The Glasgow Subway - A Clockwork Orange

A Glasgow underground train - sometimes called 'A Clockwork Orange' - travelling from St. Enoch Station to what is now called 'Kelvinhall' at the bottom of Byres Road. However, I shall always remember this particular stop as 'Partick Cross' because it's right on Partick Cross, and near The Kelvin Hall 'none', as my aunty might say.
Also -- calling this station 'Kelvinhall' and doing away with ' Partick Cross' altogether spoils Francie and Josie's famous song about the Glasgow underground: 'Oh there's Partick Cross and Cessnock, Hillhead and Merkland Street...' etc. Talking of which 'Merkland Street' is now called simply 'Partick'.
I just wish they'd leave things alone. The old names were hunkydory.

[@redmilkcrate]

It must be very energy efficient. The train saves energy by running downhill away from each station and runs up hill in to each station to slow down natrurally. Ingenious!!! I've not seen it on any other underground system!!!

[@jy221series4]

Wow that's an interesting fact!

[@gaelenski_]

I like when the Subway had the orange livery… it gave them character, and I personally felt they looked better! Thank god they are bringing it back a little!

[@cmtransportvids]

10 years later 😅. The subway livery when you were writing was the “Carmine and Cream” livery. SPT applied it on to all of their trains, especially in the British rail network. The kept a little of the orange at the front, but the main train, as you said wasn’t orange.

[@htimsid]

It would be great if someone could post film of the old trains.

[@unclealister]

Canny say for sure. But St. Enoch, Buchanan Street and Hillhead certainly. I'm ashamed to admit that I have not visited all the stations. And they often change things...

[@LondonUnderground186]

The particularity is that it's the only one subway system in the world where the only one line is circle

[@unclealister]

Yes indeed. Also - these wee trains never surface. They only travel underground.

[@hillendrocky]

I preferd the old tube all brass and it rockted about all over the bit, there good at changin names to make it sound more snooty, my grannie stayed just off Byers RD so a hurl on the tube every sat was the in thing nice vid m8

[@EMMAWONDERLAND1]

WOW! That is different type of local underground services for clockwise orange trains!! Nice ones.

[@iceguyred123]

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I've worked in the Subway since the refurbishment ( more or less) My advice to you on this is "don't hold your breath!" I've heard about the "Subway extensions" so many times along with the "honest this time we really, REALLY mean it!" comments An excuse for politicians to look good in the paper, and gets dusted down whenever its forgotten.

[@pedrocooper]

Looks the same when I was there in 1985. I remember they didn't run on Sunday. Great trains-very clean and efficient.

[@junietoonstoo]

I'm homesick...

[@basictransportenthusiast4386]

Actually the Metkland Street has platforms were destroyed and it was completely Rebuilt as Partick Station. The only 2 renames were the 2 stops after Merkland street that I forgot the names about

[@hearditman]

Got it in one jspairman (are we related?). The Glasgow folk never called it The Clockwork Orange. That term was first used by some journalist hoping it would catch on. Well it hisnae.

[@bakedbeanishdragon]

its really old fashioned and absolutely tiny, but it is much nicer than any other subway I've ever been on.

[@roverbhoy]

@confuser69 well said, glasgow has this tarnished image that it can't shift. Its no worse than any other large city. I lived near Sheffield for a year. it was the most depressing place I've ever been to and in that 1 year I seen more violence than I ever have in 30 years in Glasgow

[@InflatablePlane]

The OG Glasgow subway was actually a cableway system operated by a continuously running cable underneath the tracks. I think all of that got ripped out in the 1970'ds

[@Polmaise1]

1930s

[@unclealister]

Yes. They are operated by the tickets.

[@johnkollor]

Its Just the same now. The Whole system hasn't changed

[@unclealister]

An interesting piece of info and thanks for providing it. However, the fact remains that the subway stop once known as 'Merkland Street' is now known as 'Partick', which can be accessed via a city street called Merkland Street and lies in the general locale of the old station formerly called 'Merkland Street'. This is what I meant in the blurb. But many thanks for your invaluable input. It is most welcome.

[@unclealister]

Thank you for your kind comments. I am also heartened to hear that you agree with me about the old station names. 'Kelvinhall' is a terrible misnomer for this stop.

[@lindsaymobil22]

the thing i hate about our clockwork oranges is that they are seriously needing refurbished, man look at London's tube system!!!!

[@kzbxvz]

The third oldest underground system in the world (after London and Budapest) opened 1896. I also didn't know that Glasgow have a subway until I read it on the net :))

[@user-oh8qc6di7m]

This door was stuck! (Luckily, the doors were shut!) 0:41

[@iceguyred123]

SPTE bought several "green" ecofriendly busses @ around £1/4 million apiece. They never moved from the Broomloan Subway car park, sitting there for a good 5 years or more, till their batts burst and they had to be quietly scrapped. A councillor got his pic in the paper through it all ( Costly pics if you ask me !!! ) Glaswegians paid for all this remember ! Check GoogleEarth and you'll see them parked there

[@Gallowaywind]

East end is getting a line its due to be finshed in 2020: look on the SPT website!

[@joeyed96]

@unclealister this is 144pacerfan, do you mind if i use the music for an animation i'm doing?

[@owenchuarbx]

I nicknamed this subway the Glasglow Earthworm or Caterpillar

[@jpbackintown]

the trains look diffirent but they are the same size. just the stations are like 20 times smaller.

[@jonathanbain14]

yup :)

[@Nanobots]

Nice wee movie Alister but C'mon - nobody in Glasgow calls it the "Clockwork Orange" - it's a myth invented by "List" and "Herald" jounalists and adopted by tourist brochures (or vice versa). Good point about the station names though, and Francie and Josie. ;-)

[@unclealister]

@144Pacerfan To get around the copyright thing, I did it on a Roland Juno-D synth that I'd not long got at the time. Was a good way of trying out the keyboard too of course.

[@PrahaIV]

it looks so sweet :D

[@ShitMovies2000]

What's the name of this model of train, and the name of the model they used before this?

[@unclealister]

It's the famous theme from Beethoven's 9th symphony as featured throughout Kubrik's movie and knocked out here on a Roland Juno D.

[@unclealister]

I shall be greatly honoured if you do :-) So please go ahead.

[@roverbhoy]

@Dougiesmithh Have you been to Glasgow? Its certainly not small

[@unclealister]

'Ode to Joy' from Beethoven's 9th Symphony as featured heavily in Stanley Kubrik's 1971 movie A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

[@ctra1ns]

0:41 Sticky door

[@user-oh8qc6di7m]

That’s right!

[@emailngmail]

They've got cushioned seats in there? The trains here in Singapore are hard plastic.

[@AlexMetroman]

haha stick door at 0:45

[@felix33617]

look like piccadilly train in london !

[@jpbackintown]

the trains are the same size is they r in london. been to london so i know. the stations in london are so so much bigger and deeper but like i say the trains are the same size. did you know that train train tracks stay the same size.

[@hellobooom]

wow thats small

[@fizzydick]

glasgows subway is the 3rd oldest in the world after london and instanbul?

[@Danny30011980]

Don't tell me they're playin Beethoven when a train enters, or die you put that under the clip?

[@afkamistan]

this system looks depressing. YOu should come to london!

[@shorts-cr2zu]

thats the smallest platform ive ever done seen

[@alecahauf]

The drivers are to be sacked as all they do is press a button for the train to move, the trains stop automatically at stations and they stop in exactly the same spot. It is impossible for one train to run into another as they automatically shut off the section behind them. The trais will eventually run by computer like London's Docklands Light Railway

[@Chelah90]

what's the music playing on the background?

[@dylannnnnnnnn]

Ode to joy

[@maciachin]

what that video mean?

[@ancylostomiasis]

No way, I think average man will find difficulties standing inside. Are these rail gauge 1435?

[@t3subde]

Lex Parsimoniae they use 4 foot narrow gauge track

[@unclealister]

I've made a wee change to the script to reflect what yourself and others have said re 'A Clockwork Orange' ;-)

[@hearditman]

A chippie in CarD....probably never goat further than the Burgh Bar. Anyhows we knew it as the subcrawl. tried it wance but bored efter a few stoaps....interfered wi the bevvying.

[@hobonotboho]

Great service but students are horrible

[@DonStrachan]

The stations are terrible. Updating just the carriages isn't sufficient, they look pathetic. Sort it out GCC - get some cash from your speedcamera slush fund

[@CushionOfWealth]

Dear Uncle, You ought to make a specific claim that the local "tube" there is called "A Clockwork Orange". Foreigners, would find that fact very interesting; especially Londoners, whose Tube has no such "official colloquial" nickname. . o0o

[@harold-sweat-head8111]

I doubt Londoners would be impressed by this tiny underground system.

[@bakedbeanishdragon]

+CushionOfWealth The London Underground's nickname IS the 'tube'.