Lost Trains: Liverpool Street to Addiscombe

[@DavidNewmanDr]

I like the idea of a series on abondonned routes. It will complement the series by other KZbinrs on abandonned stations and the least used stations.

[@francisboyle1739]

Don't worry Jago, we're here for the weird!

[@RichardFelstead1949]

We're a weird mob.

[@wiredwomble7958]

When I used to commute into Liverpool Street, I remember seeing Shoreditch through a cutting from the train window. Didn't understand at the time why there was an underground train sat off to the corner.

[@marcuspethurst2939]

Working at Shoreditch station you could literally walk along the old trackbed to the lines out of Liverpool Street. Nothing really to block you.

[@drnoeltredinnick5983]

Questipn: Why particularly choose "Addiscombe" to run services into Liverpool St: why not, say, Beckenham Junction or Bromley South? Were there a lot of City types living in or near Addiscombe who worked in or near Liverpool Street (who didn't want to walk there from London Bridge each morning)? I'm curious. You covered this really but in reverse: these days, to do the same journey, you'd have to take 4 trains: 1) catch the Croydon Tram (Addiscombe to Elmers End) 2) South Eastern from E End to New Cross 3) London Overground from NC to Whitechapel 4) and Elizabeth Line from WC to Liverpool St/Moorgate. So yes, a "one seat" service fir that journey would today be preferable to the 4 listed above - for the city-slickers of Addiscombe, certainly. Noël

[@Redblockish]

I don't really have anything constructive to say beyond the fact that I'm excited for more in this series! Excellent work as always Mr. Hazzard.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Famous Last Words: “…because I’m weird like that…”

[@eattherich9215]

I like a bit of weirdness.

[@roboftherock]

No, hardly weird. Definitely eccentric. Or possibly 'I think differently from other people'.

[@archstanton6102]

What is "normal" these days?

[@PeterGaunt]

All the best people are at least a bit strange if not somewhat weird :-)

[@mcarp555]

I love being able to vicariously poke around in all the little nooks and crannies in and around London. I sincerely wish I had another century (at least) to just explore the city and its environs.

[@PeterGaunt]

By the time you'd finished you'd have to start all over again.

[@mcarp555]

@@PeterGaunt That would be fine too.

[@davidjames579]

You're at least 100 years old?

[@mcarp555]

@@davidjames579 Sometimes I feel like it.

[@davidjames579]

@@mcarp555 it's when you said you'd like Another 100 years

[@jermainelong1843]

8:07 - I had a mild shock moment when you said, "...we'll be taking the tram to Blackhorse Road." Maybe one day.

[@tomheadington4762]

Sounds like an amazing series. The first service that comes to mind is Watford junction to Liverpool lime street (I think that's where it went). Originally went into broad street but obvs you can't do that

[@highpath4776]

(lord)Liverpool Street

[@juliansadler6263]

The Graham Road curve was built so the trains could access Liverpool Street. Now only used for empty stock movements.

[@jackmartinleith]

"you can't do that" Told you before.

[@mrbdmnable]

Addiscombe & then Beckenham (near New Beckenham station) were my old stomping grounds when I lived in London, but I worked north in the Holloway area. I would have loved this - my commute would have been infinitely easier.

[@shero113]

Edgware to Kings Cross on the GNR (via Finsbury Park)? My grandfather took this route in I believe 1939, at least once.

[@Tevildo]

The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway. Opened 1867, closed to passenger traffic 1954, closed to goods traffic 1964. most track removed 1971. The surviving section is now the Northern Line between Highgate and Mill Hill East.

[@hairyairey]

@@Tevildo I still think that extending from Mill Hill East to Edgware is a good idea. Would obviously cost millions though but adds capacity to the Northern Line.

[@davidjames579]

"You really shouldn't take that route. My grandfather took that route once. Once!"

[@OK-wf1pe]

@@davidjames579 They stopped passenger services in 1939 so he took one of the last trains. I wonder how long it took?

[@petes6814]

Don’t forget that platforms 1 and 2 at Liv St used to be through platforms onto the Met/Circle line. Photos available in Great Eastern Society publications.

[@MrGreatplum]

Excellent - this looks like my sort of day out, trains, dlr, trains, bus, tram and walking!

[@andydrew2003]

If you depart Liv St or approach it from the far side, you can briefly glimpse what's left of Shoreditch at track level. Not much, mind! I've tried to capture it multiple times but alas the train is normally travelling too quickly. A great piece of trivia with the 90s refurbed ELL stations is that you can see the slight difference between East London orange on the frieze and Overground orange with the platform signs. You've been stomping a lot on my old turf recently Jago :) I remember the blue hoardings that used to surround the East London line platform at New Cross when it closed. The CCTV cameras still have Underground stickers on them, and on the approach you can still catch a glimpse of New Cross depot! There's still numerous signs around New Cross and New Cross Gate directing passengers to the LU East London line, or the subsequent replacement bus services that ran for a few years. Lewisham of course has changed a lot since my youth, I think most notably the removal of the roundabout and gardens around the station. Was born in Lewisham Hospital so really that whole area means a lot to me.

[@DavidShepheard]

I'll be really looking forward to seeing you do all the Lost Trains that went over tracks that the Metropolitan District Railway squatted on and then took over. There are four platforms at East Putney and the line from there to Wimbledon is owned by Network Rail and the stations used to be run by British Rail staff. When I was a kid we went on a special BR train from Southfields to the seaside. And late one night, I got on a train from Waterloo that went via Wandsworth Town straight through Southfields to Wimbledon, only to get off at Wimbledon and find there were no more District Line trains back to Southfields. Reproducing the services that used the two other platforms at East Putney would be a bit of a challenge, but I'd love to see the entire routes. Who knows, maybe, if Crossrail 2 happens, and we get some other projects that free up capacity, maybe some of these services will come back in some sort of form. At the very least, I would love to see the London Overground trains that terminate at Clapham Junction extend on the East Putney Station and turn around there.

[@highpath4776]

Nearly not off topic. Bow Curve in Passenger Use on June 15th all day 1/2 hourly. For those that need their Fenchurch Street Stratford Direct itch scraching

[@michaellennon873]

When I lived in Lee I once caught a train from Bromley to Stafford direct. I think it started at Folkestone or Dover.

[@stalbanstransport]

8:08"blackhorse road" that's a nice clip of a 2009 stock my favorite train

[@vincentlugthart4618]

I did a double take at that point too. Who knew there was a Blackhorse Lane as well as a Blackhorse Road?

[@WarrenYoutube]

I would absolutely use that service, since I live near one station and work near another. At the moment (if I'm not cycling) it takes a 10 min train + a 20 minute walk, which is fine when it's not raining!

[@Maltloaflegrande]

In 1979, I worked for a while, on a building site in Brick Lane and, living at East Ham, used to travel to and from work on the Underground changing at Whitechapel and using the East London line to Shoreditch which at the time was only open Monday to Friday rush hours; perfect for me. Sad to see the station building looking as it does now. In 1989, now living in Canning Town, I bought a guitar in Croydon and to get home, walked to Addiscombe; still a rather charming little terminus station in the 'burbs. Changing at NCG, I travelled from there to Whitechapel, so I too have done almost the entire route incrementally.

[@cigmorfil4101]

Wasn't Shoreditch also open Sunday mornings for the market? (Petticoat lane?)

[@Maltloaflegrande]

@@cigmorfil4101 Could well be. I only remember it as being some kind of restricted service for sure; other details I've forgotten over the years as it was a very long time ago.

[@aliendon73]

The tracks are still down at Spenser Road Halt, including the footbridge. The bridge is still maintained by Network Rail strangely.

[@DavidBromage]

Some interesting Tube services that existed into this century are Upminster to Hammersmith (H&C), Acton Town to Barking via Edgware Road, Ealing Broadway to Edgware Road via Aldgate, Kensington Olympia to Baker Street via Aldgate, Barking to Edgware Road via Victoria and Plaistow to Harrow-on-the-Hill.

[@AndrewGruffudd]

Yes, I remember Addiscombe - the name: because one afternoon of heat the express-train drew up unwontedly. It was late June. And I remember the East London line too, because 25 years ago I, too, was quite short and didn't go into central London x

[@1258-Eckhart]

What a lovely idea for a series. I would suggest retracing the route from Broad Street to Watford Junction as it was run in its final years into Liverpool Street via the Graham Road Curve off the North London Line. Its current incarnation is as part of the Overground system (and not from Liverpool Street).

[@stevecooksley]

I remember as a small boy living in Deptford in the 70s seeing the East London line trains serving New Cross and New Cross Gate - I couldn't work out how they managed to escape the tunnels.

[@philipfischer1612]

One is when SW Rail runs from Wimbledon to Waterloo via the district line/Wandsworth another is the Old Primrose Hill Station in between Camden Road and South Hampstead stations

[@NinjaSurferTrainspotting]

0:22 I mean I'm pretty sure Jago could make a video on that and it would still be interesting!

[@hyperdistortion2]

Really interesting video, and hopefully the start of a really interesting series! Always fun to see you in and around Croydon; seeing if I can see myself in the background somewhere. At any rate, I’d absolutely use this service if it still existed. For one thing it’d make getting to Stansted a damned sight easier, just jump on a train at Addiscombe, change to the Stansted Express at Liverpool St, and Bob’s someone’s uncle.

[@neville132bbk]

LeviNZ presents his compliments and appreciates the clarity of the video...one can almost smell the rainy ground. Deptford was whence my very working class forebears sailed around mid November 1858 on the "Strathallan", the whole voyage taking around 90 days with the ship dropping anchor off the new settlement of Timaru in late Feb 1859.

[@jordanwelsh6406]

Fascinating subject. I sometimes wish that the London Crosslink still existed for a cross capital connection.

[@IndigoJo]

There's a map of the old London, Brighton and South Coast Railway networks on the wall at Victoria (it's in one of the exits that are straight ahead as you leave the Brighton side; pretty sure it's the one on the left) and it shows the ELR route between New Cross Gate and Liverpool Street as part of its network. Shoreditch station was clearly visible from any suburban train leaving Liverpool Street on the Romford line until it closed. I had a letter printed in the Croydon Advertiser when I lived in Croydon suggesting it be reincorporated into the main line network to facilitate south-north journeys. Of course, that didn't happen. I was in a boarding school in Ipswich in the early 90s and a direct link from Croydon to Liverpool Street would have made the journey a bit simpler, although I enjoyed the walk from London Bridge to Liverpool Street.

[@TheHoveHeretic]

Simce the mid 1920s, Hove Station jas featured part of Victoria's redundant* porte-cochère covering the area due south of the main building. The pre-grouping identity remains strong at both Hove and Brighton stations. * pre-Southern Railway's knocking the old LBSC & LCDR stations into one, 1923-25.

[@sallylegg2054]

I used to live close to Addiscombe Station and work near Liverpool Street so in theory the service would have been useful to me. My actual commuting route was walking to East Croydon station, getting a fast train to London Bridge (either non-stop or one stop at Norwood Junction) then walking from there. I did try the route from Addiscombe to London Bridge but it took far longer as it stopped at every stop and the service less frequent. Once Addiscombe Station was closed and the tram was running, I used the tram to and from East Croydon station when it was dark as it didn’t feel safe to walk. When I fully realised how “dodgy” the area was between East Croydon Station and Addiscombe was (the second sex shop opening up was a clue and someone pointed out the premises that at first glance looked like a beauty parlour was in fact a brothel), I moved away! Judging by house price increases in the last 20 years, the area must be more salubrious now.

[@UncleBoko]

Do you remember Portman Cars?

[@sallylegg2054]

@@UncleBoko No Was that near the Alma Tavern? I used to go to a garage on Neville Road in West Croydon, but can’t remember the name

[@UncleBoko]

@@sallylegg2054 Yes, it was almost next door. It's now a block of flats!

[@markellis6413]

Could easily have done Liverpool Street to Croydon Central taking the East London Line to New Cross Gate.. Another service around the same time as this one. Bearing in mind the South Eastern's original main line is the line from London Bridge to Redhill and then to Tonbridge, which forced the LBSCR to build the Quarry Line to avoid the congestion at Redhill. The LBSCR built the now closed Coulsdon North station as Coulsdon South was built and owned by the SER (as was Merstham). The map at Victoria identifies these 2 stations as SER stations.

[@captainjoshuagleiberman2778]

Reason for doing video on Deptford Bridge - because it is there.😊

[@stephenlee5929]

Reasons for doing a video about Addiscombe - because it isn't there? 😊

[@juliansadler6263]

Not a lifting bridge any more as Deptford Creek is closed for shipping.

[@benhayward6336]

Great video Jago, amazing to think what kind of services would of now existed if this route wasn't abondoned. One adondoned route that is interesting is the St. Pancras to Tilbury Boat trains route via Suffragette (aka GOBLIN) line and Kentish Town. I believe the service ended around 1966.

[@maurice8607]

Interesting video but the clip around where the old Shoreditch station was an eye opener for sure. I walked around that way many times in the 70s and 80s as i lived only ten minutes away. The change...... And not for the better.

[@geekandguide]

Fascinating. I used to live in Addiscombe and would sometimes take the train to London from Addiscombe station just for a bit of fun - it being a lot quicker to walk up to East Croydon station. Yes, you are correct, the site of the line to Addiscombe is now called the Linear Park. You asked if such a route would be any use today? Probably not with the fast East Croydon to London service as well as the WIndrush line.

[@PeterGaunt]

Thanks

[@JagoHazzard]

And thank you!

[@nicholaskelly1958]

A Wonderful Idea! Addiscombe was my all time favourite suburban terminus! Today my favourite is Briomley North! As a child I remember seeing summer excursions from the Eastern Region in Brighton which had used Marc Brunel's tunnel and the East London Line. I think that it was 1964 when I saw a pair of North British Class 16 Bo-BoDE locomotives. It was the only time I ever saw a Class 16!

[@shaunhouse8469]

You could have mentioned that the "Addiscombe" tramstop is actually in more or less in the same place as Bingham Road station on the Selsdon Road line. I might well have made use this route, for about a year I worked in the Tower Hill area and visited my sister who lives in between Woodside and Elmers End two evenings a week so Whitechapel to Elmers End or Woodside would have been a reasonable way of doing this

[@anthonylloyd6094]

I was on the last train from West Ealing to West Ruislip.

[@franktuckwell196]

Used to drive trains from nx down to elmers end then either down to hayes, or alternatively to woodside then addiscoombe.

[@malcolmspargo2955]

My first visit to your site, very interesting. However, as a photographer, I would recommend that your walking shots, that you invest in a reasonably cheap Gimbal, this will make the moving shots better and not give a "sea sick" feeling. I look forward to looking at various other videos you have on line. Best wishes MJS Photo

[@keef71]

While used mainly by goods/parcels trains, the Liv. Street-Shoreditch link (Bishopsgate Jcn.) was used by holiday/excursion trains from the LNER area to the Southern, trains reversed in Liv. St.

[@gavinhagan8357]

I found this format intriguing Jago. A hybrid of travel video, survivor and history lesson. Way cool. Thanks.

[@richardw8323]

Looking forward to this new series. I always enjoy your videos every evening!

[@mza5817]

As I’m from Ladywell it’s great seeing its station in one of your videos.

[@sr6424]

I find the East London part interesting. Liverpool Street is close to the financial district of London. If you were commuting from here to the South East it could be convenient to change at New Cross or New Cross Gate opposed to going via London Bridge. I guess going into London would be fine. However going out of London would be a pain trying to get onto a paced train in NewCross!

[@lassepeterson2740]

There once was a broad gauge train from London Victoria Station to somewhere on the GWR . That would be neat to do .

[@stevieinselby]

You can easily get from Addiscombe to Liverpool Street in under an hour - bus/tram to East Croydon, Thameslink train to Blackfriars, Circle Line to Liverpool Street. With frequent services on all legs of the journey, that's more convenient than an hourly direct train that takes just as long.

[@birdbrain4445]

Lmao what a wonderfully nerdy idea, recreating these old journeys in the modern day. I love it. Honestly, whilst I don't know that Addiscombe as a terminus is the most useful place for it to go, I think there could have been some potential in a direct connection between the southeast and Liverpool Street. That's actually not a service that exists in the modern day in any sense - the directly connected termini from here are London Bridge, Charing X, Cannon St, Victoria, Waterloo (via Waterloo East) and Blackfriars. Of all the other termini Liverpool St seems the next most obvious candidate for a direct connection. Great video!

[@shayneslaughter2031]

Mrs S ( ex. East London Line) watched this with me and suddenly shouted out the name of the very last SM (Station Manager) at Shoreditch. Just asked her his name again for posterity...and she's forgotten it! 🙄

[@shayneslaughter2031]

Now remembered: Mickey Soper 🙂

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Well done on the new series! It sounds fun!

[@RalphBellairs]

I only have a casual interest in UK railway history (strangely, for a Mancunian, I have a particular fascination for the Southern Railway!) but I enjoy your videos for the light hearted scripts and excellent narration.🙂

[@paultidd9332]

Yes please! This is a good series idea. I liked the walk about.

[@Blade_Daddy]

Keep 'em coming, please.

[@lfcloyal8284]

I remember a service in British Rail days that went from Millom to Cambridge

[@PokhrajRoy.]

There’s so much walking involved that I need to top up on my water

[@trainmantrain9113]

Thankyou Jago. Brilliant!

[@englishciderlover7347]

Thank you. Two words, not one.

[@mikebirkett010]

I can remember back in the 80s, taking my mk1 Ford Escort from Dorset to Elmers End for a diff replacement (who remembers Exchange and Mart?). Took a train to Addiscombe thinking it was Croyden. Well, was the walk worth it?.......

[@kevinfitzpatrick444]

Ooo this is an interesting series idea, plenty of possible routes to cover like the old North London Line services through Primrose Hill to Watford or Metropolitan all the way to Verney Junction (good luck with that if you do it...) I'd always been fascinated in the idea of trying similar with old Roman Roads and buses, like see how much of Watling Street I could cover from London by bus etc

[@richardeyers322]

my old area ladywell,where the ladys got water from the well,and where years ago when it rained, ladywell flooded,and my old aurts house used to flood,

[@BrassicGamer]

When I used to live in Romford, I would commute from Liverpool Street and was always fascinated by being able to see the old Shoreditch station as the train pulled out. I think it was one of the first times I looked at something like that and thought "Hmm... I guess these used to be connected!"

[@GeoffArnold1]

Two points: (1) If you want to use that Readly link, disable your ad-blocker first. Mine treats the whole Readly website as one huge advertisement. (2) It would have been very useful to show a map (not a diagram) of the area from Liverpool Street to Addiscombe, and overlay on that map two distinctively coloured lines. One would depict the original route, the other the convoluted journey you had to take. If, as you mentioned, this is intended to be the first in an occasional series, perhaps you could do this in future episodes.

[@paulhaynes8045]

You do realise that this is Jago Hazard you address - the famously map-averse KZbinr?! Just be glad we get ANY maps at all!

[@markedwards158]

As an Old Croydonian who grew up around Addiscombe and Elmers End I find these fascinating.

[@jkang7265]

This is a fresh new angle for the channel Mr. H, really enjoyable. I genuinely hope we get a walk-the-old-route option on the leading train sim pc games someday haha

[@martinparkinson3665]

Any videos on the railways in Deptford would be appreciated by me , my Father's family came from there and all his generation are gone now so any historical background information is enjoyed .

[@szbnahl]

4:55 Suddenly got a really strange sense of deja vu there. No idea why.

[@Jothamvw]

There's quite a bit there's quite a bit

[@subnormality5854]

they changed something in the Matrix

[@fredsmith6725]

Jago Hazard channel just practicing a bit of rapping😂

[@PeterGaunt]

Perhaps you were a railway engine in a previous life?

[@UncleBooBoo]

One of the Hazzards of this line of work!

[@nigelclark1823]

Have enjoyed your videos for some time, reminding of a rail system I formerly worked on. Now living in Perth WA, and would like see something on the line from London Bridge out to Forrest Hill / Sydenham way. Or what’s left of Crystal Palace (low level). Sorry to be long winded, keep your great work.

[@nigelclark1823]

Few word’s missed, sorry for that.

[@mattys655]

Nice idea for a series, keep them coming!

[@wyvernmodelrailway]

Now I can understand why LB&SCR had terriers named Fenchurch, Stepney.

[@henrybest4057]

@8:05 you say you're getting the tram from Elmers End to Blackhorse Road. That journey may have been possible before the 1950s, using several differernt trams, but not now. Blackhorse Road is on the Victoria line. I think you meant Blackhorse Lane.

[@leylandlynxvlog]

I made a journey from London Bridge to Elmers End which is somewhat similar to your journey, just two days ago - Southern train bound for Caterham to East Croydon, then tram to Elmers End.

[@davidgiles95]

Hey Jago, loved the video! How about an episode on the original services that went through the Snow Hill tunnel (what is now Thameslink)?

[@JagoHazzard]

Already done!

[@davidgiles95]

@@JagoHazzard whoops! May bad. Thanks!

[@rainyfeathers9148]

I wouldn't know about its potential but I'd use it for the scenery, it's why I like those track walks where it's all naturey. 'Stuck in time' areas are good too📷

[@PhilipStorry]

Despite living on the Mid-Kent Line, and having worked in the City in the past, I don't think I'd take this service if it still existed. Mostly because it ended six years before my local station, Clock House, opened. I'd just be standing on a platform watching the train trundle past! I could walk to New Beckenham or Elmers End, but at that point I may as well just go to London Bridge on the Mid Kent Line and take the tube... It's an interesting historical artefact,and I suspect that most of the ticket takings were probably from New Beckenham from City Gents commuting. I'm a big fan of "If you build it they will come", but I do wonder if there are already enough connections along the route that people would be happy to take other routes - especially as the tunnel was evidently popular and would probably present a bottleneck that limits service frequency.

[@michellebell5092]

One of my current objectives is to visit the site of Addiscombe Road, I’ve not quite managed it yet. I’m definitely going to make reference to this video .

[@CoxallK]

Despite BR being in decline back then and lack of money around, I still feel there was too much short termism back then and had they thought it through better, so much money could have been saved. No1. Keeping the Addiscombe to Liverpool Street/London Bridge connection would have taken pressure off of East Croydon north towards London. Instead, they run it down and made it 'a hardly worthwhile' half hour service to Elmers End. No2. Keeping the Bingham Road to Selsdon branch and extended it out to Three Bridges / Brighton / Tunbridge Wells, again, taking pressure off of south of East Croydon along the BML portion. Thankfully, what happened back then would never happened now but part of me wishes the above closures never happened at all.

[@Boabywankenobi]

Tremendous premise - this is the opportunity for the long awaited Primrose Hill to Broad Street video. If I win the Euromillions, I swear I will commission you to do this!

[@wraithcadmus]

9:20 - Wait, there used to be a stop between South Croydon and Sanderstead? I feel you'd need some steps for that, the track is 4.5m off the road. Was that near the garages in that industrial park?

[@msg5507]

Back on New Year's Day I commented on your 1,000-subscriber video from years before that you should do more of those walking videos - and now you did! I don't think I'd use this route though because the 67 tram from Carnegie terminates at the University of Melbourne which is still quite a walk from Addiscombe.

[@zitzong]

Yes I think a direct service from Liverpool Street to Addiscombe would be very popular, at least for Jago's subscribers if not anyone else. 😄

[@andrewhotston983]

I've never understood why the junction at the northern end of the East London line wasn't altered to face away from Liverpool Street, so it could be used by through trains without the need to reverse in Liverpool Street.

[@paintedpilgrim]

I could certainly see the Liverpool St.-Lewisham section being useful, especially if it were an Overground frequency service (ie a train every 10-15 minutes) as well as it being a broadly circular route avoiding much of Zone 1, and therefore fitting the ethos of the Overground.

[@billgreenwood1000]

I would love to have this back.

[@DavidShepheard]

Say Jago. Is there any chance you could look at the recent "Thamslink 2000" automation of the Thamslink core and compare it to the East London Line (Windrush Line) to see if you can figure out if it would be possible to "restore" the Liverpool Street to Addiscombe route and other lost routes, without impacting the current London Overground services. I've often thought that, if Wapping Station and Rotherithe Station were rebuilt, the East London Line could be taking 8 car trains or even 12 car trains. We could get a lot more people through London, from North of London to South of London and "replicate" Thameslink's success. (The Same could also be done with the West London Line, if you have a list of the other routes that used to use that. Plus we could boost the North London Line and South London line to help other cross-London services get brought back.)

[@hairyairey]

If you extend Rotherhithe station you will have practically joined it to Canada Water. Not that it would be a bad thing.

[@tomdg13]

Have you already covered the middle circle? I remember standing at Latimer Road where you can still see the turn-off. I also remember when they first re-opened the West London Line, which but for that would be another good candidate for this video

[@mdhazeldine]

Seems like the fastest and easiest route these days would be Elizabeth Line to Farringdon, Thameslink to East Croydon and then a bus and a quick walk to get to Addiscombe Station Park (takes 53-59 minutes depending on when you go). Not that many people actually want to go there. If you want to get to East Croydon (which is where most people actually want to go), it's only 37 minutes. I'm not sure the old route could compete with that. If you need to get from South East London to Croydon you have at least 3 alternative options now, so there would be no point in reinstating the route.

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

Sometimes what survives and what doesn't is a quirk of fate. You can't get a direct train from Liverpool St to Addiscombe BUT you can get a direct train from Shoreditch High St to West Croydon on the Overground.

[@robertsmith4830]

I have this really weird memory of turning up to Liverpool Street late in the evening (usually on a Friday after a visit to the pub) and seeing a train with an unusual livery (i.e. not the usual First Great Anglia grey with blue and green stripes) waiting to depart to somewhere that I seem to think was not normally served from Liverpool Street. This would have been back in the early- to mid-2000s but for the life of me I can't remember the exact details - I'd love to know if this is actually a real memory and not a figment of my imagination.

[@lfewell2161]

I think trains that the trains that use Fenchurch Street are diverted into Liverpool Street when the track around fenchurch st is closed for maintenance.

[@SnowdriftBoy]

Brilliant!👏

[@nanduthalange7736]

I'd like to suggest Lugate Hill to Wimbledon via Loughborough Junction and Clapham Junction - a route I would have used in former years

[@robertwilloughby8050]

There used to be a train from Paddington to..... drum roll please........ Leeds! It ran for a few years in the mid 80's with usually twin Class 31's hauling it. King's Cross and St Pancras I can understand, even Liverpool Street over the long closed Great Northern/Great Eastern joint line, but Paddington? PADDINGTON!?

[@siyuanhuo7301]

Paddington has services going up to Oxford where it joins Cross Country

[@christophermatthews6972]

@@siyuanhuo7301 I remember there being two circular services going from Paddington to Oxford and Worcester, then Bromsgrove, Birmingham, Oxford and Paddington, and vice versa.. This was in the 1970s.

[@CarolineFord1]

@@siyuanhuo7301 but that would only get you to Sheffield

[@hairyairey]

I remember a daily service to Manchester from Brighton which sadly doesn't exist any more.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

@@hairyairey Now, that was what remained of the "Sunny South Express", that ran from 1910(!), when it was a collaboration between the London and North Western and the London Brighton and South Coast.

[@jackiespeel6343]

I have only done part of it - but will mention the walk along the Ravensbourne from Deptford Bridge Station.

[@partypoppers1988]

I'm here for this series!

[@Jimyjames73]

Hey Jago - @ 0:38 - Your not wired - Your just Jago Hazzard!!! Also is any one going to talk about the Glitch @ 4:55??? Double also I've done this one - I went from Millers Dale Station to Matlock in Derbyshire - even thou / funny thou the Line Closed in 1968 so I had to do it on my Mountain bike (it's been turn in to Path way now & the Line now officially end at Bakewell) - but I carried on alone the old track bed all the way to Matlock even thou I wasn't really suppose to - We won't talk about that!!! 😉🚂🚂🚂

[@andrewwebster6025]

There is often talk of extending the Bakerloo line to Lewisham and taking over the Hayes Line but what about extending the overground from New Cross instead. It has already been done via New Cross Gate. Admittedly it might prove a bit more difficult to join up with the Lewisham line as there is only a single track running into New Cross at the moment

[@CornyAgain]

I might occasionally use this service, I’m in Cambridge and have family down by Catford Bridge. So oddly it would compete with Thameslink for me but given Thameslink is always the first thing to get cancelled in any strike or bad weather or anything, and Liverpool Street the last, it could work well…

[@owenHarveyWilliams]

Yes please on a video about Deptford Bridge DLR!

[@ShedTV]

Well, I would have used the Addiscombe to Redhill service had it been built. I lived next to Addiscombe station and worked opposite Redhill Station.

[@wickiezulu]

Leaving the reconnection to Liverpool Street aside, what were the other proposed extensions to the ELL before it became part of the Overground? Were there any ideas for example for a south-to-north linking of the ELL from Shadwell to the Lea Valley line at around Cambridge Heath with a resited stop at Whitechapel (loosely inspired by attempts to link W&C with Lea Valley, etc) or other little known ideas (e.g. a northeast extension perhaps)? Are there any sources that go into detail on those schemes?