Magnificent Machines at the London Museum of Water and Steam

[@sea80vicvan]

6:16 "I mean, when you had punk rock and Margaret Thatcher (1983), this thing was still working." So, in other words, a real-life example of steampunk.

[@backwashjoe7864]

If we follow the pattern, anachronisms from 1969 can be dated with “when you had Woodstock and Richard Nixon, this thing was still around.” 😊

[@vickielawless]

It outlasted the Iron Lady; don't knock it...

[@jonathandevries2828]

"I'm not an engineer and i barely even drink water..." LOL

[@SmudgeThomas]

Honestly that felt like a "wait aren't we all like that?"

[@johnboxxy3432]

I find water flavoured with hops is most agreeable.

[@colinrobinson7869]

@@johnboxxy3432 or even apples

[@cjstephens10028]

Hence the dry wit?

[@Blade_Daddy]

Jago,what do you drink?

[@apolloc.vermouth5672]

"And what would you like to be when you grow up, 1980s Little Jago?" "A public transport influencer!" "A what, now....?"

[@richieixtar5849]

Time for an admission. Back in the early 90's I was a backline tech looking after on this occasion a Jazz band who had a gig at the Museum.. We set up on a large concrete plinth ready to receive some sort of engine and after the gig, as I was 'tearing down' I managed to drop a drum key down an open pipe that ended just beside the kit. I have always felt awful in case it wasn't found and caused some terrible damage inside an historic engine. I hope it didnt and i didnt mean to drop it.. sorry :)

[@sjones26573]

Standpipe is like a water tower but without the storage. It provides constant, even head (elevation-based representation of water pressure) to a distribution system. Taller the tower, the greater the head (get your mind out of the gutter). It also has the side benefit of eliminating the pump surge, as each pump will discharge at the open space at the top of the tower to the water within the tower/distribution system, which, again, stays at a relatively constant head. That benefit is not nearly as important with modern water distribution systems, so you almost exclusively see standpipes in water tower form, which can maintain head on the system for a relatively long time during a power outage, with such a large volume of water up so high. For the record, I am a Water Resources Engineer, but that involves bridges, culverts, drainage systems, and other forms of open-channel flow, so I am no expert on pressurized water. EDIT: For better context on why water towers are common while traditional standpipes are obsolete in the modern day, it’s important to consider that electricity is much cheaper at night with low demand. Water is pumped up to fill the tower at night, then released to the system via gravity during the day.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

…now that you mentioned that, i understand why the pipes in buildings and bridges that are used by firefighters in buildings are called that

[@joermnyc]

As part of the gravity fed water system in New York City, they built a tall bridge from the Bronx into upper Manhattan. This “Highbridge” had the aquaduct inside of it, while the top was a pedestrian walkway. At one end is a tall standpipe tower to keep the flow of water smooth and consistent. When the original brick viaduct design of the bridge proved to be detrimental to larger shipping in the river, they built a a steel arch bridge to replace the middle bit, without dismantling the entire thing to keep the water flowing.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@ as much as you want to believe that, it was diverted to the two other aqueducts while completely removing the old structure…it was impossible to not remove the pipe considering it was buried within the masonry!

[@francisboyle1739]

@@bostonrailfan2427 Some nice pictures on the Wikipedia page. Does NYC have it's own Jago, I wonder. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Bridge_(New_York_City)

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@ there’s Forgotten New York, he specializes in anything historic but has a long history of transit coversge

[@samuel_excels]

Your mention of Victorian industry trying to repair as much as possible of their equipment themselves reminded me of Beckton Gas Works. They got so proficient at repairing their locomotive fleet of Neilson tank engines they built two at their works themselves and then promptly got sued by Neilson for copying their design!

[@tsk67166]

It's time for... Open Source Locomotives!

[@tantaf123]

i will never get tired of watching the newest jago videos, never. this channel is truly a work of art

[@Ghauster]

There is something about watching a steam plant working. Watching the dance of the valve rods. Trying to understand all of the critical design problems that needed to be figured out to make that machinery dance so smooth and so long lasting.

[@ricolasroc5890]

Excellent video. My best friend got married nearby and had his reception there. It was great. Such a good place.

[@phaasch]

My goodness, I haven't seen the inside of Kew bridge in many years- its so good to see this fabulous place is still thriving. When I was in my teens I worked in a very similar place, the Brighton Engineerium, which was a perfect place to mis-spend my youth in a whole variety of fun and messy jobs. Like Kew, the workshop had all its original lineshaft driven machinery. Its all been stripped out now, closed to the public long ago. The beam engines are still there, but they'll probably never turn again. Its all such a bloody waste.

[@eddiewillers1]

Jago, you absolutely have to go take a look at the Markfield Engine in Tottenham - an 1886 beam engine used until 1963 and since restored in its original building.

[@abdullahseba4375]

Agreed!

[@kitchentroll5868]

The best waste of an afternoon I ever experienced was at the London Museum of Water and Steam. I ever have been and continue to be mesmerized by the baroque intricacies of steam-powered machines. How endlessly clever those designers were to find such elegant solutions in the sympathetic motions of all the moving parts.

[@euanduthie2333]

May I suggest that if you enjoyed it, that afternoon was absolutely not wasted.

[@samuelfellows6923]

🙃

[@gomezgomezian3236]

And how, machinery that would be forever hidden away inside an industrial complex, was so beautifully designed, painted, and presented.

[@brianv4100]

Added to my list of "Places I must visit when we get to London." I love that these machines were actually built to last...by people that actually cared! Thanks for showing us around ☺

[@TheManFrayBentos]

"Alister", ho ho ho. Been a few decades since I visited the Kew Steam Museum, always meant to go back, since there was more stuff being added. There's a canal basin nearby, which was also a likely coal supplier. You are the coal supply to my asthmatic beam engine.

[@criggie]

I was scanning the comments for a lead on the Alister joke. ALEAD, if you will....

[@mrb.5610]

Yeah , we all know Thames Water have their issues but thanks to them, we still have the engines at Kew Bridge, Kempton Park and Crossness. They can't be all bad !

[@loganmackenzie5294]

I like the fact that not only has Charles dickens himself visited it. But also two of my favourite shows have used it in some sort of capacity.

[@MrPete1x]

The next time someone says "do you know what" we could reply "no but I've seen his statue"

[@gdclemo]

So both Watt and Who have been here. Howe, Wye and Ware failed to comment.

[@AndrewMcColl]

We have some similar machines at MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) here in Auckland. They were used to draw drinking water from Western Springs. There are only a couple of machines still operational, but they make up for it with an on-site steam train and a selection of vintage trams, all of which are still operational and connect MOTAT to the Zoo and MOTAT 2 (which has planes).

[@richardvoogd705]

When I lived in Auckland, many years ago, the railway display at MOTAT was fairly static, and the reach of the tramway was somewhat limited. I hear it's a lot better these days. And yes, I did get to visit the pumping station before moving further south.

[@AndrewMcColl]

@richardvoogd705 it's best to visit on the Steam Days when the machines and engines are running. And they open up the tram workshop so you look around inside.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

It’s been years since I visited the place under its former guise. Timely reminder that I need to return. 👏👏👍😀

[@PeterDiehl-e3z]

I visited the museum in 2016 on a day when only the rotative engines were running. It's absolutely impressive that they show all these machines actually working on steam, rather than setting them into motion by some other means (such as the one beneath Tower Bridge). Unfortunately, I never managed to schedule my London trips on one of the rare days when the Cornish engines were running. So, I climbed around the idle Cornish engines and tried to imagine how it would feel, if they were running. Your videos now give a slight impression, but I think you really have to experience this live on site. I'm also glad to notice that there were quite a lot of visitors on the day you made the video, since there was only a handful of them during my visit. And, I've taken this opportunity to go through my video footage of that visit and I've now prepared a slow-motion version of one showing the traveling oil cans as a live desktop wallpaper. So, I now can see the inner workings of my computer in motion...

[@galinneall]

Excellent video! I visited the museum last year; it was amazing to see not only all the different engines, but I was also impressed with their detailed history of the London waterworks systems. Well worth a visit.

[@paulqueripel3493]

If you're ever in the area, there's another pumping station museum near Kempton Park, with a pair of 1000 ton triple expansion engines. Only 1 works though and only for a few weekends a year. Okay, he mentioned it.

[@darynvoss7883]

3:00 "The same Watt I mentioned before" Love your work.

[@Will-BG]

My first visit of this museum, called Kew Bridge Steam Museum at this time, left me with a wonderful memory. I returned there for the last time in 1985 when I was a mechanic in the French Navy. My maternal grandmother lived at the time in Isleworth just opposite Syon Lane station. Between the trains that I enjoyed watching go by, the Concorde too which flew over my grandmother's house twice a day, for the mechanics enthusiast that I am I can say that my rare stays in England were highly rewarded. It is very likely that I will visit this museum again in 2025. 😎

[@neilbain8736]

Steam engines and engine rooms are mesmerising. Being enclosed spaces, they also get hot. Opening them to public view, particularly on paddle steamers was an ideal solution for the engine crew* and public alike. Going down to see the engines on particularly long or Sunday cruises became a ritual experience that could return you dizzy and uncoordinated. Such are the bona fides of being a traveller. * Firemen were not so lucky, particularly in paradoxically named forced draught boilerooms. Their space was closed and sealed. And few people wanted to look at boilers which didn't appear to do much whereas engines were big and alive and moved and talked with rythmn and syncopation.

[@tonys1636]

I find the sound, smell and sight of a Steam Locomotive running at 95 mph on a mainline hauling a restored set of carriages with very lucky people on board, having paid an arm and a leg for the experience, absolutely beautiful, often wishing it was me tucking into that sumptuous breakfast or dinner.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

oh great, yet another small yet important museum to check out in London when I ever get across the pond!

[@tpobrienjr]

A small museum on the West side of the pond is the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology in San Antonio, Texas. Mostly old electrics and electronics, well presented.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@there’s two museums locally that utilize the same steam machines for similar reasons that are historic to the US for their firsts so i don’t need to go down there, i just wanted to add to smaller, more unique museums around London to visit especially ones out of the way but important

[@ronnyskaar3737]

This museum must be visited!

[@callumbooth-lewis6281]

5:42 was waiting for "I barely even drink steam"

[@delurkor]

In the mid 1950's I got to see the water works for Springfield Ohio, All steam using vertical and at least one horizontal engine engine. Sadly the facility was swep away in the sixties, replaced by modern pumps. The site is now a park on the northeast side of the town.

[@SynchroScore]

I believe there's one still intact somewhere in Ohio, but I can't remember where. The Waterworks Museum in Boston has a huge pumping engine preserved, though it doesn't operate.

[@pfjths]

The water wheel comes from a mill less than a mile from where I live. Good to see it being preserved.

[@tsegulin]

Hey Jago - are you following me? I was there on a London visit in September. Unfortunately that was not one of the days when they ran the engines, but still it was a good half day and I could have spent more time there. I'm old enough to remember steam locomotives and marine engines. I suppose most young people today don't get the opportunity to see, hear and smell these machines in action. Certainly internal combustion was more efficient in terms of the percentage of fuel energy burnt actually reaching the output shaft, but steam has a real personality all of its own that a diesel lacks. For one thing, the connecting rods, crankshaft and reversing linkage of most steam engines are totally exposed and can be seen in action. Think for a moment about the sheer amount of top class engineering design and machining it took to build what you are watching. These engines were built at a time when tradesmen took huge pride in their work and time and expense was often allowed to construct columns with artistically fluted sides like those found in ancient Greece and to decorate components with beautifully painted motives. Not merely fascinating utilitarian objects, these things were also quite beautiful to look at, well IMHO at least. The perfect synchronism and the repetition could be quite hypnotic to watch. I guess you feel the same way if you are making another video about the "mesmerizing" effect they can have when you watch them work. A mechanical symphony in motion. Even a Rolls Royce Merlin can't claim that! Then there's the sound - often surprisingly quiet for such a large engine unless it is accelerating with throttles fully open with the thunderous hissing of lots of steam to push those big pistons faster or the deafening blast they would make before first starting when they had to blow condensed water out of the cylinders. More than an engine, steam was a performance. There's also that unique blend of oil and water and coal (or whatever fuel was used) associated with these engines - especially with locomotives - a sweet smell that suggested the possibility of far journeys to exotic places. Diesel fumes stink by contrast. I notice you also dropped into the London Science Museum for grabs of the atmospheric engine (too old to be called a steam engine but if you must, then it's allegedly the oldest surviving example of a steam engine in the world). The museum also raises interesting questions about how it was possible in the early 19th century to build machines of such a size with enough precision to ensure steam doesn't just leak out between a sloppy fitting piston and cylinder. Also when you look at the thing built in one place then erected hundreds of kilometres away in some far-flung colliery in the 1850s - how on earth did they get that huge flywheel and those massive cylinders there and why did so much of the early stationary engines include wooden parts like the beam etc.? Ox-carts? Serious food for thought. The Victorians and Edwardians were nothing if not ingenious but the seed of their demise were laid at the very zenith of their time. I imagine Nicolaus Otto and Rudolf Diesel were not too popular there for some time (damn Germans!). Steam has certainly had its day but it was a major milestone upon which the industrial revolution was built starting with deeper mines to get more and cheaper coal for homes and factories to powering huge battleships that protected The Empire upon which the sun never set (although I actually watched it set one day in Hong Kong in 1997). This was the cutting edge of science and engineering of its day and almost entirely a British invention. Its equivalent today might be genomics or advanced computing networks or perhaps AI. How is the UK doing in these fields now? Your description of a triple expansion engine was pretty good Jago. The whole idea was that it wasn't possible to capture the the thermal energy from the entire expansion of steam in one cylinder, so you expanded high pressure steam in a small one (passed that to the crank) then passed that partially expanded steam to a larger one (passed that to the crank), then passed the further expanded steam output from that to an even larger one, (passed that to the crank), then passed the output of remaining steam to a condenser, thence back to the water tank and boiler. Damn - I missed the tank engine! I never saw them in my youth back in Sydney, but we had lots of Beyer-Peacock 4-6-4 engines working marshaling yards and country runs up to the 70s. Some had manufacturers name plates on the side from the 1880s. Can you imagine anything built today lasting that long? (The Boeing B-52?) The London area (and much more of the UK) is Mecca for the curious! Thanks again for your insights Jago.

[@johnm2012]

I associate the name Wicksteed with children's playground equipment, such as swings and slides. I remember from my childhood the maker's plates on such things saying "Wicksteed Park, Kettering". It turns out that Charles Wicksteed was an engineer based in Kettering, Northamptonshire but I haven't been able to find out whether he was related to Thomas (the man, not the engine).

[@caw25sha]

What you lose on the roundabouts you gain on the swings, according to Wicksteed's accountant.

[@Tevildo]

Thomas was Charles' uncle. Thomas' father, John Wicksteed (1774 - 1837) had four sons. Thomas was the youngest; the second son was Charles (1810 - 1855), father of Charles (1847 - 1931), the playground equipment manufacturer.

[@johnm2012]

@@Tevildo That's fascinating. Thank you very much.

[@Tevildo]

@@johnm2012 No problem. Source - the University of Oxford "Victorian Professions" website, which has one of the worst UI's I've had the displeasure of trying to use. Perhaps I should try it again with IE3. 😺

[@ukmusichero]

Wicksteed park, kettering, they also have a minature steam raillway to take you round the site

[@alexandraclement1456]

Thanks for giving me another idea of what to do when I go to London in May. Here's hoping that one of the little engines is working.

[@MrAsBBB]

I am now 56 but my father used to take me to any museum or anything that was interesting and this was one of the places he took me too. I remember it like it was yesterday. Fabulous to see it again. We have a family living above us where the son never leaves his bedroom , gets Deliveroo and his dad spends his day smoking skunk. I think I had the better upbringing.

[@dougmorris2134]

Hello Jago, steam power is fascinating, whether in the process of pumping, driving drive shafts for manufacturing processes or motion. My own experiences go back to my school days using a Mamod SE 2 (1963 or 1965) as the drive source. But in the 2020s actual scale models of live steam locomotives such as the Kerr Stuart Wren, Bagnall saddle tank and others in both 7/8 inch and 16mm to foot scales, and that demonstrates the power and fascination of steam wonderfully. A model or full size engine in action, inspiration from a bygone age.

[@yelfsteam]

Hey Jago fantastic video. It is a great museum. I should know i started volunteering there when i was 15 Unfortunately i moved out of London just before COVID so i don't volunteer there anymore. I was manly involved with the railway, but i was learning to drive the big Cornish beasts. My brother still volunteers on the railway. I know that the locomotive at the back of the shed is called Oto its a German diesel hydraulic locomotive. It hasn't run in ages and is privately owned by a volunteer. Looking forward to your video about the Hampton to kempton waterworks railway.

[@towgod7985]

Quite enjoyed that. I'am hoping to get back this summer to visit, I will definitely make a point of seeing these museums. Thanks for the video. Cheers.

[@brianparker663]

Have visited a couple of times. It really is a fab little museum.

[@temy4895]

Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE) ended up as a four cylinder installation in ships in the end, with two intermediate cylinders rather than one. The trouble with them in the naval application is that they didn't like running at high power for extended periods, as they would shake themselves to pieces. Whilst in warships they would be replaced by turbines (or diesels, in some smaller ships) they would endure in merchant ships, including the vast numbers of Liberty ships built in the US during WWII (along with their Ocean class predecessors and Fort & Park cousins).

[@luxwray4878]

I once watched one of their tea-dunking events there! A thrilling time had all around. Plus some great sights at Kew Bridge

[@batman51]

In the '50s there was a laundry near us where I would take items to be cleaned. It too had a belt driven boiler/washing system (as at 8.30) and I would just wander in and around all these thrashing belts until I found an employee to hand my items to. Great days!

[@conradharcourt8263]

Excellent video. Good to see that the engines are operating with real steam and not compressed air which can cause lubrication issues

[@HouseflyUK]

I love the Brentford Museums! The Musical Museum used to be in the small church along Brentford High Street (St. Georges I think?) and the steam museum was another favourite of mine! - I lived in one of the towers that were built on the old reservoirs and the names of the blocks were associated with steam engines and engineers - I lived in Cornish House in the mid 70's and then I lived in the row of houses on the other side of the road to the steam museum on Green Dragon Lane - that would have been early 80's - happy days!

[@RonPike]

great video! thanks! I took the train to Kempton in March, totally worth it, but a long walk from the station in town

[@julianellis8200]

If visiting Nottinghamshire it is worth visiting Papplewick pumping station, particularly on a steaming day. The building is magnificent and worth a visit just to see it.

[@Jcraft153]

Definitely added to my list of places to visit next time I've got a free day in London.

[@wembleyford]

Also, Crossness pumping station if you ever get a chance.

[@railenthusiast88]

Great video. Highly recommend visiting on the steam up days. I was very fortunate as I was volunteering at a similar museum at the time and so also saw the workshops and the gas fired boiler that is used on site.

[@mikesummers-smith4091]

Those belts are driven from a lineshaft - an engine at one end keeps the shaft turning at a constant speed, and belts can be engaged and disengaged with a lever to operate the individual pieces of kit. I remember them, but suspect there are few still in captivity. Belt fitter was a skilled trade; I doubt there are many of them still in captivity either.

[@simonf8902]

Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink : Jago aka the Ancient Mariner 😂

[@davidpierce3217]

I think part of the fascination with this technology is that you can imagine a small team of people being able to design and construct some of these machines almost entirely on their own. As opposed to a modern machine run by a microcontroller, which encapsulates such a staggering amount of accumulated human effort that it essentially demands an entire global infrastructure to support. Really interesting!

[@stevenfarrall3942]

Ooooo a shaft and belt drive workshop / machine shop. As an amateur user of lathes and stuff, that would be great.

[@MrAsBBB]

Thanks

[@JagoHazzard]

And thank you!

[@johnm2012]

The Original No 1 electric pump might not look as exciting as the steam engines but that control panel at 6:30 is gorgeous.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Vintage electrical equipment has a fascination all of its own. There's an interesting collection at Amberley, if you're ever able to make it round that way

[@MichaelCampin]

There is the same thing at Ryhope,Sunderland

[@roderickmain9697]

Never miss an opportunity to some great british engineering - especially if it gets fired up from time to time and still works. Mill Meece between Stafford and Stoke is worth a visit. I would also recommend "The Engineerium" in Hove. It had 4 boilers IIRC,. which were used as "Titanic's" boilers in the film. Sadly, its closed now....but on the bright side, some local entrepreneur has put up some money to have refurbished and re-opened - so if you are around Brighton - keep and eye out for that. Also in Sussex, Brede Steam Giants just north of Hastings As for the Triple expansion engine, you basically nailed it. Spot on Jago.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I like that you added the Steam ASMR bit

[@andrewhotston983]

My late father took me there decades ago - he later volunteered at the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum near Norwich, which is well worth a visit. They have the steam engine from Tower Bridge.

[@billdoodson4232]

36 years since I last visited. I used to be able to walk there from my flat when I worked in London.

[@jimtaylor294]

As someone whom was taken to see Kew Bridge back in the 1990's by my [late] mother (who'd always been a steam enthusiast), I definitely need to visit the place again soon 🙂 . Same with the Maritime Museum, and more.

[@ianthomson9363]

I must visit both the Brentford museums, it's been too long since I last went.

[@AndreiTupolev]

I visited there as part of a joint package with Tower Bridge. Interesting nachinery there too, evrn if it is no longer used. Have you visited the Kempton Park Steam Museum? They have an absolutely colossal triple expansion engine.

[@JagoHazzard]

I have! There’s a tiny bit of footage from there in this video…

[@chrisrichmond403]

Nice to see around again . I am also someone who has not been around there since the 1980’s when i visited with my dad , So a return visit must be done .

[@AnthonyHigham6414001080]

My son had his sixth birthday in the Kew Bridge Steam museum and as the biggest kid there I had a great time.

[@Ikwigsjoyful]

I have an interest in industrial history, specifically of the 18th and 19th centuries, and while I also love a good waterwheel, I’m very fond of steam engines too. So I guess this place needs to go on my bucket list! I very much enjoyed this video!

[@asheland_numismatics]

Cool video as always… Really fascinating place!

[@Jimyjames73]

Very interesting Jago - I like the sweet little Railway that you were allowed to film!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@john1703]

You say that you barely drink water. I bet you do, albeit flavoured with tea, coffee, hops... Mssrs Boulton, Watt and Murdoch collectively operated from the Soho works in Birmingham.

[@brancaster8145]

I was so cool as a kid that I had a large poster from Kew on the wall of my bedroom of the large Cornish Engine. I too have no clue about engineering.

[@lapiswake6583]

An excellent video. I recently started volunteering there, having had my first day of training on the railway a couple of weeks ago (unfortunately in the rain). I'm hoping to do more with the museum in the future, given the railway only operates on weekends but the museum is also open on Thursdays and Fridays. I also don't know about the 3rd locomotive, although I will find out at some point soon. The "Railway" underground that you mentioned, according to the sign by the railway's platform, was a "tramway" that I imagine was cable-hauled, as it was powered using a waterwheel using waste water from the pumping engines. Kew Bridge Waterworks was apparenty the only waterworks in London not to have a proper railway because of the underground tramway, and because of the main road between the site and the river.

[@litz13]

Regarding triple expansion steam engines used on ships, the most infamous example is, of course, Titanic. There are actual real life examples used for the film, from WWII Liberty ships (two of which are still in operable condition in the US).

[@robertb7918]

The practice of using hollowed out tree trunks as pipes gave rise to the term "trunk road" referring to the highways the pipes ran under.

[@andrewmarch7891]

Thank you Jago a very nice change well done.

[@russbetts1467]

Thanks, Jago. I had no idea it was there, so I will now have to make a day out to London, just to visit and enjoy. I live on the South Coast of Hampshire. Shame the Steam Trains aren't still running.

[@runoflife87]

Great video yet again, thanks a lot.

[@MrGreatplum]

Fantastic looking place - I am going to have to drag my family around here!

[@paintedpilgrim]

Those steam engines are veritable spring chickens compared to the Newcomen Engine at the Elsecar Heritage Centre which was constructed in the 1790s and believed to be the only one in situ that still operates. There is also have a lovely little Heritage railway nearby should you visit "the Grim North", though that does mean a ride from Sheffield on some of the oldest rail stock in the country (the 1983/4 Class 150s)

[@Ido_morgenshtein]

Two jago videos in the same day? Wow

[@studioruurd248]

Please remind me of the museum when I’m visiting London again 😍

[@SheeplessNW6]

I'm intrigued by the mention of an underground coal railway which is "no longer accessible". I'd love to know more about that.

[@MelanieRuck-dq5uo]

Jago thinks he'd like to pay a return visit to a museum he visited as a child and, suddenly, he received an invitation. Jago appears to have some sort of power of mind control over the power-that-be at museums.

[@etherealbolweevil6268]

Steam and water - exactly the same thing but at different energy levels. See also ice.

[@DaveF.]

Jago, if you ever find yourself heading back out to Thamesmead you should take the opportunity to visit the nearby Crossness Pumping station it's magnificent.

[@RadioJonophone]

My friend Geoffrey and I visited in 2014. The little train was working that day. I am sad now as we approach the fifth anniversary of Geoffrey's death.

[@DavidShepheard]

The way the water towers work is that the pumped water goes "Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!" So they send it up the tower and it spurts out of a pipe into a bucket. It looses it's pumped energy, but gains potential energy (due to height and gravity). From the bucket it drops down a separate pipe and the weight of the water in the bucket and the pipe makes the water in the underground pipes have enough energy to go up to the same height at the other end of the water pipe system. So water "spurts" up that tower as the engine turns, but gravity and the fact that the water at the top of the tower is not directly connected to the pump means that the water drops back down the tower at a more constant pressure. If this tower was compared to an electronic component, it would be a capacitor. Just as you can charge a capacitor with small amounts of electricity and let it flow back out, the pump charges the tower with small spurts of water that match the smooth flow of water out of the tower. It's a very clever system, rather similar to the water tank you have in your loft or the cistern you have for flushing a toilet. Get the water in somehow (in this case with a squirty pump) and then you can create whatever water pressure you need to do something else with the water.

[@chrislaf2011]

A further reason, I was told when I visited some years ago, is to avoid problems arising if there is a burst water main on the output side of the pump. The disconnect of the pump from the distribution pipe network (as provided by the standpipe in the tower) meant that the engine would not suffer any sudden "no-load" condition if the output pipes suddenly lost pressure. (A sudden "no-load" condition potentially leading to major damage to the engine.)

[@PokhrajRoy.]

What an interesting series of events that you’d go there and now the museum has invited you.

[@LegendaryHopOnBaby]

Trevithick is just the kind of name you can imagine someone growling while shaking their fist due to a perceived slight.

[@christopherdean1326]

I used to pass this regularly, but I never got round to visiting it. Now I live in Wales, so it would be an overnight trip at least to come down to London again. Maybe one day...

[@Andrewjg_89]

So the London Museum of Water and Steam isn’t too far from Kew Gardens, Brentford Community Stadium and the old Griffin Park stadium that is to be demolished and new apartments to be built with a communal garden.

[@terminalterminus]

I've walked across Kew Bridge a number of times and never knew this museum existed...

[@derekantill3721]

I have been to both museums. The water museum and the musical museum, both museums well worth a visit, really interesting places. Can we have a vlog on the musical museum Jago ?

[@teecefamilykent]

Fantastic video sir, plus a mention of 'remembrance of the daleks ' (being a Whovian) is awesome! Will you do JH merch?

[@JamesMurphy-ry2mx]

I discovered ASMR with your predecessor Lucinda Lambton back in the 1980s. Only found out it was ASMR 30 years later. Been to the museum on several occasions.

[@highpath4776]

2 vids in one day. nice

[@charlesxix]

Fascinating, thanks.

[@roberthorwat6747]

Lyttleton forgot his hip flask I'll wager.

[@TSCappuccino]

I’ve been to the museum 8 years ago. If you see a picture of a man washing dishes, there’s an old British Pathé video about him.

[@chrisneale7453]

I think the 90 inch was on the intro to Top of the Pops in the 90s

[@smogmonster1876]

@6:16. “I mean, when you had punk rock & Margaret Thatcher, this thing was still working.” Like most of our industry, during Thatcher’s time, it stopped working.

[@freddiespreckley6324]

9:15 let's not think about what had previously been in the water to give it "flavour"...

[@Tevildo]

Ahh, this was a critical issue with the famous Broad Street pump. (I think Jago has a video on it). There was one case of cholera several miles from the pump - it turned out that the victm liked the taste of the Broad Street water so much, she asked her sister to fetch it for her. They'd probably be advertising it on TikTok these days.

[@JagoHazzard]

“Try this great-tasting weight-loss solution!”

[@camenbert5837]

"This water has been passed by the management"

[@freddiespreckley6324]

@camenbert5837 Loverly!

[@markalton2809]

I love big old machines

[@richardeyers322]

brilliant different but brilliant