Abandoned stations: Watford west

[@tango6nf477]

Before writing a critical feedback comment please read the others first so as to see if the matter has already been raised, if it has why do it again?

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

Beat me to it! Cheers

[@tango6nf477]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore You are welcome

[@edwardwest5035]

In the late sixties I did a Saturday turn in the booking office there as a favour for Barry Holbrook the Station Master for Watford High Street and Watford West. The telephone rang in the booking office and there was no external phone in there, you had to go outside and answer it in the public phone box, it was a train enquiry and I had to go back into the office to fetch the relevant timetable. There was a completed jigsaw framed on the wall and an armchair. The was no tea making stuff so I phoned Croxley Green to ask about tea making and was told to meet the next Watford train where upon the guard handed me a bone china cup and saucer of tea made at Croxley Green and sent up. I took less than £2.00 all day and over thirty bob of that was for a weekly season. Happy days gone for ever. Edward

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

Interesting story

[@borderlands6606]

I like the idea of Watford West being the gateway to the continent on the booking office advert.

[@EM-yk1dw]

I know the area well, hospital, Watford FC and the town centre, all would benefit from the Met line being diverted into Watford Junction.

[@davidpanton3192]

In the mid-1980s, during a rare visit to London, I made my way out here just to take a picture of the by-then rare maroon enamel sign. It felt doomed even then and the guard seemed surprised that anyone would want to get on his train to Croxley Green!

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

This station is still here but it’s completely overgrown and the track and iron and sleepers are all still there

[@SpongeDan]

The platforms are also there too

[@richardstone5813]

I used this station twice a day to get to Victoria school between 63/69. On the way back to Watford High St. in the afternoon the Ticket officer would often leave the wooden parcel/sacks slide in place down the stairs. We would slide down the wooden planks which over years of use were mirror smooth. Some of the girls would have a go clutching their skirts…. Happy days!

[@johnjephcote7636]

Between 1959 and 1967 I passed that station twice a day on my RT London Transport green 'bus. There was a large black square painted on the high 'cliff' wall as the station was on an embankement. It stated that at this LMS station one could get to London. Beyond was a scrap yard with a small LMS sign board. Occasionally a Cl 4 Stanier tank would come with a few wagons. I never had occasion to use the line though I once had a special train (LMS 2P) to Rickmansworth Church Street which branched off from High Street.

[@cannyexplorer5357]

I lived near Watford some 20 yrs ago and the talk then was the reopening of this line. With all the new house building it would have been a blessing. The authorities would have a going concern now just like the line from Okehampton to Exeter who’s in profit.

[@JanoJ]

Whilst I applaud you for making this video, I find this hard to watch as you don't leave the captions on long enough for people to read. I had to hit rewind and pause a lot (especially watching on TV) and that makes it not very friendly.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

If you watch previous abandoned stations videos, people have complained about the captions being hard to read before. I thought I had fixed the problem but thanks for letting me know anyways.

[@ncs8730]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore You could have checked how many seconds a shot should be hold in order to read a short or long caption, while editing the video. Please keep in mind that KZbin is used as well by people who may have difficulties reading captions in English.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@ncs8730 I made the clips with longer captions between 13 and 15 seconds long, and I made the text last between 10 and 12 seconds. I have made an effort to enable slower readers to enjoy my videos without making the video too long and tedious. How many seconds would you personally recommend me to make the clips? Also, the majority of my viewers do not use captions in their videos

[@ncs8730]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore Oh, my only recommendation is for you to ask somebody to watch your video, before uploading it here, and judge if the captions are held long enough for him/her to read them. As to me, I'm not an English-speaking person; to tell the truth, I couldn't read the captions, just grasping some words, without pausing - and I didn't do this because I've been having problems watching on youtube lately.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@ncs8730 Thanks for the feedback. I apologise for being unable to cater for non English speakers. I have to rely on yt subtitles im afraid and they are always translated terribly

[@smhorse]

Acquaintance of mjne runs a car repair business next door to the station site. Incidentally, the bridge that was removed for the road widening was supposed to have been reinstated on completion of the road improvements, but this was not enforced!

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

Yeah I forgot to put that in the video. Great shame but no use, noo patronage, that's what happens!

[@DavidShepheard]

The big problem with the move of the Met Line from Watford to Watford Junction was that the plan was made and then people in central government claimed it was "too expensive". You can't really get the Mayor of London to use tax from Londoners to fund something outside Greater London, so we got into a silly situation where the people of Watford want something and Londoners would also benefit, but nobody is willing to pay for it. We are not going to get anything done with that sort of attitude. But, now we have a new government, maybe they will actually fund some useful stuff...especially stuff that has benefits across local political borders. I think the key thing of the rail plan is that it would put Watford Hospital onto a working railway. I like the tweaked plan that would see National Rail trains from North of Watford go to Watford Junction too. I would even like them to tunnel below the lines into Watford Junction and bolt onto the line to St Albans Abbey. It is a shame they are not planning to bring Watford West back into service, as it seems like it was built in a sensible place and would just need to have a second platform added.

[@groovydonkey]

Fascinating

[@TheosTrainsWalesOfficial]

A better idea would be to re-open it for tram use.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

Perhaps? Does the tram network run nearby?

[@TheosTrainsWalesOfficial]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore No idea, but I think it would be nice if they extended the London tram network to here.

[@EM-yk1dw]

Such a waste. The Croxley link should have been up and running now.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

I agree

[@Mishima505]

What pisses me off is that the Mayor of London has the power to decide what happens to transport outside of London.

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@Mishima505 Indeed it’s disgraceful

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@@Mishima505 that's annoying. London is screwed since they have sadiq Khan I feel bad for londoners

[@EM-yk1dw]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore Yes if I recall Boris was all for the link to be built.

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

If the Croxley met extension go ahead they would’ve added another bridge over the road and would use the old Croxley green line and call at Watford high street and Watford junction But there’s a problem Watford tube station on the metropolitan line would’ve been closed and no longer serves And now it’s not happening and that ends that

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 correct mate

[@DavidShepheard]

We have a new central government that isn't anti-rail investment. Maybe they will stop saying everything is "too expensive" and do some stuff.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@@DavidShepheard Time will tell, whether their promises will be fulfilled (probably not, as pretty much every government hasn't)

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmoreyeah

[@johnUB4478]

Shame the old route couldn't be used as a cycle route.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

I suppose it might have been useful

[@melvynwoodman5787]

Symbolic of our declining society slowly falling into disrepair and chaotic scruffiness.

[@roadgent7921]

2:12 Has some graffiti vandal been transported in time from 1968? 😅

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

probably

[@johnlunnun9769]

Are we supposed to be able to read the captions, and look at the video!? You must be joking!

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

I don't even know how to respond to this comment. Look, stop mindlessly putting comments about the captions. This has been reported to me I don't know how many times now. I *WILL* fix the issue with thew captions using feedback that people have given me.

[@johnlunnun9769]

@@trainman86trainstramsandmore I can assure you, there is nothing mindless about my comments! Another good and entertaining video is spoilt by trying to read the captions and study the video! If I’m not the first to complain, then it’s high time you got it sorted out, it can’t be rocket science!

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

@@johnlunnun9769 If you read the other comment on this video, you will figure that I thought I had fixed the issue as I made changes to the captions for more recent videos but people have brought the problem to my attention once again. In future videos, I will try and make captions better

[@prof.hectorholbrook4692]

Music needs improving.

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

It's all I really have for now. If I find something better I'll try use it. A lot of people gave good feedback about the music but I understand its not to everyone's tastes

[@chrismccartney8668]

Comments too small to read @!

[@trainman86trainstramsandmore]

Chris, you have complained before. I understand as I have had a truck load of feedback about captions from other viewers. People said 3 lines maximum and I am pretty sure I kept to that. I'm not sure exactly what you want as I have to keep all relevant information on the same clip and I have tried to condense it