London Underground: Historic Baker Street Station Luftschlange 2016-10-02 | Today we are Baker Street station in the heart of London. This is one of the original stations that were part of the world’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, which ran from Paddington to Farringdon Street via Edgware Road, Baker Street, Portland Road, Gower Street and King’s Cross. The station opened on 10 January 1863.Today the station is served by five different Underground lines on 10 platforms: The Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.In the film we focus on the historic parts of the station, served by the subsurface lines (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle). The first part shows the oldest platforms that opened in January 1863 and are today served by the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. We then turn towards today’s Metropolitan line platforms, which are open air and branch off to the north. This line was opened in April 1868, just five years later, however, today’s layout of the platforms mostly dates from 1925.Enjoy!Filmed: Thursday, May 5, 2016
San Francisco Bay Area: Amtrak Trains in Alviso Luftschlange 2018-03-11 | Today I present a film from Alviso (California) in the United States of America. Alviso is a small neighbourhood of the City of San José and lies in the South San Francisco Bay, only a few miles away from what is called Silicon Valley with all its technology firms. Alviso once used to be an important trading port for the South Bay, but its significance has long diminished and its historic town centre has since fallen into disrepair.An active railway mainline connecting the city of San José with Fremont across the bay runs through Alviso. The embankment goes straight through the mudflats and salt evaporation ponds that constitute much of the southern end of the San Francisco Bay. The line is mostly used by Amtrak passenger trains, with only the occasional freight train (though none were seen on the day of filming).This film shows some of Amtrak “Capitol Corridor” trains, which run between San José and Sacramento/Auburn in north-eastern California.Enjoy!Recorded on 10 March 2018
London Underground: Central line trains at Holland Park Luftschlange 2018-02-04 | Firstly, apologies for the somewhat rare upload frequency of new videos lately, I did not get around to doing much editing work over the past weeks.Today I present a Central line video, showing one of the less busier stations, Holland Park. It is located in the Borough of Chelsea and Kensington, west of Hyde Park between Shepherd’s Bush and Notthing Hill Gate stations.The Central line is the longest and busiest (in terms of number of passengers) Underground line in London, but Holland Park station has a very quiet feel to it. This is despite it being quite centrally located within London.The station opened in July 1900 as part of the Cental London Railway. The station building was refurbished in 1950 and the lifts and platforms were just recently refurbished in 2016. Trains run every couple of minutes in each direction, serving West Ruislip and Ealing Broadway to the west, and travelling to Epping and the Hainault loop to the east.Rolling stock on this line used is the 1992 Tube stock. This type of stock has been the last one still using (semiconductor-controlled) DC traction motors, which emit a quite distinct high-pitch sound.Enjoy!Recorded 24 November 2017.
London: Thameslink (and Southeastern) Trains at Elephant & Castle Luftschlange 2017-12-21 | Today’s film shows Elephant & Castle railway station in the South London Borough of Southwark. Probably more famous for being the southern end of the Bakerloo line, Elephant & Castle also has a rather busy railway station, operated by Thameslink.The Thameslink network is (currently the only) north-south railway line crossing the City of London; all other railway lines terminate at on of the many terminal stations. The Thameslink Programme is a currently undergoing major upgrade programme to the stations, tacks and trains of the Thameslink network, and it is scheduled to be completed in 2018. This will enable 24 trains per hour during the peak under the Thameslink Core as well as connect more destinations south and north of London. Another part of the Thameslink Programme is the procurement of 115 brand-new Class 700 Siemens Desiro City EMUs, which are being currently deployed and are already in heavy service.This film shows mostly Thameslink services at Elephant & Castle in beautiful autumn evening light. During peak hours there is an occasional Southeastern service also travelling through this station, and in fact a couple of them are shown in the film as well.Enjoy!Recorded: 25 September 2017
London Underground: Christmas crowds at Oxford Circus station Luftschlange 2017-12-08 | Today we are at Oxford Circus in the West End of London. Oxford Circus is the intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street in one of the major shopping districts of London. Oxford Street, Regent Street and the surrounding areas are beautifully decorated during the Christmas period.Besides many buses, Oxford Circus is also a busy station on the London Underground, served by the Bakerloo, Central, and Victoria lines. During peak hours, the station can get very busy with all the shoppers and business workers going in and out of the area.The film starts at nearby Carnaby Street, showing the beautiful Christmas decoration. We then move to the busy street intersection at Oxford Circus with its many buses, before we go underground towards the station platforms. Some platforms are manually dispatched by London Underground staff during peak hours, and one can hear them make announcements to aid the flow of people and to avoid congestion. The film shows all three Underground lines: The Victoria line is operated by the most modern stock, 2009 Tube Stock; the Central line uses 1992 Tube Stock, while the Bakerloo line uses the oldest stock anywhere on the Underground, 1972 Tube Stock.The Victoria and Central line are driven automatically using ATO, whilst the Bakerloo line is driven manually.Enjoy!This film was shot just prior to the evening rush hour on Monday, 4th of December, 2017.
Bonus: London Overground Trains at Canonbury Luftschlange 2017-10-08 | Today we have a somewhat shorter bonus film for last week’s video of Highbury & Islington. We are one station east on the Overground at Canonbury. This station is still shared between the North London and East London lines. Beyond here, the two lines split, with the East London line turning southwards.The station is rather idyllic and quiet, even though this was filmed in the evening rush hour.Be sure to also check out the main video at Highbury & Islington, one station west from here, which is much more busy: youtu.be/bLMI3jSJypoRelated Videos:Highbury & Islington: youtu.be/bLMI3jSJypoOverground East London line – Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=YdThAirQRgsOverground East London line – Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=SepP1KDJsOMEnjoy!Recorded: 10 March 2017
London Transport at Highbury & Islington Luftschlange 2017-10-01 | Today we are at Highbury & Islington station in north London. It is a major interchange station in the London Borough of Islington, serving the London Underground Victoria line, the London Overground North London and East London lines, as well as the Northern City line, which belongs to National Rail and sees services operated by Great Northern.The station has eight platforms, of which four are underground and served by the Victoria and Northern City lines. The remaining four platforms are above ground and are served by the Overground.The London Underground Victoria line runs between Walthamstow Central and Brixton, runs fully automated, and uses modern 2009 Tube stock.The platforms of the Northern City line are right adjacent to the Underground platforms. Trains on this line use older Class 313 stock. Particularly interesting is the Network South East branding from former British Rail times, which is still visible all over the station.Finnally, the Overground has two lines at this station. The East London line, which runs to New Cross and Croydon has its western Terminus here. Trains on the East London line run on DC traction current supplied via third rail. The North London line runs between Richmond in the west and Stratford in the east and trains use overhead line equipment supplying AC traction current. All London Overground trains here are formed of Class 378 “Capitalstar” stock.Enjoy!Recorded: 10 March 2017.Related videos:Northern City line at Old Street: youtube.com/watch?v=75ggwimyCHYOverground East London line – Part 1: youtube.com/watch?v=YdThAirQRgsOverground East London line – Part 2: youtube.com/watch?v=SepP1KDJsOM
Farewell, South West Trains: Brookwood & Woking Luftschlange 2017-08-20 | South West Trains was the operator of the South Western franchise from 4 February 1996 until 19 August 2017. It operated one of the largest and most complex networks in the UK with almost 1,700 trains per day. The principal trunk line of the network is the South Western Main Line out of London Waterloo.This film pays tribute to South West Trains, which provided a fantastic service with a very nice fleet of trains. The film shows a busy weekday afternoon at Brookwood and Woking stations, which are both on the South Western Main Line. Brookwood is a smaller station, while Woking is a busy hub.On 20 August 2017, the franchise was taken over by South Western Railway.Enjoy!Recorded: 25 May 2017
London Underground/Overground at Camden Town/Road stations Luftschlange 2017-07-30 | This film explores the area of Camden Town in North West London. This area is home to the famous and beautiful area of Camden Market and Camden Lock. It is served by the Overground at Camden Road station as well as the London Underground Northern line at Camden Town station.The film first shows the area around the Camden Road overground station. The Overground station is on the North London line, which is shared between Overground and freight train services. As such, we observe a couple of freight trains besides the regular Overground services, which are operated by Class 378 Capitalstar stock.A few blocks south from Camden Road station lies the much busier Camden Town Underground station. The station is a hub on the Northern line where one can change between all four branches of the line: the northbound Edgware and High Barnet branches as well as the southbound Bank and Charing Cross branches. The station has four platforms. The northbound branches have each their own platform, while services for the southbound branches are scattered over the two remaining platforms. All services on the Northern line are operated by 1995 Tube stock.The last couple of minutes of the film show the bustling Camden Town area around Camden Lock and Camden Market.Enjoy!Recorded: 13 March, 2017
London: Southern services at Battersea Park Luftschlange 2017-07-22 | Part 1, Queenstown Road (Battersea): youtu.be/wAwzj30FM9oThis film is the second of two parts showing mainline railway services in Battersea, South West London. While the first part explored the busy South Western Main Line railway station Queenstown Road (Battersea), we are now at Battersea Park station, which is the first station on the railway line originating from London Victoria terminus, not far from the other station.All services calling at this station are operated by Southern, though some passing Gatwick Express trains can also be seen in the film. As opposed to South West Trains (see previous part), Southern uses a uniform green livery for all its services. Announcements at this station are by Celia (platform 3) and Phil (platforms 4 and 5).The Battersea area is currently under massive redevelopment. A few shots show the enormous construction site next to the station where new residential and commercial properties are being built. Also shown is the Battersea Power Station (the large brick building with the four chimneys), which has been a coal-fired power station until 1983, when it was decomissioned. It is now part of the redevelopment and will house luxury flats as well as the European headquarters for Apple Inc.In some shots one can also see Southeastern services in the distance, passing in front of the power station.Enjoy!Filmed on 10 March, 2017
London: South West Trains services at Queenstown Road (Battersea) Luftschlange 2017-07-08 | This film is the first of two parts showing mainline railway services in Battersea, South West London. In this part we take a close look at Queenstown Road (Battersea) station, which is on the South Western Main Line originating from London Waterloo terminus.London Waterloo is the busiest railway station in all of Britain, and all trains going in and out of Waterloo must pass through Queenstown Road station. The station itself has only two platforms though, and only some stopping services actually stop here. The adjacent stations Vauxhall and Clapham Junction have far more frequent stopping services. However, passing fast trains can nicely be observed from the platform at Queenstown Road.All services at this station are operated by South West Trains, and the film shows a nice mix of different stock. Trains in red livery are used for inner suburban services, the blue livery stands for medium-distance services, and the white livery stands for long-distance inter-city services to destinations such as Portsmouth, Southampton, Poole, Exeter, and Weymouth. The second part of the film will show the nearby Battersea Park station, which is used by Southern services out of London Victoria.Enjoy!Recored: 10 March 2017.Music used:Dopplerette by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100659Artist: http://incompetech.comLost in the Forst by Doug Maxwell (free to use)Errata:The video in the beginning incorrectly says that it was recorded on 25 February 2017; It was recorded on 10 March 2017.
London Tramlink in Croydon Luftschlange 2017-07-04 | Today we are in Croydon, which is a major town in south London. Croydon operates a tram network, which links Wimbledon in the west with Beckenham, Elmers End, and New Addington in the east. The network only began operating fairly recently in 2000 and it uses two types of trams: 24 Flexity Swift CR4000 vehicles, built by Bombardier, and an additional 12 Stadler Variobahn vehicles, which are actually very similar to the ones used in Bergen, Norway.In the centre of Croydon, trams follow a loop, connecting George street with West Croydon and East Croydon railway stations. This film mostly follows this tram loop on a dismal and drizzly winter afternoon.Enjoy!Recorded: 25 February 2017
Berlin: The elevated U-Bahn line U1 Luftschlange 2017-06-10 | Today I present another film from Berlin, featuring one of the oldest U-Bahn lines of the city: U1. This line, opened in 1902, is essentially divided into two sections. The eastern part from Warschauer Straße to Gleisdreieck is constructed on an elevated viaduct; on the other hand, the western part from Gleisdreieck to Uhlandstraße is a classical underground line built with the cut & cover method.This film mostly follows the elevated part of the line from east to west and shows Schlesisches Tor, Görlitzer Bahnhof, Prinzenstraße and Möckernbrücke stations, which all have interesting station buildings and roof architectures.The first underground station of the line is Kurfürstenstraße, also shown in the film, which is very unassuming and exhibits the typical cut & cover architecture with a centre row of columns to support the street above it.The final station shown in the film is Uhlandstraße, the western terminus of the line.On the day of filming there were still quite many GI (Gisela) stock trains in service. These boxy trains were built in former East Germany and have a characteristic high-pitch traction sound.Enjoy!Recorded: 10 May 2017
London: Dusk at Kensal Green station Luftschlange 2017-06-03 | After a bit of a break in publishing material, there is a new film of Kensal Green station, which is shared by the London Underground Bakerloo line and the London Overground Watford DC line.The station is situated along the West Coast Main Line, one of the principal railway lines in the UK, running from London Euston up to Glasgow in Scotland. Besides Tube and Overground trains, one can therefore spot Virgin Trains and London Midland services out of Euston, including Class 221 Super Voyager and Class 390 Pendolino high speed trains.The film shows the station and some services around dusk, which makes for a beautiful atmosphere.Recorded March 13, 2017.
London Underground: S Stock ride late evening Luftschlange 2017-04-13 | After a long day of filming, I decided to fill up my memory card by recording a ride on my favourite London Underground stock, the S Stock.Details on the stock: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_S7_and_S8_StockBeginning in 2010, these trains have been gradually introduced on all lines of the subsurface division of the network, that is, the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. On the Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City line they are 7 carriages long (thus called S7 stock), while the S8 stock on the Metropolitan line is formed of 8 carriages, with a slightly different seating layout.These new trains have walk-through carriages and air conditioning and they are generally very comfortable and beautiful.This film shows a ride on a late Sunday evening (between 9–10 pm if I remember correctly) aboard a District line service from Tower Hill to Wimbledon. The film starts when leaving Tower Hill station and ends shortly before entering Embankment station (where I had to change to the Northern line).Check out some of my other London Underground videos to see exterior views of the S Stock in action.Enjoy!Recorded: 26 February 2017
London Overground trains on the East London line – Part 2 Luftschlange 2017-04-08 | Link to Part 1: youtu.be/YdThAirQRgsThis is the second (and for the time being final) part of the film about London Overgroundn trains on the East London line.The East London line is a railway line running north to south just east of the City of London from Highbury & Islington via Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and the Docklands to New Cross. Until 2007 this line was part of the London Underground, where it was operated by subsurface Metropolitan line stock.When the line closed, it was extensively refurbished and reopened in 2010 as part of the London Overground network. Today there are frequent services operated by London Overground’s standard Class 378 “Capitalstar” stock.While the first part of the film focused on the southern end at New Cross Gate and Surray Quays, this part continues at Canada Water, where the London Overground has an interchange with the London Underground Jubilee line. The specious design of the station resembles the other stations of the Jubilee line extension, which is also reflected at the London Overground platforms.We then dive under the Thames and surface at the north bank in the beautiful Wapping neighbourhood. The Overground station here occupies the northern end of a former Thames foot tunnel, constructed between 1825 and 1843. Its platforms are extremely narrow; in fact, they are so narrow that they do not meet the proper safety standards, but the station may nevertheless be operated under a derogation.Finally, we jump a few stations north to Hoxton, where the Overground runs above ground on a beautiful brick viaduct. We observe a few Overground trains at the station, before the film concludes with a few shots of the surrounding streets. Enjoy!Recorded: February 26, 2017.
Berlin Alexanderplatz: S-Bahn, Underground, Tram at night Luftschlange 2017-04-02 | Today we are in Berlin at Alexanderplatz, which is the former East German city centre. Alexanderplatz is a rather large square quite close to Berlin’s famous Television Tower, and it is a busy public transport hub, connecting regional trains, S-Bahn, underground (U-Bahn), and tram services.In this film we visit Alexanderplatz on a cold February night and take a close look at the available public transport options.We start outside on the square, which is crossed by four tram lines: M2, M4, M5, and M6. After observing a few of them, including one formed of Czech Tatra KT4D stock, the film turns towards the elevated mainline railway station, which is served by S-Bahn lines S5, S7, and S75. Some regional train services also stop at this station.In the second part of the film we move underground. After a few shots of the pedestrian subways connecting the platforms of the different underground lines, we start with the underground line U2. This line is part of the small profile network, which uses smaller trains than the other lines at this station. From here we go onwards to the platforms of line U5, which have an unusually high ceiling. U5, part of the large profile network, terminates at Alexanderplatz station and serves several eastern districts of the city. After U5, we take a look at the platforms of U8, which is a north-south underground line, also part of the large profile network.While the S-Bahn lines running here are solely operated with new-ish Class 481 stock, the underground has a nice mix of old and new rolling stock.Enjoy!Recorded: 22 February 2017
London Underground, DLR and c2c trains at West Ham & Limehouse Luftschlange 2017-03-26 | Today we are along the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line and take a look at West Ham and Limehouse stations. The London terminus of the line is Fenchurch Street station, not far from the Tower of London and the famous Tower Bridge. Principal services on the line are operated by c2c, however, between its terminus and Limehouse the line runs parallel with the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and between Bromley-by-Bow and Upminster the line runs parallel with the District and Hammersmith & City lines of the London Underground.The film starts at West Ham, which is a major interchange station between c2c services and the London Underground and DLR (the latter not shown at this station). We see many Class 357 “Electrostar” trains next to London Underground S7 Stock trains. The posh-sounding announcements at the station are provided by Anne.For the second half of the film we jump to the Docklands area, where at Limehouse station c2c trains can be observed next to the DLR. We first cast a glance at the beautiful Limehouse basin with the Canary Wharf estate in the background. The Docklands Light Railway runs here next to the basin on a brick viaduct. At Limehouse station the DLR joins the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line, where we observe a few more Electrostars calling at the station.Enjoy!Recorded: 23 November 2016
NYC Subway: A couple of trains at Madison Square Luftschlange 2017-03-25 | This is some older footage I shot when I was still living in New York City.It shows the busy Madison Square, which is at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan. It is the location of the famous “Flatiron Building” – considered a landmark skyscraper and symbol of New York City.The square is (today) served by (N), (Q), (R) and (W) trains of the BMT Broadway Line at 23rd street station, which is a local stop on the line. At the time of filming the (W) train was not yet (back) in service.We see an older (R) train as well as an (N) train stopping at the downtown platform of the station.Enjoy!Recorded 29 September, 2015.
London Underground: Northern line trains at Chalk Farm Luftschlange 2017-03-19 | This is a short film about some Northern line trains at Chalk Farm station in the London borough of Camden.Chalk Farm is just one station north of Camden Town, which is a major Northern line hub with northbound branches to Edgware and High Barnet as well as southbound branches via Bank and Charing Cross. Chalk Farm station was opened in 1907 and is situated on the Edgware branch of the line. When the station opened, all trains ran to Charing Cross, but today southbound services also run via Bank.The station does not have escalators. There are either lifts or a staircase to reach the platforms. Another unique feature of the station is the long wedge-shaped station building at the intersection of Adelaide Road, Haverstock Hill and Chalk Farm Road.All trains on the northern line are operated by the lovely 1995 Tube Stock.Enjoy!Recorded: March 13, 2017
London Overground trains on the East London line – Part 1 Luftschlange 2017-03-18 | Link to Part 2: youtu.be/SepP1KDJsOMToday we are back in London to take a look at the East London line. It is a railway line running north to south just east of the City of London from Highbury & Islington via Shoreditch, Whitechapel, and the Docklands to New Cross. Until 2007 this line was part of the London Underground, where it was operated by subsurface Metropolitan line stock.When the line closed, it was extensively refurbished and reopened in 2010 as part of the London Overground network. Today there are frequent services operated by London Overground’s standard Class 378 “Capitalstar” stock.In the first part of this film, we take a look at the southern end of the line at New Cross Gate and Surray Quays stations, which are located in the boroughs of Southwark and Lewisham, respectively. While Surray Quays station is solely served by the Overground, New Cross Gate is on the Brighton Main Line, which is a major railway line. As such, there are frequent mainline services stopping and passing through the station. Besides Overground trains, the film also shows a Southern service for London Bridge stopping and a brand new Class 700 Thameslink train passing through the station.Enjoy!Recorded: February 26, 2017.
Tram and Light Rail in Karlsruhe, Germany Luftschlange 2017-02-11 | Today we are in Karlsruhe in south-west Germany not far from France.Karlsruhe is a midsize city with approximately 300,000 people; it is the second-largest city (after Stuttgart) in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. In Germany it is known for its excellent technical university, its Baroque palace as well as hosting Germany’s two highest courts: the Federal Constitutional Court and the German Supreme Court. It is also known for its expansive tram and light rail system, which achieved international recognition and gets copied around the world as the “Karlsruhe Model”.The city has 71 km of tram lines, which serve the city proper. This tram system is shared with a light rail system called “Stadtbahn Karlsruhe”, which has a system length of 262 km and reaches far beyond Karlsruhe itself. Many of the light rail lines actually use mainline railway tracks outside of the city. This gives smaller towns around Karlsruhe a direct rail access into the city centre and its high street.This film shows tram and light rail traffic at various stations around the city centre. European cities often have a pedestrian-only city core, which in Karlsruhe is directly served by the tram network. Since several years there is ongoing construction works to build a tram and light rail tunnel under the city centre.The tram and light rail stocks used in Karlsruhe are quite diverse with models from several eras. At the time of filming the following stocks were in use: GT6-70D/N, GT8-70D/N, NET-2012 (tram) and GT6-80C, GT8-80C, GT8-100C/2S, GT8-100D/2S-M, and ET-2010 (light rail).More information on the tram system: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_KarlsruheMore information on the light rail system: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlsruhe_StadtbahnEnjoy!Filmed on Januar 2, 2017
London: Greater Anglia trains at Tottenham Hale feat. Anne Luftschlange 2017-02-04 | Today we are at Tottenham Hale railway station in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated on the West Anglia Main Line between London Liverpool Street and Broxbourne.Tottenham Hale station has two railway platforms and two Underground platforms, served by the Victoria line (not shown in this film). Principal services at the railway station are Stansted Express trains to Stansted Airport and Greater Anglia trains to Hertford East, Cambridge and beyond.The film shows several Greater Anglia services as well as Stansted Express trains formed of Class 317 and Class 379 EMUs. Anne speaks the announcements at this station.Enjoy!Recorded: 9 July 2016Errata:A previous version of the description incorrectly said that this film shows Class 377 EMUs, when in fact it shows Class 379 EMUs.
LU: Northern line trains at Finchley Central and Mill Hill East Luftschlange 2017-02-03 | This film shows the Northern line at Finchley Central to Mill Hill East in Northern London.Finchley Central is situated on the High Barnet branch. Originally not a London Underground line, the station opened by the Great Northern Railway in 1867. Northern line trains did not start serving the station until 1940, one year before main line train services were withdrawn.The original railway line continued towards Edgware via Mill Hill East and the line towards High Barnet was constructed as a branch line in 1872. Today, most Northen line trains (except for a few during the day) terminate at High Barnet. The line to Edgware no longer exists except for a short one-station branch to Mill Hill East. For most of the day there is a Northern line shuttle service running between Mill Hill East and Finchley Central.The film first shows Finchley Central with frequent Northern line service to and from High Barnet. In the second half we board a 1995 Tube Stock train from Finchley Central to Mill Hill East, before the film closes with a few idyllic views of Mill Hill East station.Enjoy!Recorded: 24 November 2016
LU: Beautiful Gloucester Road station feat. D Stock Luftschlange 2017-01-16 | Today we take a look at Gloucester Road station in Kensington, London. While the station has two parts, one serving the subsurface network (District and Circle lines) and another serving the deep tube network (Piccadilly line), this film only shows the former.Gloucester Road station opened as “Brompton (Gloucester Road)” in 1868 by the Metropolitan Railway. Today it is served by District and Circle line services. Originally the platforms were built in an open trench, but in 1990 a deck was added, on top of which a shopping mall was constructed. However, the station still retains its beautiful charme with its brick walls and arches.As this was filmed in July 2016 there was still plenty of D stock in service on the District line, some of which can be seen in this film. This is already historic today.Enjoy!Recorded: July 23, 2016.
South West Trains at windy Woking Luftschlange 2017-01-14 | Today I present a short film of Woking station in England. I was travelling through Woking in November 2016 and had some time to kill. It was quite windy on this day, so apologies if the video appears a bit more jittery than usual.Woking is a major station on the South Western Main Line that runs out of London Waterloo. The station sees very frequent train services from and to London Waterloo, many of which are fast services, possibly only additionally calling at Clapham Junction before London Waterloo.The station has 6 platforms. Platform 1 is for up slow services, platform 2 for up fast services; platform 3 is a bay platform for Waterloo stopping services (not shown in the film), platform 4 is for down fast and platform 5 for down slow services. Platform 6 is not in much use as far as I know.In the film we see some of the frequent Waterloo-bound trains as well as some platform alterations happening. Announcements are by Celia Drummond and Phil Sayer, but on this day there have been some manual announcements as well.Enjoy!Recorded: November 22, 2016.
San Francisco Muni Metro Trains in Winter Luftschlange 2016-12-21 | San Francisco has a rich an diverse public transport system, comprised of subways, trams, trolleybuses, regular buses, and of course the famous Cable Car.Today’s film takes a look at “Muni Metro”, which is San Francisco’s tram system. It has a length of 56 km on which it operates six lines. In the city centre, all lines are bundled along the Market Street corridor, where they run in a tunnel beneath the street. This (and only this) underground section uses ATO (automatic train operation), and in fact, it is the only light rail in the world to be so operated.The film starts along The Embarcadero, which is the main waterfront street. Near the Bay Bridge one can get some wonderful shots of trams with the bridge in the background. We then move towards Embarcadero station, which is the first station inside the tunnel and where several lines terminate. After taking a brief look at another underground station, Van Ness station, the film finally shows more overground scenes at Church & Duboce and Cole & Carl stations.Enjoy!Filmed on December 17 and 18, 2016.
NYC: Subway and LIRR in Woodside, Queens Luftschlange 2016-12-17 | Today we are in the neighborhood of Woodside in Queens, New York City. Woodside is served by the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway (which runs here on an elevated route) as well as the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), a busy commuter railway.Woodside – 61st Street station is a major interchange between the Subway and LIRR. The most part of the film shows this station. We start at the platforms of the IRT Flushing Line, which has an express stop here. The film was shot on a Saturday, and while there is usually no express service on this line on Saturdays, there was engineering work taking place, which forced Flushing-bound (7) trains to run express from Queensboro Plaza to 74th Street – Broadway.The second part of the film is then devoted to the LIRR station, showing some trains from and towards Penn Station in Manhattan. Since the Subway tracks run elevated above the LIRR station, one can capture beautiful shots that include both LIRR and Subway trains.The film finally concludes with some (7) trains at 69th Street station, one station closer to Flushing. We see a Flushing-bound (7) train passing the station on the express track and switching to the local track just beyond the station.Enjoy!Filmed on Saturday, 26 September 2015.
LU: Old Bakerloo line trains in Little Venice, Maida Vale and Kilburn Luftschlange 2016-12-10 | Today we are on the Bakerloo line on the stretch from Warwick Avenue station near Little Venice to Kilburn Park via Maida Vale.The line has been extended along this stretch from Paddington to Queens Park in 1915, running through a rather lovely and affluent neighbourhood. Also, the station buildings of Maida Vale and Kilburn Park are rather beautiful.This film starts at Little Venice, from where we take a short walk to Warwick Avenue station. We then watch some trains at the platforms, before we continue our journey towards Maida Vale station. We finally arrive at Kilburn Park station, where it is slowly getting dark outside, making for a lovely contrast with the yellow lighting of the station building.The Bakerloo line uses 1972 Tube stock, the oldest on the Underground still in regular service.Enjoy!Filmed on Tuesday, 22 November 2016.
LU: The Waterloo & City line Luftschlange 2016-12-04 | Today’s video is a short film about the Waterloo & City line of the London Underground.Merely connecting two stations, namely Waterloo station with Bank station in the City of London, the Waterloo & City line is the shortest line of the London Underground. The line opened in 1898 and is the second-oldest underground line in London. However, for most of the time it was owned and operated by mainline railway companies, most recently by British Rail. It is only in 1994 when its operation were transferred to London Underground.The main purpose of the line is to take commuters from the busy Waterloo railway station into the financial district of the city. As such, it only operates on weekdays and Saturdays, and it is closed on Sundays.The film starts at Waterloo station, where trains turn around via the small maintenance yard of the line. We then take a 1992 Tube stock train towards Bank station.Enjoy!Filmed on 28 October, 2015.
South West Trains in Autumn at Farnborough Luftschlange 2016-11-29 | Today we are (back) in Farnborough in Hampshire, England.This film shows the beautiful station with some trains during a moody autumn day. Farnborough is a town along the South West Main Line, which runs out of London Waterloo. The station opened with an island platform in 1838 when the line still had only two tracks. Once the line was upgraded to today’s quadruple track configuration, the island platform was removed, and two side platforms were built instead.During weekdays the station is served by four trains per hour in each direction; two of them are fast services, while the other two are stopping services. London-bound fast services call only at either Woking or Clapham Junction before terminating at London Waterloo, taking about half an hour.Enjoy!Filmed on November 23, 2016.
NYC: Metro-North Railroad at Harlem–125th Street Luftschlange 2016-10-31 | Today we are in Upper Manhattan, more precisely, in Harlem. Metro-North Railroad, which is a commuter railroad running out of Grand Central station has a stop at Harlem–125th Street, just one block away of the IRT Lexington Avenue line Subway station.Harlem–125th Street is the only Metro-North station other than Grand Central in Manhattan. Any Metro-North train going into Grand Central has to either stop or pass this station, so it is quite busy.The view from the southern platform end towards Midtown Manhattan is quite spectacular. One can see all the way to the MetLife building, which is right above Grand Central station. The tall and skinny skyscraper is the newly-built 432 Park Avenue luxury condo building, which at the time of filming was still under construction.Enjoy.Recorded at 1st October, 2015.
Londons Docklands Light Railway - Part 2 Luftschlange 2016-10-24 | Part 1: youtu.be/7TrZ5e_n8gwThis is the second part of the film showing the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London. It also briefly features the London Underground Jubilee line at the end.The film shows the heavily-used branch from Poplar to Canning Town. Here, the DLR runs three-carriage trains on an elevated concrete structure in the midst of new residential and commercial developments.We first take a look at Blackwall station, which is the next eastbound station after Poplar. The film then shows East India station, before we move to Canning Town station, which is a major interchange station with four DLR platforms and two London Underground platforms. As this was filmed right during rush hour, the station is rather busy. We first watch some DLR trains before the film concludes with a few shots of the Jubilee line.Enjoy!Recorded: October 20, 2015.
NYC Subway: Summer Heat at Bowling Green Luftschlange 2016-09-25 | This is a short film showing a bit of New York City Subway action at Bowling Green station in Lower Manhattan.Bowling Green is the last station on the IRT West Side line in Manhattan, before the line continues to Brooklyn (next station: Borough Hall). The line is served by (4) and (5) trains (which are express in Manhattan).However, on weekends, only the (4) train continues to Brooklyn, while the (5) train terminates at this station and turns around via the inner track of the South Ferry loop. (The outer track of the loop is currently used by the (1) train.)In this film we see a bit of action at the Bowling Green station in the scorching New York summer heat.Enjoy!Recorded: 9 August 2015.
London Underground: Tight Action at Mile End Station Luftschlange 2016-09-17 | Today we are at Mile End station in East London, which is a major interchange between London Underground’s Central line and the District and Hammersmith & City lines.The station is the only subterranean station that provides a cross-platform interchange between deep tube trains (Central line) and the subsurface network (District and Hammersmith & City lines).It originally opened in 1902 as part of the Whitechapel & Bow Railway, and the Central line reached the station in 1946.With the Central line providing a train in each direction every 1–2 minutes and frequent service on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, this is an excellent station for trainspotting. Enjoy!Filmed: Saturday, July 9, 2016.
Londons Docklands Light Railway - Part 1 Luftschlange 2016-09-12 | Part 2: youtu.be/r7auZmtF2csThis is the first of a two part film showing the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in London.The DLR is a relatively new light metro system in East London, mostly serving the redeveloped Docklands area along the river Thames.It began operation in 1987 and it is fully automated. Trains drive themselves, and the only staff on board is a guard, who operates the doors and supervises the passengers boarding and alighting at stations.Since inauguration, the system has grown massively. It connects the two major financial centres at Bank and Canary Wharf, the ExCel Exhibition Centre, London City Airport, and reaches as far north as Stratford.The first part shows the Stratford-to-Poplar branch at Bow Church, Pudding Mill Lane and Poplar.Enjoy!Recorded: October 20, 2015.
South West Trains and London Underground at Richmond, featuring Celia Luftschlange 2016-08-20 | Today we continue the South West Trains series with a film showing train action on a Saturday night at Richmond in London.Richmond is a very beautiful suburban town in southwest London right by the river Thames. It has two train stations: Richmond station and North Sheen station, from which Richmond station is the major one, the subject of this film. Although the town has only about 20,000 inhabitants, the station is served by frequent South West Trains services on the Waterloo to Reading line, and it is also the terminus for the London Underground District line and the London Overground Richmond branch.The film first focuses on the South West Trains services, which run at platforms 1 and 2. We see a mix of class 450, 455 and 458 trains. Towards the end the film then shows some London Underground services on platforms 6 and 7, which are formed of modern S7 stock. The station announcements played at this station are—like at most South West Trains stations—by Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond; in the film we mostly hear the voice of Celia.Enjoy!Recorded: Saturday, July 23, 2016.
Anne announces at Kings Cross station Luftschlange 2016-08-04 | Today’s video is somewhat out of the ordinary, and it shows Anne making posh-sounding announcements at Kings Cross station in central London.Most train stations in the UK use automated passenger announcement systems and there are different voices in use at different parts of the railway network. However, Anne is quite pervasive as she seems to get gradually deployed everywhere around the network.Enjoy!Recorded: 21 October 2015.
LU: Slow/Fast Trains on the District/Piccadilly Lines - Part 2 Luftschlange 2016-07-30 | Prelude: youtu.be/fQH_TplSuXoPart I: youtu.be/RGShfU7cw9wThis is the second and final part of my film on the District and Piccadilly lines.Today we continue our journey along the District and Piccadilly line routes where we left off in the previous part.The first station in the film is Turnham Green. This station is served by the District line alone most of the time and the Piccadilly line rushes through the station (except early mornings and late evenings, when Piccadilly line services also stop here).The next station is Chiswick Park, which has a very interesting and quite unusual architecture. Originally opened in 1879, it has been rebuilt between 1931 and 1932 to today’s appearance.The final station in the film is Acton Town, which is also the first station where the Piccadilly line regularly stops after Hammersmith station. Acton Town is quite busy and we see some crowded Piccadilly and District line services stopping in beautiful evening light.Enjoy!Filmed on 19 October 2015.
NYC Subway: Washington Heights, Manhattan Luftschlange 2016-06-12 | Today we are among the deepest stations of the New York City Subway in the area of Washington Heights, Manhattan.Washington Heights is quite far uptown. Here, Manhattan is much more hilly than one might expect. The neighbourhood is served by the IRT Seventh Avenue–Broadway line as well as the IND Eighth Avenue line.We begin at 191th Street station, which is served by the (1) train. Interestingly, at 55 m below street level, this is the deepest station on the New York City Subway. However, only one station further, at Dyckman Street, the subway leaves the tunnel and continues via an elevated structure. (Check youtu.be/B8-qPKqkouw for another video showing Dyckman Street station.) The station has an exit toward Broadway and 190th Street via a long tunnel, which is beautifully decorated. From here it is only a few meters to 190th Street station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, served by the (A) train.The station can be accessed from Bennett Avenue, again via a tunnel. At 43 m below the surface this station is similarly deep. The film shows some (A) trains at the station, before we head to another exit, which leads to Fort Washington Avenue and Fort Tryon Park via an elevator bank.Enjoy!Filmed 8 August, 2015.
NYC Subway: West Farms Square (2) and (5) Trains Luftschlange 2016-05-22 | Today we are in the Bronx on the IRT White Plains Road line at West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue station.This is an elevated station, opened in 1904, and it is served by (2) and (5) trains. Right after the station the tracks cross the Bronx River in a tight curve before entering East 180th Street station, where the routes of the (2) and (5) trains diverge.The elevated structure here is in pretty bad shape and rather rusty, which makes for a great atmosphere. Just north of the station one can also see the abandoned structure for 180th Street–Bronx Park, which had been the original terminal of the White Plains Road line. Enjoy!
U-Bahn Berlin: U2 Action in the Center - Part 2 Luftschlange 2016-05-21 | First Part: youtu.be/uMC6oL3aKqQToday we have the second part of my film showing the U2 line on the Berlin Underground (U-Bahn Berlin).We continue our journey in the center of Berlin, starting at Märkisches Museum, which is a very beautiful underground station.Besides underground, the U2 line also runs on elevated structures at places. The film shows a glimpse of Eberswalder Straße station, which is close to the eastern terminal of the line.From there we jump back to the western part to Gleisdreieck, which is a two-storey elevated station with U1 line trains running on the upper level and U2 line trains running on the lower level.Enjoy!
LU: Slow/Fast Trains on the District/Piccadilly Lines - Part 1 Luftschlange 2016-05-15 | Prelude: youtu.be/fQH_TplSuXoPart II: youtu.be/90SembXYzl0This is the first part (after the prelude) of my film on the District and Piccadilly lines.Similarly to the previously published small series on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, the District and Piccadilly lines share their route between South Kensington and Acton Town. The District line provides slow (local) service, while the Piccadilly line runs fast (express).The route is particularly interesting, as the District line is part of the subsurface network, using larger trains than the Piccadilly line, which belongs to the deep tube network. Also, both lines still use quite old rolling stock. The Piccadilly line is operated with 1973 tube stock, and many of the District line trains are still formed of D78 stock; which, however, is gradually being replaced with shiny new S7 stock.In this film we are first looking at Barons Court and Hammersmith stations, both of which are served by both lines. In the second half we then focus on Ravenscourt Park and Stamford Brook, which are skipped by the Piccadilly line.Enjoy!Filmed on 19 October 2015.
U-Bahn Berlin: U2 Action in the Center - Part 1 Luftschlange 2016-04-28 | Today’s film is the first of two parts showing the U2 line on the Berlin Underground (U-Bahn Berlin).Similarly to New York City and London, Berlin’s underground system has two incompatible divisions: The older “Kleinprofilnetz” and the newer “Großprofilnetz”. The former has very small tunnel diameters (actually built to tram standards), while the latter uses wider tunnels and hence more capacious rolling stock.The U2 line, which runs east-west through the city’s both former western and eastern centers, is part of the Kleinprofilnetz, and its first stations opened in 1902.The tunnels and stations are built very close beneath the surface and the ceiling is supported by columns, similarly to the New York City Subway, however, with the difference that the stations are in much better shape.We begin our journey at “Stadtmitte” station, which is in the former eastern part of Berlin and is located near Gendarmenmarkt (quite close to “Checkpoint Charlie”), a very beautiful area of the city. We then make our way east to Hausvogteiplatz, Spittelmarkt and Klosterstraße.The rolling stock used on the U2 line is quite diverse. Besides old A3L and newer Hk stock, the line operates my favorite stock of the Berlin U-Bahn: The East German built GI/1 stock, also called “Gisela,” with its timeless angular design and high-pitch motor sound.Enjoy!
NYC Subway: Bowery and Canal Street Luftschlange 2016-04-13 | Chambers Street: youtu.be/pOrGDUDG4qsToday we are in Lower Manhattan at Bowery and Canal Street Stations, focusing on the BMT Nassau Street and BMT Broadway lines.Bowery, which is located near the Williamsburg Bridge and is served by (J) and (Z) trains, is similarly dilapidated as Chambers Street Station on the same line, where I had filmed a previous video. It is quite fitting that the (J) is operated with old R32 cars, making for an interesting atmosphere at this station.We then move one station downtown to Canal Street, which is in much better shape. Parts of it had been recently renovated. Besides (J) and (Z) trains, this station is also serving the BMT Broadway and the IRT East Side lines (the latter of which is not shown in this film). The BMT Broadway line has actually two separate platforms. While the (R) train continues straight on its way downtown, (N) and (Q) trains make a sharp turn before approaching their dedicated platform.Enjoy!
London Underground: Old D78 Stock at West Kensington Luftschlange 2016-04-10 | This short film is a prelude to a series showing the District and Piccadilly lines in the west of London.Between Earl’s Court and Acton Town the District line runs “local” while the Piccadilly line runs “express,” skipping several stops.We start off this series at West Kensington, which is between Barons Court and Earl’s Court stations. In fact, this station is special in that the District line stops here on an overground platform, while the Piccadilly line skips this station underground. So there are no Piccadilly line trains in this video yet.The District line is operated with lovely old D78 stock, which is gradually being replaced with S7 stock. This film shows a few trains calling at West Kensington station, all purely formed of D78 stock.The next film in this series will then also feature Piccadilly line trains.Enjoy!
Jubilee Line Extension, Part 3: Canary Wharf Station Luftschlange 2016-04-10 | Part 1 - Southwark Station: youtu.be/LRQ1mgj5VS0Part 2 - Westminster Station: youtu.be/CfMXNhVDPx4Canary Wharf DLR: youtu.be/C5YygWz4TP8Today we are at the showpiece station of the Jubilee Line Extension, at Canary Wharf station.Located in the London Docklands and a major financial business district, it is one of the busiest stations of the London Underground network.The station opened on the 17th of September 1999, and it only serves the Jubilee Line. It has been designed by Sir Norman Foster, a renowned architect, and has been constructed in a drained arm of a former dock.The station has mezzanine and platform levels, both of which are gigantic in size and have been compared to a cathedral. The station is regularly awarded one of the best on the London Underground.Enjoy!
Thameslink Services in the City of London Luftschlange 2016-03-31 | Today we are in Central London along the Thameslink line.Thameslink operates a north-south railway network through London, connecting Luton and Gatwick Airports with major stations in London, such as St. Pancras International, Farringdon, Blackfriars, and London Bridge. The line is quite unusual, in that it actually crosses the city of London instead of terminating at one of the terminals.The film begins at St. Pancras International station, where the Thameslink platforms only recently opened in 2007. We then move to Farringdon, where there is a direct interchange between Thameslink and the London Underground Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. The final part of the film shows City Thameslink station.Enjoy!
NYC Subway: (L) Train Action in Williamsburg and Manhattan Luftschlange 2016-03-20 | This film focuses on the (L) Train, which runs on the 14th Street Line in Manhattan and then crosses the East River to continue along the Canarsie Line in Brooklyn until it terminates at Rockaway Parkway.The (L) train is currently the only line in New York City, which uses automatic train operation (other lines, such as the IRT Flushing Line are in the process of being upgraded). This makes the (L) train quite fast and fun to ride.This film shows some (L) Train action, first at Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, but most of the film focuses on 14th Street–Union Square, 6th Avenue, and 8th Avenue stations in Manhattan.Enjoy!Filmed on June 15th, 2015
Jubilee Line Extension, Part 2: Westminster Station Luftschlange 2016-03-12 | Part 1 - Southwark Station: youtu.be/LRQ1mgj5VS0Part 3 - Canary Wharf Station: youtu.be/K2_fNy7XR4IThis is the second part of my series on the Jubilee Line extension, showing Westminster station.Designed by Michael Hopkins & Partners and winning numerous awards, this station is one of the most impressive on the London Underground. It features a 39-meter deep void around the escalators and stairs, which connect the subsurface station (District & Circle Lines) with those of the Jubilee Line.Built from mostly concrete and stainless steel supported by massive cross-bracing structures, wich are dramatically lit, this station feels like being inside the Death Star.The west and eastbound platforms of the Jubilee Line are stacked on top of each other, with the District and Circle Line platforms at the very top.Enjoy!
