 Hello, thank you for joining me. I'm at West Ealing and that's the branch line train to Greenford Today is another episode of branch line Britain and we're going to do the West Ealing to Greenford branch. What we're going to do We're going to Walk to Greenford looking at the stations on the way and any bridges and anything else that's interesting really And then we'll get the train back. So the train terminates in the bay platform there What's interesting is Before Crossrail and all that became a thing the trains actually used to come off the branch just up there and run All the way through to Paddington. But with the extra services on the Great Western Main Line There just wasn't any spare part. So they created the bay platform But what's also happened here is there's recently been a big station upgrade with a new ticket hall Station I believe now has ticket barriers. So I thought what we'll do We'll have a look at the new and the old stations Before we start walking up the Greenford branch. It's quite an interesting little branch line. It's um Quite nice that the 165s the Great Western 165s still have like a little enclave in London because um All their other work has gone. Of course Chilton Railways still use class 165 So there's 39 of them coming in and out London Marilybone But they don't seem to have any booked work in and out London Paddington They still work all the Thames Valley branches. So they work the branches tomorrow to Windsor and to Henley There's a cross rail train that's not stopping 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 2. So there's not every cross rail train stops here That's Westealing station there. New station building there is The old one. I think I'll get a better view when we get to the top of the new footbridge The weight rows there. I was thinking once there's quite a few weight rows I can think of the next railway lines such as Sunningdale, Rickman's Wharf. Rickman's Wharf is great for watching trains There goes the branch train just as well. I wasn't catching it I've got to have run ahead and lost it but we're not getting it. We're going to walk to Greenford and then we'll catch it back So there's the old Greenford station just there So that's all now closed. I'm going to walk that way around because my plan is There's a, I'll let you see it from this way. It's a crack express crossing crew So there is a footbridge across the main line and the Greenford branch So I'm very slow-wetted in that view. So we're going to go and walk across that So when we get to here in this angle we get quite a nice view Looking down on the set of ticket barriers so you can see the whole of the new station building and then we're going to, what we'll do We're going to have a quick look before we go out We're going to have a look at the bay platform which we're then going to finish up on So that's your set of ticket barriers just there So the previous station didn't have ticket barriers but it has now And this is where we're going to finish So I'm going to go back up there and show you a few things Sorry I'm silhouetted again, show you a few things of the Greenford branch along the way And eventually we'll get the train and end up back here So here we are outside the new West Dealing station building As you can see I haven't quite finished the road so the road's currently closed to traffic Funny how the fence around the road is purple in a very similar colour to Crossrail or the Elizabeth line, is that a coincidence or is it just that colour, that weird noise you can hear isn't putting the shutters down Well let's go and have a look at the old station building which is just closed So when I've come to Ealing Broadway before, sorry not Ealing Broadway We're at West Dealing aren't we? When I've come to West Dealing before, this is where I would have come in and out I have come here a few times because it was a station I'd sometimes come to to watch trains And I have you come here just on the Greenford branch I also came on, talk about this more later But there's a Chilton and Rowes parliamentary train So I've done that a few times So here, as it says, it still says West Dealing, this is effectively a disused station building I'm not sure if there's any plans for it Maybe I could like make it into a cafe or a bar or a pub or something But the one thing I really like is it's quite a modern building It's how they put the BRDouble logos out of bricks in the main station building So I don't know what the plan is for the old station building It'd be a shame if it just gets knocked down so maybe they'll find a new use for it I don't know I'm now going to walk round the corner past the waitros We're going to go and find that footbridge which will take us over the main line and the branch line I'm just walking down the street, the rail line is just behind us And this footpath, which is going to take us over the main line and the branch line Just here I think I once heard it's known locally as Jacob's Ladder Or am I getting confused with somewhere else? I know quite often footbridges like this over railways are sometimes known as Jacob's Ladder So there's a possibility this one is But then maybe it's not I do like these old iron bridges, looking a bit worse for wear But you know it's nice to see one traditional footbridge over the railways still in place So as we come up here the views start to open out So you've got the main lines here Over there that's the plaza works Is that a train coming? I think so The new Heathrow Expresses which replace the class 332s Which unfortunately have all been scrapped now except three carriages of unit 01 They've survived so we look across here you can just see the branch line over there So that's where we're heading for And if you look that way you can just see West Evening Station where we came from So we're now going to cross the bridge Now we're half way but get a better view Through the mesh West Evening Station is just there I can just see Hanwell and Iphone station as well In the distance which is probably the nicest station on this line I think it's a really nice station Oh look this is better get a better view here because there's no mesh Because we're not actually over the wires now So there is West Evening and you can see the bay platform Which we're going to ride into later And here you get a perfect view of the branch going off So it's actually a double track branch Quite a lot of branch lines aren't but this one is Plaza works and I can see another train Or is he stopping there's a train up there I'm not sure he's stopping at Hanwell There is while we're here there is another side of the triangle Just over there behind the plaza works Which I've never been on because there's no schedule passenger trains But you know maybe one day we could do that line Not sure when if well there'd have to be some sort of rail tour Or diversion but you never know Occasionally do get the opportunities to do rare bits of track As I'll talk to you later on when we get to the other end Yeah I think that train stops at Hanwell so I'm not going to wait and see that Let's go down see where the footpath goes And just round the corner up there is the first station on the branch Straight and green So we're going to have a look at that station When we get there we might start to realise why And the line firstly hasn't been electrified And still only uses two car units But that will all be revealed When we get further up the line So I'm now going to walk down these steps and follow the footpath And find out where it goes That noise you just heard was some points changing Well this is Drayton Green This area of common land I'm crossing But it's the first station on the branch line That's called Drayton Green So this is where Drayton Green station takes its name from This green here Drayton Green I'm going to continue one out to the road up there From a short way along there we'll find Drayton Green station I found Drayton Green station Here it is just down here So I'm up on the road at the moment looking down on the station So as I was saying about the fact that the line's not electrified And it currently only has two car trains Here's your answer See how short these platforms are And because you've got the junction literally there So trains go that way to West England And trains could go that way to join the Great Western Main Line There really is not a lot of choice for extending the platforms Maybe you could certainly extend that one under the bridge But you couldn't really extend this one without rebuilding the bridge So that's really why it still has to use two coach trains And there's no AC electric multiple units that are two carriages So it can't really be electrified Unless they came up with a new form of AC electric multiple unit There's another branch, the Marlowe branch, which has the same problem And that's why that hasn't yet been electrified So what I'm going to do, I will put my face cover on I'm going to get down on the platform just for completeness But before we do that, I want to cross the road and show you something Seems like I can get across the road Too many, there's still a bit of crossing here Right, there we go, get across Another unusual feature of this line is that it's a tunnel of sort It's not really a tunnel, but technically is a tunnel It's about a quarter of an hour long It's where they built a housing estate over the railway line So it's an artificial tunnel It was something they talked about during a couple of years ago In various other places, building loads and loads of houses over railway lines Which in some ways, yes, it would free up a lot of land But then it would certainly make the train journeys very, very boring And as for building things over railway lines Creating these artificial tunnels, okay, that is literally a concrete box But when you actually try and create a tunnel It doesn't always go according to plan As the people of George Cross know all too well If you want to know the story of what happened at George Cross Have a look at the link on screen now I explain it in that video about the Tesco value tunnel problem But anyway, I'm going to have a quick look down on the station platform And then we're going to continue our walk Well, here we are down the London end of the platform at Trayton Green Turning around, have a look, there's the junction You can see towards West Dealing, it says 15 and 20 So a local train has to go 15 miles an hour The DMUs can go 20 And if you're going towards the West You're allowed to go 25 miles an hour So the trains that do regularly use this side of the curve Would be the HS2 construction trains Which I was going to see usually on my lockdown walk In the Buckinghamshire area I'd go and see them So they would come from various places Such as Tivrington in Gloucestershire or Westbury They'd come along off the Great Western Mainline Take that curve there And they'd go up the branch And join the Chilton Mainline at South Rhysip We're now going to go And we're going to have to walk over the top of that tunnel So let's continue on towards Castlebar Park So we are literally on top of the Greenford branch This almost has a bit like the feeling of walking along a disused railway That's been turned into a housing estate But on this occasion the railway isn't disused It's just beneath my feet So it's from looking at the way the development goes If you look you've got cars parked down there And you've got the flats on each side And then the same on the other side So basically the tracks are under here So it's just a big box like that That they've put the road on And then the cars down there Are literally down at the natural ground level And the flats themselves Their foundations are on the natural ground level So I don't know if I like the idea or not I think here it's alright Because it's a one-off And I suppose it's quite a good use of space But personally when I go on the train I like to enjoy the view out the window But I can live with this one being like this So I'm going to continue on I'm going to hopefully find the other end of the tunnel I was going to try and show you the southern end of the tunnel But I couldn't Where am I going to be? I'll show you the northern end At this stage I don't know But I shall know in the next few seconds One thing I think is rather amusing Is there's bus stops here A bus stop over there Buses literally run on top of the train I think that's quite funny That you could be sitting on a bus And down beneath you There's a train going along or vice versa I can't think of any Obviously buses cross railway lines I can't think anywhere where you could literally get a bus And you're going along the same alignment as the railway Only a few feet higher I suppose in central London You could sort of argue you get it the other way around Where you know you've got the subsurface lines They're running beneath the street And you could be on a bus going along above But I should think I think this is pretty unique This tunnel stroke Housing estate Stroke railway line I don't think there's anywhere else quite like it Not in the UK anyway There might be in other countries If we come to here I'm guessing this is probably the end of the tunnel So my hopes are You're going to see the railway line Again Yeah, there we are I can see it Not only can I see the railway I can also see Castle Bar Park Station So There is the railway line And we get a look at the tunnel So you can sort of see the box shape So I'm going to show it to you past these buddlies It's going to be as easy for If you look over there You can sort of see how There's literally ground beneath there So it is basically a box It's a bit like Where it reminds me of Is when I was little I had a Brio train set And the Brio train set had a tunnel It's just like that With then houses each side of it I'm now going to continue on down here Because we now know that Castle Bar Park Station Is quite close When those flats are finished Those people are going to get a good view of the railway This is Castle Bar Park Station Let's have a look Never been to this station before So there's the giant Brio tunnel Up there I can see the train coming I have to wait and see the train So yeah, fairly plain station Although it looks like It does have a ticket office It's staffed on a Monday to Friday From 7 till 10 So you can actually buy a ticket here And then there's the Oyster Card Readers There's no ticket barriers On any of the intermediate stations on this line I'm pretty sure it isn't I know that by the time we get to the end Interesting I just saw the light went green So there's only one train that goes up and down As I mentioned There are good trains using this line Come through So that was going from Calvert to Westbury It was an MCHS2 construction train So that will take the curve Saying about what I'm going to do now I'm going to go over the bridge To the other side Because deep passenger train is due This is probably the announcement for it I hope for Greenford over the bridge to ending I have the pleasure of watching the train Pass through the station Now I'm going to continue my walk And then I get the relaxing bit Afterwards taking the train back Get another look at the Brio tunnel I'm going to always call that now At the Brio tunnel And look how straight the line is I can see literally dead straight all the way up there So at least I know my walk is going to be fairly straight I think from here I did actually have to come over this side I mean I could have gone that way I'm going to go across this little green area here And then follow a lot of footpath alongside the railway That's the weirdest place to put a station sign Just there in the bushes So the birds in the trees They can look and they can know Here at Castle Bar Park I'm going to now wait and see The passenger train arrive Castle Bar Park station behind I'm going to continue my walk Now I'm going to go to South Greenford That's the final intermediate station Then we're going to get to Greenford Where we can take the train back to West Evening This almost feels like I could be on a very rural country branch Somewhere walking down a path like this But you might just be able to hear A bit of talking, a bit of noise coming from over there That is the Trailfinder Sports Club Now that was originally the Great Western Railways Sports Club Where their staff could play various different forms of sports But now it's just a private sports club Yeah, it looks like there's a lot of people Whether they're going to watch a football match There's a lot of people out there So yeah, Trailfinder Sports Club That's what that is There's another, what looks like another sports field there The railway is just the other side of that So I'm going to continue on down here Past them, there's some flats up here Some tower blocks, we're going to go past them We're going to have to cross the River Brent So I'm quite interested to see If the railway goes over a viaduct over River Brent Or if there's going to be a culvert Then our next station will be South Greensford So I'm going to continue now Down towards those tower blocks over there I'll just walk past the tower blocks There's three of them although one's hiding And they're named after birds They're called Falcon House, Kestrel House And Dunlin House I mentioned we were coming to find the River Brent Here is the River Brent And as I was saying, I was intrigued to know Was it just going to be a small culvert Or would there be a viaduct to take the line over River Brent Well, we actually have quite a nice viaduct here Not just a high viaduct It's got some really quite wide arches So what I'm going to do I will be going up that lime avenue Is it lime avenue maybe isn't It looks like popular avenue I think it was Just like a nice path I'm going to go up there But I just want to walk under the viaduct Because I can Been over this viaduct many times Never ever have I been under it It's actually called If you look at the network rail Notice it's called Brent Viaduct If I go here, yeah, look, we can go Here's a path underneath it How many arches? There's one, two, three, four, five Possibly five arches And there's the River Brent itself So five, I think five arch viaduct Over the River Brent So when I'm sitting on the train I'll be looking out to see that view So I'm now going to continue down that Poplar Avenue Towards South Greenford Station So that's the River Brent And this is the Poplar Avenue Which we're going to follow The viaduct is there Hiding in the trees It looks like quite a nice park here I didn't know this was here But look, there's a lake With a path around it And of course you've got the railway to one side So, you know, I think this is somewhere near been before And I already quite like it Go continue this way Under what I'm pretty sure are mainly Poplar trees Towards South Greenford I've now passed under the railway to the other side It was like a wind tunnel in that bridge And it started raining So I didn't show you that bit But we are now on the west side of the railway So the railway is over there Somewhere not too far As you can see More fields Sports fields Over there is Perryville Golf Course So considering this is an urban branch line It has a rather Rather rural feeling to it Which I think is quite nice And it's a pleasant walk It's more interesting than I expected it to be I just thought I was literally going to be walking down You know, residential road after residential road After residential road But I was wrong There's anything like that It's not far now to South Greenford Station So I'm just going to keep walking As soon as I should be at South Greenford You're noisy Western Avenue Let's get some quieter Like South Greenford Station for example I walk up here to the platform It's one of the platforms at South Greenford Station I'll visit this one today Because well, it will also be today When I pass back on the train I'll be on the other side So I thought might as well come up onto this side Looks like it's unstaffed So far the only intermediate station to be staffed Was Castle Bar Park And that was only for three hours on a weekday morning So what have we got up here So there's Joyce the card readers There's a train to Greenford So it's 1737 now Train to Greenford is at 11 minutes past 6 So well I'll say I'll end up getting When it goes back that one back But it's the same train all day So there's your Joyce the card readers There's just a steep old stove Up here onto the platform In the rain It's really starting to rain now Hopefully the sun will come out soon So here's the very straight track So I can even still see that Brio Tunnel Down at Castle Bar Park So here you are this is the station We're getting quite small And there's not a lot going on I'm going to not wait for a train I'm just going to stand in here Just not wait for it to stop raining Perhaps just wait for it to wait for the rain to die down a bit And then I've got about three quarters of a mile to Greenford I said I was going to wait for it to stop raining But I soon got bored of that So I'm just going to get on with a walk Quite an impressive bridge over the Western Avenue Now from here to Greenford We're going to follow the Capital Ring Which is one of the walks which circumnavigates London There is the London Loop Which I have done about two thirds of But I haven't got round to doing it I'm just one day I will do all of the Capital Ring All of the London Loop And I'll make a video series on that But right now we just happen to be using the Capital Ring Because they are sometimes quite a good way To get from A to B Just a nice pleasant path to follow Take you away from busy roads like this That said, if you want to brave the noise of the busy road Quite a good place to see a train If one of those good trains had come along It would have been quite a good place to have seen it Up over there, that hill That's Horsenden Hill Not going up there today But when I eventually do the Capital Ring We'll go up there then Because the Capital Ring Will take you over the top of Horsenden Hill And on right round, round London So, where are we going now? You can go down here Oh yeah, there's an A Capital Ring sign here It just says on this one, Via Footbridge They normally tell you how far it is to places But here, you've just got the Capital Ring Via Footbridge Capital Ring, a ring around Big Ben The camera won't pick it up But on the other side, I can just see the sign It says, Greenford Station Three quarters of a mile And in the opposite direction It says, Osterley Lock Four and a half miles So, definitely not doing that today But we will one day So, Capital Ring, I think it takes us down here And hopefully away from the Western Avenue As soon as possible, really And yeah, just up here I can see the signs I was about to come over That great big bridge there So, yeah, Western Avenue, Rain The rural part, the walk's finished But at least I'm following the Capital Ring So, I think it'll be, you know, alright Looking forward to getting to Greenford And getting on the train and going back So, I'm just going to now follow Capital Ring I'm not too far from Greenford Station now But before we get there, I just got to show you This monster of a lie, though Now on the branch, there isn't a such on there What you see nearest to here Will be the central line to West Ryslip And then, if you look at this arch Once you get past this tree You can see it's effectively filled in That's because there's a slope in there The branch trains go up a slope In the middle of the two central lines To a platform, which we shall see shortly And then this bridge here This carries the old Great Western North main line You know, up to High Wickham, etc So, when steam trains from Paddington went to Birkenhead They'd have passed over this bridge So, not many long distance trains, if any, would pass over that section of the bridge So, there would have been Greenford Main Station Which would have been, we'll see when we get there But on these tracks, that closed in 1963 Greenford itself, the station opened in 1904 After the branch had opened But then the London Underground wasn't added until as late as 1947 So, I'm going to continue on down there Towards Greenford Station And here we are, at Greenford Station So, the branch itself is two miles and 40 chains long So, not particularly long blocks But I'd say my walk has probably been about three miles To go across the road We're going to go into the station And get the train back But before we get the train back There's something quite exciting at this station Which I really like So, as you can see that, at any minute now We'll have to get across the road First going to the station So, this is further down that huge, wide-up complex I was telling you about now I think you can come in here Quite a nice, Art Deco-style station It's not Charles Holden one But it is an Art Deco-style station We're through here through the ticket barriers I've got a travel card I've been doing other things in London Because what is this? So, I haven't actually got to buy a ticket So, we've come into here I did more brutal, let's have a look at that But the exciting thing is the lift I'm going to show you the escalator first Usually the last station to have Would an escalator As you can see, there's only one escalator And then there's stairs It's also, as far as I'm aware It's the only tube station where you get on an escalator And go up to the platform now This lift is exciting This lift is, to me, it's a former railway It's an inclinator Have a look up there It isn't vertical It's not clear of the doors It's standing clear of the doors This lift isn't vertical So, it goes up an incline There's not many of these around There is one by the millenium bridge in London But I've never ever seen it work And there will be some of these on cross-railway open So, that's a future video going by There will be definitely videos on cross-railway open But it is just exciting So, to my look, this is a funicular railway This isn't just a lift It's a form of railway So, I really like this I'm just coming to the top Let you look down I'll tell you what, I have been on one similar to this And it had multiple stations Was at the Football Museum in Manchester Have a look at the link on screen now You'll see one of the videos And I did one that was one of my early videos So, yeah, that's where we've just come up We've come up there And we're now going to go out On to the platforms And just stop for all five inches Out onto the platforms I'm going to be able to show you What I was explaining about the bridges back there So, this is the platform of Greenfoot You can see it's an island platform That's the central line towards London That's the central line towards West Rhine You actually get quite a nice view up here All over West London Now, I'm silhouetted again Time to come with us for a moment As for where the Greenfoot branch terminates Well, that's another fun thing It terminates just here In the middle of the two platforms So, this is where our train's going to arrive So, that's for Greenfoot main station It's been down there somewhere If one of those HS2 construction trains came along We would see that passing just down there The other very exciting thing is This station still has 7 or 4 signals Controlling the junction down there So, the other train I mentioned does use this line The only other passenger service There's a children's railway's passenger service I'm not sure the exact time It's some point in the morning From South Rhine Slip to West Ealing If you get on that South Rhine Slip You get to travel along this track And you'll go Are those signals, they'll take you down under the complex And then it runs non-stop to West Ealing So it's like an express service Except there's only one a day I did it a few years ago And it was quite fun I took my girlfriend on it And even she enjoyed it Although I told her that not many people use that train Which is true Usually only one or two people turn up If you counted us There were 7 passengers So, 5 other passengers There were 7 of us So, it was quite busy But that was quite an exciting trip I'll have to do a video on that one day So, as I come down to the end of the platform This is where our train's going to arrive If you look up there You can see the two central line fire ducts Either side There was also a triangle on that side Now, I did that once Very early in the morning That wasn't very early in the morning I'm thinking of somewhere else Because I've done so many triangles early in the morning A few years ago Great Western Railway They, with the sleeper train Did a very exciting thing Where they ran just these passenger trains In and out Paddington Just purely for enthusiasts To get the locals for haulage And get the rear track She travelled out of Paddington It came up the North Main Line That's now closed Took that curve down the Greenford branch Back into Paddington So, and the same day They ran a passenger service On the Colmbrook branch The stub of the Staines West Branch Central line train pulling in I should do things like that again Anyone from Great Western If you're watching You know, that was fun Please do that again I know obviously you can't do that loop anymore Because the track's closed But yeah, do things like that again Perhaps run a 165 down the Colmbrook branch Because it was a 150 last time Anyway, I'm going to wait for the train to arrive And then we're going to enjoy The trip back to Westy Mark's train And there's a Central line train coming in So, what's interesting is The line finishes here But there we have an Underground train Going further out Away from the centre of London It must be the only base in London Where a network rail line terminates And a London Underground line goes further out I can't think I mean, you could have said that perhaps About parking With a gospel out to parking line But now that's part of London overground It's all metro network as such But this effectively is a branch line I mean, you could argue Yes, it's part of a wider metro network But it's a bit self-contained It's like a national rail enclave Of in a metro area I like it, it's different And there's not many other people on this train It's quite a luxury really for a branch line In fact, it's double track You know, most of the way It's only this section here that's single track And then, as I said, the good trains That's used to branch line Don't use this section of track I'll be able to show you in a moment If we look out the window They've got the Central line there So the Central line, as I said It's climbed up onto those toilets We're starting to go down The Central line is going up And if you were to get the train from West to South Rhine It would come under this concrete viaduct So we're surrounded by concrete viaducts on each side I'll show you where you'll come through Yeah, so you'd come under that good bridge You'd just see the same amount through there And you'd come on that section of track Which is joining us now And that's what the good trains Would use this line, use And we've now passed under the West Rhine at the Central line The other side of the triangle Would have been just here, behind this building They did quite often They used to turn HSTs We know based at Oldham Common They used to send them round up the Park Royal line And take this curve just to turn them round And sometimes you'd be on a Central line train And they'd look out and you'd see an HST And you'd think, well, what's that doing? Where's that going? But it'd be going very slowly It'd be going very slowly Because it's such a sharp curve So yeah, they used to use to turn them But now the line's closed I'm not sure if there's actually even any track At this side of the junction Or if they've lifted it Which is to soon find out They might lift the stub in for any construction trains In connection with HST too That's where I walked all along there And I say it's the rear of a lot Long footpath along there's the line Look, just going off there So I did want to do that section of track So I'm quite proud of that What I'm going to do now I'm just going to enjoy the views Over the rooftops of West London As we travel back to West Ealing So here we are We are back at West Ealing My little branch train is forced into the bay platform I'm now going to wait for a cross rail train To take me back to London Hope you enjoyed this video If you're ever out this way You know why not come for a ride On the branch line It has almost like Now once it's started to disappear From the Great Western Mainline But they're still holding these encodes They have a bit of heritage feel Perhaps they should paint this one In the Network South-East livery Just for fun Someone from Great Western's watching Why don't you paint it in Network South-East livery That said, children need to paint what are yours in Network South-East livery But anyway, maybe one day We'll see that livery again So I'm now going to wait for a cross rail train Back to Paddington Hope you enjoyed this video You know, if you're out this way Why not come and enjoy this line for yourself Perhaps enjoy the walk idea The only thing I will say is There's no Sunday service So we can't do the walk on a Sunday West Ealing Green Passage is open on Sunday But there's no Sunday service It's a cross rail train that's not stopping So thank you very much for watching Please do so please like Subscribe and comment And from the Bay Platform at West Ealing Thank you very much Crap Express passing through So yeah, as I was saying Please do feel free to like, subscribe and comment Thank you very much for watching Hope you enjoyed the video The engine's just shut down From the Bay Platform at West Ealing Where it's suddenly gone a lot quieter Thank you very much Goodbye