BBC How They Dug the Victoria Line

[@Jwnorton]

You'd think with the library the Beeb has, they'd start a BBC History channel, and show some of these gems. I bet their cataloge has more than enough content for several channels.

[@barrybritcher]

That can't even do a plus one channel

[@alanjeff505]

Content creators at BBC are simply lazy, they haven't the foggiest clue on the rich historical content that they are sitting on . We are literally forced to trawl on You Tube searching for historical documentaries, which they would have otherwise aired.

[@segamegadrive3903]

Naaaa not enough diversity in the old programs, too many white people, not progressive enough 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@welshwizard822]

They destroyed so much, they dont want people to know real history only what they feed us

[@jesusislukeskywalker4294]

they lost the telemetry tapes 😂 #transvestigate

[@leonarddobbin2077]

Shirtless, covered in dirt, lifting heavy bits of concrete and drinking water from a bucket. These guys are 10x more manly than i'll ever be

[@notgadot]

Top comment

[@TheMusicalElitist]

And just as unhealthy too.

[@acceleratedsloth]

No, they are irresponsible burden of the society.

[@k.r.baylor8825]

The mid-60s BBC prose spoken throughout the film is classic. Such confidence exuded by the announcer about the precision of the work, with that proper "can-do" attitude taken for granted back then. Watch this just for the commentary.

[@GenaFrog]

I wish commentary today was the same 'standard BBC' instead of the regional accents. Whilst I embrace my own Nottingham dialect, I detest it on tv when geordies, scouters, brummies etc are narrating.

[@k.r.baylor8825]

The Beeb made a decision in the '90s to be more welcoming of regional accents for their commentators to make the programming feel more welcome in homes outside of London. I can understand that decision, but the result just lacks that national pride that a confident Received Pronunciation voice brought to its programs, especially when they made it overseas. Of course, as a Yank, I love all English accents: RP posh, west and south London, West Counties, Geordies, Midlands...it's all fantastic to listen to when I'm in-country. Even better if that voice is female--now that's irresistible. :)

[@cinesimonj]

That 'can-do attitude' was a self-serving myth. As for your bizarre 'national pride' remark: I can only assume you know very little about the U.K.

[@TheHorsebox2]

Yes that old boy was cool and measured . Excellent presenting skills.

[@bernardlane4517]

Well I'm a Yorkshire man and if I was narrating it I would say "eee bah gum they dint alf build that tunnel fast tha knows". So Personally I don't think I would have got the narrating job lols

[@15october91]

I love watching old videos like this.

[@Bvic3]

15october91 The era when there was no stressful music, no fast switch from scene to scene, no moraling voice. Just the voice of a calm and confident man explaining how the world is.

[@vladnickul]

And propaganda.

[@Bvic3]

ShazamMafia Well, there was a lot of anti-USSR propaganda (they were awful, but it was still propaganda). And there was a lot of fear mongering about nuclear apocalypse.

[@vladnickul]

Well... the "Nuclear Apocalypse" was indeed a self sustain propaganda system of its own. west was oh no the red have the bomb too lets build more, reds think oh no the west thinks they can nuke cites, let's build some :) If you see period documentaries from the "cold war era"every country was the first doing this or doing that. that's state own media. No government, since ever, really cared for the poor and the hungry :) especially the "imperialists" :D

[@Bvic3]

The only people who care about the poor are always foreign agents who want to exploit internal weak spots. The so called Social Justice lovers in todays West are good old bourgeois conservatives, when the "incel" movement started to protest the sexual misery of the ugly and the poor and theorise sexual inequality, the Social Justice bourgeois started attacking them like crazy. The difference with the 50s establishment is that it wasn't degenerate like today. Both were arrogant disconnected elites, but the elites from before were at least promoting proper boring lifestyles that enable stability while today, the advices given by the establishment about everything lead people to debt and misery if followed.

[@chrischris770]

16.58 when the mud and clay land on your bare back from above and you just carry on as normal. No near miss reports and no fear. Brilliant.

[@Psychlist1972]

I lost three fingers, a foot, and my right eye, and had a concussion, just from watching these guys work in the tunnel and on the "umbrella".

[@cycleSCUBA]

I got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the background music. I could only be treated by NASA.

[@NJTDover]

Pity these lads are already retired or probably passed away since they could have most likely finished Crossrail construction project on time and on budget. Bravo, old boys for a job well done!

[@TheMusicalElitist]

@@NJTDover I highly doubt that, but pathetic attempt at trying to be funny, boomer.

[@erikziak1249]

Excellent documentry. Facts, interesting points, great camera, edit, sound and narration. I wish they would do documentaries like this today. No stupid hype, no unnecessary drama, no repeating of every fact at least 10 times until you feel like being insulted, no constant re-use of shots... If this documentary would have been made today, it would be stretched into 10 one hour long episodes, diluted and destroyed. This is trully a piece of art. Also not just the documentary, but the eneneering and building of the Victoria Line itself. If there were documentaries like this one on the TV today, I would watch it. But all the things that run today on "documentary" channels are insulting the viewer, treating him like some heavily brain damaged person who needs special care. That is the reason I do not even watch TV anymore. Even though I have one at home, I did not tune any channels and use it just to watch things from the PC.

[@calvbradley]

Couldnt agree more! what is with those discovery channels nowadays. utter garbage!

[@TheMusicalElitist]

@@calvbradley Your lack of spelling is "utter garbage", you stupid, illiterate prick.

[@tonbosma8347]

You sad it! Fully agree!😁😎

[@philhall1701]

Spot on observations, watched a doc on snakes the other day, Narrator repeated every 15 seconds that the snake portrayed was the worlds most deadly. Got boring very quickly. I think it has something to do with the later generations having shorter concentration spans!

[@lowerquadrant4647]

True. All bad documentaries put together would probably fill eight olympic basins (or 17 football fields in American units)

[@deanclayton6702]

The equipment seen at the end of the documentary was decommissioned in 2011 and can now be seen in the electric railway museum in Coventry.

[@MeiklesAndDimes]

Dean Clayton incredible it was in operation for so long!

[@BilisNegra]

@@MeiklesAndDimes Last time I was in London was in 2009. I somewhat can figure out some equipment can be old, both because it's built to last, and so costly to replace, but well, 40 years (by that time)... That's mental no doubt!

[@mrbigm5720]

Thats when things was built properly and last longer, not like now shitty China makes everything

[@somosuddin5743]

@@BilisNegra ka7⁸8alksa8t8ly was in has has yet via ziizißiììiyis⁸⁷isg8izziisiys ii8zi⁸k⁸s⁸

[@henrytomlinson3634]

Thank you for the inside info. 🙂 Henry central uk

[@jwatters9868]

really good doc. i spent a few years working as a train maintainer on the northern and central lines. respect to all construction men.

[@Joshyboy1928]

LOVE this! It is so interesting to see how they covered Oxford Circus for 5 years with that steel umbrella, essentially raising the traffic by a foot. And I love the way the public all stood around watching them dig the holes. That wouldn't happen now - us Londoners are so used to seeing holes being dug these days it's barely noticeable!

[@vaughnsigal4560]

What I love about this era is that they had an ambitious idea, and they simply went out and bloody did it! How's that for productivity!

[@ZnenTitan]

'Em blokes knew how to get the job done aye?

[@miiiiinty]

The workers certainly got on with it! Though it took 18 years to go through planning before the first tool on the job

[@garlandremingtoniii1338]

ZnenTitan Type English.

[@SubjectRandom21]

Some might say that they were real men putting in real time and effort.

[@tuboid001]

Have you heard of something called Crossrail??? These types of projects are still happening in London!!!!!!!

[@390h8er]

Absolutely brilliant. You don't get films like this anymore. The working practices seem unthinkable today but they did it!

[@Sion.Ryan.Green.]

390h8er They built pyramids a while back

[@TonyLing]

They weren't a bloody useful as railways though were they?

[@MsMesem]

Team work goes far.

[@Zephieish]

Vaccines & Islam destroy lives, Christ Saves Souls What use is a pyramid? How does it benefit others?

[@frankieboyle6290]

+Pedro Stanjel. what has Islam got to do with this. wtf

[@rajdhillon4722]

Incredible to see how these men worked in such dangerous conditions and what engineering

[@AdamMGTF]

This is amazingly safe compared to the industrial Revolution.

[@opaz.]

Such a pleasure to watch and incredibly interesting. Seeing the workmanship, skill and achievements of yesteryear. With not very much, they just got on with it and created something that has withstood the test of time. Magnificent!

[@grassytramtracks]

Well the Victoria line is a bit of a victim of its own success, it wasn't exactly given oodles of money, and there are stations that don't really have enough escalators. In comparison, trains on the Elizabeth line are twice as long. The Elizabeth line could have been done quicker and cheaper, but it wouldn't stand the test of time

[@michael_mouse]

... I've watched this twice now and it's still interesting a second time... I remember going over the 'Umbrella' and was shocked at how long ago it was... thanks for uploading!

[@pangaeanconquest2731]

Love how the commentary makes reference to 1984.

[@AlJay0032]

Little did they know what still would come.

[@6sicSIX]

@@trebuh Erm.. what do you think they were talking about then? The year 1984 and not the book?!?

[@gd5762]

1984, the Sikh genocide

[@kennarajora6532]

where is the time stamp? I tried to find it but couldn't.

[@shazanali692]

Just darn strange I saw this comment at the exact moment the commentator said Orwell 1984

[@envirotechmaintenanceandse9305]

Well done gents!!! Salute you for your hard work. Most of these guys must have passed already.

[@michaelhiggins7365]

Truly an amazing engineering accomplishment and much credit is due to the men who poured their sweat into digging those tunnels working in I'm sure, often extreme conditions.

[@tropicalpalmtree]

I don't think many people in modern britain could even comprehend how hard those blokes worked.

[@jimlassen9422]

Great documentary and I remember the Victoria line being built but didn't realise that it was so long ago back in the late 1960's. So much engineering effort going on underground, especially around the Kings Cross area when people above had no idea whilst they were doing their shopping or commuting across London. Well done to all those involved with making this happen.

[@darganx]

This documentary is a little gem, everything about it is delightful - from the RP trained presenter to the editing, the music and especially the delicious end credits with the old BBC indents.. a true snapshot of everyday 60s London. Reminds me of those afternoon interlude fillers they used to show when I was a nipper! Some interesting points made in this 1968 doc: strangely looking back at a time of advancement, in the next 2-3 years you would see a moon landing, the flight of Concorde and the spanking new ticket machines with their prices in shillings and pence also reminds me that Decimalisation is just round the corner. I could be the one who says 'things were better back then', but as the presenter himself says at the end: 'Embrace the future, or become the past'.

[@stuart8663]

What a superb BBC production, and terrific street-level narration. Excellent job.

[@matthewfield2958]

Fascinating, both the subject matter and the narration. I wish the Beeb made documentaries like this today.

[@JeffDeWitt]

This was fascinating, and they actually managed to automate that line with the primitive equipment available in the mid 60's, very impressive!

[@jwatters9868]

Jeff DeWitt relays?

[@JeffDeWitt]

Relays and rolls of paper with holes in it, just like an old player piano.

[@Sion.Ryan.Green.]

Jeff DeWitt pyramids baffle you then?

[@godfreypoon5148]

I wouldn't say it was particularly primitive.

[@ze_rubenator]

It's even more facinating that they went to the moon only a few short years after. Tunnelling and building is largely the same these days, whereas modern computing makes the Apollo guidance computer look positively archaic.

[@Zerodghjj]

Safety gear didn't seem to be a thing back then.

[@JeffDeWitt]

I especially noticed the guy using a jackhammer without any kind of hearing protection.

[@justinreed7093]

Adventures With Bash?? were yall not there when the four men went down the hole in a bucket

[@Zerodghjj]

Justin Reed yup safety last

[@timothybonis1614]

Adventures With Bash?? Bcccc. Ffvfv

[@stanley3647]

Best one is from 16:55 (Man on left) get hit from falling clay ;)

[@wendalboy]

The engineering in the oxford street ticket hall dig was amazing

[@thornimation5492]

Before watching this documentary, I never realized that main ticket hall of Oxford Circus was opened as much as 69 years after the Central London Railway (now called the Central Line) opened. So much history since 1900, especially now that we're 18 years into the 21st Century.

[@limeyosu2000]

I could watch these old movies all night long

[@peter8084]

Amazing to see public walking around London looking where they are going as opposed to eyes locked onto mobile phones !

[@chrisrebar2381]

And without masks!

[@cd0u50c9]

Awareness of the world around you appeared to be a thing back then...

[@peter8084]

@@cd0u50c9 just imagine how images of crowds will appear say 50 years from now !

[@kennarajora6532]

we'll I won't say it's all good. Look at how they stare down the poor camera man with fury, at 3:12.

[@JazzFunkNobby1964]

Respect to the Irish Navigators.

[@Danny30011980]

Interesting. I find Metros/Undergrounds/subways so interesting. No other traffic, no crossroads with traffic lights, going right under houses, gardens, roads and rivers...engineering marvel!

[@thornimation5492]

Me too! Glad to see other people who have this interest in common. If only the Government had offered the City of Birmingham the necessary funds, to build their first Underground Line, which still doesn't exist. But it's not too late, as of January 2018. So I still advocate, an Underground Line for Birmingham and to eventually serve the entire West Midlands County.

[@icydsting6037]

ThorniMation ...if they were able to get the funds together today then I reckon London would be redone again.

[@UnseenVids]

me too!

[@MrKen-wy5dk]

I have no idea. Here in Houston, TX, if you dig a tunnel you will be totally flooded by the next hurricane. Witness Hurricane "Harvey" that utterely destroyed downtown Houston's infrasture such as courts, jury assembly building, basements and drowning a number of citizens. I will stay above ground, thank you very much.

[@kiwitrainguy]

Danny30011980 - The best way to get around London is to use the Underground (provided you have a map of course).

[@henrytomlinson3634]

My god thay worked hard I love it how he drank out of the fire bucket, what a fantastic piece of film. Henry north of Birmingham

[@julianthornton9076]

shame they didn't show the guy pissing in it 5 mins before!

[@bernardlane4517]

Yes the wankers who we have today would insist on bottles of perrier water being provided every 20 minutes.

[@bernardlane4517]

@@julianthornton9076 the guy looked so hot and thirsty even if he did see it I don't think he would have given a shit and still drunk out of it lols

[@jdee8267]

Fire!! ... now where’s the bucket

[@TheMusicalElitist]

@@bernardlane4517 Oh do shut up, you illiterate, uneducated boomer.

[@tobeytransport2802]

And it’s still one of the best tube lines

[@eXTreemator]

Slow and tight.

[@TheRealDoctorBonkus]

This was recommended to me for a whole month. Jesus christ, KZbin, are you happy now? I HAVE SEE THIS BEFORE! It's facinating, alright?

[@adeh503]

Who needs health and safety and safety gear when you can smoke 30 senior service a day, drink 15 pints of Guinness and still be at work in the morning!! Good old boys 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@joea5572]

I'll bet you had to be careful about expressing an unpopular opinion at the pub on Saturday night. No pajama boys there.

[@OldUKAds]

And the kids up chimneys...was good for em. Bit of soot, kept the pollution out of their lungs! Then home for a good caning. Made them good men. Oh the days. Bring back cholera too, fortitude!

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

We have fatalities on Crossrail now!

[@pfa2000]

Makes for frightening watching.

[@Grendel650]

Yeah, let's bring back the good old days of early deaths for the working classes, savage injury from poor safety practices and the good old English tally ho attitude to the welfare of the poor. They were better off dying early.

[@dekkerlundquist5938]

How interesting watching this old footage. Extraordinary engineering for the time!

[@supergub]

At 2:47 they overdubbed it to say "1863" when it appears the host said "1865"

[@6sicSIX]

Completely missed that, good catch!

[@squatchhammer7215]

I had to rewind it because the sound was off.

[@isaacroebuck9514]

Interesting how 50 years of innovation makes half the job take twice as long.

[@bfapple]

Look at the comment above. Safety.

[@andrewbrown2441]

We are all sheeple now

[@bikerchrisukk]

@ungratefulmetalpansy Ha! I liked that, nice one :-)

[@samedwardson5911]

ungratefulmetalpansy m

[@HDESM]

In addition to the safety comments, the contractors have found more and better ways to make everything more expensive in the name of profit taking.....

[@oconnorkieran5837]

Those drills and no ear protection Must have went deaf. Great video 👍🇮🇪

[@stevedoubleu99B]

Some great filming there, as well as being super interesting and nostalgic. The narrator was easy on the ear too.

[@PP-vt9ug]

There should be some sort of statue or monument for the men who dug these tunnels. Or at least a plaque

[@josephanderson7237]

P P There is. It’s called a tombstone. 😊

[@AMULET72]

Here's a song....kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXeQg4F3msl-d5o

[@tispete924]

‘Tunnel Tigers’ from county Donegal. Built the hydro electric schemes up in Scotland too. In world record time.

[@Gambit771]

Too white and far too much toxic masculinity for any woke committee these days to recognise. The tea lady might get a plaque for being forgotten and history rewritten to make her the brains of the outfit.

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

There is at Archway.

[@dr.s.p.]

A great job! I had just joined HM Services when this was started and when I came out it was finished. Amazing feat.

[@lydiamusima5840]

As someone who uses the Victoria Line often I’ve come appreciate it’s service. It’s the most reliable line

[@TheJohnRowley]

Thank you for sharing this, really enjoyed it

[@mairtinodiomasaigh9377]

John Rowley I

[@michaelbarry2700]

my father worked on the Victoria line, one of those big Irish men, 5 ft 8 tall & 10stone 8lb haha, mind you he did come from Co Kerry known for there strength, proper tough men them tunnel tigers

[@richbrook101]

How come the Irish had a reputation for strength and toughness?

[@1989Chrisc]

@@richbrook101 they drank like fish, smoked like chimneys, were wirey as fuck and worked 12-15 hrs a day building these tunnels and most of the infrastructure in the uk in the 19th and 20th century

[@johnkelly1083]

Watching this film and seeing those men work was extremely impressive.

[@bernadettebarry3099]

My uncle worked on brilliant job brilliant line used it 30 to visit my sister who lives in Walthamstow me at Warren st thank you to those wonderful gentlemen who made this possible

[@literallyanythingelseother]

So many ear drums were destoryed in the making of this tunnel

[@Wasserfeld.]

I so do love this city. It still shocks me how advanced the Victoria Line was for the 60s. To think the automatic system must've been designed in the late 50s - early 60s is amazing. Small calculators we have today weren't even a thing, yet they managed to run a whole tube line from one room using machines.

[@couchslouch13]

whats even more impressive is that same automated system was still in use til 2012

[@Lord-DJ]

If the BBC made this sort of thing now, ie, factual, informed, not politically minded etc then I would gladly pay for a tv licence and start watching them again.

[@Bartimayus]

So blue planet 2 and other documentaries, like crossrail are too political?

[@PiOfficial]

@@Bartimayus They are too few and far between for it to be remotely worth it.

[@jamesrhew4542]

divad noskcaj what the hell is a TV license?

[@zforce69]

If they did make it today the BBC would be bemoaning the lack of gender diversity on the project, not in the tunnels mind you, only the engineers and bosses.

[@Channel205UK]

@James Rhew - In the UK if you own any equipment capable of watching television as it's broadcast either via over-the-air transmission, internet, cable etc you have to pay the state an annual fee called the TV License, this funds the upkeep of the transmission network, the services and production of the B.B.C. including radio. It also means there is no advertising on B.B.C. channels.

[@richardmessenger9474]

Can remember driving over this umbrella many times with dad who worked in London for Warner Pathe in Wardour Street just down the road..

[@yggdrasil9039]

Wow. Packing concrete sections into the tunnel wall with bare hands.

[@bernardlane4517]

Yes and a one second loss of concentration and your fingers are a distant memory.... Ouch!!!

[@mellowandjello]

This is absolutely fascinating to watch, the precision combined with speed is remarkable. It's a shame projects that are smaller take much longer these days.

[@cd0u50c9]

When people are knowledgeable and skilled speed and precision together are possible.

[@nightwhisper8520]

Well, if you cut safety you'll have much time!

[@grassytramtracks]

The Elizabeth line, for example is definitely not a smaller project, the Victoria line is now one of the most overcrowded because it was built to more tube like specifications, and the stations at many points have quite bare minimum stations with out enough space and narrow escalator shafts. Walthamstow Central is one of the most overcrowded stations on the whole network

[@kgwaruka]

What a great documentary this is. These men had ambtion and hard work

[@bobdinwiddy]

all those elements flying around and perhaps ONE hard hat in the whole film...

[@passthebutterrobot2600]

Apparently you could even stick you head right next to the cutting blades of the tunnel machine while it was in operation with no hard hat required.

[@EnglishLaw]

All down to the lawsuit culture I would imagine.

[@tonys1636]

@@passthebutterrobot2600 It would just get in the bloody way.

[@TylerDurden-ij1np]

They were thick skinned in the old days, no offended crybabies then

[@roymarshall_]

@@TylerDurden-ij1np Instead of being offended they just got seriously injured or died

[@marknestbox]

For those that wonder, Yes, this is 100% worth watching, its riveting stuff from start to finish! (Honestly, give it a go!).

[@verdatum]

This is possibly the most british video I have ever seen.

[@oh-totoro]

@@user-ky6vw5up9m Yup, it says in the video they were "the sons of Ireland, almost all of them". But they were paid well.

[@Isleofskye]

Not necessarily , my friend. It's just that my London has changed from 99% White/British of my formative years in a very civilised,polite and friendly shared Culture to a London where in Inner London only 1 current birth in every 10 is to White/British indigenous.Quite a change in under 60 years. So if a small number of people aided by newly-arrived immigrants can produce that many children then imagine how many children the 90% No-White/British will produce and Whites will disappear altogether as they,virtually, have in parts of London already...@ @@omaismazhar3021

[@steben3318]

'most british' lol, watch the film Hector and the search for happiness - so british too :D

[@fuguthefish]

@@Isleofskye Tbh the amount of non-britishness in London has is scaring me, as a foreign student there. The east of London looks like a 3rd world country.

[@Isleofskye]

Of course there was a 200,000+ Jewish population in The East End and small Communities of Italians, Greeks, Turks, Cypriots and others in the 1960's when I grew up in the heart of London but I never heard another language spoken on a London street from 1954 to the early 1970's !!!!!!!

[@edsilvester]

That was excellent. So nice not to have the fake jeopardy of modern tv documentary and to be spoken to like an intelligent human being.

[@gillianferguson7936]

Yes my old dad was among those men -many of whom were Irish and this at a time when there were still signs saying 'No Blacks,no Irish, no Dogs' in Islington where we lived. No mention anywhere here,nor in the 50th anniversary celebrations ,of the accidents and fatalities that occurred during the construction of the Victoria Line. I have childhood memories of "Collections 'for the widows taken up amongst the workers.There must surely be a record somewhere?

[@james09995]

Fair play to your father Ms Ferguson....I have studied the contribution of the Irish in building from Manchester canals to the docklands and it is a source of pride to all Irishmen and women.

[@carpenteire]

Try and get your hands on a book called "The men who built Britain- A history of the Irish Navvy" by Ultan Cowley, which records the work of the many Irish men who worked on the great civil engineering projects like this; it's a fascinating read.

[@james09995]

@@carpenteire Thanks Marc...much appreciated!

[@chanchaniscool]

My dad worked on this project. He used to tell me about working in a dangerous situation,one death a week, working in compressed air, hard graft but he loved it. The money was good, the crack with the Irish lads was great.

[@james09995]

@@chanchaniscool Respect to you Dad. They were great men....tough, respectable men who'd put the modern generation to shame. I also love to see the Irish and the English working together...there has been much to divide these people but they have so much more in common and there is nothing as good as a good Irishman except a good Englishman.

[@jossym]

The more programmes such as this I watch, the more melancholic they make me feel. I don't want to yearn for the past, but there's just something about looking back 40-50-odd years (such as in this video) that seems very sad now that particular world has gone forever, replaced by something much more technologically advanced yet seemingly unfit to lace its predecessors boots.

[@gotany1]

I was underpinning a house in barnes in the late 1990s and there was 7 different colour clays, i was told bythe engineer that it was spoil from the first london underground, a mile a day they could dig 2 steam shovels and a thousand men.

[@glutinousmaximus]

Bloody amazin'! Thanks for posting.

[@runi5413]

Back in the days when the only safety regulation was "don't show up drunk"

[@runi5413]

​@Stig Martin I suppose you're right about that. Although in this case... Even though spending hours in a damp, wet, dark tunnel SOBER sounds like a nightmare... I think it was still preferable to getting your arm caught in the machine and becoming part of the concrete foundation :)

[@runi5413]

@Stig Martin Haha, those really were the good old days ) Yeah..., can't say things were all at different over here in the Netherlands tbh. They weren't quite as lenient towards drinking and driving over here, but then again you also wouldn't have had to look very far to find a case of Heineken on just about any construction site in the country. And it's not like our friendly Polish migrant workers did much to change that "tradition" over the past two decades... But ok, look at it this way: If that was _your_ multi-million dollar Tunnel Boring Machine, would you let some guy who's shloshed off his ass operate it? I mean, to hell with the guy's limbs... What if his foot gets caught in the gears and messes up an axle? Who's going to pay for that?! And then you have your crying widows, couple of orphaned children with soot on their faces asking you when daddy is coming home... Best to avoid all that stuff, wouldn't you agree? :) (although the fact that literally no one in this video was even wearing a helmet makes me think this wasn't particularly high on their To Do list, lol)

[@bretdouglas9407]

Or at least not all the bloody time!

[@stoolpigeon4285]

Fred Dibnah said he had a couple of pints before climbing a chimney. Why, he was asked. "Would you do that sober", he replied

[@marcusskidmore6913]

I wouldn't do it full stop, it's flipping mental.

[@visionpersistance]

I was recently in the U.K. and London and as a New Yorker born and raised, enjoyed the Underground or “Tube” the pace and rush of commuters, instantly reminded me of the New York City Subway in Manhattan during the rush hours

[@colinhallmitchell]

can someone please explain how post war and flat broke we built and re-built the cities of the Uk, built 100 of thousands of homes schools and hospitals and now, we are apparently richer than we have ever been but we cant find the money to build anything and no where to live 2 weeks to see a dr no places in local schools and the prospect of retiring at 75. someones not telling us the whole story. life in the uk was a lot better years ago

[@mariosci6391]

colin mitchell ... and only one salary per household, on average, would suffice..back then

[@jammin023]

It's quite simple really, the rich have made themselves richer and the rest of us (and society) poorer.

[@ianmurray250]

Two ways to get out of a recession - borrow heavily to build new houses, schools, hospitals, motorways etc. and on new technology with the result that the work-force had lots of money to pay taxes and to spend however they wished as happened in the UK in the 1950s & 1960s with taxes from high pay being used to pay off the borrowed money; or, reduce spending to reduce borrowing and do nothing except wait, as happened in the UK in the 2000s & 2010s but still end up borrowing heavily but unable to pay off the debt as there is no money to pay taxes or for pay rises.

[@MsMesem]

Doubling the work force but decreasing real value of salaries. Need to pay for more services with the equivalent of one good salarie? EU ? More people needing the aid of social services?

[@osearthesp]

That really IS the conspiracy, isn't it. Also apparently we're χ times more productive these days...

[@johnwebsterwallace4884]

Now, that was worth watching! Great documentary.

[@Spookieham]

My neighbour in the 70s was Mick from Donegal. He was a tunneller and worked all over the UK. Good money apparently but he had 11 kids so he needed it. When he retired eventually he had a fair few quid to himself.

[@macdjord]

I love the music. Those drums make me keep looking around to see if Thunderbird 3 has shown up yet.

[@grahamallison8641]

to divert a line from old to new in 15 hours is really amazing. imagine how long it would take these days..

[@divaden47]

Dread to think. 15 hours would most likely be spent in head shaking, sharp intakes of breath and muttering about it can't be done......

[@marvintpandroid2213]

It is still done in this way, its just that people no longer want to invest the money needed.

[@ianmurray250]

Governments no longer want to invest the money needed.

[@marvintpandroid2213]

Quite right, the government as the operative of the people, the fact that cross rail was built is one hell of a miracle.

[@grassytramtracks]

​@@marvintpandroid2213crossrail has far more voluminous stations and trains twice as long as the Victoria line. It's no wonder it takes longer and is expensive, but it's money well spent in my opinion if we want it to be resilient in the future

[@GM-kc5gs]

Bloody Brilliant, one of the best doccos I have the pleasure to watch

[@Isleofskye]

Re-visiting my Inner London era from 1954-83 until I "emigrated" to The London Suburbs makes ,e yearn for this era. I distinctly remember how civilised and polite and friendly we were and as we were not buried in our phones we had time for each other. I also remember the orderly queues, as witnessed here and the acceptance of those doing their job like the conductor stopping the guy doing what I used to do all the time i.e.Getting on the bus at the lights and being able to step off if the traffic was heavy..The other obvious point is that 99% of my fellow Londoners shared my Culture while only one in ten Inner London births are now to indigenous White/Brits...

[@lkrnpk]

don't worry, when those born grow up they will share your culture, at least most of them

[@Isleofskye]

Ah wah deh yah you ah act spooky you ah ghost ? @ @@lkrnpk

[@anthonymctigue9038]

Spot on my friend god b with the days great to hear the sound of jack Hammer

[@Isleofskye]

Good Luck !

[@Mujangga]

@@lkrnpk Not really.

[@StevenTorrey]

This is about the construction of the Victoria Line which was completed at bout 1969/70. It would be interesting to see the technological and electronic improvements from 2019.

[@dancub1]

Please be reassured: No women were harmed during the making of this programme,

[@ricochet2977]

dancub1 Your braver than the tunnel workers 😂

[@garethmason9255]

That manikin didn't look too impressed.

[@billpugh58]

dancub1 hilarious.

[@pauldadson3812]

No and everything went according to plan

[@MrAli171]

That’s you on the Feminazi hit list 😂😂

[@Mrrobackenson1]

Hats off to these guys. Amazing 🇬🇧

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

And this is called 'getting the job done' children.

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

My uncle used to dig tunnels in London in 1950s and in later life he used the fireplace in the living room to demonstrate how they kept directional control.

[@ps-ri2qk]

I didn't realize the tunnel boring machines went that far back with the concrete liners, etc. What an engineering marvel, hat's off to all the people involved in getting it done right.

[@LankansInUK]

I'm proud To Say That I'm Part of the Underground Team Now who are DOING all the Work to Continue This Legacy 2020/12/14

[@Everything_given_to_you]

I love the way they describe what they did at Kings Cross as Threading the Eye Of the Needle, echoed as it was in the recent BBC documentary about Crossrail when they were at (I think) Tottenham Court Road, describing a similar exercise as the same. "15 Billion Pound Railway" I think it was called. Anyway, both great documentaries, but nothing has changed...

[@quietusplus1221]

This is a gem. Loved watching it

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

no hats no gloves no protective gear just a pack of players no 6. fucking awesome.

[@GavinMorris1]

All these cave ins are making me thirsty, pass the fire bucket.

[@maxflight777]

Compelling content. Brave and hard working men. When we had workers not shirkers.

[@stephenburgess5109]

Back in time when our national Broadcaster was informative and you could actually understand what the broadcaster was saying.

[@JMMM1986]

@@yosserc you're having a laugh thinking the current BBC is informative...propaganda rubbish

[@themorphman100]

@@JMMM1986 Haha so true. I refuse to pay a licence it is that bad. Nothing but leftist, woke bias bullshit.

[@cycleSCUBA]

Pronounced 'brrr-aud castah'. I know, i used tew be wan.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

@@themorphman100 What an ignorant moron you are.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

@@cycleSCUBA Trying to be funny?

[@stefankassbohrer2765]

Much work, not many words ... respect. Best regards from south germany

[@TheMrB]

Just think, they did not have lasers or computers. Makes it even more amazing. Also worthy of note the public, not obsessed with sodding smart phones showing images of what other people had for dinner last night.

[@rRobertSmith]

They had computers just not very good ones, solenoid logic and punched cards.

[@TheMrB]

@@rRobertSmith Good point.

[@edmund-osborne]

Yeah the public were obsessed with newspapers instead. There's never been a time when people have lived "in the moment" on public transport. It serves an important function, that's all it is to most people, especially if they travel every day.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

OK boomer, calm down.

[@littleloner1159]

Absolutely love how the most astonished out narrator is at the fact that there were no horrible accidents and no one died Says allot about how workplace safety has improved and continues to improve, even in the most difficult workplaces Complain as much as you want about the inconveniences of safety procedures, but just remember that those inconveniences save your and your co workers lifes

[@grassytramtracks]

And each rule was implemented because someone died (probably more than one) and that would have prevented it

[@martinbyrne6643]

The men from donegal were the best tunnelers in the world ‘ known as the tunnel tigers 🐯

[@marksinthehouse1968]

Agree my dads side is from there

[@anthonymctigue9038]

Yes they could drink 20 pints and at work next day not a bother very healthy strong

[@Odin029]

I took down 50 feet of fence and wall today and had to bust up 6 concrete footers to get the poles out. By the end of the day I was wiped out, but watching this vid puts hard work into perspective.

[@VictorVonDoom.]

Them guys drilling without goggles, ear defenders, a hard hat or gloves on 😂😂😂 times really have changed

[@stevegibson9641]

And their shoes were polished!

[@Unfunny_Username_389]

I wonder how many fingers were lost in the construction of the line? Looks like heavy and dangerous toil. Well done lads.

[@taiterobinson793]

Happy 50th Anniversary 1969-2019 it’s very interesting and the ambition of these men will never be seen again in the UK the design of the Victoria line in those days are better than today’s designs

[@greenaum]

Dozens of Health and Safety men had heart attacks watching this!

[@barbaraannecortina7899]

This was first shown on BBC2 at 21:55 on 3 March 1969. Back then, BBC2 would have been the highbrow channel.

[@passthebutterrobot2600]

BBC4 is the new BBC2, or at least it tries to be

[@JazzFunkNobby1964]

Wow. How did you find that out?

[@Zooboy1994]

Interesting documentary. Enjoyed it. Thanks for uploading.

[@HSMiyamoto]

I had no idea that tunnel boring machines existed in the early 1960s. These seem to be unremarkable, too.

[@stevevanvalkenburg5449]

A monument to the working men and women of the world who put into action what others dream of. A salute to all who get their hands dirty so everyone can live better.

[@chiyungwong3774]

incredible how some technics have not changed even by 2015!

[@nicolek4076]

Technics is a Lego product.. You mean, I hope, techniques.

[@chiyungwong3774]

+Nicole K yeah you're right I did mean technique, well spotted!

[@nicolek4076]

Thank you taking my comment in the spirit in which I made it. Things like this somehow draw my attention. I can be looking at a whole page of text and the spelling mistake, misplaced apostrophe or grammatical error will leap to my eye like a carbuncle on the face of an old friend. I should do proof-reading.

[@GenaFrog]

+Nicole K I am exactly the same, it drives me crazy. Once I was in an Iron Maiden concert in my teens flicking thru the programme I'd just bought and saw an error, London typed as Lonbon. Couldn't believe I spotted it in the gig. I actually did proof read...until redundancy enforced by modern technologies.

Nicole K Technics is a brand name for hi fi audio...

[@patcom1013]

Where would our societies be without men like these, literally risking life and limb to build everything we see around us and take for granted.

[@robertbilling6266]

Nostalgia, how we used to do engineering before the invention of health and safety, hard hats, goggles and surviving to the end of the project.

[@gregosyesyez828]

Good old days

[@user-ky6vw5up9m]

There was Construction Act 1961.

[@toots54663]

Brilliant, well done everyone concerned. A lot of the same principles being used today building Cross Rail.

[@Mike-jx2uj]

Proper men - imagine if they could see the state of London today

[@bobtyler8374]

I hate having to listen to people like you.

[@jrw3349]

What’s wrong with London today then

[@callummacleod3146]

Jrw Quite a lot

[@Cartoonman154]

​@@bobtyler8374 Nobody forced you to read it.

[@jean-lucpicard5510]

@Wall Yoof Always a slack jawed Ukip voter in the comment section.

[@sputumtube]

Wow!! That was fascinating. Thanks for posting....

[@weaselbread]

"We are for the future, and if we can't live with it we are for the past" lots of people keep harping on about life being better then. I think those engineers would be pissed off we keep looking back instead of forward.

[@craigadam]

weaselbread- You look to the past every time you admire an old master or listen to music from more than 20 years ago, is this wrong and undesirable? We live in the present and can look to the past and the future, What is wrong with doing both?

[@sinemetu9037]

Great to hear such a positive tone about the future...maybe we can learn a bit from this old bit of TV and welcome the future rather than dreading it. We seem so wrapped up in doom and gloom that we forget to enjoy the now...this very moment. This makes me want to celebrate life and mans accomplishments again. Cheers chaps and kegs away Ginger! What what...