The Docklands’ First Railway: The London & Blackwall (75,000 Subscribers!)

A documentary 18 miles, 5 days, 14 stations, 2 worn-out boots and 75,000 subscribers in the making!
ko-fi.com/jagohazzard
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[@srhvideo]

Jago English dictionary: Self-indulgence, the practice of walking most of a marathon filming old things with your phone in east London

[@lordgemini2376]

:D

[@Ypog_UA]

This aesthetic is something which I now always need in my life

[@annother3350]

Jago - the man they couldn't lock down... 😉👍

[@JagoHazzard]

I have to admit that I’ve been sitting on this footage for quite a while...

[@mayainactiveemail3986]

Jago unchained?

[@annother3350]

@@JagoHazzard You dont have to explain yourself!! Fresh air is good for your immune system.

[@simpilotadamt1012]

@Harris Pork no we are, but only for “essential journeys “

[@KaitlynnUK]

I was going to write regarding the 'Calculating Boy' nickname, "those Victorians and their cunning names for things", but then realised that Bidder was a child before Victoria came to the throne, and "those Hanoverians and their cunning names for things" just doesnt have the same ring about it. Well at least we got a map, of sorts :) Well done for 75k, well deserved.

[@BigA1]

Found the use of the hand drawn map useful. More use of maps to give overall location, would be even more useful. Keep up the good work.

[@MRRookie232]

I like the fact that he acknowledged how confusing all of this was. Looking forward to the supplementary video he suggested

[@johnmurray8428]

I am going to copy that map, if that is ok? I have ancestry down there in the Victorian era, who must had lived through all that development.

[@iankemp1131]

The relevant "Pre-Grouping Atlas" and "Railway Junction Diagrams" pages would make things even clearer - each map tells a slightly different story to give a clear overall understanding.

[@2H80vids]

@@iankemp1131 While I do agree with you, would there not be copyright issues using pages from these atlases?

[@iankemp1131]

@@2H80vids A good question, which I have pondered about myself before as a possible reason why it hasn't been done. I am only guessing. However I see lots of other images (e.g. old photos) appear on videos by Jago and others, and I have seen maps on other sites (and the Underground strip map and Regents Canal map on Jago's) so I assume it is possible. It may require permission and acknowledgement. I don't know if a fee would be requested, and would hope that it is low or zero since this is essentially a non-profit channel. However, just 2 books (Pre grouping atlas and Railway Junction diagrams) would cover most foreseeable situations where a map is needed.

[@golddalekwho5944]

I remember using the DLR back in the 80's when the Canary Wharf site was still being built. Tower Gateway was the station, long before Bank station. The trains used to stop at some parts along the route at the station points before they had been built. The majority of passengers were builders. I think it went from Tower to Island gardens. I used to get off at Crossharbour. Again long before all the redevelopment got going near that part of the line.

[@pulaski1]

It sounds like the journey I made several times probably around May 1990, when I worked IIRC near Crossharbour for a couple of weeks. I don't think I have ever been on the DLR since, unless I used it to get to the now demolished Docklands Arena once - I think I only went there once, but have no memory of how I traveled to it.

[@rosiefay7283]

2:47 Oh, he was _that_ Bidder. I'd heard of the boy famous for his arithmetical capability, and wondered what happened to him. Glad he achieved success in later life.

[@Ireland00001]

Congratulations on getting to 75,000. Love your content especially this style with the history of why these lines were built and the politics involved. Here's to 100,000!

[@TheScotty525]

I've never lived more than 10 minutes from a DLR station. As a born and bred Docklands boy, keep these videos coming! Love it!

[@zdog90210]

I'm from America and have never been to London but I love these videos I have no idea why but I get so excited for each video 😂

[@jerrysims6691]

You're not alone - we can't wait for next instalment - they are little beacons of light

[@IlfordRetro]

@@jerrysims6691 That's a great way of describing them

[@hectorthorverton4920]

Thank you for the little visual joke at 11:50. (for the less observant you said 'sic transit gloria mundi' - always a good line in any case - and then cut to a shot of ... a Ford Transit) What fun you must have editing these little entertainments! Just one question: how did you know the Transit was sick?

[@davidw1518]

Thanks for pointing it out - I hadn't noticed!

[@atraindriver]

I always thought the problem wasn't the Transit but Gloria, as she would always be sick in the Transit on Mondays...

[@hectorthorverton4920]

@@atraindriver et in terror parks her minibus...

[@SamAronow]

I'm sorry, you can't just amble past a phrase like "river pirates."

[@Quasihamster]

You can, if you're on the DLarrr!

[@MRB1157]

That ought to be the best River Pirate I've ever seen.

[@Aengus42]

@@Quasihamster Underated joke of the month Jim lad!

[@stevenflebbe]

I would have to agree. This is one of at least five topics for future videos.

[@fenlinescouser3898]

Let us pray for river pyrats!

[@sapphireseptember]

An excellent episode, I giggled quite a few times. I'm tired and stressed, the weather's miserable and I've got an eight hour shift to look forward to (in Sainsbury's, in December, during a pandemic, lord help me!) So this is balm for the soul. ❤

[@TheErador]

Good God, sounds like bedlam. Good luck!

[@sapphireseptember]

Yeah, pretty much! At least in Bedlam the inmates were locked up, as opposed to roaming free, causing havoc and coughing with neither face covering nor a hand over their mouths. (Those people are the worst, it was bad enough pre-covid, now it should be certifiable.)

[@Aengus42]

My daughter, when she was little, couldn't say balm. She always said blam! So don't forget your lip blam Sapphire! And hope your shift is smooth! With a capital SMOO.

[@iankemp1131]

Some of our essential workers are more unsung than others ... all the best to you and your colleagues. And also to carers etc who have slogged on through the pandemic but have had relatively little attention.

[@frglee]

Thank you for a well researched piece here, very interesting. Over 40 years back I took a bus rover day trip trying to explore the outer eastern reaches of the London and Blackwall Railway. The whole area was very different to how it is today - an industrial wasteland, more akin to a collection of bomb sites and derelict factories.

[@jonhills4940]

Possibly because 40 years ago it was a collection of bomb sites and derelict factories...

[@luciadegroseille-noire8073]

About gauge: In an old copy of the Model Engineer an old gent wrote that his grandfather had been the Stephenson's works manager. He told the grandson that the gauge had originally been five feet as the wheels had their flanges on the outside of the track: when the flanges went inside the gauge deducted two track thicknesses to get what would become standard gauge.

[@richienyhus]

24th of July - 1,000 subscriber special 30th of July - 10,000 subscriber special 16th of October - 50,000 subscriber special 4th of December - 75,000 subscriber special That is some crazy growth

[@highpath4776]

the 100k and 250k are probably cannonised awaiting liberation from said can

[@pulaski1]

There was a hiccough in August, so he was a couple of weeks late reaching 25,000, but growth has exploded since then and back in August I would never have guessed that he would add 50,000 subscribers between early September and the start of December.

[@fnordpojk]

When I was first recommended a video by KZbin, he was at 2000. When I got around to watching it (and subscribing) he was at 7000 or so, and something like the next day or two he was at 10.000. Crazy.

[@highpath4776]

@@fnordpojk I think it was about 650. Funny we will all go nostalgic about "what was the first Jago Hazzard video you watched, and PS the route diagram needs to be done for the whole network, so much better than Beck.

[@pulaski1]

@@fnordpojk You must have been a day or two ahead of me, I found this channel right as he hit 5,000, but had already passed 10,000 by the time he uploaded the 5,000 subscriber special.

[@1258-Eckhart]

My London sojourn included the time when they were building the DLR and I was delighted that they reused the old viaduct down the Isle of Dogs (one of the stations was called Mudchute). I think that it has meanwhile been redecommissioned.

[@AW-tf9ns]

On the subject of river pirates, I recommend going to the River Police museum in Wapping next time it’s open. Lots of stories about boarding actions and piracy

[@bryan3550]

Wow, that sounds like an interesting place! Have they a web site? Visited the Museum of London many years ago and was amazed by their collection of "stuff" fished out of the Thames. (I live in Oz) 🙃

[@neilbain8736]

That was 18 miles well spent. This is precisely the minutiae of detail we need to know that transcends what the tourists get. It takes it up a level- all thoroughly fascinating. My ears pricked up at the mention of the Eastern Counties Railway. They took over the Northern & Eastern Railway on Jan 1st 1844. The N&E ran from London to Bishops Stortford by 1842. Both used 5 feet gauge, but in Sept 1844 both systems were converted to standard in just one month. This is the height of railway mania, and it’s all so wonderfully messy.

[@raye402]

So deserved well done sir “75000” onward. To the next milestone - forward to the next story 👍1

[@petervaughan9111]

Congratulations on hitting 75k!

[@walker_andrej]

Jago produced a great map! Well done! The stations were getting definetely confusing having same names but being in different places! I wonder if anyone lived long enough to constantly be using old railway and started using DLR.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Only Jago Hazzard can make sense of the many Station name changes! Cheers Jago!

[@amassing]

The Stratford to North Woolwich line would be an another interesting topic in the same part of London. Just the old North Woolwich station alone has an interesting history - it was used for a rather quirky little museum during my childhood years. Congrats on 75k subs.

[@1963TOMB]

I wonder if part of this route is now used for Crossrail?

[@damatolgreen5329]

Parts of it is be in used for the woolwich to custom house part of crossrail

[@damatolgreen5329]

And the DLR canning town to Stratford route was part of the north london line

[@bca1945]

I really like it when the humourous and ironic tone kicks in. A merit goes to the vivid style of presenting Tube's history by Jago.

[@bryan3550]

Well Done That Man! Feel free to self-indulge, Master Jago. It's always a pleasure to find your new contributions. Thank you from St Helena, Downunder. 😉

[@MrHallJackson]

Congratulations Mr Hazzard! - as an antipodean who lived in London during the 2000's your videos bring back fond memories. I was fascinated by the train systems in London. I was always puzzled by the weird line that bisects Gladstone park near where I lived in Dollis Hill. For a long time I thought it was an abandoned line but - I did see a couple of goods trains go through as I crossed the footbridge in the south wast corner on the way home - strange to see in the suburbs.

[@JackMorgan873]

Had a terrible work day, got a takeaway and see a big Jago Hazzard in my inbox Made my day, here's to 150,000

[@highpath4776]

I read on a railway forum. The GER operated the Loughton/Epping/Ongar service from Fenchurch Street until these were withdrawn with the opening of the Central line of the London underground. The longer and additional platform at Fenchurch were for the LNE trains; the service between Fenchurch Street and the Loughton line caused major problems at Stratford, where they had to cross the GER main Colchester line to take the Loughton branch. The Fairlop loop line (which came off the GER main line where the current Ilford emu car sheds are located) services also originated at Fenchurch Street. When they re-modelled Stratford for the Central line, they built two bay platforms (one currently used by the DLR), for a planned shuttle service between Fenchurch Street and Stratford to connect with the Central line to Loughton/Epping, were for a time you changed to steam operation to complete your journey between Epping and Ongar. However, although the platforms were built, the track and service was not instigated. I thought you had done a video on Fenchurch Street Station, but I cannot find it

[@4KExplorer]

Here's some pointless trivia for you: the only railway station in London without a corresponding underground station is... Fenchurch Street.

[@frglee]

Fenchurch Street! But it would have had a tube interchange had the Fleet Line been built.

[@markearl7172]

Do you know what the deepest section of the tube is maybe a vid if I'm not being to cheeky

[@rabd9881]

I think you mean central london

[@curiousmatt]

Lots of railway stations in London don't have corresponding underground stations.

[@TheErador]

@@markearl7172 somewhere on bakerloo isn't it?

[@151mattwilson]

Second. I really love your videos as a London and Underground history fan. You deserve your rising star

[@kutter_ttl6786]

Congrats on reaching 75K! Quality content like this and you'll reach 100K in no time.

[@frglee]

Content is the key, for sure. Looking forward to seeing the Wimbledon Branch of the District Line covered one day.

[@tobys_transport_videos]

@@frglee How about "The branches of the District line" ???

[@johnvincent2792]

I remember finding you when you were at the 200 mark and thinking why such a low number of subscribers? Anywhere here you are at 75k and your postings just get better and better ❤️🙏

[@mixererunio1757]

Wow! 75k already, I remember when it was 10k! Good job!

[@iman2341]

We demand more sketch maps!

[@MichaelEhling]

We do.

[@SLane249]

... Please

[@xxxxblackorcidxxxx]

I really enjoyed the sketch map. :) I use the dlr from city airport to bank almost daily and love looking out the window as i pass. I screen shot the map so i can try finding the locations on route. :)

[@stevebeal73]

A very welcome addition. Thank you.

[@asciisynth]

'So good at maths that, as a child, he was exhibited' - sounds like Victorian times, right enough.

[@stephenlee5929]

Or channel 4 now?

[@Tuckahoe1918]

Blackwall/Virginia Quay, the place from where the Virginia Company settlers set sail on December 20, 1606 for Virginia and the establishment of Jamestown in May 1607.

[@LordMayorOfStepney]

Wow. Absolutely loved this as someone that spent 36 years of my life along this stretch, mostly Shadwell. Thank you for the foot slogging.

[@EthanAfro707]

And it still fells like only yesterday when you started your channel. Well done mate

[@andrewfrancis3591]

The winding house is just outside Fencurch st station. Just above the DLR tunnel.

[@jshicke]

Here I sit, in America, and I know more about the London railway and underground than I do any lines in America.

[@ThermoMan]

Fantastic bit of video making which answered lots of questions for me, and raised some new ones! I think we demand a video on river piracy!

[@campbellparker5043]

Well done on the milestone! Great to see a glimpse of my old neighbourhood around Neutron Tower though I have fond memories of Leamouth Peninsula as a brownfield site; still can’t imagine it build upon ... Maybe a video about/including some of the remaining infrastructure of East India Dock?

[@tobys_transport_videos]

Interesting note you make on Limehouse having originally been called "Stepney." Many of us (especially myself!) will know of Stepney from the Reverend W. Awdry's great little books "The Railway Series" known today as "Thomas and Friends." I thought that the loco "Stepney" (LBSCR No. 55) was named after "Stepney Green" on the Hammersmith & City, and District lines! Jago, you are a wealth of knowledge!!! 💖

[@JagoHazzard]

Ah, there’s an interesting story behind Stepney’s name, which I want to look at in a future video - basically, the London & Blackwall were going to build a connection to the East London Railway at Shadwell and the LBSCR named some of their new A1 locomotives after LBR stations in anticipation. But the connection never happened in the end.

[@tobys_transport_videos]

@@JagoHazzard Thanks Jago! I look forward to that particular video! Best Wishes, Toby (not quite a tram engine!)

[@highpath4776]

@@JagoHazzard Yes, we could all look up the LBSCR loco names, (not just the A1/ AIX but the bigger ones too) but a vid could well be nice. i think i did a bit of wheel cleaning on sutton on a days work at Spa Valley

[@ashleyhamman]

Congrats on the milestone! It's been great to have these fairly frequent and periodic mostly-railway trivia videos through these past several months!

[@Aengus42]

Nice one Jago! Well on the way to 100,000! Thank you for the ride so far!

[@PtolemyJones]

Always a great way to start the day, when I was up and find this channel has dropped a new video.

[@brianartillery]

Well done on passing the 75K mark! Thanks for the fascinating video. Nice one.

[@user-pw3tr1xg2x]

Congrats on 75,000 Jago . You make such interesting and informative videos !!

[@BarrysViews]

Congratulations 🥳 on reaching 75k and now on to 100k and the magical play button. Another interesting video thanks for sharing and hope you have a great weekend

[@normanrandall2495]

As always - an excellent exposition. Thank you.

[@hartstukken]

Congrats! You had it coming! Also hyped for the new DLR trains...

[@jayburgh]

Congratulations Jago, bloody good channel.

[@trevorboys9140]

Excellent video - thank you. Great content and I waiti hawkishly for your new videos.

[@pulaski1]

Congratulations Jago, thank you for this special ... onward to 100,000! :)

[@shauntodd7123]

Well done on 75,000 and amazing video.

[@TheMissFlax]

Well done Sir ...your commitment to the subscribers is most heartily acknowledged. I think that after 15 miles you deserve a good substantial meal!

[@roberthuron9160]

First,congratulations on your 75,000 viewers,that's a real accomplishment,and you do keep peoples attention! Second,a New York addition,(actually more Brooklyn),way back when,the Brooklyn Bridge,was put into service,and to be up with the times,there was a cable railway,going over it! Basically,it was a shuttle operation,and was later upgraded and converted into an elevated line,with connections to various BRT lines,and also Long Island Railroad through services! Very complex,and I'll try to keep it simple,(note,there were also a number of cable car lines operated in Manhattan,and two more in Brooklyn. Another complicated story!) So the American side is as mixed up,and hard to put in a minimum format,as any London operation,no wonder,sometimes you forget,which end is which,with all the duplicate names( you really have to use the mileposts,to distinguish between,or the Acts of Parliament), headache time,and mileage racking! Thank you,Jago,and the East and West Ends of London,should get equal billing,as I know the GWR,was involved in so many schemes and bypassing in that area! Another day,and a beautiful video,and thanks for a birthday 🎂 present! Made my day!! Thanks for a wonderful day!

[@tr1ck5h07]

Enjoy seeing DLR-related content from you. Keep up the good work!

[@martinjolly8351]

Congratulations and thanks for keeping me informed and entertained, it's great to see your viewer base rise so quickly. Minories/Mineories will always bring back memories.

[@jmtubbs1639]

Wikipedia comes down on the short side, I suppose because it is directly from the Latin where it is always short

[@seaside-dn8dp]

Your videos are brilliant and very informative.

[@wetboy72]

Awesome video. I love your videos. Thank you

[@oliverstemp9132]

Thank you for the Pre Cineworld pictures. I really like hearing about the silly and pointless deals that railway companies made in the 1800s and 1900s

[@Tinhare]

Congratulations on 75k. No surprise given the great content and the presentation is sooo, English. Wonderful, thank you.

[@freddyaraujo3094]

Wonderful!!! As always you make history more and more interesting. Thank you

[@imstuman]

Excellent video and you got your steps in. Congratulations on another subscriber milestone.

[@whyyoulidl]

Thanks Jago. Congtrats on the subscriber milestone. I'll be spreading the word too where I can :-)

[@TheErador]

Sweet 75k! You're really gaining subs at a very healthy clip! Well deserved.

[@jerrysims6691]

Congrats on hitting 75k = so well deserved. Onwards and upwards.

[@elizabethspedding1975]

Get used to it, your going to get more and more , because your work is brilliant. Thanks for another great video.

[@stuarthall6631]

Congratulations upon reaching your 75K subscribers, Mr. Hazzard. Totally well deserved! 100K is coming.

[@zoefroon4269]

Thank you so much for sharing.

[@surinfarmwest6645]

Another interesting video and congratulations on hitting 75,000 addicts to information with dry humour!

[@stun9771]

Congratulations on 75k subscribers...all down to your dulcet tones and wonderful knowledge...👍🏻

[@nicomonkeyboy]

Bravo 👏🏻 Such a fascinating channel.

[@andyjay729]

9:45 Sounds like how Austin and Houston, Texas are not in Austin or Houston Counties, and how California's Mount Shasta is not in Shasta County, and Lassen Peak is not in Lassen County (it's in Shasta County).

[@Lurker1979]

I am happy to see how fast you have grown. Even in the few weeks I am subscribed.

[@stevenflebbe]

Wonderful! A full thirteen minutes of history to start my day...and several topics for possible future videos into the bargain (river pirates?). Congratulations on the 75,000 subscriber milestone. 👍

[@binarysignals9593]

I think your content is brilliant, just.binge watched a stack of your videos, thanks Hugo for taking the edge off of my lockdown.

[@douglasfleetney5031]

Most enjoyable but so confusing (like most Lunnon railways). The thought of a freight railway along Commercial Road blows my tiny mind! As a former HGV 1 Driver the chaos would be awesome to have beheld. Thanks for this one Mr Hazzard, a line that has been of interest for many years but so little written about. Congratulations on 75k, Onward (SER motto) toward the 100K! Thanks again.

[@eattherich9215]

If you look up 'Old Deptford history', you can see pictures of the freight trains that used to run down the middle of Grove Street.

[@terrymoore9388]

Ànother superb video and congrats on reaching 75k subscribers. Your commentary is brilliant

[@marcusdamberger]

Congrats on getting to 75k, that's not easy! A lot of hard work, especially during this period. Keep it up, no doubt you will get to 100k in short order! Wow, Geoff Marshall also does transport around London and UK, and he's at 210k and been doing videos a long time, your quickly gaining on his tracks! Also, I've noticed some of your more recent videos have been 1080p, so I suspect you have a new phone, and some of these recent videos include older footage before the upgrade. Love it!

[@clockwork9827]

thank you very much indeed for this . i worked at Canary Wharf in the 90s, before the Customs House at West Ferry became a restaurant (Ancient Lights, for some reason). thanks again for all this, and please continue on to cover any more of the DLR that you choose.

[@matthewgartell6380]

Fascinating that the history of the pioneers of railway were kind of winging it as there was no blueprint to go off. Bit like the Internet in its early days. And congratulations Jago on 75k. Look forward to seeing you reach 100k on your way to the 1M.

[@windydryden7376]

Brilliant as usual. I remember the 677 trolley bus going to Cubitt Town! Jago on

[@mr51406]

Congratulations on 75k! 💐⭐️🥳🖖🏼 And thanks again for helping me explore another part of London virtually. Keeping me sane until I can finally cross the Pond and explore it physically. Poplar: appears in pop culture in the video of the Pet Shop Boys song “Can You Forgive Her?” Meet you all there in a dunce cap and orange jumpsuit! 🧡

[@adamk9652]

Congrats on 75k. I'm from across the pobd and love your content!

[@ianburit3705]

Hi Ja, well, I was born In Limehouse but dont really know much about the real London apart from Hospital visits in my later years to its capitol. Only once been on the DLR and for my visits really only used the underground.. I sit and watch with fascination at the places I dont really know but lived less than 20 odd miles or so away from.. I wonder If I have missed something In my life by not knowing more about its Capitol, but then comes along Jago with his pictures, videos and history lessons telling me everything I need to know making it easily understandable.. If not for its added history about Londons Infrastructure used daily by millions, how else would I know what I have missed In my life, so for that, a smile, a wave, and a cheery THANKYOU.... Ian...

[@richardwager283]

Congratulations 🥳🥳🥳🥳 great content and well deserved mile stone.

[@thelastpilot4582]

Absolutely brilliant. my word you certainly put in a lot of work to produce these.

[@JagoHazzard]

Thanks!

[@peebee143]

Excellent vid! Full of knowledge.

[@fhwolthuis]

Congratulations Jago! 👍🎉

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

My experience of the Docklands Railway was before it existed and there were four tracks from Stepney East into Fenchurch Street and having to walk along the line and into the old Commercial Road Goods Yard in search of kids throwing stones at the trains.

[@dambrooks7578]

I've had some good nights out at the Limehouse Town Hall, back when it was in the care of Space Hijackers. Positive action by positive mental attitudes challenging complacency.

[@IlfordRetro]

At this rate your worn out boots will have their own channel some day. Congrats on 75,000! Here's to the next.........!

[@barrydysert2974]

Your content and presentation leave me in a puddle of delight. Psst... It's a good thing!:-) 🖖

[@autumnmatthews3179]

Congratulations on 75k, you should of course have a good few more subscribers. I’m sure you’ll get there though

[@integralhighspeedusb]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@neilthehermit4655]

Thanks for another great story. - Yes, please more on this line and it's general history. What are you planning for 100,000 suscribers? How about a short video listing/describing some of the most outrageous cons/scams of the train infrastucture of the years(not pointing fingers at any particular Victorians,honest!).

[@jasperfk]

I used to live in the building next to the Blackwall Majestic and always felt it seemed rather out of place! It's surrounded by heartless high-rises and the A13 flyover and really stands out.

[@DadgeCity]

Blackwall is one of my favourite London places - so close to London yet for so long its own little world.