Omg! Dave is amazing!!!!! He is like the vest shop owner ever! Every time I walk into the shop he always goes into the back and makes my tea coz I always get tea when I go!
Fun Fact (well maybe for Geoff). Sometime in the late 80's early 90's when I was early teens I got appendicitis. in the bed next to me was a kid with a horribly broken arm and an utterly knackered hip. He had tried to jump the barrier and slipped. His ticket wasn't working and he wanted to exit the platform and go home. Back then a ticket was 5p for under sixteens - or it may have been during the '5 rider' era after they put tickets up to 25p, but for a £1 you could buy five, though I digress. This was the kid that got all the barriers removed. Basically the courts ruled that if you didn't have a manned barrier you couldn't dis-allow exit from the system. As manning the majority of the none central stations was just not a viable option, they removed all the barriers.
@@samon53 Sensible country. In Canada some bastard judge upheld fining someone for "fare evasion" after they jumped a barrier in possession of a malfunctioning ticket. Fare inspector had been standing nearby, openly declaring it "not his job" to deal with the deffective ticket, but perfectly happy to issue the fine. Judge went with "I KNOW you paid a fare, but technically the bylaw says..."
Proud to say i rode on the very first Metro from Regent Centre to Haymarket in 1980, aged 7. It was a 'special' run for local families, you had to be invited. And I used to get the Metro to school every day from Ilford Road... the lack of a footbridge really used to p**s me off when i was late for school!
I'm really surprised you didn't mention anything about Monument, it's easily one of the most interesting purpose built stations. My favourite fact is that the giant red circular structure in the ticket hall is actually the support for Grey's monument above, and not just decoration!
The "M" tiles on the platform floors in the city centre stations line up with the doors when the train stops - a handy little trick to always stand in the right place for the door.
As a child of the North East who came across Geoff's channel whilst preparing to move to London (watching the Secrets of the Underground series), I feel like I've come full circle.
Spent in Newcastle 6 months for my university exchange. The entire region is quite delightful. Seaside stations (e.g. Tynemouth) were among the most beautiful I have ever seen anywhere in the world
@@norbitonflyer5625 That's what I saw but I wasn't sure whether it was a driving cab or just a compartment for electrical equipment or whatever. On the DLR the driver's position is open with the controls locked behind a panel. There is a sign saying something like "You may be asked to move from this seat if the train needs to be driven manually".
I've lived in Newcastle all my life and I've had my fare share of complaints towards metro but I can honestly say with this documentary coming to life I have never been more proud thanks Geoff
Fun Fact: Newcastle's Yellow Line is one of three in the world with a pretzel-shaped design, in which a route crosses over itself and trains pass through the same station twice. The others are in Bulgaria (Sofia) and the Netherlands (Zoetermeer). Honorable mention to Vancouver's SkyTrain, which had a pretzel line until October 2016.
@fjellyo32 no, Hamburg doesn’t have that, as I think you mean the U3. But the U3 does actually not cross itself at Barmbek, because eastbound trains terminate there. It’s the same with the so-called Circle Line in London. They are not circle lines (anymore), but so-called spiral lines (or in German “Ring-Radial-Linie”). Pretzel lines on the other hand cross themselves without this interchange station being a terminus.
02:36 the straight line on the left leads to Manors station. This is used by drivers travelling to/from the depot to begin/end their journey at Manors (otherwise it would be a long trip around the coast). It is also the reason why the first train from Newcastle starts at Manors and not St James, and why the last train to Newcastle terminates at Manors.
I live in Newcastle and I wouldn’t count too much on using the metro to get where you want to go. The last 4 times I used it it only got me half way through my journey home then terminated and discontinued all trains. I used to get it almost every day when I commuted from Benton to Sunderland for study, but after 3 years of unreliability and then a further 1 year of unreliability getting me to work, I’ve come to realise the only decent from of public transport in Newcastle is the bus system.
I just added this to my list of places to visit so I can ride in the front and look out the window, and I live all the way in the States. But hey, the flights are gonna be cheap when they let us travel again
@@markmcadam1515 I go to NU and I can agree, the amount of times I've been late or just not turned up because of how bad the trains are with their punctuality is shocking
@@markmcadam1515 my family and i come up to newcastle and always get the metro from heyworth to monument or haymarket. its pretty nifty if you are travelling from outside the city and dont want to drive in it. as a public transport system, its perfectly adequate. i now live in london and it doesnt compare to that system but you cant expect that it will match that
What a video! - Metro was the first train system in the UK where the signs for train drivers measured in metric km/h not mph - There's also a modern metal sculpture at street level at Monument just that is actually a ventilation shaft for Monument station
Ref the monument fact. If you look up at the roofs of what is left of the old Eldon square, you can actually see one of the roofs is actually a ventilation shaft.
Watching this again, having grown up here, it just shows how you walk past this stuff every day and don't think twice but once you leave you realise how special it is
This takes me back. I studied at University of Sunderland 2002-2005 and used the Metro almost every day. Shame I haven't been back since. Will try to do some once things get back to normal. Thanks for triggering some 15+ year memories!
As someone who lived in Newcastle while at uni I actually found this video really interesting. No idea how it got in my recommended since I’m not a train enthusiast at all but well done to the youtube algorithm and thank you for putting this together. Miss living on tyneside.
It’s a lot better now than it was in the 1970s. I can vaguely remember travelling on the North Tyneside Loop on a third rail electric set, not long before they were scrapped in the ‘60s. Another slightly weird bit of personal history is that my parents got to know each other when stuck on board due to service failures on account of snow/ice loss of power in the late ‘40s. Typical commuting to/from work problems, but it was good for me in the longer term!
Hi Geoff, I live beside the next station from where you started at Bank Foot, when the metro opened up we had to go up to Bank Foot for a Metro into Newcastle. After a few years we managed to get our own station which is Kingston Park. Thank you for showing the country how lucky we are having this system. You even showed a lot of features that even I did not know about. When I was on the sick after having a heart attack a few years ago, I took it upon myself to go through every Metro station, yes all 60 of them. It was a very enjoyable experience.
Great video as always Geoff...and in this case very nostalgic as I spent many hours as a kid and teenager riding the Metro. On the point of Manors rail station being so small now...it once boasted 9 platforms and was actually two merged stations in a sort of triangular layout. Still remember it being demolished...sad times!!
this is my home! Tynemouth is the first place I took my wife on a date. Its now her most favourite place. Thank you for visiting, Rode the metro so many times, some things i did'nt know!
I loved riding this when I visited for a Sunderland-Newcastle game in 2011 - and, yes, I used St. Peter's rather than the Stadium of Light station on my way because it was closer. I'd love to go back and see those seaside stations!
I’m from Newcastle. Thanks for posting this extremely good ‘secrets’ for this. I’ve been a fan for a long time since I’m a train geek. Geoff, keep up the good work. Edit : “ My local station is Longbenton.”
I used to use the T&W Metro when I went to Sunderland University which was mainly to and from Sunderland Railway station which I must admit looking at this was a short journey but a great one at that. The info you have given is really something of interested to me. Well Done and Thank You.
Ilford Road has no bridge because it was designed to allow people to keep going in the same direction (north or south) but change between the lines. The platforms of Ilford Road also perfectly cross the 55th line of latitude.
@@jamesbrownization Yet they have an underpass at Howdon, even though you have to wait at most 30 seconds for the trains to pass at the level crossing.
Thanks for sharing and enjoying our beloved Metro here in Newcastle, another fact is before the destination boards changed to digital the blinds used to be of the colour of the lines also with an added Black line which is occasional when the train terminates at Regent Centre. Also another fact why Haymarket is so long is when is first opened and upto the early 90's they ran some 4 car trains whereas they only run 2 car now
The Metro is allowed to have open crossings because the trains aren't very heavy (they could stop quickly in an emergency & wouldn't do much damage). One of the problems with the old suburban rail network that the metro replaced at the end of the 1970s was the expense of maintenance, so to reduce maintenance costs they decided to buy new rolling stock that was really light. You can notice how light it is by the noise it makes when going over Sunderland bridge.
Just awakened a load of memories from when I was a kid and going to Newcastle as a kid with my Gran trying to get to the seat at front of the metro every time
Watched this several times, absolutely love it. Almost had a mini "nerd-gasm" watching this in a geography lesson today. Thanks a lot Geoff, for creating this word -- in the meantime, I'll try to think of a more family/school-friendly term...
I loved watching this, though I haven’t lived near there in years. I still find it annoying that Washington, Chester-Le-street and Durham aren’t linked up to the regions Metro. So many bad decisions made ripping out railways in the past that would be useful now.
I live in an old station house on the Sunderland section. A lot of features are still here. Also in the garden, there is a bunker with a secret entrance although blocked off. There are a few other railway features from Pre NER days.
Great video and so much information in a short duration. The little signal box at Felling is really the original Brandling Railway's Felling Station completed in 1843 and replaced by a larger island platform station in 1896, possibly when the line was quadrupled.
Another interesting episode Geoff; they've been shouting for this one for ages.👍 I was surprised you didn't include the Metro at Central station, being the biggest on the Metro network. Also worth a visit at Central, but *upstairs* in the main station, is the "Refreshment Room". It's certainly not 60p for tea but the ceiling alone is well worth the visit. I think the word would be "elegance". Cheers for now, Dougie.
Ah that was brilliant! Geoff, My love of underground trains brought me to your youtube channel and now its come full circle seeing you riding the system that got me interested in the London Underground and in my homeland, loved it! Your video’s inspired me to go home (i live in Yorkshire now) in February just before i turned 30 and ride the whole system, all 60 station, i had a great day!
As far as I know, this system is the only railway left in the UK electrified at 1500 VDC Overhead. There used to be many miles of this in the North East, North London, and the Trans Pennine route through Woodhead. The next highest DC voltage I knew of was the 1200 VDC side contact third rail system between Manchester Victoria and Bury, which survived right up to the 1990s until replaced by Metrolink.
There's a little museum near the tyne tunnel and the new metro depot called the Stephenson railway museum, it's built along the original metro test track and they still run steam locomotives along it!
Why was that so enjoyable - an overview of some random rail system on a different continent from me? I love the esthetics of this region, the modern & the rustic & the countryside, all together. Especially that old green Willington Dene viaduct - wow!
These trains are actually being replaced very shortly : Inside the brand new Tyne and Wear Metro trains hailed as 'future of North East transport' / ChronicleLive ua-cam.com/video/wW0oivclMgQ/v-deo.html
I still remember people coming in to School with safety videos about the Metro just before it was opened.The one thing that stuck in my mind was them showing a kid chucking a house brick straight through the side of one.....just added to possible fun activities to be had.........then a few years later as a teen I remember going to the shop at Howden,buying a Kit Kat and using the foil to wrap around a 10p piece then using it in the ticket machine to buy a child ticket,the machine would read it as a 50p and give change....used to do that a couple of times to get enough to buy a bottle of Old English Cider.......ahhhhh growing up in the 70's and early 80's, such fun we had.
A couple bonus facts: - Metrocar 4081 still features the old pre-refurb announcements - All trains are formed of 2 semi-permanently coupled metrocars. Metrocars can no longer run as single cars because the B cab was left unrefurbished (drivers dont like that) and the windscreen is made of glass instead of whatever they use now. - The Metro is entirely in metric, and I believe it was the first railway in the UK to be in metric. -Despite partly running on Network Rail track, Metrocars do not feature AWS.
When this is all over I will give this system another visit and this time stop off at the same stations to observe the fabulous architecture of the the North Tyneside loop, thank you.
Spent a lot of time on the Metro in 2015-16! Surprised you didn't mention the Byker viaduct over the Ouseburn or the plans to build a pub in Monument station (and IIRC, its one of the only Metros where a line loops over itself... Toronto might be another one, not sure). Nonetheless, still a great video, and glad you highlighted some of the network's best features!
Great to see you in my part of the world, Geoff. I always loved when I was a kid that Newcastle was the one of the few cities in Britain to have a 'London Underground'. Quick tip: If you want to say Wallsend as all the Geordies do, then you have to drop one of the L's. So it's W, al as in Al Jolson, and the rest is as it sounds.
I liked using this from the airport out to Tynemouth Abbey - spectacular! - and admiring the old Victorian architecture, and then to Wall's End where I was staying. It was nice and easy to use, just like the Glasgow Metro!
Never been to Tyne and Wear but still find this interesting! Have you ever thought of doing videos about foreign metro lines? Having lived there, I'd love to hear more about the eccentricities of the Paris and Madrid metros. I always found it amazing how high the ceilings are in some of the Madrid metro stations compared to London and Paris!
Aw, you missed out Gateshead! Used to use it and the interchange everyday for work, and the platform there is awesome. Not sure if it’s still there but when leaving Gateshead towards Newcastle the inside of the tunnel has an art piece called ‘Space Travel’ that’s supposed to simulate a short film before you exit out over the Tyne
I always wondered where the football ground was when passing through stadium of light station! A good tip if you’re in the wider region is to buy an Explorer ticket, valid on buses throughout the north east and the Tyne and Wear metro. Come down from Berwick or up from Scarborough on the bus and have a ride round the metro, all for the price of one ticket 👍
Fantastic Geoff. That was a real kick-back in time for me! I was in Newcastle for 3 years as a student from the Autumn of 1983 to summer of '86 and lived in Jesmond for two of the years. I used to go to the Carriage pub for drinks - and it is still there! I must have an old photo from those times. I will have to go back and ride the old trains once again before they swap them to the new ones. Thank you for your video. Cheers, WB
Secrets of the Nottingham Express Transit trams: It started in 2004 with 2 routes originally both starting at Station Street which was built above Nottingham Station and was named after a road that run parallel to the platforms and tracks. One finished at Hucknall and the other at Phoenix Park and Ride After the Phase 2 extension which also bring a bunch of new Bombardier trams extended both routes,the Hucknall one ending at Toton Lane which has a massive car park,possibly the largest on the network,and the Phoenix Park and Ride goes to Clifton south(they arent the route names as they dont really have names) With this extension brought a new station for Nottingham train station which the tram stop was called Nottingham Station,which in turn made Station Street the only abandoned station on the network and also still has it's original southbound access point and both its platforms Forest Green would have the most platforms at 3 as 1 is used for southbound services,1 for northbound and the middle platform 2 is used as a terminating platform for either north or south bound services if there is any disruption anywhere on the network The most platforms is Highbury Vale Every other station has 2 platforms except for 1 which is Cinderhill which only has 1 but isnt much of a deal as it's close to the end of its branch at Phoenix On the Totan Lane branch you cant actually see where the track goes on Google Maps for whatever reason Omnibusses used to go around on parts of the network around Old Markt Square and Royal Centre but this was completely dug up and can be seen as a normal paved road with no tracks until the NET was done Lenton Road is the only stop in the city where there are island platforms on a road as the other stations with this are on none embedded rails that run alongside the trains heading northbound Beeston Interchange is literally a tram and bus interchange After Bulwell it becomes 1 track and then back into 2 when arriving at the station and every station after that creating the following stations up to Hucknall,island platform stops:Bulwell,Bulwell Forest,Moor Bridge and Butlers Hill,Hucknall wouldnt ge included in that as it has 2 separate platforms one of which is joint up with the train station which only has 1 platform Highbury Vale is the 9nly stop where it serves both libes separately as in the tracks are separated and go and use the satellite view in Google Maps to see In the Parliament Street depot of the Nottingham City Transport bus operator there are clear tram tracks that are in the depot area The highest tram stop is Queens Medical Centre which for the southbound platform you have to go to the other side of the A52 walk up the stairs or use the lift and walk over the bridge which looks spectacular at night Also there is actually another abandoned station you go to the bridge at Western Boulevard and look south as there are 2 platforms that still exist from a station that possibly didnt even open as on a map of the original 2 routes from Station Street and the 2 branches to Hucknall and Phoenix in 2008,if you look on the map between Basford and Wilkinson Street,there is a larger gap between the two stops than the gap between the stops around them
My family & I took a trip on the T&W Metro one August bank holiday weekend many years ago, after sailing to Newcastle overnight from Stavanger in Norway. Our train managed to bring down some of the overhead wires & we had to wait for a "rescue train" to be sent out on the other line, then transferred across via planks between the 2 trains & assisted by train staff. Talk about a memorable day out !!
Fun Fact:The manufacturer for Tyne and Wear’s current rolling stock,Metro Cammell,almost won the contract to build our first MRT train but unfortunately lost it to Kawasaki.
Those 60p teas are what kept me going through school every day- Dave is a great metro shop man
dave was my source of local gossip when i lived a stone's throw from jesmond station
Dave and his tea is the only reason I’m still alive and was willing to get off the train to walk over to school
Dave is the man !
Omg! Dave is amazing!!!!! He is like the vest shop owner ever! Every time I walk into the shop he always goes into the back and makes my tea coz I always get tea when I go!
I love how everyone just knows this one guy from that one shop. You rarely see this happening elsewhere.
Fun Fact (well maybe for Geoff). Sometime in the late 80's early 90's when I was early teens I got appendicitis. in the bed next to me was a kid with a horribly broken arm and an utterly knackered hip. He had tried to jump the barrier and slipped. His ticket wasn't working and he wanted to exit the platform and go home. Back then a ticket was 5p for under sixteens - or it may have been during the '5 rider' era after they put tickets up to 25p, but for a £1 you could buy five, though I digress. This was the kid that got all the barriers removed. Basically the courts ruled that if you didn't have a manned barrier you couldn't dis-allow exit from the system. As manning the majority of the none central stations was just not a viable option, they removed all the barriers.
Good to hear the right decision was made, at least it must have been some recompense to him that it couldn't happen to anyone again.
I thought this story was going to end with “ that kid in the bed next to me, was geoff “
I remember the 5p tickets :)
This is the most interesting fact of the video ! Many thanks !
@@samon53 Sensible country. In Canada some bastard judge upheld fining someone for "fare evasion" after they jumped a barrier in possession of a malfunctioning ticket. Fare inspector had been standing nearby, openly declaring it "not his job" to deal with the deffective ticket, but perfectly happy to issue the fine. Judge went with "I KNOW you paid a fare, but technically the bylaw says..."
Geoff is the kinda person not to be afraid to put his hands all over the rim of a public recycling and refuse bin
yuk
Well he seems pretty healthy so... I don't know, maybe give it a try.
As a Geordie im dead confused as to why I'm watching this. But cheers for bringing all the Geordies together
You're seeing the secret of the Metro working
Me too I’m literally on it most days but was like oooh secrets 🤣
Yep good to be all on here. Hebburn lad here.
An Indian who lived in England's watching it
Its the way tynemouth was pronounced got me
Proud to say i rode on the very first Metro from Regent Centre to Haymarket in 1980, aged 7. It was a 'special' run for local families, you had to be invited. And I used to get the Metro to school every day from Ilford Road... the lack of a footbridge really used to p**s me off when i was late for school!
8:03 Geoff is getting a little too friendly with those bins!
Bin fetish
I cringed when he put his hands on/in the bins!
Init
I thought he was going to climb in one.
Yeah what a mad man lol Cringe
I'm really surprised you didn't mention anything about Monument, it's easily one of the most interesting purpose built stations.
My favourite fact is that the giant red circular structure in the ticket hall is actually the support for Grey's monument above, and not just decoration!
The "M" tiles on the platform floors in the city centre stations line up with the doors when the train stops - a handy little trick to always stand in the right place for the door.
tvlicensingblog never knew that!
They use the lift logo these days
The lift logo lines up perfectly with the doors where applicable as it is designed for a fast exit from the system.
At Heworth, where it says Mind the Gap on the platform, thats where the doors stop
Very observant I'd say 👌
As a child of the North East who came across Geoff's channel whilst preparing to move to London (watching the Secrets of the Underground series), I feel like I've come full circle.
Spent in Newcastle 6 months for my university exchange. The entire region is quite delightful. Seaside stations (e.g. Tynemouth) were among the most beautiful I have ever seen anywhere in the world
Fascinating collection of architectural and engineering styles across the ages. Looks like the trains have an enclosed half-cab at the ends.
They do - see at 10:16
@@norbitonflyer5625 That's what I saw but I wasn't sure whether it was a driving cab or just a compartment for electrical equipment or whatever.
On the DLR the driver's position is open with the controls locked behind a panel. There is a sign saying something like "You may be asked to move from this seat if the train needs to be driven manually".
I've lived in Newcastle all my life and I've had my fare share of complaints towards metro but I can honestly say with this documentary coming to life I have never been more proud thanks Geoff
Biggest secret is how they manage to keep running while on fire, but breaks down as soon as you look at it too hard
Or gets a leaf on the line
@@charlottecoupland1944 Or the wrong kind of snow.
Fun Fact: Newcastle's Yellow Line is one of three in the world with a pretzel-shaped design, in which a route crosses over itself and trains pass through the same station twice. The others are in Bulgaria (Sofia) and the Netherlands (Zoetermeer). Honorable mention to Vancouver's SkyTrain, which had a pretzel line until October 2016.
The Naples Metro in Italy also has one.
So that's why I always feel like eating pretzels when I look at the metro map?
In Hamburg one U Bahn Line has it too.
@anonymous one Most systems in the US don't have shops inside the actual station.
@fjellyo32 no, Hamburg doesn’t have that, as I think you mean the U3. But the U3 does actually not cross itself at Barmbek, because eastbound trains terminate there. It’s the same with the so-called Circle Line in London. They are not circle lines (anymore), but so-called spiral lines (or in German “Ring-Radial-Linie”). Pretzel lines on the other hand cross themselves without this interchange station being a terminus.
02:36 the straight line on the left leads to Manors station. This is used by drivers travelling to/from the depot to begin/end their journey at Manors (otherwise it would be a long trip around the coast). It is also the reason why the first train from Newcastle starts at Manors and not St James, and why the last train to Newcastle terminates at Manors.
SO many places to go to once we are all allowed out.
My thoughts exactly!
I live in Newcastle and I wouldn’t count too much on using the metro to get where you want to go. The last 4 times I used it it only got me half way through my journey home then terminated and discontinued all trains. I used to get it almost every day when I commuted from Benton to Sunderland for study, but after 3 years of unreliability and then a further 1 year of unreliability getting me to work, I’ve come to realise the only decent from of public transport in Newcastle is the bus system.
I just added this to my list of places to visit so I can ride in the front and look out the window, and I live all the way in the States.
But hey, the flights are gonna be cheap when they let us travel again
@@markmcadam1515 I go to NU and I can agree, the amount of times I've been late or just not turned up because of how bad the trains are with their punctuality is shocking
@@markmcadam1515 my family and i come up to newcastle and always get the metro from heyworth to monument or haymarket. its pretty nifty if you are travelling from outside the city and dont want to drive in it. as a public transport system, its perfectly adequate. i now live in london and it doesnt compare to that system but you cant expect that it will match that
What a video!
- Metro was the first train system in the UK where the signs for train drivers measured in metric km/h not mph
- There's also a modern metal sculpture at street level at Monument just that is actually a ventilation shaft for Monument station
Jacob Kilby I’m from Ncl
Ref the monument fact. If you look up at the roofs of what is left of the old Eldon square, you can actually see one of the roofs is actually a ventilation shaft.
Whereabouts is the metal sculpture? Never noticed it and I'm around there daily haha
@@joshwhite5859 Walk towards Eldon Square with Waterstones on your right, you'll see a brown shape about as tall as a person
@@jacobkilby Just had a look on Google and I have noticed that!! Interesting - assume that'll be towards the very end of the platform?
6:05 A 15 STOREY BUILDING GEOFF?
You made it to North Shields and lived to tell the tale.
Bet he never stopped at Shiremoor
You clearly don't get out much if you think North Shields is rough.
Felling *
Watching this again, having grown up here, it just shows how you walk past this stuff every day and don't think twice but once you leave you realise how special it is
When you spell the captions out you get M-E-T-R-O. Well done Geoff
What time stamp?
@@Claire-ue2oe 01:56, 02:35, 04:47, 09:02, 09:58
This takes me back. I studied at University of Sunderland 2002-2005 and used the Metro almost every day. Shame I haven't been back since. Will try to do some once things get back to normal. Thanks for triggering some 15+ year memories!
Thanks @Geoff. Love it. Shout out to Newcastle
As someone who lived in Newcastle while at uni I actually found this video really interesting. No idea how it got in my recommended since I’m not a train enthusiast at all but well done to the youtube algorithm and thank you for putting this together. Miss living on tyneside.
It’s a lot better now than it was in the 1970s. I can vaguely remember travelling on the North Tyneside Loop on a third rail electric set, not long before they were scrapped in the ‘60s.
Another slightly weird bit of personal history is that my parents got to know each other when stuck on board due to service failures on account of snow/ice loss of power in the late ‘40s. Typical commuting to/from work problems, but it was good for me in the longer term!
Hi Geoff, I live beside the next station from where you started at Bank Foot, when the metro opened up we had to go up to Bank Foot for a Metro into Newcastle. After a few years we managed to get our own station which is Kingston Park. Thank you for showing the country how lucky we are having this system. You even showed a lot of features that even I did not know about. When I was on the sick after having a heart attack a few years ago, I took it upon myself to go through every Metro station, yes all 60 of them. It was a very enjoyable experience.
I know a lot of people were waiting for this, the wait was definitely worth it. Very interesting info. Love this Secrets series
Great video as always Geoff...and in this case very nostalgic as I spent many hours as a kid and teenager riding the Metro. On the point of Manors rail station being so small now...it once boasted 9 platforms and was actually two merged stations in a sort of triangular layout. Still remember it being demolished...sad times!!
I used to be taken on day trips with my childminder where all we did was ride the metro and the ferry. Exciting times!
this is my home! Tynemouth is the first place I took my wife on a date. Its now her most favourite place. Thank you for visiting, Rode the metro so many times, some things i did'nt know!
4:54 "that prime seat took us to north shields" *loud seagull noises*
yup that's about right
I loved riding this when I visited for a Sunderland-Newcastle game in 2011 - and, yes, I used St. Peter's rather than the Stadium of Light station on my way because it was closer. I'd love to go back and see those seaside stations!
That was an excellent trip around the Metro. You did the system justice in just a few minutes.
I’m from Newcastle. Thanks for posting this extremely good ‘secrets’ for this. I’ve been a fan for a long time since I’m a train geek. Geoff, keep up the good work. Edit : “ My local station is Longbenton.”
Shari Asif mine is Monkseaton- I love the building!
Always love a nice view at Chilli Road to see the depot and LOTS of pacers
HOWAY MAN
@@francescascanlan4549 I remember the old Monkseaton station .. there was always an open fire in the waiting room.
Tynemouth has one of the very few original NER tile maps still in situ. A beautiful station.
I used to use the T&W Metro when I went to Sunderland University which was mainly to and from Sunderland Railway station which I must admit looking at this was a short journey but a great one at that. The info you have given is really something of interested to me. Well Done and Thank You.
Missed a perfect opportunity to call it metty mysteries
Thanks!
Ilford Road has no bridge because it was designed to allow people to keep going in the same direction (north or south) but change between the lines. The platforms of Ilford Road also perfectly cross the 55th line of latitude.
Also, the residents living next to the station didn’t want a footbridge as it would mean people can look into their properties
@@jamesbrownization well,why they didn't build a underpass
@@gabri_maybe Not sure why. I guess walking 50m up the road is cheaper than building a tunnel.
@@jamesbrownization I guess so
@@jamesbrownization Yet they have an underpass at Howdon, even though you have to wait at most 30 seconds for the trains to pass at the level crossing.
Thanks for sharing and enjoying our beloved Metro here in Newcastle, another fact is before the destination boards changed to digital the blinds used to be of the colour of the lines also with an added Black line which is occasional when the train terminates at Regent Centre. Also another fact why Haymarket is so long is when is first opened and upto the early 90's they ran some 4 car trains whereas they only run 2 car now
Thank you Geoff. I love it when you come up north and cover our railways.
I was unreasonably happy to see this pop up in my recommendeds. Time to watch it!
The Metro is allowed to have open crossings because the trains aren't very heavy (they could stop quickly in an emergency & wouldn't do much damage). One of the problems with the old suburban rail network that the metro replaced at the end of the 1970s was the expense of maintenance, so to reduce maintenance costs they decided to buy new rolling stock that was really light. You can notice how light it is by the noise it makes when going over Sunderland bridge.
Just awakened a load of memories from when I was a kid and going to Newcastle as a kid with my Gran trying to get to the seat at front of the metro every time
Ah! The memories! I always used to try and get the seat right at the front. Especially cool if you’re underground.
It is the best seat in the tunnels, it feels like being on the old Metroland rollercoaster before it came out of the tunnel
Watched this several times, absolutely love it. Almost had a mini "nerd-gasm" watching this in a geography lesson today. Thanks a lot Geoff, for creating this word -- in the meantime, I'll try to think of a more family/school-friendly term...
I loved watching this, though I haven’t lived near there in years. I still find it annoying that Washington, Chester-Le-street and Durham aren’t linked up to the regions Metro. So many bad decisions made ripping out railways in the past that would be useful now.
My dad is delighting himself with this video, he remembers most of these places from his university days!
@Geoff Marshall , there is also old, unused ticket barriers at Four lane ends metro station
I live in an old station house on the Sunderland section. A lot of features are still here. Also in the garden, there is a bunker with a secret entrance although blocked off. There are a few other railway features from Pre NER days.
Great video and so much information in a short duration. The little signal box at Felling is really the original Brandling Railway's Felling Station completed in 1843 and replaced by a larger island platform station in 1896, possibly when the line was quadrupled.
I really enjoyed this video. I have seen several of your videos and will say this is my favorite for now. Thanks!
Another interesting episode Geoff; they've been shouting for this one for ages.👍 I was surprised you didn't include the Metro at Central station, being the biggest on the Metro network. Also worth a visit at Central, but *upstairs* in the main station, is the "Refreshment Room". It's certainly not 60p for tea but the ceiling alone is well worth the visit. I think the word would be "elegance".
Cheers for now,
Dougie.
Beautiful video!!!
Everyone loves this Metro....
Ah that was brilliant! Geoff, My love of underground trains brought me to your youtube channel and now its come full circle seeing you riding the system that got me interested in the London Underground and in my homeland, loved it!
Your video’s inspired me to go home (i live in Yorkshire now) in February just before i turned 30 and ride the whole system, all 60 station, i had a great day!
Great to see a review of my local railway that I use so often. The largest light railway in the UK outside of the London I believe.
Correct 48 miles in Length
As far as I know, this system is the only railway left in the UK electrified at 1500 VDC Overhead. There used to be many miles of this in the North East, North London, and the Trans Pennine route through Woodhead. The next highest DC voltage I knew of was the 1200 VDC side contact third rail system between Manchester Victoria and Bury, which survived right up to the 1990s until replaced by Metrolink.
This keeps me going during lock down Geoff. Can't travel abroad to see beautiful systems like this but this is the next best thing. Great video 👍
Honestly being stuck inside right now I’ve actually missed getting on the metro so it’s lovely to see it and my local station wallsend :)
As soon as we can travel.ill be on this metro. And I live in Sutton!!!
There's a little museum near the tyne tunnel and the new metro depot called the Stephenson railway museum, it's built along the original metro test track and they still run steam locomotives along it!
Open from 2 April (weekend only I think)
Geoff, I love your narrated history videos!!! Please keep the awesome videos coming!!!
Why was that so enjoyable - an overview of some random rail system on a different continent from me? I love the esthetics of this region, the modern & the rustic & the countryside, all together. Especially that old green Willington Dene viaduct - wow!
Love this!
Metro apologises
Any chance of allowing Geoff to do a video about the new trains by going to the depot just asking???
O.O He just exposed your secrets
@@zeedevil1915 🤣
Helsinki metro
Comme toujours, une vidéo passionnante, concrète et avec des stats !. J'irai un jour visiter ce réseau métropolitain à Newcastle
Great stuff, Geoff. Two cities divide by football but joined by a train line. Enjoyed the history of the line.
yes! I use the metro every day (not now obviously) so I'm really excited for this video
Foxtrot707 my local station’s longbenton
what a lovely colour scheme and great looking trains. I wish we had a neat metro system like that in my town!
These trains are actually being replaced very shortly :
Inside the brand new Tyne and Wear Metro trains hailed as 'future of North East transport' / ChronicleLive
ua-cam.com/video/wW0oivclMgQ/v-deo.html
I still remember people coming in to School with safety videos about the Metro just before it was opened.The one thing that stuck in my mind was them showing a kid chucking a house brick straight through the side of one.....just added to possible fun activities to be had.........then a few years later as a teen I remember going to the shop at Howden,buying a Kit Kat and using the foil to wrap around a 10p piece then using it in the ticket machine to buy a child ticket,the machine would read it as a 50p and give change....used to do that a couple of times to get enough to buy a bottle of Old English Cider.......ahhhhh growing up in the 70's and early 80's, such fun we had.
I didn't even know this metro existed! Everyday you learn something new :p
Thank you for showing this. It brings back good memories when I lived in the Sunderland and Newcastle area between 1981-1989.
If you sit in the lower ground floor cafe at Fenwicks store you can hear the Metro trains underneath you at Monument station
@Dylan Welsh yes
Going to be so useful when my wife and I visit in June. Thanks!!
44 steps at Wallsend station. Isn’t that the equivalent of 15 stories?
Exactly!
This has made my day. Pure nostalgia for my childhood with summer trips to Whitley bay 😍
A couple bonus facts:
- Metrocar 4081 still features the old pre-refurb announcements
- All trains are formed of 2 semi-permanently coupled metrocars. Metrocars can no longer run as single cars because the B cab was left unrefurbished (drivers dont like that) and the windscreen is made of glass instead of whatever they use now.
- The Metro is entirely in metric, and I believe it was the first railway in the UK to be in metric.
-Despite partly running on Network Rail track, Metrocars do not feature AWS.
When this is all over I will give this system another visit and this time stop off at the same stations to observe the fabulous architecture of the the North Tyneside loop, thank you.
Spent a lot of time on the Metro in 2015-16! Surprised you didn't mention the Byker viaduct over the Ouseburn or the plans to build a pub in Monument station (and IIRC, its one of the only Metros where a line loops over itself... Toronto might be another one, not sure). Nonetheless, still a great video, and glad you highlighted some of the network's best features!
Geoff I’m glad you’ve visited the Metro because it’s my local train transport!!
It takes less then 1min to get from felling to gateshead stadium
Great to see you in my part of the world, Geoff. I always loved when I was a kid that Newcastle was the one of the few cities in Britain to have a 'London Underground'.
Quick tip: If you want to say Wallsend as all the Geordies do, then you have to drop one of the L's. So it's W, al as in Al Jolson, and the rest is as it sounds.
When you can go outside, please do the Sheffield tram network!
I liked using this from the airport out to Tynemouth Abbey - spectacular! - and admiring the old Victorian architecture, and then to Wall's End where I was staying. It was nice and easy to use, just like the Glasgow Metro!
I’ve ridden on the metro tones of times my nearest metro station was a rail station but converted and you passed my hometown en route to South Shields
I'm from the north east and have used the metro system extensively, thank you for making this video
Never been to Tyne and Wear but still find this interesting! Have you ever thought of doing videos about foreign metro lines? Having lived there, I'd love to hear more about the eccentricities of the Paris and Madrid metros. I always found it amazing how high the ceilings are in some of the Madrid metro stations compared to London and Paris!
Another superb film. Well done. Great cultural history. Thanks.
Aw, you missed out Gateshead! Used to use it and the interchange everyday for work, and the platform there is awesome.
Not sure if it’s still there but when leaving Gateshead towards Newcastle the inside of the tunnel has an art piece called ‘Space Travel’ that’s supposed to simulate a short film before you exit out over the Tyne
Part 2 would be great!
I'm a New York City Subway guy and I so love these videos.
I always wondered where the football ground was when passing through stadium of light station! A good tip if you’re in the wider region is to buy an Explorer ticket, valid on buses throughout the north east and the Tyne and Wear metro. Come down from Berwick or up from Scarborough on the bus and have a ride round the metro, all for the price of one ticket 👍
At 7:35 - that signalbox! Brilliant videography and editing. And some gorgeous old station features.
I drove one of the trains on the test track many years ago before the service started!
If the passengers can sit at the front and rear, where is the driver?
Thanks, that was helpful for someone visiting. Gives a good feel for the metro and area.
Bonus fact - Ilford Road station is built exactly on the 55°N line of latitude.
There was a TV police series called 55 Degrees North.
Fantastic Geoff. That was a real kick-back in time for me! I was in Newcastle for 3 years as a student from the Autumn of 1983 to summer of '86 and lived in Jesmond for two of the years. I used to go to the Carriage pub for drinks - and it is still there! I must have an old photo from those times. I will have to go back and ride the old trains once again before they swap them to the new ones. Thank you for your video. Cheers, WB
Secrets of the Nottingham Express Transit trams:
It started in 2004 with 2 routes originally both starting at Station Street which was built above Nottingham Station and was named after a road that run parallel to the platforms and tracks. One finished at Hucknall and the other at Phoenix Park and Ride
After the Phase 2 extension which also bring a bunch of new Bombardier trams extended both routes,the Hucknall one ending at Toton Lane which has a massive car park,possibly the largest on the network,and the Phoenix Park and Ride goes to Clifton south(they arent the route names as they dont really have names)
With this extension brought a new station for Nottingham train station which the tram stop was called Nottingham Station,which in turn made Station Street the only abandoned station on the network and also still has it's original southbound access point and both its platforms
Forest Green would have the most platforms at 3 as 1 is used for southbound services,1 for northbound and the middle platform 2 is used as a terminating platform for either north or south bound services if there is any disruption anywhere on the network
The most platforms is Highbury Vale
Every other station has 2 platforms except for 1 which is Cinderhill which only has 1 but isnt much of a deal as it's close to the end of its branch at Phoenix
On the Totan Lane branch you cant actually see where the track goes on Google Maps for whatever reason
Omnibusses used to go around on parts of the network around Old Markt Square and Royal Centre but this was completely dug up and can be seen as a normal paved road with no tracks until the NET was done
Lenton Road is the only stop in the city where there are island platforms on a road as the other stations with this are on none embedded rails that run alongside the trains heading northbound
Beeston Interchange is literally a tram and bus interchange
After Bulwell it becomes 1 track and then back into 2 when arriving at the station and every station after that creating the following stations up to Hucknall,island platform stops:Bulwell,Bulwell Forest,Moor Bridge and Butlers Hill,Hucknall wouldnt ge included in that as it has 2 separate platforms one of which is joint up with the train station which only has 1 platform
Highbury Vale is the 9nly stop where it serves both libes separately as in the tracks are separated and go and use the satellite view in Google Maps to see
In the Parliament Street depot of the Nottingham City Transport bus operator there are clear tram tracks that are in the depot area
The highest tram stop is Queens Medical Centre which for the southbound platform you have to go to the other side of the A52 walk up the stairs or use the lift and walk over the bridge which looks spectacular at night
Also there is actually another abandoned station you go to the bridge at Western Boulevard and look south as there are 2 platforms that still exist from a station that possibly didnt even open as on a map of the original 2 routes from Station Street and the 2 branches to Hucknall and Phoenix in 2008,if you look on the map between Basford and Wilkinson Street,there is a larger gap between the two stops than the gap between the stops around them
@@Banshmansh in case he does that for a video
Terrific. It's great to cover different parts of the country.
Fun Fact: You can also see the old barriers at Four Lane Ends Station!
There's also a loo there, but it's not free.
Thanks for the gen matey pal pal pal pal pal
I knew there was another Station with the barriers but couldn't remember where which is a bit grim considering i use(d) it every day.
@@salsylexhagen7423 South Shields?
Yeah I was looking for this comment
My family & I took a trip on the T&W Metro one August bank holiday weekend many years ago, after sailing to Newcastle overnight from Stavanger in Norway. Our train managed to bring down some of the overhead wires & we had to wait for a "rescue train" to be sent out on the other line, then transferred across via planks between the 2 trains & assisted by train staff. Talk about a memorable day out !!
1:50 The canopy kinda reminds me of the Jurong East MRT Station roof in Singapore
As a Sunderland guy living in Singapore this is a strange crossover post for me! :D
It really does, we need to get geoff on the mrt.
@@crazymotionride not enough secrets here in singapore i say...
Fun Fact:The manufacturer for Tyne and Wear’s current rolling stock,Metro Cammell,almost won the contract to build our first MRT train but unfortunately lost it to Kawasaki.
AsHalt Yeah,our MRT network is generally quite new. Slightly younger than Tyne and Wear’s metro system.
This was a great production, well done !.