994]

u mean BR Class 487?

[yaumatei1994]

the trav-o-lator tunnel is indeed bare, spooky and totally messed up

[grahamf19]

i remember these trains so much, and how high some seats were, but i tryying to find one of these videos, but it ends with a 1992 W&C Line TS at stratford in early 90s before they started on the waterloo and city line, can anyone help

[MrAppleInc]

6:36 that's good^^

[fletcherhf73]

Is that the end of the line?

[racingfan2k10]

yea, the Waterloo and City line is just a shuttle between Bank and Waterloo

[blaarp]

I like the 1940 stock. The front windows give it a droopy bulldog look that matches the low-pitched, growly motors. The current stock is a little more slick but doesn't have as much character.

[Isisbridge]

There's no way this is 1940. They didn't have striplighting for starters, or no-smoking signs, or British Rail, or Network South East. And the trains are quite obviously modern.

[Jimpsterz]

something spooky about the old style, the old trains would look great in a harry potter film

[lolaobounce]

Urgh. leave that shit out of this

[racingfan2k10]

im only 14 but i love watching these videos, i admire the way tht trains and train stations were back then! may sound a bit weird here but i love the font tht they used 4 the signs on the underground!

[PMDredvideos]

is it really in 1940? first in 1940 was LMS and also the livery looks like the one we had in the 1990's of NSE? reply plz

[citytransportinfo]

yes, built by the Southern railway these entered service in 1940.

The LMS has nothing to do with these trains; I am curious why you thought otherwise.

Simon

[ChanceryDivision]

@citytransportinfo

When I used to travel on these trains in the 1960s the livery was Green & Cream and I seem to remember that there was a deep step up either end of the carriage, when sitting in these seats you head was almost touching the ceiling.

[TheTrainFanatic]

Absolutely superb video there. Thanks for uploading this.

Loved the old trains and how the stations were back in those old days. I particularly like the dimmer carriage lighting of these trains compared to the horrible overly bright carriage lighting in tube trains and overground trains nowadays. Why do they have to be so darn bright nowadays?!

[citytransportinfo]

health and safety! (the excuse for everything nowadays).

and probably because its easy to make them so bright!

Maybe also for some people the extra brightness is ideal to make it easier to read.

SImon

[citytransportinfo]

this from 'wikipedia' may also be of interest...

The inconvenience to passengers of interior lights being momentarily extinguished as the train passes over conductor rail gaps was partially eliminated in this stock by feeding half the car lights from the motor car at one end of the unit, and half from the other.

[j43ms]

it's got a bit of a "futuristic" look to it. is it really that old? wow!

[globalcentralline]

A travelator is like what you get at a airport to go around different terminals.

GCL

[globalcentralline]

Does any one know how many 487 units were in NSE livery?

[HSTCalvin]

Wow... I'm glad they got rid of the old bastards (the trains)

Yes, I am "ageist to trains", but I am not to comfortable riding on old trains, especially old electric ones like these.

[bronzeonion]

WHAT?????? the escalator doesnt even have steps lol

[citytransportinfo]

its not an escalator - its a travelator, a moving walkway!

Simon

[bronzeonion]

but going downwards??? does it still exist?

[realsteam123]

why are the frount lights red shouldnt the be white?

[citytransportinfo]

please advise me when (at what time) in the video..

Simon

[mrhighspeedtrain]

thats one ugly train NSE did not suit that that train at all

[RabidRaccoonUK]

I remember going on those old trains a few times when I was a kid, but they were on a different line to Waterloo & City. I've never actually seen those trains in the Network South East colours before... Kinda garish... :-P I remember how damn hot those carriages could get if a train stopped in a tunnel because they had the normal light bulbs in them as apposed to the strobe lights. :-P

[citytransportinfo]

These specific trains were built only for the Waterloo and City line.

BUT,

There were other trains which also had bulb lighting that operated on most of the other underground lines. eg: 1938 stock and the pre-1938 'standard' stock.

Simon

[RabidRaccoonUK]

Ahh, ok.

[citytransportinfo]

I am not sure. At present I cannot even look at my videos as they were recorded in S-VHS format which has 400 lines of detail (regular VHS is about 250 lines) but my video player no longer works and the video manufacturers no longer make S-VHS machines.

The Panasonic DVD- VHS combo which plays 'quasi' S-VHS will lose all the image quality.

I'm trying to get a replacement on ebay.

Simon

[sexygirl1678]

its really quiet on this line

[citytransportinfo]

only off-peak - in the rush hours it gets *very* busy!

but thats a baaad time to film, as all one sees are the backs of people and not the trains.

[KevinAtSeven]

What's with the manky walls down the escalator?

[citytransportinfo]

probably being refurbished at the time.

[Butchuk2007]

Yep - Awesome video. Brings back a few memories.

Thanks for posting.

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks

simon

[reynardbizzar]

Awesome video and thanks so much for sharing.

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks

simon

[GARYMOORE1952no1fan]

1940?

[citytransportinfo]

yes. 1940.

Almost certainly started being built before before the, and even during the war some new things did open. Just not very much.

Simon

[MatthewBuick]

17 and a half years. In jail.

[PlasticChinaman]

Excellent video.

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks

simon

[MatthewBuick]

You were certainly very lucky. SVHS-C was brand new back then. Sony and Canon brought out Hi8. S-VHS-C was JVC and Panasonic's competitor. Both offered 400 lines of video. It was pretty amazing in the right hands, such as yours, Sir.

By the way I loved the video. I live in Newcastle but I still enjoy the London trains. The sound of those engines spooling up and the fact power came from a rail was always magical to me, since I was small boy. I'm 17 now.

Anyway, five stars! Brilliant video.

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks.

I knew that they were brand new at the time, I was 'waiting' for that quality to become available.

btw, I wish someone had filmed your former LNER 3rd rail Tyneside Electric trains of 1937.

Simon

[MatthewBuick]

Yeah. :-(

[No1Tubefan]

great vid, the 487 motor sounds like the 319's and the 321's

[Doomsday2060]

Damn why didnt the isle of wight snap them up lol 5/5!

[citytransportinfo]

problems with salt in the air, corroding the trains. This might also explain why the IOW did not take any 1983 stock trains.

Simon

[EZEVO]

It really sounds like they struggle to get away. cute little things though

[citytransportinfo]

probably they were not very powerful, as for such a short journey where speeds are limited so they only needed to be able to move at modest speeds.

Simon

[MatthewBuick]

180 bhp at the end of each car. About the same as a high-end Skoda Octavia.

[EZEVO]

Still i'd rather have a 487. We're they even in southern green?

[MatthewBuick]

I don't think so. Just in depressing dark blue and NSE to my knowedge.

[citytransportinfo]

possibly when new - I am not sure.

Simon

[rayflute]

I love the way the lights dim as the train starts up!

[citytransportinfo]

bulb lights - the same used to happen (albeit to a lesser extent) on some London Underground trains which had bulb lights too - and I think on trams & trolleybuses as well.

Simon

[nimpo46]

I remember seeing a photo of this on some underground website but never understood what was going on. I didn't realise the waterloo and city line was first part of National Rail. Did they have to re-track the line for the London Underground stock?

[citytransportinfo]

sorry, I do not remember! They had to install a 4th rail for electric return, and I feel sure that there would have been a period during which the line was closed whilst the old trains were removed and new ones brought into the tunnel (done one carriage at a time using a crane at - or was it a hoist / lift - Waterloo), plus staff trained, new trains tested, etc.

But I've forgotten the exact facts.

Simon

[lumpi62]

excellent video, loved it. Thanks for the posting!

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks. I am pleased that you found it to be of interest.

Simon

[HSTHoward]

wow nse tube stock!

[Ross47596]

excellent and uniques footage there. you wouldnt even be allowed to do this no a days , with all the H and S and terrorist threats :(

[citytransportinfo]

Actually you might be, depending on when you tried. The rush hours would be a bad time (too busy) but maybe a quiet Saturday or this time of year - ie: between Xmas and the New Year.

Simon

[evadiendome]

Excellent video. The first video footage I have seen of the Class 487s.

[glenrea]

same here! The motors definitely sound "Southern Region". And that brake pump. Could have been an EPB pulling away.....

I've never been on "The Drain". It's always closed when I go to london!

[Tetramesh]

Thanks for posting this video. I always found this stock quite drab and depressing but the seats were comfortable.

[citytransportinfo]

I know, seats on older trains were almost always better than those of modern trains. This is terrible shame.

Simon

[kyerenne]

maybe the seats inside the train where good but the drivers seat was terrible.

I am an old Waterloo and city driver

[citytransportinfo]

Thats a pity, although on this line you will be constantly getting up to walk to the other end of the train - well maybe every 10 or so minutes (ie: the length of time it takes to wait for the departure time and make one journey to the other end).

Simon

[ashita100]

whats a trav o lator

[citytransportinfo]

Trade name for a moving walkway made by a specific company (but I forget which company!)

Simon

[mrtulala1]

it's a travolator

[citytransportinfo]

Thanks.

simon

[perrymak2000]

thx a lot!!

[metapprentice]

The Waterloo & City Line does not have ATO.

[bangers3001]

The good old days when the undergrond has guards!

[citytransportinfo]

Of course in those days the W&C was part of the Southern Region.

And ALL trains had guards.

Simon

[bwhugul]

On YouTube videos of the Beijing metro it can be seen that they have still chosen to have guards!! I mean, someone can easily be hired there for the job very cheaply - what's the point in the expense of One Person Operation! However dwell time is much increased

[citytransportinfo]

it all boils down to money!

guards cost money - and our political leaders want to reduce costs.

In China the philosophy is different.

Simon

[citytransportinfo]

btw, the Mrs Thatcher thing does sound far fetched. But I clearly remember asking why the City Corporation was not investing to make Bank a visual delight / a showpiece station -and that is what I was told. Maggie's Govt. forbade local govt. investment, and if the City Corporation tried to get around the rules by seeking public debate & sympathy, so changes would be made that would be (financially) disadvantageous.

[citytransportinfo]

re: 3.50, you are right. I often wondered whether it could form part of an extension to Moorgate to link in with the 'other' deep level tube served by mainline trains (GN route to to Drayton Park, etc). Then with the W&C rebuilt for larger & longer trains it would have ceased to be just a short shuttle.

Alas this is now impossible as although not visible from the platform the route is now blocked by an interchange passageway with the DLR station.

[raakone]

I'm curious, at about 3:50, it shows one end of a track....and what looks like was "provisions" for extending the line further if need be, was there ever any intentions to do so?

The Thatcher situation sounds ridiculous. Not wanting it even mentioned?

It's cool seeing what the old "non-Tube tubestock" looked like (in the strictest sense, it is "tubestock", and it always was a "tube line", even if it wasn't...) It's interesting that BR had a tube line.

~Ra'akone

[togotome12345]

Seems funny seeing a tube train with Netowrk Southeast livery! When did that line get taken over by LU?

[citytransportinfo]

April fools day in 1994 (1st April).

Simon

[infrared567]

is W&C ATO controlled like the central line?

[citytransportinfo]

I think not, but am not 100% certain

Simon

[infrared567]

ages ago didnt u no duh over 10 years

[citytransportinfo]

sorry, I dont understand what you mean