Found Huge 1940s Bunker Complex with Power & Water

[@PentodeSensations]

Wow, seriously, the fact that mercury rectifier is still present, installed, connected, ready to go... And fired up like it was nothing. What a monumental testament to these technologies....

[@TheGrace020]

The old stuff aint like the new stuff

[@PentodeSensations]

@@xavierrajda933this is true!

[@kurtownsj00]

Photonic Induction's video on them was awesome...and yeah it's such a wild concept that somehow makes perfect sense.

[@kelticsage]

Everything could still be that way, but modern products are unfortunately infected with the planned obsolescence policy

[@vilijanac]

To cover the wiring in the bunker with higher voltage and from batteries to AC, rectifier.

[@rzlosty]

This is a bunker that has been repurposed for records archive cold storage. If you look on all of the old beds they have bar codes on stickers, these are to allow people to find the location of a specific record if they need to retrieve it. Its the perfect place because of the stable environment and how easy it is to secure (or was, you guys have obviously made it in!). The kitchenette is almost certainly in active use - or was until recently when the records were removed. I imagine it has only recently been shut down as the fire extinguishers are all in groups ready to be taken away by the supplier. Good find!

[@Igloo5555]

Good fkin points, person!

[@AtlasPxrk]

Astute observations thanks for the insight

[@adolfodef]

The real question then is... WHY? -> Unless the "records" were to be destroyed elsewhere... it means the ORIGINAL PORPOUSE of the Shelter is once again required.

[@giwingnut8856]

Not to mention that the hardware in the power box is new. The terminal blocks and wire look brand new. I'm out.

[@bigmaryhelen]

Yeah. I'm guessing the records were digitised recently. There have been some new national archive storage facilities built too.

[@loucam08]

Hey shiey, if you want to remove the strobing/flickering with the indoor lights, record in 50fps rather than 60. The 50hz flicker of lights in Europe causes that strobing when mixed with the rolling shutter of a camera filming at 30/60fps.

[@loucam08]

Tom scott did a good video explaining it - /watch?v=uzP8FFKpwQ0

[@Hebdomad7]

Honestly, I think it adds to the creepy aesthetic.

[@DinnerForkTongue]

​@@Hebdomad7 Unfortunately it hurts the eyes of some viewers.

[@cubertmiso]

@@Hebdomad7 makes sense for a game. nothing is creepy here, so it comes across just sub-optimal way to film the site like it was in real life.

[@jasonandrelli]

On some equipment, the settings are called NTSC and PAL, NTSC is 60hz, PAL is 50hz...

[@mattbranham1105]

9:10 That thing is a mercury vapor rectifier.... Very Rare. The fact that you got modern video of its operation is absolutely fantastic!!!! Thank you!!!1

[@Omgiamsotriggered]

What does it do?

[@mattbranham1105]

@@Omgiamsotriggered changes high voltage AC to DC

[@baudejas3]

@@mattbranham1105 acdc reference???

[@justadbeer]

As someone who has made an entire career of installing and maintaining elevators, those two units look to have been maintained and not as old as the bunker itself (the 2nd one looked to be newer and even had rail oilers on top). In fact, the controls on the first unit looked to be pretty new. Also, for those that didn't know, they were also riding on top of the elevators not inside. All modern elevators have an inspection station on top that allows a person to run the unit at a slower "inspection" speed. This one, because it is a small unit was running at normal speed.

[@absmaali8314]

Thank you for the info

[@_..____]

Thanks a lot!

[@Vespyr_]

They were on top? So if those things didn't stop on demand...

[@justadbeer]

@@Vespyr_ The inspection station is basically a dead mans switch (a momentary push button), and if you let go, it stops. Also, most (not all) units have enough overhead clearance for the operator to ride all the way to the top.

[@KiIlabeez]

It’s amazing to see how many abandoned structures there are around the world. Thanks for sharing with us!

[@arnoldasbucys7786]

What if someone live under earth? In tunnels, caves, secret passages..

[@njd4291]

There is power and water. This is not abandoned.

[@Ryy_Ryy]

@@arnoldasbucys7786This is what I think about. How many people have lived their last moments in one of these. Brought there by some serial killer to a random hole in the woods that leads to an underground bunker. 😳

[@itsmebutwhoami8177]

you still believe this shit is real?

[@ZZizitt]

@@ganymede The deep state.

[@DrewSwenson]

That Rectifier is single-handedly the most awesome thing I've seen in a bunker! They sure don't build things like they used to!

[@puciohenzap891]

Nuts that it still works, not a clever idea to turn on without checking for short circuits though

[@XanderFenikkusu]

yeah. No way, any of the modern generators we have now would work in 80 years with no maintenance.

[@blackness010]

@@XanderFenikkusu Its not a generator

[@ThePopeslayer]

@@blackness010 he never said it was.

[@briancorty4348]

@@blackness010 yeah it’s a tube version of a bridge rectifier

[@belowtheasteroids784]

As a brit I can almost guarantee that kitchenette area you found is still used frequently- I have a box of the same tea in my cupboard!

[@user-xz3rn5lz8g]

and the fact it had the instagram and facebook logo on it, doubt that was from the 40s

[@Sp4rkofD4rk]

@@user-xz3rn5lz8g Yea its also not from the 70s or 00s as the logos are pretty new. The rest of the kitchen also looks like it was used recently

[@kaispirit2079]

That's dudes secret "beat the meat" room! Lol

[@acid3129]

It's for security my brother was a guard in Manchester part of his rounds included old bunker systems they all have a little rest room like that to be in line with labour laws . A toilet hot water and drinking water availability every site that has a worker on it needs atleast those 3 things . My brother would do his rounds at night he would go in sign the log book do a little walk about I wouldn't be surprised if they walk from one entrance to the next then back again . Then lock up and go to the next site

[@goldcd]

wish they'd checked the "best before" date

[@mosipd]

That thing you picked up at 6:00 is a very old hard drive from the 1970s. Depending on the generation it could store anywhere from 35 to 70 MB.

[@stevewhitaker1474]

It is not a "hard drive," it is an old data tape recording media.

[@mosipd]

@@stevewhitaker1474 No it's an old hard drive from the 1970s, look up an IBM 3330 for comparison. I know because I've worked with these exact same drives when my university was modernizing in the 2000s. They had shelves full of these old disks with records on them that needed to be preserved and it was my job to find old hardware that could read the disks. These disks were made before hermetically sealed hard drives and are distinct from tape drives such as the IBM 3420 tapes.

[@echofoxtrot2.051]

Holy crap! The electricians in the 1940s had to have been first class electrical engineers. It's amazing how stuff from back then fires up today like no time has passed at all. That's quality. Cold war was a crazy time, but the project innovations that came out of it were spectacular. Look how far fear and competition propelled the major geopolitical powers of the world forwards into the future. Mind-blowing how quickly everything has developed. 66 years from the Orville Brothers' first successful flight to the first man landing on the Moon.

[@jakobsandberg2585]

Drop everything the king has uploaded!!!

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

yea, a re upload.

[@drvgxn4719]

@@eccentricsmithy2746 Nah, it's new

[@mr.elderpumpkin7285]

Just did next 13 mins are dedicated to shiey

[@Yudentheepicboy]

I'd rather throw everything thank you very much

[@AD-ui6sk]

@@Yudentheepicboy the baby!

[@DoubleVisionSoundSystem]

Got in to the ones at Clapham North 13 years ago. Looked pretty much identical with the same layout, but more empty albeit cleaner looking. There was a pocket of gas down by one of the lift shafts on the lower level and I couldn’t breath. I had to run up the lift shaft staircase to regain oxygen. Official visitors are required to wear a gas detector. We got out of there soon after that but spent around 5 hours down there. The oddest part was on the lowest level pump room, there was a loud noise of running water. We lifted a metal sheet on the floor we were standing on and there was what looked like a river, flowing at full pelt below us. That was terrifying being that far down and in an enclosed space, with it literally beneath our feet.

[@bigmaryhelen]

Wow. That river must still have been above sea level then, obviously. So is Clapham on a hill?

[@parallax9084]

@@bigmaryhelen that is clever

[@bigmaryhelen]

@@parallax9084 LOL. But if you know London, you'll know it doesn't seem possible for rivers so far underground

[@parallax9084]

@@bigmaryhelen yeah i agree. It didnt come up to mind for me. You have a more effective way of thinking about something like this when it comes up to mind suddenly.

[@RagingPaganFilms]

I'm guessing this might be Belsize Park due to the depth of the elevator. Belsize Park is a deep station as it is on a hill.

[@EngiesParadise]

this is the Camden town deep shelter, one of the 8 deep shelters under London. apparently this shelter is being rented out to a archive company, which offices are shown at 7:08, so thats probably why the power is still on.

[@linalmeemow]

Thanks, I was wondering which one it was. I was lucky enough to do some work in the Kingsway tunnels under Holborn a few years ago, got a guided tour from the BT engineers who'd been down there since the 70s. Fascinating place.

[@zerokenshi]

Shiey's ability to "find" locations, while also being given a tour by locals is truly inspiring.

[@Irish_Georgia_Girl]

Yes!!!

[@hayazi96able]

The amount of shit this guy gets up to, I'm surprised he isn't considered a spy.

[@paulmoadibe9321]

he "found" it in a tourist guide ......

[@STG44musikmeister]

At this point he's big enough people will message him locally known locations.

[@zerokenshi]

@@STG44musikmeister for him to "find" right. 🤣

[@Silverado1st]

That was so awesome and brings back old army memories of a bunker city under a Hawaiian military reservation. I was brought into a group of about 5 people who knew about the bunker. We used to go into it and party till all hours of the weekend mornings, blasting music, playing cards and smoking cigars, knowing we weren't disturbing anybody. That had an 800 KW multi-fuel generator with a triangle of 3 huge exhaust fans each double the size of the ones you've shown here, geezus the engine alone was about 15 feet long. Only two people in my battalion were supposed to know about it and one was a mechanic tasked to maintain the generator as a log book on a steel work bench was up to date not two months prior. Unfortunately didn't get to explore very far, there were two 15 foot steel doors welded shut and a 1" thick chain link wrapped around the door handles. I was happy with what little we explored, but always wondered what lay behind those giant doors. Now there's a whole neighborhood of military housing covering the property, the entrance we had used and all the intake and exhaust dog houses. Back then it was just a wide open field with an old air-strip surrounded by the Dole pineapple plantation. Our entrance was just hidden behind a couple small trees and bushes. Wonder if anybody living in that housing has found a secret entrance in there home. I bet there is at least one structure that never gets occupied lol. Thank you for an incredible adventure video and a stroll down memory lane!

[@PeterMbeki-dm1zz]

Can we get in there today is the question? ;P

[@Silverado1st]

@@PeterMbeki-dm1zz I'd bet there are tunnels that connect to nearby major bases. With doors that huge, I doubt there's just another room on the other side. I'm talking you could fit two 2 1/2 ton trucks side by side and still have room to open the doors. I'm guessing an underground roadway or a major storage area. If I remember correctly, there was another entrance but it was locked from inside. Whoever was involved in developing the area for military housing must have been made aware of the underground base in order to work around it so when installing underground utilities they wouldn't have fallen in.

[@hyperion8008]

That Mercury Arc rectifier is the most incredible find in any urban exploration video. Incredible even more that it works!! I sincerely hope that place is now properly secured to keep the vandals out!

[@ChronicExe]

It isnt really... The engineers who maintain the places often forget to lock the doors on the way out. If you find one, test the doors. Might be lucky.

[@HansKlopek]

That was my first thought. If this becomes too well known it's only a matter of time before the idiots find it and break it.

[@Geekn4sty]

@@HansKlopek If a few idiots turn up dead from mercury poisoning we'll know where who they were.

[@fwu-finallywakingup6033]

Stealing it from who? The government?

[@The_Touring_Jedi]

They are lucky that rectifier did not exploded...turning something old that has Mercury inside is just totally stupid. These guys have no idea what are they doing... They are lucky to be alive...I can imagine the answer if there was a bang and that mercury splashing all over that room. Guys should really think twice before they even post something...

[@Neawoulf]

We all go through different phases in our lives. Some are tough, some are a little easier. Some are interesting but short, but some are terrible and way to long. Shiey's apparently in his ride-on-top-of-elevators phase now :) Love this stuff! That electric generator thing really looks scary.

[@sadmermaid]

I want to send this video to styropyro and ask him about it. I think he'd love it.

[@nefariumxxx]

It's a mercury arc rectifier. There's some cool videos showing more of them on youtube if you search for that phrase.

[@Neawoulf]

@@nefariumxxx Thanks, very interesting device. Never seen something like that before.

[@Jtoob-z5n]

Too*

[@UrbanOdyssey]

@@sadmermaid I love styropyro

[@oneamericanpatriot108]

That isnt actually a "Generator" it is taking incoming AC and covering it to DC for use underground. It is called a Mercury Arc Valve and it is pretty damned amazing technology for the time. They were replaced by solid state rectifiers in the early 1960's.

[@b43xoit]

Why did they need DC?

[@domnicclassi3823]

Thanks for the info. Lost tech.

[@correo0814]

@@b43xoit For me it only needs AC

[@b43xoit]

@@correo0814 But there's a rectal fibre there.

[@taunteratwill1787]

@@b43xoit To charge all kinds of external batteries/accu's. 😎

[@chrishoff402]

This reminds me of when I took a job at a Canadian Government Ministry of Agriculture research station back in the 1970s. The place had been in operation sine around 1900. Scientists would come out, use recently purchased equipment, then leave it in storage and head back to Ottowa The equipment would just sit there, left behind forever. So you could look in a shed and see only slightly used farm equiment from the 1920s, still in working order. One of my favorites was this experimental manure spreader, a one off that cost a half million in taxpayer money to build. Abandoned because it would catch up the driver in the works and throw him out the back end.

[@mystified1429]

shit happens

[@scottwatts3879]

@@mystified1429 Especially when it hits the fan of the spreader

[@simplebutamazing3613]

My dad used to tell me stories of these enormous underground cities of homeless people when I was a kid. The summary was that homeless people go wherever they want and usually sleep in the subway because nobody really kicks them out. People also know that there are specific rooms and storage spaces for subway workers that are abandoned. There are also entire subway stations isolated from the surface due to various reasons. With the rising number of homeless people, I think that places like the one my dad described might actually exist. Even looking at these videos makes you wonder: Could homeless people just find a working bunker such as this one and turn it into their home?

[@Make-Asylums-Great-Again]

I would.

[@countrabricksbuildcraze8916]

Yet that's what I was thinking ..😊👍

[@Crosshatch1212]

Take a trip to Edinburgh the homeless are living underground underneath the castle and the street that runs parallel to cemetery on princess street

[@someguycalledCh0wdah]

Yeah this would be an absolutely dope place to squat

[@TheBanana93]

would not surprise me there is a lot under our feet. Under ground cities of rich elite people are more likely to me! Or aliens ;)

[@IsAMank]

love what you do man. hope things are working out for you.

[@beatles42ohgg94]

he should really leave things the way he found them... if it is maintinence people keeping the lights on, you should keep them on.... only thing you are doing is making it harder for other urban exploreres as when people come back to lights off, if its maintinence they will try to find how you got in. if its not maintinence then it could be squatters, they could potentially trap places like this.

[@DailyShit.]

He always leaves things the way he found them what are you talking about? He never changes or takes a thing.

[@nietjoost]

@@DailyShit. at least on camera, you don't know what happens off camera

[@maxxtubing]

@@nietjoost you got any proof of this slander? I suspect you do not, you should not talk poorly about people if you have zero proof to back it up. uncool.

[@mohammedzulklasikovh6133]

@@maxxtubing its okay bro, im watching shiey from 2020 when covid start, old viewer know him not a thief, just for illegal freedom not for looting haha

[@raremediumdonewell]

Nice to see Matt again :) And to see that 80-year-old technology still works seemingly flawlessly, is fucking incredible. It shows that some things are really built to work for ever. Really cool.

[@mackaldrich4112]

How can I find matt on youtube

[@TTTaevas]

@@mackaldrich4112 Look up "Urban Odyssey"

[@therealaype]

​@@mackaldrich4112bit late but hes Urban Odyssey on yt

[@nosredep7873]

​@@therealaypeyeah, someone already answered this a year ago.

[@x2ul725]

LOVE THE OLD ELECTRICAL. Railways are still using relays from the 40s and mercury based tubes on major lines that are being tested monthly by maintainers, like that rectifier should have been that why it still works. It was properly maintained. You guys did so well. I cheered and clapped again !

[@henriqueflorsheim]

This channel went from exploring abandoned places to electrical engineering management of bunkers real fast

[@theobserver6493]

That "thing" or "device" at 6 minutes exactly (06:00), is an old mechanical hard disk, or I believe also called a "disk pack". It was connected into a dedicated box or cabinet that was about 3-4 feet high and approx 3 x 6 feet in square dimensions. That BIG DISK stored between 20MB and 40 MB - YES - MB. NOT GB 🙂

[@LickorishAllsorts]

Disc packs for IBM 360 series m/cs.

[@theobserver6493]

@@LickorishAllsorts Awesome 👌 Thank you

[@trading7000]

It was called a Winchester drive and they were mainly used in the mid 1970 before people started going over to the 5.5 inch floppy drives

[@LickorishAllsorts]

​@@trading7000 Winchester drives were more compact and included the read heads and platters in a sealed pack, this made the mount/dismount process much faster and less prone to damage. The pack shown looks like an IBM 2311, these held just the magnetic platters and an aluminium timing disk held on a spindle that was enclosed in a plastic top and and base. The base was removed before the pack was mounted in the cabinet, the pack was then screwed down and the top cover unlocked and removed before closing the cabinet lid.

[@energyvanquish]

Mans living life like a madman and I can’t get enough of it

[@michaelc3977]

Man's living life like the closet homosexual that he is

[@HoesLoveCoCo]

@@michaelc3977 fucking what? 🤡🤡

[@benkoch621]

​@@michaelc3977 Do you really think he is? Maybe I have a chance.

[@OperatorDrewski]

airsoft war in there would be a Metro: Last Light simulator

[@Kozart4hunnid]

ily

[@itzAfonso]

Imagine play a airsoft vs zombies mini game

[@skeptical1337]

yo

[@AzamatSlowedAndReverb]

Haven't heard of you in while, I find this suggestion highly intriguing. Someone must do this, or a nerf battle for children

[@perjonsson5517]

Airsoft " war" is for children.And the place would have plastic pellets everwhere after you had played.

[@anthonykiefer1797]

When you put in a disconnect in your adventures, please do so with your non-dominant hand. If possible stand next to the enclosure (to the right of if you are right handed) in the same plane as the back of the enclosure you are putting in. Do not stand in front of the switchgear when you switch shit on. That way if the door is blown off you are not in the field of fire. Also make sure the door is closed as well and wear your gloves.

[@braintrust12]

this is one of the funniest channels i've ever stumbled across lol. just the concept of gen zers wandering around old abandoned buildings and going "yeahh boiiii" is too much lmao

[@bjorngve]

The mercury thing was awesome. Like 1950 mad scientist, space weapon lab thing, vibe. Riding elevators together, down there, seems a bit risky. At The secret vault, Matt almost get trapped in one of those old elevators. Then again Shiey could easily climb out of there. The man has done some insane roof climbing. Made me feel dizzy, only looking at it on a screen.

[@Jimsimi]

From 'Power-and-Beyond' ; "The mercury-arc rectifier is used to convert (or rectify) alternating current into direct current. The basic form is a glass bulb valve featuring one or more arms with steel or carbon anodes, and a cathode consisting of a self-restoring pool of liquid mercury. This liquid cathode sets it apart from many other types of rectifiers, making it more durable and capable of transmitting much higher electrical currents. The AC heats up and vaporizes the mercury, causing the current to travel through the vapor to the other side of the bulb. The current is prevented from traveling backwards, so the effect is like that of a diode." Such a cool piece of technology, I'd never even heard of it, love this channel.

[@gregh7457]

this is what they did before silicone rectifiers were invented

[@thedegoose]

The Metro, is what we call the Tube. There are actually a few of these abandoned underground areas in London including some old train stations that were never actually opened after being built.Amazing video as always

[@IamBATMAN2024]

London probably has the most underground tunnelling in the world there’s probably 100’s and hundreds of miles!

[@IamBATMAN2024]

45% of London is underground.

[@jackbeames7643]

@@IamBATMAN2024 there’s a video on the tunnels under London they go down the main British telecom tunnel it’s estimated there’s 70000 miles worth of tunnels under London which seems excessive to me

[@Nitrxgen]

@@jackbeames7643 I'd agree that is an overly excessive estimation. With all that I've researched for the last 10 years about it, I can't see there' being more than 3,000 miles of tunnels ("suitable" to explore, for example excluding sewer pipes but including sewer tunnels). Sewers, fresh water, electricity, utility, foot tunnels, bunkers, Tube, etc.

[@IamBATMAN2024]

@@jackbeames7643 it does seem a bit excessive but London goes really deep there’s tunnels stacked on tunnels and old sewers and secret military tunnels I’d love to go try to find them! Bet it’s scary as hell lol

[@urbanpulsewalks]

6:01 - That's an old mainframe computer disc right there similar to the ones I used to use when working as a computer operator in the late eighties with Digital Dec Vax Mainframe Computers. We used them as backup/restore discs.

[@torresalxndr]

Brave lads trusting that old rusty elevator.

[@gaelsanma9105]

8:23 i love how even this place is abandoned,he still cares for electricity

[@TruRequiem]

I mean conserve power for future explorers to find and marvel at it. Doing a service

[@acykablyatley]

9:40 is a mercury arc rectifier, it pretty much does the opposite of what your friend was saying. it uses mercury vapor to turn alternating current into very high voltage direct current, the large bulb on top is to cool down mercury that gets superheated by the process. they were used on old electric railways and to charge car batteries in the early 1900s, when electric vehicles had a brief period of commercial success. today similar rectifiers can just be made of silicon, so mercury is no longer used because it can become hazardous. they look sooo cool though!

[@redactedcanceledcensored6890]

Can you send some sources on the early battery cars? I thought Li-ion made the whole concept possible.

[@acykablyatley]

@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 there were limitations from using classical batteries, so some companies provided an exchange service that modified EVs to have easily replaceable batteries, and swapped them out instead of charging them while parked. because of this many EVs would be purchased without a battery and an exchange service was paid for separately.

[@Ianthe1]

@@redactedcanceledcensored6890 check out Jay Leno with some of his old electric cars. Not super informative but rather entertaining.

[@ScottishGoldHunter]

You have a knack of finding large abandoned places with power!!!!

[@njd4291]

He doesn't find anything. These elaborate bunkers are just guided tours.

[@worst9365]

@@njd4291 what do you mean?

[@jinxhays8515]

@@njd4291 Of course you need to have connections to someone who know someone, these places are not for public (well, was once for public..)

[@dr-mn7ld]

This is one of London's deep level shelters. Very well known and you'll find full location and description on wikipedia.

[@WILLZE]

dr2702 £37 for a tour

[@mailboxxy]

I occasionally get on with my daily life and think to myself, man I miss SHIEY. Your videos are the only door to the outside world unexplored I have. I'm a mother of 2 little babies now so my exploring days are over.

[@mailboxxy]

I wonder how much it would cost to get a 1940's generator like that today..

[@mem7806]

​@@mailboxxy probably decently expensive but not terribly if its some hobbyist one, a 1940s is gonna be outrageous though

[@russ-nz6wk]

use to explore in my younger years / rock queries / abandon houses and tunnels, nice to see we still have young people willing to see the rewards of taking risks at times...... the risks of exploring that is.... i think it opens a freedom most will never understand or know.... stay safe my brother and fellow explorers

[@davekreitzer4358]

Outstanding ! What an amazing find , I'm surprised you were able to access it ! It's in incredible shape , and should be maintained to some standard , as the way the world is starting to become ! Thanks for sharing this incredible find !!! 😎

[@microsoftpain]

I love this channel because it's like going through a time machine. All of this history is documented for us now, which would otherwise be lost to time.

[@MeriaDuck]

6:00 that looks like an old hard drive, 70s vintage I'd guess. Could be a whole 10Mb! 10:10 that 30s? 40s? mercury rectifier! in use! holy heck that is cool.

[@MegaDRjohn]

were still using those drives in the 80's on govt and large business systems

[@MegaDRjohn]

only 8 of them stored the info on 500k people and all govt business records. i used to install the systems for ICL

[@RichardMMarshall]

That's an old multitrack audio or old video tape. Not data. Yes to the 80s disk pack.

[@banenjis]

9:25 the excitement on his face after turning on the generator is just too good!!

[@Aexus1]

* rectifier *

[@pinocleen]

@@Aexus1 * time travelling machine from the 40's!

[@robertcirezaru2624]

I have actually work in one of those lifts shafts come in from Camden Town like 7 years ago.

[@MatthewM575]

The arch generator was amazing and that it still fires up is even more amazing.

[@SignalDitch]

Beautiful mercury arc rectifier! And it's still in working condition! Just awesome.

[@australiantruckspotting8883]

The length of time between Shiey’s videos builds the anticipation and he does not disappoint

[@mfbfreak]

5:45 The tape could be audio (24 track, like the stuff used by Queen) or video tape. The 'clip' on the left says 'ampex'. Such wide tape was pretty common for TV studio tape recordings, and also for the most important audio recordings. It is not data tape. Data tape did not use the hubs with the 3 notches, and usually was not 2" wide either. I'd say video is the most likely. It likely contains important archive footage (it could very well contain those 'lost' Doctor Who episodes!) and i hope the folks who are tasked with keeping the bunker from flooding, pick it up and send it to the BBC.

[@AzamatSlowedAndReverb]

Nah the BBC will censor it, we need a true human who will show it to the world.

[@junior1138]

The rectifier is a wonderful bit of kit and it’s fantastic to see it (apparently) fully functional. That much mercury in 1940’s glassware tho. . . . .

[@DaveyG]

That thing was sweet from Wiki - A mercury-arc valve or mercury-vapor rectifier or (UK) mercury-arc rectifier[1][2] is a type of electrical rectifier used for converting high-voltage or high-current alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC). It is a type of cold cathode gas-filled tube, but is unusual in that the cathode, instead of being solid, is made from a pool of liquid mercury and is therefore self-restoring. As a result, mercury-arc valves were much more rugged and long-lasting, and could carry much higher currents than most other types of gas discharge tube. Invented in 1902 by Peter Cooper Hewitt, mercury-arc rectifiers were used to provide power for industrial motors, electric railways, streetcars, and electric locomotives, as well as for radio transmitters and for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission. They were the primary method of high power rectification before the advent of semiconductor rectifiers, such as diodes, thyristors and gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) in the 1970s. These solid state rectifiers have since completely replaced mercury-arc rectifiers thanks to their higher reliability, lower cost and maintenance and lower environmental risk.

[@DaveyG]

Change your thumbnail to the rectifier and you it would be sweet! so cool!

[@ryanelger07]

There are a number of these in London, one of which you can sometimes get a tour of. At least a couple of the others are/were used as document storage facilities. Fascinating places and thanks for the your - I'd never fit through those ducts!

[@joewynn2445]

Wow that's a serious testament to just how well built that bomb shelter was designed 👏 and the fact that it's all kept in working order would be extremely comforting to know if I lived in the UK

[@louisebrookes2630]

They're not for the people. Just the selecr. Orders in the 80s to military post bombs were to shoot women children & old & only collect young fit men. Govt doesnt give a hoot about the people

[@drizzetsrevenge]

The crazy thing is that it all looks to be recently used. There are barcodes with bin labels on the bunk sheling. I highly doubt it's been abandoned for 20+ years based on the condition of those labels and shelving alone, but who knows.

[@nixxonnor]

I like how these guys do not break anything. They have a feeling for how stuff works...

[@NCRRanger7753]

That's awesome. Abandoned, but still made ready if needed at any time.

[@oregoon3988]

It's pretty cool you going to other countries and looking at their bunkers and being able to look back and compare them to each other because they're all built around the same time.

[@harryfellowes5148]

Working arc rectifier!! that is amazing to see

[@inactive-z2o]

Those arc rectifiers are used to convert AC to DC, hence the name. Shiey already corrected by the subtitles, those aren't generators, generators are just generating electricity using an engine. Not sure what they're using those arc rectifiers for though.

[@todayonthebench]

Most likely used to power the lifts. A lot of lifts back in the day used DC motors. Another advantage of DC power in a bunker like this is that one can have a battery bank and run the lifts and lighting on that instead if external sources disappear. Obviously not long term, but a backup is a backup. Converting DC to AC however is a challenge back in those days, easiest were a motor generator setup, but those have rather high loss. Other than that, one didn't have much choice. And this is why from a backup standpoint it would be better with DC powered equipment back then for lighting and lifts. Today, it is not an all that major difference, but even modern DC to AC conversion isn't without losses, so a lot of backup solutions where one wants as long runtime as possible out of a battery bank, DC is still used for a lot.

[@inactive-z2o]

@@todayonthebench oh yes true i forgot elevators used dc motors

[@mr.d5314]

3:37 "it's been abandoned for probably 20 years" 7:19 the dove supreme fine silk soap in the pump-action bottle was introduced in 2009 and is still being sold, and that yorkshire tea packaging design was introduced in 2012 and is still in use, so that place must have been abandoned some time between 10 years ago and last week.

[@robbanks7394]

Reminds me of Waterlooplein in Amsterdam, which is considerably smaller. We got in using a key back in '94. A room was tagged with "CBS, we got the key". We just left "We got the key too".

[@Nbarbacc]

Blows my mind that you guys can find and access all these amazing places. And to be responsible and not blow them up/expose them. I'm jealous though! I love exploring and wandering but I've never gotten into urban exploration or climbing

[@Nbarbacc]

@David I've been thinking about it! Definitely have had tons of trips that would've made great videos... I need to get my feet wet with climbing/urbex.. though im In the NE USA so it's not like there's tons of abandoned solviet things to play around on

[@turboslag]

Mecury arc rectifiers were used right up until the 70's, they were the only devices capable of handling the high currents used in industry until high power silicon rectifiers were developed. Although they are fascinating they are crude and inefficient compared to modern silicon and silicon carbide devices.

[@FroZenL1Qu1d]

That bulb was beautiful, I can't believe it still worked.

[@butcherbaker4258]

It's so captivating and strangely alluring finding places like this underground or abandoned buildings despite all of the well known dangers possibilities . When I was in my early 20s my friends and I did this kind of crazy stuff from Alaska to Kentucky, but life set in and about 13 years ago I had 2 children and after they graduate in the next 5 years i will be close to retiring from my primarily employer. I will only be 46 God willing I have more time to live life with less restrictions and a better grasp of rational fear. I can't thank you enough for creating these videos, they mean different things to everyone.. it gives me inspiration personally and others I am sure start out on their first adventure because of your fearlessness and bravery but please be safe out there, I know everyone has people that care for them and would be heartbroken if something serious was to ever happen.. life is so much more beautiful and longer then you can imagine and I know you know this every time you discover something new but that changes with one bad decision. God bless the spirit of the adventuresome.🇺🇸

[@patfranks785]

6:00 is an old hard disc storage device. As you can see there are several discs in it. I worked at PPPL in the mid 80's and we used this and real to real computer tape. The stuff was old even then.

[@EnsignLovell]

Man, your channel is truly a treasure trove of what used to be. Our society is so caught up in the small stuff these days that we forget how well some of the old stuff worked, and why it still would work today.

[@johnvanderbeek7535]

Some great history here. That generator is so freaking cool!

[@inactive-z2o]

Its really not a generator. They corrected it in the subtitles, those are rectifiers.

[@johnvanderbeek7535]

@@inactive-z2o Ah ok still tho verry cool to see

[@inactive-z2o]

@@johnvanderbeek7535 yep, those are arc rectifiers used to convert AC to DC, high voltage

[@R3TR0R4V3]

It's a Mercury Arc Rectifier, to be more precise. :)

[@MegaDRjohn]

its not high voltage, however its likely to be supplied via high voltage. high voltage is anything 1000volts or higher. it was 800volts maximum capacity

[@bikerchrisukk]

Nice one lads. They look like underground tube tunnels that have been converted to habitation quarters? Just a thought, but when you're going underground, see if you can get a device that measures the o2 levels. People have been known to stop living when going down an unvented space. Also, I'm curious, were you riding on top of the elevator and not in it? Cheers for sharing!

[@darfoster7773]

It had a working ventilation system, so O2 shouldn't be a problem! I'd be more concerned about mold and other nasties. But in case of nuclear war, I wouldn't give it a second thought!

[@bikerchrisukk]

@@darfoster7773 Ah, that's alright then...phew. I heard stories on site about people going down unvented spaces and passing out, then someone else goes down to help, and they pass out. Too true about mould and that, I'd be the first one down there too, with tea bags.

[@aidanhoneyman8544]

the Yorkshire tea box??? that place has definitely been used recently

[@Jensiswelt]

Metro Anlage richtig

[@takta3265]

just love the way Matt turns the elevator on - hes so experienced and chill

[@sadmermaid]

I have intense anxiety that a door leading somewhere will close and lock behind you, leaving you trapped. I can deal with heights, but underground freaks me out.

[@ManicMiner2]

I'd be more concerned about the climbing down shafts, riding on top of old elevators, standing within 50ft of that crazy electrical device that looks like its for firing life into Frankenstein's monster 🤨

[@oghash4912]

Haha yessss

[@luca35821]

i cannot get enough of these videos... also it just blows my mind that the rectifier is still working and yall didn't die when turning it on lmao

[@OsmosisHD]

I work with high voltage, if there is one tip I could give it's don't screw around with high voltage it's not worth it a silly mistake is easily made. God knows how many amps are running though that thing. It's not the voltage that kills it's the amperage. None the less it's a very cool piece of equipment tho!

[@benolifts]

I wouldn't call it high voltage as it is under 1000 volts. It is 630 volts to match the London Underground power supply, so the bunker has a choice of running from 2 power supplies for redundancy. The voltage when there is no load on it reaches 800 volts. I was the one that got this thing working. When I first found it I went through everything and messed about with everything until I found the reason why it wasn't working. Turns out the arm inside of the glass that creates an arc to vaporize the mercury had moved out of place as it hadn't been used in many years. The way to get it working is to shake the glass while it is switched on until the arm moves to the correct arc gap to start the ignition. Ultimately, it was messing around that got it to work

[@davidk8893]

@@benolifts The little "arm" inside the tube that strikes the arc hasn't moved out of place, is supposed to sit like that. In order to strike the arc, there is normally a little electromagnet (probably just a coil) placed on the side that gets energized in order to cause the exciter (the little arm) to bounce and strike the arc. You can see this electromagnet at around 9:40 in the video, it's clamped onto the arm of the tube that the exciter is mounted on. The rectifier was most likely used to power the original elevators in the bunker. DC was often used for elevators due to the fact that DC motors do not generally have to spin up to full speed before they generate torque. This allows the motor to have full power from a standstill, which is very good for powering an elevator.

[@DuPz0r]

That 40s generator thing was fucking sick, what a find. 🔥 Thanks for firing it up and showing us!

[@Nvel09]

That rectifier is one of the coolest things I've seen on your channel-thanks for your hard work making these videos!

[@ebeccle]

This one hit different. It was like a video game map with the elevators. Keep up the good content👌

[@joshofalltradesgendron5464]

I appreciate how you guys do not vandalism our history and just explore like me.

[@dudeatmenangle]

That was so cool. I can’t believe that rectifier started and the eeriness of its blue glow……WOW!

[@johnsenior8205]

at 5.48 its a barograph for recording temperature & air pressure. the drum would have a sheet of graph paper attached & would rotate once per week, the two long arms have ink pots at the end & would scribe a line. so that at the end of the week you could see the 2 lines & the variations of both.

[@heyitsRyanS]

I love how every time he’s taking an elevator he’s on top of it now lmao

[@Tom1k9]

Never thought i'd see the day Shiey came to the UK. Really looking forward to seeing some killer content as usual from my own country:)

[@ChronicExe]

Problem is, secretvault or iksexploration has already done all these sites, so it just becomes the same but with a different presenter.

[@prunehead]

@@ChronicExe shiey is why most of us come here tho

[@MX304]

A functional Mercury Arc Rectifier?! That is insane.

[@WILLZE]

It’s kept working for public tours

[@ephjaymusic]

That mercury rectifier is absolutely beautiful! Last time I saw an active one in use was in a gold mine in South Africa.

[@knackfuss1]

that's great. from the 1940s and works like the first day. the whole bunker complex looks as if it would be kept ready for emergencies, because everything is still working. the elevator, there is electricity, lighting. the microwave works. So you could theoretically move in immediately if needed

[@Jensiswelt]

Und das aus sehr guten Grund

[@BaByNessi]

Geil! Pünktlich zum Feierabend ✌️

[@TheProdigalSaint]

Nothing hits quite like seeing that shiey new video notification. 👌🏻

[@gaelsanma9105]

they are like best friends on this journey

[@James-d5u5t]

The fact that the elevator still works... Is crazy and also the fact that you're not scared to ride then is also crazy

[@joshjaegle5828]

I visited here a few weeks ago, inspired by your video! It was very cool thanks for the inspiration.

[@joshjaegle5828]

Also I’d definitely recommend at least wearing n100 ffp3 masks if you come back or go somewhere similar as there is quite a lot of asbestos in this location, and when i came out my trousers were a bit covered in it due to it being kicked up from walking

[@DEAD-DROP]

Damn, I'm going to have to arrange a mission to London... Love these places! Great work man!

[@Makkino]

The guy knew had so much knowledge about stuff which was very cool, do more exploring with him!

[@johanm6550]

agreed

[@Laury79]

He's knowledgeable about electrical stuff but he made nervous watching them as he's very impulsive and unpredictable which is not a good thing in any situation. Shiey spent most of the video struggling to keep the guy from doing something really stupid and dangerous.

[@nadezhdagicheva7439]

FYI from a deeply concerned fun sponge: the mercury rectifier glass valve is filled with mercury/mercury vapor. Considering that the cooling system probably doesn't work and that the equipment is so old, there's a chance that the vapor could leak out and cause poisoning.

[@MegaDRjohn]

they still use them today in many countries. the mercury is in a vacuum and safe

[@guytech7310]

Unlikely since its basically sealed in a vacuum tube.

[@davidk8893]

the cooling system is quite literally just that fan. The fan spins, so the tube was being cooled. Also, it won't heat up significantly without any sort of load on it

[@sakibear4478]

Great video! The elevator was pre-Otis Elevators. The safety system in them would stop a fall to the bottom of the shaft. Basically that’s a hoist that if the cable failed anyone on it would have a quick fall. Pretty amazing, power and everything.

[@TheTechAdmin]

11:04 I wish I could forget or "lose my way" the way everyone seems to be able to. One time I got drunk at a party, then got a ride from a friend to a second party with a lot of turns. Even drunk, and confused, at night, with my eyes opening only every few minutes. I was able to drive my friend and I back home, backward, just as I was sobering up that same night(he couldn'tdrive his own car). My friends ask me how I remember certain things so well. And the best way I can explain it is like this. Let's say you put 99 strangers in a room, and only 1 is your mother. As you go through the room and see all of the new faces, but then when you see the face you know, your mom's face; their's a strong familiarity in your mind compared to that of the faces of those strangers. For me, I have that familiarity, but for everything I've ever seen or heard. I do wish a lot I could forget something. Because the look on someone's face when they take a while to remember something, looks so enjoyable!

[@tomjuggles]

With every new video I'm glad you're still alive. Really appreciating your videos👍

[@alex-q8-q9]

XD for real

[@KingCobraLolcow]

Crazy. This was the first bunker I claimed in 1998. You can see my initials carved in the walls.

[@JewishBanker420]

Liar

[@CharlieChalk9790]

Awesome, where is the bunker...?

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

@@CharlieChalk9790 Somewhere in Central London, I don't know the coordinates though but it is connected to a London Underground station via a now bricked up wall...

[@jaqe-o8w]

@@CharlieChalk9790 Belsize Park

[@dt5690]

Your channel's notifications always put a smile on my face! Stay safe out there man!

[@phy4901]

This is a testament to old tech that was purposefully built to last unlike today. Wonderful vidya! I want these places to be documented regardless the legality. Wonderful content.

[@RODALCO2007]

Amazing video, that was an interesting bunker. That so called "generator" is actually a Mercury Arc Rectifier to convert AC Voltage to DC Voltage, for charging batteries, accu's or electric traction.

[@palmrr]

right as i’m about to eat, the goat posts😏