South Kenton - Least Used Bakerloo Line Station

We're counting down the least used stations line by line on the London Underground, this time to the Bakerloo and the glamour of South Kenton.
You can download the Entry & Exit figures for all Tube Stations here: tfl.gov.uk/cor... (although, it will obviously spoil the series for you if you look ahead at the figures!)
Note: The Waterloo & City Line won't be done, as it's only two two stations and it's figures are ridiculously high, because the stations are Waterloo and Bank.
There's scope though to do 'Least Used...' on the Overground, DLR and Trams. (We'll save the Cable Car for April's fools day again)

[@sammyvales]

Ah yes, the classic slow-mo bin bag moment. A tried and tested filmmaking technique.

[@lionvillelion]

sac poubelle au ralenti

[@natalian.1320]

Cool, I love it. :-)

[@briocheoleary5043]

After last night's winds. There's an identical white bin bag in the tree outside my room. I thought of these videos immediately, lol

[@hughbreidenbach]

Grew up near there... Geoff definitely picked the local highlight

[@lizzylee1787]

“It’s this bizarre mix of big trains, overground trains and little bouncy brown Bakerloo line trains.” - oh Geoff you do have a way with words.

[@garethbisgrove4482]

I love the Bakerloo, use it everyday commuting, the clackety old trains and their interior are brilliant. Although new trains will be very welcome, I personally will be sad to see these old-timers finally retire. Good work Geoff.

[@csinspain]

Thank you so much for a step into nostalgia. I was born and lived for over twenty years just round the corner. When I was 15 I got a Saturday job cleaning and restocking the shelves, mowing the lawns etc at the Windermere pub. This was mid 1960's when the old footbridge was there before they built the subway. On the way to work I used to stand on the footbridge as steam trains chucked minty smelling steam up each side as they passed. The pub was very busy then and I think the landlord was Mr Stainings (can't remember first name). Always took trains from South Kenton station where the ticket office was a wooden hut like construction as you entered the platforms. Going up from the pub side toward North Wembley station was Collars laundry where my father used to get is separate stiff collars and the Wrigleys spearmint factory which is large white building just before GEC Hurst research and the North Wembley station.

[@efeberenguer]

Sometimes bouncy, but always cosy 😂😂😂 that’s going to be my new tinder intro

[@AshBehindtheCamera]

Love it 😂👍

[@itmkoeln]

Fun fact those 30 steps are the equal of a 15 storey building...

[@omfgmouse]

Ooh, I can climb one whole storey in just two steps? Suddenly climbing a 15 storey building sounds much easier!

[@itmkoeln]

@@omfgmouse Every tube stair case is the equivalent of a 15 storey building.

[@omfgmouse]

don't worry, I'm aware of the joke lol

[@pierferekatze2370]

@@omfgmouse r/woooosh

[@UKDarkPredator]

Dylan Cheng r/woooosh

[@peterhack2962]

The Windermere pub is actually still open, and is well worth visiting - I've used South Kenton several times to get to the pub, and was last there in early December 2019. The inside of the pub is actually listed in CAMRA's inventory of historic pub interiors, as it is a beautiful unaltered example of a 1930s Metroland era pub. Parts of the pub are indeed rarely used, but the nearside door (closest to the underpass) should open if you give it a push.

[@csinspain]

I worked at that pub in the years 1964-66 and It used to be very busy especially friday night sing along. Publican named something Stainings drove a Vanden Plas

[@HenrysAdventures]

I love South Kenton Station. Great for watching trains on the West Coast Main Line and as there's no ticket barriers you don't have to spend 1/2 hour explaining to the member of staff you're a railway enthusiast and just want to watch trains!

[@BravoManUK]

I lived around the corner from South Kenton in the 80's and to quote an icon of that era, it has always had an "every day is like Sunday" feel about it. Good to see the old girl again though.

[@briangarrow448]

This comment comes from the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Why the hell do I love these videos so much?

[@motownpenguin]

Brian Garrow Watching from Seattle. I swear I know more about London from Geoff than some parts of my own city.

[@witzendoz]

I watch from Fremantle Western Australia, apart from Antartica almost the furthest you could get from London, however I will be in London in June, and funny enough I was born in London.

[@meliskaable]

I agree! I'm from Philadelphia, PA and have only been to London once!

[@albertolaboria5866]

Same! Following this channel from Spain ;)

[@TheRaggiesoft]

Chiming in from Norfolk, Virginia. Can’t explain why I enjoy these videos so much either

[@haddockman30]

I came for the binbag. Was not disappointed.

[@a11oge]

arrived here from Geoff's Q&A of 11/7/22, and oddly it is a vid I had not seen before - well worth it, and 156k views

[@BattleCats60]

This is my favourite station in London. Every time I go to London I find myself at this station it is such a little gem

[@gNatflaps]

I can't believe that Geoff did just throw away his camera for this video. Real dedication.

[@hereticosjc]

I don't use Twitter and keep meaning to sign up. So posting here to say visited London last week to take little one to TFL museume and picked up your underground facts book! Keep up the great work.

[@flightimage845]

My advice: continue not using Twitter!

[@marksab]

I love this channel very much, the underground is endlessly fascinating. I miss earls court particularly and its. complicated old school district line platforms.

[@Lewwytravels]

First of all: This is amazing. Used to use this station every day and thought it was quite busy lol. Got proved wrong

[@Alfie-cu4np]

The best station to do trainspotting on the West Coast Main Line.

[@Dekeullan]

Rugeley TV is quite good too

[@trainspottingkingdom4972]

Rugeley Trent Valley is very far from London

[@DJenerate]

@@trainspottingkingdom4972 So? It's still on the WCML. Also, Stafford is also a pretty good place to go.

[@baseballfan99]

Was going to say the samething

[@Sylveonkpopnyct]

Alfie 0202 railfanning * There's no word called trainspotting

[@bipbipletucha]

God I love those Bakerloo trains. I'll be sad when they go

[@emeraldzebra9360]

They are so simple they will never die lol

[@itsreeah2663]

Same

[@warrentimothy2276]

6 trains per hour underground, 3 trains per hour overground. 1 million underground passengers figures, 500k overground passengers figures. Looks like a simple ratio calculation to me - with exceptions for known journeys - SK to Euston or SK to Elephant for example.

[@francislawson3523]

Idk if Geoff will see this, but in the summer of 2017 I visited all the least used stations on the TfL network (all tube and overground lines, TfL Rail and DLR) inspired by Geoff's least used stations video. I also calculated the scores of all the stations, as per Geoff's facilities scoring system!! Of course Geoff is doing it much better though!! 😂😂 Love the videos.

[@thepilotman1hg]

Always loved this line! Voted 4 it in the World Cup of tube lines too😁

[@TheLambLive]

My favourite station. Many happy memories with old friends on Norval Rd.

[@metropod]

There’s a few lines in my experience where you have metro trains smack up against mainline ones. Top of my head is the Orange Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The southern section shares a cutting for several miles and stops with the mainline Amtrak tracks. The other is the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (Path) system at Newark and Harrison stations. While legally a railroad, the trains are clones of the current generation of New York City Subway equipment and they run feet from Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains.

[@rogerwhittle2078]

The only time I ever saw (or ever likely to see) a Pennsylvania GG-1, was from a PATH train on the way in to Manhattan from Newark, in 1988. There were several stored out of use in the huge yards that existed then, just before the tunnel. That was the one and only time I saw the Twin Towers too.

[@metropod]

Roger Whittle the yards are mostly still there along that stretch. NJT’s main maintenance shop is there now.

[@JanVoo]

At 0:23 had to check twice. The light/camera at first looked like some sort of Star Trek spaceship haha 👽

[@theexpertmaskmakerofwatfor8504]

Hi. My dad worked here for 18 years. The old ticket office was a hut at the top of the stairs and issued little cardboard tickets. South Kenton now is just a walk through to Northwick Park Hospital. Great video Geoff.

[@SJ-cc2il]

Do you think it being the “least used” station has anything to do with it not having barriers?

[@jpbdude4223]

Yes

[@supahas3821]

And being over ground (excluding Blackhorse Rd)

[@WASIURPA]

Finsbury park tho

[@HenrysAdventures]

The reason it has no ticket barriers is because the way the station is layed out there's no room to fit them in.

[@HenrysAdventures]

Most stations on the Goblin Line now have ticket barriers but a couple of years ago, only Blackhorse Road, Barking and Gospel Oak had them. Most London Overground Stations now have ticket barriers or are having them put in. There's currently 12 London Underground stations you can access at least one platform without passing through a ticket barrier.

[@OffTheRailsUK]

Yeah this station is great for spotting too, no staff to annoy you saying you can't record or anything

[@LittleTed2]

I love South Kenton Station!

[@volvotrident4835]

one of my favourite stations for trainspotting

[@volvotrident4835]

@@OneKnifeYeHand wasn't going to,

[@arsenalcurry]

That pub certainly is not shut Geoff. A pleasant old pub, shame many others around have gone.

[@jeremybuck1818]

Yes indeed, grade II listed with rare 1930s interior!

[@lordmuntague]

It has Underground. It has Overground. But it apparently isn't Wombling Free. And Wimbledon is Underground only... Anyone else confused? #o.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Wimbledon may not have the Overground, but it's not Underground only - it also has trams, and two National Rail operators.

[@TaylaHolland]

@@norbitonflyer5625 You don’t get the joke

[@TransportForLuka]

​@@TaylaHolland I don't either

[@colinbeer5736]

This takes me back. I lived in Windermere Avenue 40 years ago. Six tracks at the bottom of the garden. Then views over the park towards NP hospital and Harrow on the Hill. Lots of electric locomotives on the main line. Class 86/87 for the express and Class 81-85 and occasional diesels for the freight. The tube trains were fun to go on but the BR stopping service had slam door closed carriages without aisles. Scary to ride on even then going through Stonebridge Park, Harlesden etc. Change at Queens Park for the West End or walk to Preston Road for fast trains to the City.

[@ritahirani4016]

I've lived here for the past thirty two years or so and it's extremely pleasant thank you. Great location for everything and a Sainsburys just up the road. Agreed though that the Windemere pub is a waste of precious space .

[@Sammie_Sorrelly]

Man, I'd love to do videos like this on stations in the Tokyo area. Regarding how they tell what's Underground traffic and what's Overground traffic, presumably as far as the system is concerned every single touch is part of a pair - entering and leaving the network. In calculating your fare when you touch out it knows where you went to and where you came from so for anyone who uses that Oyster pad it should know based on where they came from/ended up which service they used.

[@owenarmstrong2676]

Brilliant video Geoff. I am a fan of the Bakerloo line as in my opinion it is the cosiest line in winter and all round (shame it gets baking in the summer tho)

[@Stephenthebobby]

I assume passenger stats are based on the other stations that the person touches in/out at. I bet there isn't that many people who get on and off between Queens park and Harrow & Wealdstone?

[@dansmith4547]

I believe it’s electronic when somebody purchase a ticket

[@decodolly1535]

OK, so I'm sitting here thinking this weekend I need a trip out to visit South Kenton Station. And also that I might need to see some kind of counsellor 😊

[@joannaatkinson235]

I think a tour of these might be in order if I get time when next in London...

[@jonathancook4022]

Can you do a least used station on the Emirates Cable Car?

[@jonathancook4022]

UK Transport232 I should have read the description first. Shame I wasn’t the first to think of this idea, given that it’s fundamentally flawed

[@katrinabryce]

Jonathan Cook North Greenwich is the most used based on Jubilee passengers to The O2, so the other one.

[@CreativeName42069]

I'm still waiting for the least used station on the Waterloo and City line.

[@katrinabryce]

@Eric Mugisha But people can use both of those stations without boarding the cable car, because in each case, there is another line serving that station.

[@alex-rn605]

@@CreativeName42069 IT BOTH OF THEM BECUSE THEY ONLY HAVE 2 STOPS SO PEOLPE GET OF AT THE NEXT STOP HOW DO NOT KNOW

[@therunningstef5347]

Geoff, after you've finished doing this series, do secrets of Southern / Southeastern / Great Western / Northern etc. - I think it could be quite interesting!

[@railwaychristina3192]

You can see North Wembley Station down the line. It is probably consideres least used because people fare dodge so the journey is not recorded.

[@PlanetoftheDeaf]

I actually used this station last year, so am in the 2018 stats! It's on the Capital Ring walk, which passes through the underpass

[@evancortez2]

I hope that trash bag was empty when you put your camera in there, otherwise, time for the disinfecting wipes!

[@anononomous]

I'd have put the camera body in a plastic bag with the lens poking out (secured with an elastic band round it), then lowered it in holding the lens from above.

[@yadt]

@@anononomous I wouldn't have put my camera in a bin.

[@decodolly1535]

@@anononomous Those bag holders are really easy to unclip. Maybe he took along his own bag and installed it just for the camera angle.

[@harshilpatel684]

One of my local stations! Another reason I don't use it as much is that my alternative is the faster met line which also serves the Kenton and Preston road areas. A pro of South Kenton is I can park for free right outside the station useful for evenings or rainy days instead of a long walk back to my house. Also I can guarantee a seat in the peaks whereas the peak service at Preston road is terrible due to fast trains skipping the station.

[@Hammondfreak]

Best bin bag I've ever seen...............and in slow motion!

[@craigr9881]

i don't want this series to end.

[@joffdorling3562]

Great video on underground trains mate 😊👍

[@GregRobsonUK]

I'm declaring 3:03 an EBM ... "Emotional Bag Moment"

[@pareetjshah]

Was lovely to see my local station on your station! Enjoyed the video, but not quite in agreement with the negative view of the South Kenton area....the Windermere pub is open and used for local resident's association events, local shops and Post Office keep the area busy. Also there are 2 vibrant primary schools within 5 minutes walk of station and the it's located in one of the largest residents associations in Brent :)

[@pareetjshah]

I got a reply from Geoff Marshall! :))) Oh well, maybe was a quiet day ...LOL Still was cool to see the area I’ve lived in for over 43 years featured on your channel

[@stephenb2950]

Used this station not long ago as it it a link station on the Capital Ring Walk - so we finished one stage of the walk there one week and were back the following week to start the next section!

[@andrewr2825]

Zary park run to the delights of South Kenton in two days! You cannot be any more exotic not eclectic than that Geoff!

[@tobyskinner94]

30 steps= 15 floors

[@tommarriott00]

You drink as much tea as me lol from a fellow tea drinker i very much enjoy your videos I don't get to ride trains as much as I would like but I live in Loughborough so I've got the great Central railway just down the road.

[@dansmith4547]

I’m more of a coffee guy tbh

[@Toxicpen456]

Please have a looped version of the slow mo bin bag with that music! That’s so calming!

[@hello-iy8vn]

also if you look towards northwick park, you can see chiltern trains!

[@mitchellmccoy6390]

It is synced up with the time tables so when a tube train comes in and people touch the pad it relates those passengers to tube passengers

[@waverleyrocker]

Need some wider shots Geoff. Hard to really get a feel for it.

[@MatthewPlato91]

Because there's no barriers, the stats will be missing the fewer but still present folks who are travelling with paper travelcards! Neighbouring Kenton station is a short walk from Northwick Park station on the Met, though from looking at the map South Kenton is besides that park also. Might be worth an exploration one day!

[@tarunmistry5204]

Go asap as they are planning on turning a large part into houses.

[@eastpavilion-er6081]

When I saw this least used station video, I thought: why geoff won't do a video about least used station in Cambridgeshire. Then I realized it's Shippea Hill which he did long time ago haha

[@Richard_is_cool]

That bin bag had me in tears. I thought about moving to South Kenton (not aware that it was that unpopular with commuters), now I'm not so sure.

[@johnsails5436]

nice one geoff

[@jamesc1199]

At the start of the video, you mentioned the Overground running adjacent to the Bakerloo, being one of the only places to do so. On the Metropolitan Line, between Rickmansworth and Amersham, Chiltern Railways uses the same platforms as the Met to stop, which is the same as the Bakerloo.

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

No, 30 steps is NOT equivalent to a 15 storey building before anyone says it, because that would equate to only two steps per storey!

[@martenkats6915]

I think you're missing the joke...

[@saxbend]

I would imagine only a very small fraction of journeys are made between two stations served by both lines. They can get a good estimate just by adding half of those to each line's count.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

The two lines share tracks for ten stations, from Harrow & Wealdstone to Queens Park. Any local journey between two of those stations could be made on either train and there is no way for the ticketing system to distinguish them. The Tube accounts for about two thirds of the service, which may be why the official guesstimate allocates twice as many passenger numbers to the Tube as to the NR (Overground) services. Or, given that the stats are not collected by the same organisation, the larger figure includes all passengers using the station.

[@lewis_chronicles]

My mate lived there. Absolute dive.

[@mbrady2329]

Do you imagine that the proximity to Northwick Park station has anything to do with the lack of footfall?

[@effortlesschi]

I worked at that pub for 5 years, can attest to Geoff’s comments about it being desolate !

[@csinspain]

I worked at that pub in the years 1964-66 and It used to be very busy especially friday night sing along. Publican named something Stainings drove a Vanden Plas

[@eduardstefan2971]

I have happy memories at the school next to that stations., 😁

[@paulyh4531]

😂 view from inside the bin love it , that's gotta be standard now new feature , well bin view .👍😂

[@hiray89]

The two figures would probably be worked out based on the (other) station you have entered/exited from.

[@martinjolly8351]

Loving the captions option - applause at 1:00, music at 2:45. Great video, of course!

[@itsreeah2663]

😂😂

[@Thunderer0872]

Overground figs would be tapping in at Euston or stations north of Harrow to Watford.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

An antepenultimate station this time! As for usage statistics, I would guess they may extrapolate from passenger counts on trains to estimate what proportion of passengers use each service. They may also use Oyster exit/entry data, but there will be some local journeys that can't be differentiated that way.

[@laurencelowne8454]

I visited Kenton station recently. One of the few.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

But not as few as South Kenton!

[@TheBeyblade123]

Weird to think that I live 5 minutes down the road at North Wembley and the difference between the 2 stops is so apparent, one side is packed busy on a highroad and the other is this tiny stop where nobody gets off

[@jordanbrooks7468]

I want to go to London again at some point, it is expensive yes but I do want to explore some of the quirky and weird stations on the Underground

[@BlaiddLlwyd]

"Little bouncy brown Bakerloo line trains." Best line in the video.

[@VAX1970]

Bakerloo trains are not little though, central and northern are smaller

[@norbitonflyer5625]

They are all the same height and width - they have to be as the tunnels are the same size (the 1972 stock now on the Bakerloo used to run on the Northern, and 1959/62 stock used to run on all three lines). However, Central Line trains are longer than those on the Northern and Bakerloo.

[@VAX1970]

@@norbitonflyer5625 Thanks, i always felt the Bakerloo trains had more headroom, obviously not.

[@OldUKAds]

It's nicer than dirty, decrepit, horrible.. so at least he tried.

[@peebee143]

There's quite a number of views of this area with things like Coronation Pacifics on the WCML and the '38 stock on the Underground.

[@rafaelgamma07]

The Bakerloo now has the Central Line landmark moquette!

[@maplady572]

A most enjoyable video Geoff. The bin bag section was very haunting and atmospheric. And now a question: Is South Kenton the only station on the underground that can be turned into another station by the addition of 4 letters? (The station name that is, not the material of the station, before someone gets facetious with me! 😄)

[@JoeGrohlDJ]

Ooh, I like this game! I've found: Aldgate (East) Barking(side) Edgware (Road) Kilburn (Park) (West) Hampstead (West) Ruislip Wimbledon (Park) Including the whole TfL network: Beckton (Park) Brondesbury (Park) Kentish Town (West) Morden (Road) New Cross (Gate) Wanstead (Park) Also, if you allow for rearranging letters, Bank can become Burnt Oak.

[@davejack82]

Love your videos

[@THjelm]

It's not the first time that you refer to island platforms as something odd or quirky. I find it funny, since in the city I'm from (Stockholm), as far as I know there is only one tube station which _doesn't_ have an island platform arrangement. (Johannelund for the curious, one of the westernmost stations on the Green Line.)

[@rosebengal6775]

I always enjoy your videos--we have only light rail in Phoenix, AZ. How about a video of "Bin Bag Ballet," a compendium of bin bags set to music, with the stations identified? Thanks again.

[@djlawlz4041]

I think that they may work out who comes off which rail line based on where they tapped in. Here in Boston you don’t have to tap out but it does register where you tap in.

[@GreeniusGenius]

Well the problem therein lies the fact that there are other stations along the route eg; Willesden Junction, which also have Bakerloo line and London Overground connections behind the same gateline, so tapping in at Willesden Junction and out at South Kenton can’t conclusively lead to proof of which train you took, unless they assume you took the first timetabled train to take that route, after you tapped in.

[@tobyskinner94]

They may work out the numbers of passengers of Overground and Underground by the 'station' you touched in at?

[@JamesTheBell1]

Is there now going to be a large gap in this series whilst you do All The Stations Ireland? I'm excited for that or course, but am also liking this series and am a bit sad for such a long break.

[@Smamf1973]

I love going past The Windermere on the train. TAKE COURAGE.

[@jonathanwadman3699]

For once a least-used station that I've actually used, after completing a section of the Capital Ring.

[@s125ish]

Jonathan Wadman what's the ring ?

[@googletookmyoriginaluserna4182]

Binbag 4K Megamix! Make it happen!

[@MrUltrAdaman]

National rail from there goes to Euston (assuming overground is national rail) as well as going as far as Watford junction neither of which are served by the Bakerloo therefore the NR stats probably only count journeys to those stations or others that the Bakerloo doesn’t serve

[@tarunmistry5204]

I live sooo close and use the station a lot. Very sad i couldn't meet you.

[@mirkonagy1037]

Hi Geoff! I was in London but I didn't see you! Maybe next time! Greetings from Hungary!

[@glasgowandwestdunbartonshi8934]

2:10 we miss you Virgin Trains

[@jacksonb6849]

They work it out from where else you tap

[@MadhuttyRotMG]

I would assume they take the full journey into account and work out whether it’s overground or bakerloo, then based on that ratio, distribute the remaining unknown journeys in the same ratio

[@dorcascassimjee8018]

I love the bakerloo line a lot it’s so old and bumpy it’s got the oldest tube stock right

[@amberfilms112]

Wow that's good. We need to get him on goblin!

[@my_beer_stories]

Perhaps it's total journeys divided by services - so say you had 3 million journeys made, with 66% of trains being tube and 33% of trains being big boy trains, you'd get the numbers average out that way. One for @numberphile perhaps

[@brian9731]

How do they work out how many people used the Tube and how many used the Overground? My guess is, they sometimes physically count - by CCTV or in person and/or survey. They know where an Oyster user got on for a particular journey so that would give at least some indication of which train a user got off (unless you're trying to trick the system). Say a Euston to South Kenton train takes X minutes by Overground and a Euston to South Kenton via Euston Square and Baker Street on the Tube takes Y minutes, you can do some calculating and make some assumptions ... plus a lot of extrapolation and number crunching and a generous sprinkle of more assumptions and guessing.