Northern Heights Animation

The top of the Northern Line could have been so much different today, if a project known as the "Northern Heights" had ever been completed. Here's an animation showing how the combining of electric tube trains, over exisiting steam railways only part happened, and what the tube could have looked like if it had all happened as planned.
You also need to see Jay Foreman's excellent 'Unfinished London' video which explores these lines in person: • The unfinished Norther...

[@johnmurray8428]

I grew up on Crouch Hill and remember the line closing in the first year of my primary school. It sort of hung around in a delay for many years with talk of tube train being restored but it all just died away. Stroud Green and Crouch End stations were still there in the late 1960s when we left and we understand that the line is now a parkland walk.

[@tonykerrison1983]

This brings back some memories. As a small child in the 1950s, I attended the Meads Primary School on the Watling estate. The branch from Mill Hill East to Edgware ran along the school's back fence, & there was a daily pick-up goods train that passed by, usually headed by an N7 0-6-2 Tank Loco. Equipment intended for use in the electrification of the line to Edgware was dumped along the line - insulators, rail & so on, & I remember seeing a train on the line, picking it all up after plans for post-war expansion were dropped. Eventually, long after I'd left the area, the track was lifted, & the trackbed became a footpath, - although it was more like a linear rubbish-dump.

[@azer8663]

Love what you are doing.Can you talk more bout abandoned projects in your further videos please it would be great.

[@matthewalbery8827]

Maybe do the never built continental link from Cardiff?!

[@carolstott5337]

The Ally Pally branch would've run right behind my house. Now a lovely nature trail.

[@sie4431]

Carol Stott yes you can walk all the way from finsbury park to Highgate on the old route, it's called parkland walk

[@ZamanSiddiqui]

Si E Is that the walkway above the station?

[@sie4431]

I'm not sure what you mean. I don't know of any walk way above Finsbury Park station, there are railway bridges there for the overground trains. The route starts in the park itself and crosses over the nearby roads. I've driven under the bridges before without realising they were redundant.

[@Jack-wb6sn]

Britanball Mapping everyone calls it ally pally

[@paulwilliams9207]

Anastasia 🌹 lucky you!

[@cat7751]

no, mother, it's just the northern heights

[@andymadden8183]

?

[@icetea6794]

Sydney Metro: Well Underground, you're an odd fellow, but I must say, you made a good line.

[@MaybEmmy]

Steamed Trains

[@realnoahsimpson]

“well I’m from Highgate and I never heard of steamed trains”

[@gregkiteos1936]

Steamed Trams

[@MrSean0457]

Great animation Geoff. I Live in Muswell Hill and although it would be nice if we still had a station here, I would really miss walking along the old track from MH to Cranley Gardens...The view from the viaduct on that part of the line is epic! Also, Highgate has to be the best abandoned station in the UK!

[@jonathancook4022]

Your a genius when it comes to map animations. Gathering up all that information, from likely many 10's of sources, reaching a definitive conclusion of what actually happened, and then animating it. such that a single decent source of easily understandable information, (this video), can made freely available. I wonder what lessons our modern railway planners can learn from these videos?

[@geofftech2]

thanks Jon. that is indeed what i do, and then sketch it all out on sheets of paper first, sort of in 'flip book' format, and then go about drawing/animating it.

[@jonathancook4022]

Geoff Marshall and what software do you use to create them? Is it any different from the video editor used for your other content?

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

*you're a

[@dariolorini]

I was wondering the same thing: what software?

[@TrueBelievers]

@@dariolorini It can easily be done with Adobe After Effects, and then edited in Adobe Premiere Pro. I tried replicating something like it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKeUp6Fvfs19fsk.

[@brunswickfox427]

That's interesting so the branch to Mill Hill East was originally the mainline, and what is now the mainline to High Barnet was originally a branchline.

[@ericjamieson]

Can you do the crazy mess that is the eastern end of the Central Line next?

[@rainycitykids6408]

Good idea

[@King_Steffon_II]

I love these animated rail line videos!

[@TheTransportHub17]

Fantastic and interesting animation, I'm so glad you have explained the Northern Heights and an animation is the best way to explain it well done Geoff! TICK!

[@andrewholloway231]

Superb. I like videos such as this tone. Really good and informative.

[@mittfh]

There's now yet another video on the Northern Heights - my Recommended Videos feed points out a 21 minute (!) video by "Another Station, Another Mile" uploaded in 2019...

[@anonymous3738]

This makes Edgware similar to Norwood-205th St in NYC as both were not intended to be the northern terminus of their respective lines and were planned to be extended further north but ultimately never happened. They even have continuing tunnels that imply the line was supposed to continue further north at the northern end. Furthermore, 205th St has no crossovers before the station due to the yard lead tracks via a Y-shaped junction so trains must enter the storage tracks first and then turn around back into the station.

[@LucasTubeMapperGuy]

0:52 the way you said it muswell hill

[@sonicthefreedomfighter6137]

Can you do a timeline of the old Shoreditch Overground station or the East London Line?

[@edl138]

Always love these videos, nice and calming. Keep up the great work :)

[@transportfan2]

Cool explanation of the history of the Northern Heights!

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

An excellent summary video. Occasionally it is suggested that the Mill East branch should be slightly extended, as in its current state it's poorly used. A short extension would certainly improve access to the Copthall stadium (where Saracens now play), and I don't think there are any obstacles blocking the trackbed

[@stevehotspur]

Northern Heights exhibition now on at Elstree and Borehamwood museum

[@misfit749]

Incredible and detailed timeline

[@paradonym]

Brain "I have to go to the Postbox now" - Eye "a geoff video" - Brain to all senses "hey, concentrate on what the eyes and ears give you - Legs, stop working fpr - what did you say eyes? - okay - 3 minutes and 14 seconds"

[@lam6786]

I really want to see this completed, the logistics of it would be incredible.

[@matthewalbery8827]

Great video, Geoff, I was apprehensive that I had heard enough about nh but I like your product. I watched the ads! (heard it helps)

[@BillyNoMates1974]

good video. the history was always a bit confusing. thanks for clearing it up with a good animation too

[@LordHeath1972]

Well.............. that was definitely to the point!

[@darrengomes2203]

What about the Green Belt Act? That was more to blame for the incompletion of the project in the 1950s, due to the fact that wherever a Tube line was extended out to, it would lead to a huge building boom in the area. Reason why Bull & Bush was objected to so strongly the land for the station site was bought to stop it, for fear it would obliterate Hampstead Heath.

[@ianvirco5897]

Very informative, perhaps in this over crowded age they may wish that all those lines were still open.

[@AppleOranges12]

Jay Foreman did a series called Unfinished London which talks in depth about these lines. Very humourous and well worth a look. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJvYdWVuba-fedU

[@mcbain23]

AppleOranges12 a little birdie told me there might be a new episode coming later this month..

[@SantosoTripReview]

Thanks

[@southwestlondonbusenthusia5262]

Love your vids I've been to all the stations on the tube

[@yorkshiretrains]

On the tube map style image that shows what the lines would look on the tube map like, you missed East Finchley!

[@williamfall2214]

Vote: which is better, the High Barnet/MHE or Edgware branch of the Northern Line?

[@umarrahman1914]

My question is why couldn't they today extend it to Mill Hill Broadway so have an alternative way to get there instead of Thameslink having the Monopoly over that area? I know COVID happened so it wouldn't be able to happen now but after that? I know people are gonna say Green Belt but London is in dire need of housing so why not get more spaces into housing like Barking Riverside or Battersea Power Station done? Surely all new developments can't be only old industrial cites in London?

[@phwbooth]

What a good teacher!

[@HenrysAdventures]

Nice interesting! Maybe now is the time to finish this project!

[@officialmcdeath]

About the clearest explanation of the network I've ever seen - nicely done. Your putative system map implies that Bushey Heath would've been served from the Mill Hill route rather than Hendon, NBD though.

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

Jay Foreman's video seems to suggest that as well, so it probably would've been

[@antonydandrea]

There is a great series called Unfinished London by Jay (who I think you did a collab with once). He spoke a bit about this project and was interesting to see what Edgware was like before and after the trains were there and how the Bushey Heath looks now but could have been massively urbanized!

[@davidcollins9512]

Geoff included a link to Jay's video in the description under the video.

[@mcbain23]

Another interesting vid, cheers Geoff.

[@londontrada]

2:05 wheres East Finchley?

[@FnafFanProductions]

The Line To Bushey Heath And Alexandra Palace Would Cause lots of problems for the barnet branch beacuse there would be more trains for Bushey heath And Alexandra Palace And Less Trains for high barnet

[@justbreal5797]

This line would have totally changed my life as a teenager 🥺 such a shame it was never finished

[@garyhardwick9076]

Nice film. Interesting.

[@QPRTokyo]

Thank you.

[@readwithrithwik812]

It's amazing

[@phoenixnfa]

geoff please ask jay to continue his unfinished london series.

[@timsekac6648]

Will the Northern Heights ever become reality in god knows how many years that may be? And why to Bushey Beath? Why not a bit further to Watford Junction, so the tube can link up with the London Overground and national railservices?

[@srfurley]

There was a suggestion in the original plans that the line might in the future be extended to Watford, but nothing more than that.

[@eddiewillers1]

But wasn't the Finsbury Park to Highgate stretch of track electrified and signaled to tube standards by the time closure came about? Jackson talks about it in "London's Local Railways" (or perhaps it was in "Rails Through The Clay" - I don't have a copy of either to hand to check).

[@darrengomes2203]

Yes it was, that was how they managed stock transfers on the Great Northern branch.

[@MervynPartin]

As most of the infrastructure was in place and the electrification works almost complete (I saw it as a kid), it seemed such a waste that the Alexandra Palace line was never commissioned, even more so since the huge growth in population in that area. Alexandra Palace itself is a great venue and it would have been brilliant with the station on its doorstep. Great presentation- hope some more are on the way

[@richardmcgowan5878]

Mervyn Partin Agreed, it seems a shocking waste. And it crippled Ally Pally, which could be great if only it was easier to get to (without a 15 minute walk up a steep hill). To turn the question around, if the Northern Heights line were open today, nobody in their right mind would suggest closing it.

[@maxstarn3299]

I live on the same road as where Stroud Green station used to be

[@maxstarn3299]

@@owendrury9049 I know and my school was really near the old Highgate station too. But parkland walk which is what it is now is nice and I probably prefer it the way it is tbh. Do love me some disused lines with disused stations and it’s mad that this one may be the most famous one in the Uk

[@FusionZenFlame]

@@maxstarn3299 yea i can agree in my area there used to be a riverside line so if that still existed there would be 2 stations within 2 minute walk away

[@sheesh6759]

rip Crawley gardens branch and Finsbury Park they could add them back via Victoria with new stations

[@QuarioQuario54321]

I want it open

[@marcc3514]

Very nice concise history thanks.

[@networkstepfordcounty6264]

1:23 that's the trains that run the class 91 and HST

[@railwaycafe]

What program does he uses for animation?

[@ThimgsGD]

YES

[@rgosain]

Geoff, why doesnt the Northern Line go North from Hampstead rather and go West to Golders Green

[@gregkiteos1936]

The reason why the line was electrified as far as Mill Hill East was so that soldiers could get to and from the nearby barracks.

[@avinashbhunjun5429]

Wait, did Muswell Hill have a station?! If so, where was/is it?!

[@FusionZenFlame]

muswell hill primary school is on the site of the station now

[@Champ1012]

Can you do a video at the crouch end abandoned station and maybe the work taking place at crouch hill

[@samscruby9738]

Hi Geoff, maybe you could add some London based national rail stuff to all the tube stuff? Like stuff about the trains or infrastructure or new projects etc

[@whywhy6055]

Such a shame that Muswell hill doesn’t have a tube connection even thought there are good bus links there.

[@charliegrpdixon5944]

Holy... Wow second view. Question: the x-rail project, do you think they'll add it to the current tube map?

[@moramento22]

Yes, it's official that crossrail will be added to the tube map

[@AndreiTupolev]

In fact, there's been a video from Geoff about that very subject. --> here kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGrVmn2Gral0htE

[@Wildcard71]

As the Liverpool Street to Shenfield service is already in the map, the coming parts of the line need to be added as well.

[@timsekac2624]

Great animation Geoff! Will these extensions ever be finished? And Bushey Heath? Isn't Watford Junction not more profitable, so you can change for the Overground, Metropolitan line and other train services that call there?

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

No. If you watch Jay Foreman's video you'll see that a lot of the trackbed between Mill Hill East and Edgware has now been built on, while much of the land beyond Edgware is designated as green belt

[@johnchurch4705]

Pity the line from Mill Hill East to Edgware wasn’t kept, Mill Hill The Vale & Mill Hill Broadway would have been a good interchange to use.

[@mrichards55]

Is the Northern Line while underground and/or overground the highest tube line above sea level?

[@norbitonflyer5625]

The highest point above sea level on the London Underground is at Amersham station. The highest above the ground is the viaduct on the Mill Hill East branch

[@mrichards55]

Norbiton Flyer thank you 😊

[@PeterGaunt]

A question Geoff, since you mention the line from Hertfordshire through Finsbury Park - do you know of any other line in London or even the UK where there are no announcements or displays on the trains? I've been using it for years and still occasionally get off at the wrong station. All trains used to be like this.

[@paulwilliams9207]

Anastasia 🌹 fascinating thank you 🌞

[@DrHorse-ow6ul]

Some things reached through the centuries and grabbed me at church

[@yrreb_xela]

Personally I think that it would make sense to split the two Northern line branches into two different lines, but I wonder if there would ever be any investment or interest made to revive a part of the Northern Heights plans? Only time will tell

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

Sorry, but if you watch Jay Foreman's video then you'll see that the section between Mill Hill East and Edgware has been built on, while most of the bit beyond Edgware is now green belt

[@norbitonflyer5625]

I understand the long term plan is to split them, but it can't be done until interchange at Camden Town is made easier

[@hywelhuws]

...and a primary school has built on the site of Muswell Hill station, and the link to the Moorgate line at Finsbury Park has been demolished, and in any case the line to Moorgate has since been reused as a second terminus for the (modern) Great Northern service. So all parts of the original plan are compromised.

[@ricktownend9144]

@@hywelhuws Maybe a better plan would be to connect the useable remnants of the Northern Heights lines (I gather trains could run from MHE to Mill Hill Broadway at least - a valuable connection with Thameslink) to the Piccadilly line at Finsbury Park. The Piccadilly has three western branches (the Heathrow two plus Uxbridge) but only one eastern - well, northern - (Cockfosters). In fact, the Uxbridge branch could go back to the District - perhaps with a junction station at East Ealing (to enable closure of the District's Ealing Broadway branch) with connections there to the Central and Elizabeth lines: this would also join up many of Acton's notoriously disconnected basket of stations, and give Sudbury Town etc. a faster way into central London on the Elizabeth line. All the stations between Acton Town and Uxbridge would now have only sub-surface stock calling, and could be made level-boarding. And both Heathrow T4 and T5 could have a 6 minute frequency Piccadilly service. The old Northern Heights branch would have re-opened stations at Stroud Green and Crouch End, reopened surface level platforms at Highgate (good for a dedicated bus-link to Muswell Hill), x-platform interchange with the Northern at E.Finchley and Finchley Ctrl, and would operate, as the popular Victoria line does at its north-eastern end, as a much needed peripheral N.London route, as well as its basic job of getting people into and out of central London.

[@bobbypickard5856]

It is such a shame that the bit to Bushey Heath was never built.:(

[@PeterLiuIsBeast]

Why the hell is all of this consider 1 single line!?!??!?!?

[@seankelly6336]

are the pathways of the disused rail lines left alone or built apon in years gone by

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Some parts have been built on - as mentioned in Jay's video.

[@Great_WesternTVFan]

They're replaces by some roads

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

The planned stuff was mostly built over, but the section closed in the mid 20th century has only seen light construction

[@h3l3njl]

Interesting. I've lived in colindale for 13 years and knew some of this, but not all of this.

[@jonobennett]

Is there a video anywhere showing the closed part of the line from Mill Hill East to Edgware? That would be really interesting to see!

[@geofftech2]

i WILL block you Jono! :-D

[@cesariojpn]

Jay Foreman walked a part of it in his video linked by Geoff: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJvYdWVuba-fedUm35s

[@geofftech2]

he's referring to where we walked it, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJrcZ56fgd54Y80

[@cesariojpn]

Londonist Ltd - oh, hard to remember when they only upload content once in a blue moon.

[@telemachus53]

If only...Imagine a train straight from Bushey Heath to the city.

[@mlctv6547]

And this is where I live

[@Heismann]

Make a video with Chris again :D

[@TheEnglishTrainSpotter2021]

Liked the vid and I got luck, thanks

[@PrograError]

I wonder how many other pre-war planned lines were shelved after the WWII due to lack of money and resources, as well as the war damages

[@janeriddle7142]

AsHalt I

[@norbitonflyer5625]

There's the Chessington branch, which was originally intended to go all the way to Leatherhead. Like the line to Bushey Heath, it was Green Belt legislation that killed it off after the War - no point in building a railway where you aren't allowed to build any houses for the commuters to live in.

[@astock5000]

That may be true for the Chessington branch but Bushey Heath seems to have been more complicated than simply being abandoned due to green belt, and I'd have thought the "lack of funding" explanation to be more accurate. Extensions beyond Edgware had been proposed for some time but Bushey Heath was only added to the New Works Programme sometime after the other Northern Heights plans due to the need for a new depot to provide stock for the other extensions and a lack of suitable alternative locations on other parts of the line. So surely if the rest of the Northern extensions had been completed post war then it would have been necessary to at least build the line to Aldenham Depot even if Bushey Heath station was dropped from the plans. That would of course have added to the cost of the other sections so maybe it was a factor in the rest of it being abandoned too.

[@astock5000]

That may be true for the Chessington branch but Bushey Heath seems to have been more complicated than simply being abandoned due to green belt, and I'd have thought the "lack of funding" explanation to be more accurate. Extensions beyond Edgware had been proposed for some time but Bushey Heath was only added to the New Works Programme sometime after the other Northern Heights plans due to the need for a new depot to provide stock for the other extensions and a lack of suitable alternative locations on other parts of the line. So surely if the rest of the Northern extensions had been completed post war then it would have been necessary to at least build the line to Aldenham Depot even if Bushey Heath station was dropped from the plans. That would of course have added to the cost of the other sections so maybe it was a factor in the rest of it being abandoned too.

[@Rgsetters]

Do people recognise you from KZbin when you're out and about?

[@stevedixon6468]

Geoff rules!

[@dimplez8910]

After rugby your trouble

[@no_way_down]

_heythisnew_

[@whywhy6055]

Such a shame that Muswell hill doesn’t have a tube connection even thought there are good bus links there.

[@AD-hf1hp]

Why Why yh that's one place I'm shocked there's no connection to a train

[@whywhy6055]

TheProReviewerHD #AllThingsChelsea it’ll be great to utilise the highgate high level platforms again

[@AD-hf1hp]

Why Why that's true