End of the Line No.5 - Brixton

Time to visit an End of the Line that isn't THAT far out of Central London, as the bottom of the Victoria line terminates in Zone 2 at Brixton. That's no reason not to make a video about it though! So let's have a look around to see what's there ...
There were also some VERY early plans to extend the line to Streatham and Croydon: alondoninheritance.com/wp-cont...
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[@francistaylor5097]

Once again after a busy day at work, I get to chill for 6 minutes in the company of Geoff and this fabulous series. Thanks, Geoff. You really are a star.

[@CloudmasterGaming]

I can relate to this, I come back from school, go on my phone and see Geoff has posted so I do what I do best, watch his videos!

[@koputai]

Here in Australia we get to wake up to new videos, so it’s morning coffee with Geoff, which is nice.

[@TheBenno17]

I’m in the U.S. now so it’s lunch break with Geoff for me!

[@awsanteina5152]

So so true! You tend to forget about lifes worries for 5mins in Geoffs company; well done!

[@freddievideo1080]

​@@geofftech2 yes one at the market and another one on the side from argos

[@dove01]

@1:43 Before Brixton station had its makeover in the 2000's, the 'rear entrance/exit' use to be a passageway to the front entrance which made it easy to change from British Rail to London Underground vice versa. Now passengers have to walk the long way round.

[@vjaska]

Yes, it had an arcade with shops like a pet shop and shoe menders among others, remember going there as a kid

[@TheTrainspotterFromTauranga]

Thank you for explaining the 'plunger' routine. For the longest time I didn't know how the Victoria Line crews went about changing ends in a timely manner.

[@wharpblast264]

Don't they check everyone has left the train, like at H&W on the Bakerloo line ? Although H&W has a turnback siding.

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@wharpblast264 Probably not. If it's not going into a siding why would they care if you've left the train or not? You can just sit on the train and continue back towards Walthamstow. Not really any different to missing your stop in the middle of the line.

[@tickertape1]

@@barneylaurance1865 LU rules say you cannot carry passengers while doing a reversing move. Sidings I am not sure about but I would guess it’s also forbidden.

[@barneylaurance1865]

@@tickertape1 Interesting. Do you know why the rules say that? Does the passenger literally just have to get out and get back in for one moment in the middle of the reversing move to follow the rule? Or do they have to stay outside the train for some time?

[@tickertape1]

@@barneylaurance1865 The train must be empty of passengers if a reversing move is happening. I don’t know why though. It seems reasonable at the surface though. This does mean that you would have to get off if a train in order to turn around had to do a reversing move. Rather than simply changing ends at the platform.

[@lmlmd2714]

Plunger system - very smart! I think the proposal for extending the line to Herne Hill in a balloon loop was very sensible. A good way to increase capacity and also improve connections in South London.

[@jdmhexagon2584]

Throughout my 12 years living in South London, Brixton station has been an absolute rock. From living just round the corner (in the Bovril building!) to Herne Hill, Streatham, and Crystal Palace, it's always been such a dependable option, especially with the night tube. If all else fails, go to Brixton and find a bus! And that's not to mention how important Brixton is to London's culture. I'm an incomer, and other voices than mine can speak better about issues like gentrification, and history, and race. But I think you summed it up nicely with "all walks of life are here", and many people in the Brixton community are doing brilliant work to ensure that remains the case. Loved this video Geoff, even if it was slightly cruel to posit the tube/NR/orange megahub that will never happen. 💔

[@EmptyGlass99]

Exiting at Brixton always felt like you were entering a town, rather than just another London suburb. I have many fond memories of The Fridge, a club just up the road from the station.

[@DemonPete]

OMG, I forgot entirely about the Fridge, another club I went to in London

[@Evemeister12]

I remember the fridge. Was a cool venue.

[@motta9784]

A fact I like about Brixton is that the crossover just north of the platforms is traversed by trains at full line speed. This would worry the drivers that had transferred from non auto lines into grabbing the emergency brake as they thought the train was going too fast and wasn’t going to stop intime for the platform

[@grantwest656]

I can attest to this. I used to be a Bakerloo line driver, and now I'm a Victoria line driver. When I first changed lines, the increase in speed, not just at those points, but when pulling in to platforms, was absolutely terrifying.

[@owenjones2263]

Geoff, I have basically no particular interest in trains, transport, the underground, or even the social anthropology of this stuff, and I still watch every video, and it becomes interesting. Excellent storytelling craft.

[@shodan2958]

Similar here to some degree (I'm not an enthusiast as such but I think you can appreciate the thought that goes into trains and their infrastructure that is easy to overlook), even inspired me to do the Parkland Walk when I was in London a while back.

[@greaterlondonbuses8100]

Regarding the Overground, there was a proposal to reopen the old East Brixton station on Barrington Road, which the Overground passes through, however it was deemed too expensive and hasn't gone ahead. The station building still remains and I wish the proposal gets brought up again in the future. Amazing video though!

[@vjaska]

There was also another proposal to build an Overground station roughly where the Hondo Tower is/was to be situated. We really could do with that Overground station

[@highpath4776]

@@vjaska in some ways the Overground is too busy now, unless SE stoppers can be added to stopping at Clapham High Street, etc. The buses take too long and go long way rounds, the trains need improving all over South London

[@vjaska]

@@highpath4776 your not wrong there 👍

[@1258-Eckhart]

@@highpath4776 Particularly Bakerloo to Lewisham.

[@cd0u50c9]

I really hope that this ends up becoming necessary so it goes ahead. Used to work at Loughborough Junction so going to Brixton from Clapham Junction would have been made so much easier with East Brixton.

[@AndreiTupolev]

3:30Network SouthEast relic, with relic of Connex subsequently added

[@michaeldwyer3352]

Regarding the low profile of Brixton rail station in Atlantic Road, in Southern, and later British, Rail days there was a massive sign on the viaduct over Brixton Road which read "Southern Electric Brixton Station - to Victoria in 5 minutes". This was true, except that it omitted to point out that the service only ran half hourly.

[@elkay99]

You used to be able to buy tickets from the ticket shop back when paper tickets were the norm! My mum always bought travelcards there rather than the machine for some reason, and of course buy me and my sister a sweet each when going into town.

[@jcvillecho]

I used to take trips to the ends of the line on Seoul subway when I was in uni. There is just something about the locations isn't there… Whether it is the fact that there is no further to go to, or the unfamiliarity of the place, it always excited me. It actually can get quite reflective to think that the sense of unfamiliarity and excitement that I would be feeling would be very contrasting to the feeling of people who use those stations every day. I wish I could be back in London one day and to these trips like you.. This is very overdue, but thank you so much for your contents Geoff. I have been wanting to return to London, where I've spent my childhood and early teen days, but haven't been able to do so for more than 25 years now. Sometimes I would feel really nostalgic about London, but wouldn't know what to do to relieve it. But your videos (Secrets of the Underground, Lost Railways, Least Used Stations, and now the End of the Line) have immensely helped, particularly during the lockdown here in New Zealand. Really brought back memories, particularly when one of your More SoU videos started at Rayners Lane, my old neighbourhood, and when you covered Thameslink. I've rambled, but do know that your videos are much appreciated by a lot of people, and they have played a huge part (and still are) in my life in no ways you would have imagined. So thank you. Sending my best wishes for your endeavours.

[@eastlancsesteem]

I wish they continued building the Victoria line to Streatham Hill, Streatham, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst and East Croydon in 1971.

[@francisrogers9824]

In terms of your Brixton mega hub idea, there is a way to have the overground better connect with the underground. There has been local proposals over the years to reopen East Brixton station which was once on the South London line until it closed in the mid 1970s. The connection would allow for an OSI with Brixton, but also the Thameslink station at Loughborough Junction. The walk would be about 8 minutes to get to either station from East Brixton.

[@eastlancsesteem]

I forward this.

[@pauldwyer4430]

I'm old enough to remember it opening in 1971, the back entrance used to be a shopping arcade that was part of the old station. They replaced the front of the station a few years ago, that's probably when the arcade closed at you could walk straight through from the back

[@riddypr]

Brixton is a major commuting area for me. I've visited/gone through the area COUNTLESS times. And yet, I've never once seen the alternate entrance to the tube station. I'll be sure to check that out the next time I go there. About the Overground, they DID try and reopen EAST Brixton station years ago... but that never went through.

[@gauthiergb]

I lived in Brixton when I was living in London for a few months. Seeing this video made me feel so emotional. Love following this series as it takes me back to my time in London.

[@ajs41]

Was it recently or a long time ago?

[@gauthiergb]

@@ajs41 It was until last May !

[@richardlangly4635]

Love the plunger mechanism! I find infrastructure large and small endlessly fascinating.

[@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS]

4:02 is such a satisfyingly framed shot. Geoff is lowkey very artistic with his cinematography.

[@theodorhaslund5333]

Nice geoff!

[@TransportForLuka]

Finally the new episode of the best series besides (secrets of the underground) has came out and I can watch it

[@SiVlog1989]

One thing about the overrun tunnels at Brixton, they provide some provision for a (circa the planning stages of the Victoria Line) possible extension to the line as far as Herne Hill. There was a brief thought about it comprising a single track loop at Herne Hill, but in reality, there are no plans to extend the Victoria Line beyond Brixton any time soon, owing to the limited space at the platforms

[@rynabuns]

great info! fyi it's Herne*

[@SiVlog1989]

@@rynabuns touche, adjusted accordingly:)

[@jamramble6230]

The double doors at the front of the station to the left when facing it lead to a corridor which stretches all the way to those doors round the back. The original idea when building the station was to open this cut through to the public but for some reason it never went ahead.

[@PhilipKingLondon]

It was open for years, with a newsagent and other shops in the corridor, and it gave another more direct route to access the market to the rear of the station.

[@jamramble6230]

@@PhilipKingLondon Ah I didn't know that. Speaking to one of the managers there and they said it had never been open, I suppose that's the problem with second/third hand info.

[@DanielHallLondon]

@@jamramble6230 I saw the door open the other week, and Philip is correct. It's now an unused, semi-derelict arcade of empty shops.

[@Caroleonus]

I was in London for two years and though I must say it's not my cup of tea as a place to live, I really love your little bitesize chunks showing off the different corners of it. Keep up the good work!

[@simondavies844]

Of course, until 1975, you could change onto the Overground at Brixton. The South London Line as it was called then had a station at East Brixton, a few minutes walk from Brixton station. It was perched on top of brick viaduct with narrow wooden platforms and long flights of steps to get up to it. By 1975 it had got into a parlous state, the wooden shelters were closed and it was a rough area in those days, so it was closed. It had Southern target signs until the end.

[@tangerinedream7211]

Fed up of seeing Brixton town, in dee night, fly away coconut airways. Thanks for the vid.

[@corbinlegrand]

The camera shots this episode were excellent.

[@DavidJones-kn9zb]

Another great program Geoff. What I really like about this series is all the information u provide about different parts of London. Very entertaining and educational. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@stevetnorm]

Love watching your vids Geoff. Every time I view one the smell of the Tube re enters my nose. Reminds me of years gone by.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I’ve always been intrigued about Brixton (I’ve heard great things) and the end of the Victoria Line because I’ve made it to only Green Park and Victoria Station.

[@gussmedways]

Loving this new playlist. I'm in the process of getting a picture of every Undergound station roundel. Only 40 left. Brixton being one of them. I'll make sure I get a pic of the roundel above the entrance too. Thanks for bringing it to my notice!!

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

A platform without adverts, how wonderful 👏👏👍😀

[@northessexrailphotography4458]

Stepping back also occurs at Walthamstow too, so a Train Operators shift in the daytime will involve a lot of different trains!

[@Timespacecos]

This was my haunt when I worked at a cafe near by! Great to see all the little quirks I remember about the underground and the southeastern lines :)

[@holdenshower]

Thanks Geoff ! Lived in Brixton for 3 years, absolutely loved it, great to see it again 😊

[@DookongTotoro33]

Thanks for this Geoff, todays been a rollercoaster for me but your videos always cheer me up when I’m feeling down and I end up refreshing your channel waiting for more

[@GustavSvard]

An interchange with the tube, overground & national rail would be amazing, yes. Too expensive? How about this idea: Make a plan for how the whole interchange station ought to be like, and make it modular. Then whenever there's any construction works by the station they could seize the opportunity to get a small bit of the over-all plan done. Might take 50+ years, but it'd worth it.

[@gerrymckenna4878]

Great video. I used Brixton many years ago before moving away, The "emergency" exit was actually a proper exit / arcade lined with shops. Not sure when the shops were closed. Memories flooding back.

[@kangaroogroundboy]

there was a shop selling cheap Chinese ceramics, and a snack bar...quite handy if you were running late. In the seventies facing away from the station you could continue in a lane that came out further along Atlantic Road but if I remember rightly it had big wooden gates and eventually they stayed shut all the time. I think the 'shopping tunnel' became a works depot when the station was remodeled but I wouldn't swear to it.

[@teddavex2540]

the refit of the tube station im thinking around the late 90s saw them abandon the electric lane entrance though it still leads to the front gate... the ethiopian food stall belongs to saba who is an absolute gem; her food is excellent and excellent value. ive alwayts understood tfl nixed the idea of a brixton overground station to reduce the traffic at what is an especially busy transport hub. there was always the fancy of adding a station to the old brixton east station on barrington road but i think the platform was too short. blimey so cemented to brixon that i am i even appear in yon vid... score!

[@rgpeters]

Great work as always and great to meet you at Pret, p.s. Brixton East will soon be a overground station close by ;)

[@acidicvenom142]

We do all surely miss 1968 stock don’t we 😅

[@londonplayer]

I used to use this station to get into work in central London very early in the morning. I often found that jumping on a bus to Trafalgar Square was actually quicker than using the tube. But the great thing about this tube station is that you always get a seat. Most frustrating thing about this station is that you travel to it at subsonic speed and then board the bus to Streatham which plods along at 5mph.

[@TicTacTrolleyServiceTico]

It would benefit Brixton for sure if lets say all 3 lines were joined up to form a major interchange! Nicely done and looking forward to the next episode!

[@AbbasAdejonwo]

The last image of the Pret cup in the bin is indicative of the area's gentrification/regeneration

[@adonisb668]

Always love watching these, keep up the good work

[@btmurphy88]

Brixton is so much fun. I didn't get down there when I was in London this year, but my partner and I had a cool dinner at Pop Brixton and met an Australian couple there who told us "I love Charlotte, North Carolina" when we mentioned we're from North Carolina and we still make that reference to this day 😂

[@terezar880]

I was almost worried that there wouldn't be a shot of the bin flapping in the breeze, but it showed up in the end!

[@137Rita]

Ha ha I was going to say the same thing 😄

[@cockneyse]

Of course the remaining National Rail Station... Cos I only got off at East Brixton a few times... Before they closed it. Was a useful link to Peckham for me when working there for a couple of weeks ... Next time I worked there it was gone!

[@Sim0nTrains]

I remember walking from the National Rail Station to the Underground Station once (or the other way round) and noticed Brixton is a very lively area, great video Geoff

[@angienorthey]

Lived here for 2 years in the late '80's when I was a student at Brixton College, Milbrooke Rd site (sold off, now posh flats). It was all a bit shabby and run down in my day, but now like the rest of London, has been gentrified... Don't get me started!

[@treinenliefde]

The procedure you described with the drivers about 1:00 in reminds me of how they changed locomotives at the end of the lines in the old days. Passenger train comes into the station with a locomotive at the wrong end, attach another locomotive on the other end (now front) and depart with the train, freeing the other locomotive that then waits until another passenger train arrives and then couples and departs with that train in the other direction. Interesting how similar procedures are still in place with crews.

[@christopherbraiden6713]

Thanks for the visit on the tube to Brixton. Been here many times to watch groups at the Brixton Apollo,great times!!😎🚇🚇🚇🚇🇬🇧

[@its_Durp]

recently visited london for EGXLondon and i stayed in brixton making a weekend out of it before flying to venice from gatwick. there was always a busker in the doorway area and they were always so good. felt you could of maybe said more bout the infamous electric avenue made from from the song and of course its love for live music. still another great video :)

[@MrGreatplum]

Despite Victoria being one of the two railway stations I would get off at, I’ve never been further south on the Victoria line - looks like it’s worth an explore! :)

[@andrewlaw]

I used to manage the William Hill betting shop on Atlantic road. The toilet strangely enough was up three flights of stairs and used to be the public toilets for the main line Brixton station.

[@user-vu8pm4dw6d]

Brixton has changed since I was a young teen... There was a time where we would be too scared to step foot near those ends! 😮😂

[@thexalon]

Electric Lane is not to be confused with Electric Avenue, of course.

[@nathaniely.236]

I don't know why, but the first clip at 0:15 where everyone exits at the same time is very striking to me. Perhaps it is that they all turn and face the same way towards the exit. Of course, Geoff did a great job choosing the angle and getting there in time too.

[@nathaniely.236]

Oh I just realized maybe the key element: There is no one waiting to board.

[@morkel10]

My local station I use almost every day, and yet so much I don't know! Love this series Geoff.

[@Lucas.Interests]

Good job Geoff! I can't wait for Stratford!

[@heidirabenau511]

Oh yeah, forgot about that one but will be very interesting

[@InterCityTrains]

0:42 I've seen this at Walthamstow Central too!

[@reencamleg5354]

Back in the day in the 80s as a child I remember the back entrance of Brixton tube station was a public walk way.😊

[@HenrysAdventures]

My favourite thing about Brixton Tube Station is the tilled mural of a ton of bricks!

[@NickieOHara]

Ah Geoff - I'm glad you mentioned the light and all walks of life at 2.30. My first ever tube journey was from Euston to Brixton in the early 80s - not long after the Brixton riots. Us Northerers (my mum, my sister (age 5) and me (age 9) were a bit dubious as the train got emptier and emptier towards the end of the line with just one one gentleman remaining in our carriage, reading a newspaper with an article about the riots on the front page. We headed nervously on up the steps to be greeted with the overload of sights and sounds of Brixton.

[@AndrewJohnson-ur3lw]

I thought you were going to do the Wombles when you made comment about underground, overground.... 😁👍

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

I've used the Victoria Line around 2500 times since 2013, but only gone to Brixton a handful of times, because its not on the way to work. I ate out in the lovely market this summer and it was a fantastic place to relax.

[@englishmaninmarktredwitz2228]

Great video. My son lived in nearby Stockwell for a while and we often visited Brixton. As you say an amazing area, the market is wonderful.

[@GenialHarryGrout]

I briefly lived in London in the mid 80's and Stockwell and Brixton were areas that you didn't go to. It looks like there has been a lot of regeneration in the area since then.

[@argonaut816]

There are places in the UK I would not visit. Rotherham, Bradford etc

[@maplady572]

Another fascinating video that lasts about as long as it takes to eat a sandwich! Love it Geoff, thanks. Brixton is one of my favourite places in London.

[@Xipheas]

Nice video as always! Would have been nice to see the driver shuffle in action though.

[@313rail]

Really loving this series mate

[@Th08]

The one we have all been waiting for, lovely video Geoff, smashed it

[@randomtrainfan6501]

Fabulous video as always geoff! Well done😀

[@sara.othman]

Wow, the cinematography just gets better and better Geoff

[@ianangusmann]

I’m really enjoying this series of videos Geoff. 😊

[@brianfretwell3886]

When they replaced the "birdcage" bridge on what is now the overground (it was then the South London Line) they said that they could add platforms for an interchange/ replacement for East Brixton station. However in those days all the trains on it were only 2 carriages. 2EPB or class 456.

[@kanedaku]

*I can explain that emergency exit!* A few decades ago (from at least the 80s, and until they did the first major refurbishment somepoint in the 00s, cant remember the year), there was a through corridor from the main entrance going to Electric Lane, which had small retail units on the right. Think mobile phone fascias and Poundland type bric-a-brac items. Iirc there was a vinyl and cassette shop in there too.

[@michaelocyoung]

The intro map colours are beginning to trigger my OCD.

[@amazon_support]

i once had a commute made infuriating by the lack of overground / national rail line interchange at brixton. many times read the wikipedia entry about the curved line and tilted track that would make it financially prohibitive and then if i remember correctly it was a project that was started but was abandoned because of the war? could be wrong. deserves another deep dive.

[@metropod]

NYCTA does something similar on many lines but we call it “Dropping Back”.

[@metropod]

Though I should point out we don’t have a plunger system. When I finish my run and a new crew takes over, I just step off and move to the side. The dispatchers give the train the clearance to leave by turning on a series of lights mounted above the train and triggering a bell.

[@carlitox472]

The connector station for overground would be the rebuilt East Brixton.

[@paulnolan5451]

I'm currently in London, bankside premier inn, my friend was staying in brixton so got to see brixton a few times,very busy.

[@davidbisping5000]

Looking forward to my local station at Walthamstow Central, dont forget the new ticket hall that iS coming....

[@SDCentralTSV]

Hey Geoff you may or may not remember my playlist comment from the Morden video. Just wanted to say thank you for everything you do - your channel is genuinely one of the must fun things out there, especially for a train nerd such as myself, and I absolutely love it! About the playlist thing though, the videos in all of your playlists are actually in reverse chronological order too, not just this one until you thankfully fixed it 😅

[@Dazza13]

Love Brixton, such a cool area to relax, eat and have a good time 👍

[@maggiesamuels2937]

Thanks Geoff my home Brixton brilliant place to live always busy and vibrant and full of colours awww! David Bowie our Brixton boy.⚡

[@notthatcreativewithnames]

I love how the TfL just went "you know what? No one gonna see your ads anyway, so why bother?"

[@sara.othman]

That last bin shot was very much needed!!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

1:21 It’s breathtaking and just so cool!

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Good explanation of the RCC plunger, they also have the same set up at elephant and castle Bakerloo platforms

[@66PHILB]

If only everything in life was as reliable as a litter bin shot in Geoff's latest video.

[@TheOracle65]

Great video and series Geoff. Must head out to Brixton on my next London trip. Nice Pret tea/rubbish bag in the in wind ending too.

[@asac159]

Thanks as usual Geoff. Must check it out. Also thanks for the gratuitous bin liner at the end; I was beginning to wonder......

[@jacquelineharrod6386]

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you.

[@davidrobertson8573]

We’re now ready for the Bond Street video

[@rossliverpool101]

Keep these videos coming I can't wait for more episode especially the Upminster one where I grew up

[@Jensen685]

Love it Geoff!

[@ThrushCZX]

Funnily enough I've been to Brixton four time these pst couple of weeks for gigs just down the road, and I've never noticed that mural at the station entrance. But like you, I like Brixton a lot. Been coming here for 27 years; from my first gig at the Academy in 1995 to my most recent one at Electric Brixton just two days ago.

[@mdrnlevi]

ah always enjoy people talking about the places near me ! while it might not have the next reputation, brixton is an incredibly interesting place !

[@a11oge]

you have a nice bit of social history here Geoff. keep up the spendid work on this excellent series.