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It was known, colloquially, as 'punching the ticket', at least according to 'Walter' a Victorian gent and the pseudonymous and priapic author of 'My Secret Life' .
You know, odd as it sounds, calling this station 'the other Waterloo station' to me is so funny. It makes total sense why; Waterloo is a goliath of Britain's railway network and Waterloo East is basically a small satellite station to it, but as someone that lives in SE London and who rarely travels out southwest I use this station *far, far* more than its much larger sibling. I did always find the arrangement fascinating; why it was a separate station connected via footbridge and not simply more platforms within the main station was something that stood out to me. The fascinatingly confusing, chequered, and even slightly seedy history outlined here really does give an answer to that lol. Great video.
9:33 My grandmother, who lived until 1987, called it Waterloo Junction all her life. (She also always referred to "3rd Class", despite it being renamed in 1956.)
Interesting similar story: In ye olden days of slam-door, non-walkthrough trains on the Chiltern Line, young couples found that, if they had a carriage all to themselves of an evening, there was a 12 minute window between leaving Marylebone and arriving at Harrow-on-the-Hill where, usually in the stretch of track in the St. John's Wood and Hampstead tunnels, they would often join what was known as the 'Mile-Low Club' . . . . Whatever that means 😉😉😉
The fact that the old connection bridge still remains, fascinates me. I hope it never gets taken down as it is a wonderful piece of (as someone once advised me it is called) urban geology - even though it is over, rather than under the ground?!?! Still, long may it stand!
It was built to carry trains. So it's pretty sturdy. So sturdy, I'm sure without trains using it anymore that it will easily last quite a long time. Maybe just needs an occasional coat of paint. And removing it may be extremely difficult with the way it passes through the current buildings. (forgot the new footbridge as someone else mentioned).
@@petermatyas4834 I'm sure they could run a very useful east/west train line across it. But it was only 1 track, not 2. Also: Jago barely showed/mentioned it (but did discuss it in a past video about the main Waterloo station) the original line ran right through the middle of Waterloo at the same height as the other tracks. As in: to run a train over it, you first needed to block it off and not let pedestrians walk across as it cut across the middle of the pedestrian concourse. Not the smartest design. To be able to easily run trains over that section now, the best solution would be to build a higher level viaduct to pass over the current Waterloo station, or a tunnel underneath everything. Either of those solutions would be very expensive.
I associate this station, in pre modern pedestrian bridge times, with fried egg and chips followed by ginger cake. I used to travel through there to get from home in Clapham Junction to my great grandmother's house in Slade Green. She always had the same meal ready.
6:00 --and for shunting military trains to go deal with the angry Martians coming up from Horsell Common. (Why does that one little detail of the book stand out so vividly? Oh well....)
6:24 I've always loved the absolutely farcical passage in "Three Men in a Boat" where the three men (and the dog, but not the boat!) try to catch a train to Richmond -EDIT: Kingston - from Waterloo. This explains the utter madness that unfolds.
@@gingergeordiejames And it's only two of the men, as George "went to sleep in a bank from 9 til 5, except on Saturdays when they put him outside at 1 o'clock" - so he was going to meet them at, I think, Sunbury as he couldn't get Saturday morning off.
8:30 "perform their professional duties...so Waterloo Junction was added to the journey to provide an interruption" LOL! That moment when 19th century railway executives decided working commuters should no longer be allowed to lie back in their seats and think of England... :D
This station actually saved me earlier this year. I was visiting a cousin in Kennington, and had to get a southeastern train from Charing Cross to get home. So I got on the first Northern train from Kennington, but I later found out that it was the wrong one as the line separates there... I got off at Elephant & Castle and took a Bakerloo train (as it went to Charing Cross). While on the train, I worked out that it would arrive at Charing Cross only a minute before my train left. Hardly enough time to get to the main station in time. As my ticket was pre-booked from Charing Cross to Hastings specifically, I was worried that it wouldn't let me through the Waterloo East ticket barriers, but I decided to take that risk, and thankfully it did. And I managed to catch the same train I was meant to be on.
The confusing layout at Waterloo even gets a mention in literature. The protagonists in the comic novel _Three Men in a Boat_ start their journey by train from Waterloo to Kingston-upon-Thames, but can't find the train in question. They resort to bribing an engine driver to take them.
Waterloo East is probably one of the most useful connections for people wishing to visit the south West from the south east and vice versa. Waterloo has so many connections that quickly being able to switch to one from is vital. Also the fact you can be in Sidcup and half an hour later be on a train to Bournemouth is incredible.
I can remember back in 1991 (same time as operation Desert Storm) taking a train from Waterloo East to Blackheath to an 'Hotel', i use the term loosly (Access, Barclaycard and DHSS cheques accepted). I was attending a week long course in Rotherhithe and took the train daily to New Cross to get a connection. Every morning, for the trip to New Cross on the station amongst the silent hoards, the Station 'Master' would pop out and insert a finger sign in a post on the platform to indicate what the next train was. Ah, them were the days.😅
I seem to recall travelling by train from outer - S.E.London into Charing Cross, ('way back in the day...1980, earlier to London Bridge for The Borough in 1969) and seeing Waterloo East... Don't remember anything else about it - other than the name!! It's so long now - sunce becoming diasbled (mobility issues etc) since I boarded any train to any destination!! As a wheelchair*-user for any travels now (pushed by my daughter/carer, or 'clamped' in place on pre-booked patient hospital transport) (*Fixed-axle, making it difficult to steer by me, hence the need for my daughter's 'push-power'!!) 'Bye-'bye Trains. Thankyou Jago, for the memories.👍🏴
1, Did he really write a self help book called Self Help? If so, he was too good at imaginative titles, was he? 2. I didn't know he's mentioned in Ragged Trousered Philanthropist. And it's one of my favourite books! 3. Okay, my drinks finished. Where are you taking me?!
Waterloo East is an extremely useful connection for SWR passengers coming in to Waterloo who need the West-End or London Bridge, as it offers that connection to Charing Cross or London Bridge for free being included your normal Waterloo terminus ticket, whereas you'd have to pay to do the same journey by tube unless of course you have a travelcard.
As someone living on the Isle of Dogs, southeastern services a short dlr trip away to waterloo east is useful when i want to see friends in surrey and Hampshire
In the aftermath of the pandemic, I had to travel from Reading to a meeting in the hotel at Charing Cross. As I didn't think it wise to be travelling on the crowded Underground at that time, I caught the Reading-Waterloo train, then to Charing Cross via Waterloo East.
I found myself in Waterloo Road and decided to talk up those stairs which I probably hadn't done in 20 years. I staggered to my platform on jelly legs and gasping for breath. Won't be doing that again.
Jago as a Yank, that has used all of these station and somewhat aware of the history this was one of the best explanations of the connections. As someone who lived in a place where the New York Central met the New York Ontario and Western via street rail, I'd love to see a train cross the old bridge.
Great video about part of my favourite subject, the SER and railways in the London Bridge Area. I worked at London Bridge Area SIgnaling Centre (LBASC) for 25 years then worked the same lines from Three Bridges ROC (TBROC) for a further seven years. Waterloo East was named Waterloo when LBASC opened in 1975. When the station was renamed, the diagram at LBASC was never altered. It remained Waterloo station up until the day the signalling control was migrated to TBROC in 2016, when it was finally changed to Waterloo East. Fascinating stretch of line the "Charing Cross Railway". Orignally built as three lines with Blackfriars (SER) station. The site of the northern side platform still exists, but the southern side platform site lies beneath the up Charing Cross line, which was the additional fourth line added betwen Metropolitain Junction and Charing Cross to improve traffic flows. A whole series of videos could be compiled of the story of the lines into London Bridge and beyond. Great work, I am a big admirer of your work, not only enjoyable, knowledgable and interesting, but also great fun.
I installed the ticket machines at Waterloo East, each one weighed around half a tonne and we had to get them up the stairs from the street overnight. Unusually we were allowed to do it while passengers were still using the stairs (luckily only a few) we just had to pause and guide them past the machine.
My nan lived not far from here at Mead Row 1950 to 1970. The episode 'The Miracle Tea Party' of The Saint with Roger Moore begins with him coming out of Waterloo station, with the British Railways logo seen on the side of the station. New cross also has lettered platforms A to D.
First discovered Waterloo East in 1983 when aged 12 went on a family holiday to Germany sailing from Folkestone. Very handy connection for someone living in Southern England.
Waterloo East was an exciting step on my family's annual holiday from Feltham to Ramsgate. My mother would never have used it if she'd known those ladies of the night frequented the line! 😮 Matron! 😂
I used to travel up, occasionally, from rural Kent to Charing Cross and would glance wistfully at the main Waterloo facade, remembering all those holidays being pulled by Bulleid Pacific’s to destinations in Dorset, Devon & Cornwall including the A.C.E.
I remember walking over the old blue bridge on many occasions before the high level walkway was built, Waterloo East was my old commute point where I worked at Soundbank Building for Shell (before the IMAX was built).
I do kinda find it fascinating those situations where if your train is stuck at one “station” you can walk to the next one without having to go outside. They just added that a few years ago here at NYCT. You can walk from 5th Avenue station on the 7 line to Times Square, where the 7 also stops, without leaving subway. If your tube train is stuck at Southwark, you can get up to Waterloo and not need to walk on the street.
Boston's MBTA has an underground pedestrian tunnel under Winter Street behind the faregates connecting Park Street and Downtown Crossing, which are subsequent stops on the Red Line. One use of this is to provide a gate-free transfer between the Green and Orange Lines, without having to ride one stop on the Red Line to travel about 400 feet. Haymarket and North Station also offer transfer between these lines, but not all Green Line trains go to those stations.
It certainly made my journey from Dover Priory to Surbiton each Friday doable. I had driving lessons at 19.00. Leave Dover Priory about 16.20, get into Waterloo East at about 18.15. Mad dash over the road to pick up my Waterloo to Surbiton train - non stop. Get into Surbiton at 18.45. Quick walk up the hill to home. Driving lesson at 19.00. Heady days - Phew. Lucky, I only had to do it 11 times. Passed the driving test on the next booking.
From 1985 to 1987 I commuted here each week day from Lewisham Station . Then, some years ago, I done a course at Southwark College so used this station again. I can no longer cope with those stairs though I must say 😆
I was very happy when I moved from Guildford to Kent and my London commute switched from the horrible main Waterloo to the much more bearable Waterloo East, with a bonus that I could shortcut through Southwark Underground to walk closer to my office, rather than walk out the main exit. Of course this was all before Covid, and now there's no commute at all...
Re the pre-reconstruction Waterloo, I recommend the description of catching a train at Waterloo in Jerome K. Jerome's classic Three Men in a Boat. Very funny.
Good point about London Bridge ; I worked there for a while and it's a confusing area . Never really been out of Waterloo much but it seems equally confusing . Perhaps because I come from NW London even a little bit South London confuses me .
Lurking on the grimey footbridge to see which platform the next up train to Charing X or down train to London Bridge would pull into and then running like the clappers is my memory of Waterloo East in the 80s
23:31 This never ceases to amaze me, but I’ve found (I don’t know how many more others have), a lot of tube / overground stations are walkable from one intermediate station to another, and if I lived in the Waterloo East area, I’d gladly walk through, right through to the city on foot instead of the crazy amount of traffic you get every day! I’ll only use the tube or the bus if I was travelling further.
I spent a lot of time commuting via Waterloo East. During the Olympics, they put a barrier down the middle of the passenger footbridge to stop people from walking on the right (instead of staying on the left). Sadly, that was taken away. On one occasion I went over the footbridge and idiots had all tried to come over on the right side of the footbridge in both directions. Each side only left room for one passenger to squeeze out on the left and ate up all the rest of the space. Nobody came onto the tannoy to tell people to "GET OVER ONTO THE LEFT AND BACK UP" and the entire thing became a logjam. I'm surprised nobody got crushed to death. It took 40 minutes to get across the footbridge. There was literally nothing causing this except passengers being impatient and the space for passengers not being able to cope with poor passenger flow. On the Waterloo East side of the bridge, near the bit that splits up into the routes to the different platforms, there used to be ticket machines...and signs showing you where trains would leave from. This would cause chaos as people would stand there and foot traffic would rapidly back up. Ideally, Waterloo East should be rebuilt, with the area on the east end of the footbridge massively expanded and the three existing platforms replaced by two island platforms (one that has all the Charring Cross trains and the other that has all the London Bridge trains). If that was done, there would be no reason for anyone to wait on the footbridge between Waterloo and the new Waterloo East platforms. The footbridge also needs a tannoy system and there needs to be a permanent crowd control team that forces passengers to stay on the left side of the footbridge.
8:08 As I understand it all SER trains from Charing Cross ran via Cannon Street where they reversed to go to London Bridge and beyond. That is why until the Thameslink upgrade the south side of the Borough Market triangle (the one giving direct access between London Bridge abnd Waterloo East/ Charing Cross) had only two tracks whilst the east and west sides of the triangle had four tracks. With changing operating patterns, and most trains going to Charing Cross (with fewer to Cannon Street and none at all between the two) this became the most intensively-worked double track railway in the UK. The Thameslink upgrade included a second pair of tracks on the triangle - Charing Cross trains now use these, whilst Thameslink uses the original pair.
Heavy. I had no idea that Waterloo East even /had/ any street level buildings or access of its own: I've just assumed that the footbridge from Waterloo was the only access.
I used that station for years and didn't know it had street level access either. Had I known that I might not have needed to spend 3 hours waiting for a track circuit fault to be fixed.
For years one used to have to cross the perimeter road of Waterloo Main Line station, and then join a much shorter corridor to reach Waterloo East's platforms. The changeover occurred in early January 1992; trains from Charing Cross non-stopoed Waterloo East and ran straight to London Bridge for a few days whilst the work was carried out with completing the new connections.
Waterloo East also has the fun, albeit obvious given this video, tidbit of being the only station which provides an interchange between South Western Railway and Southeastern.
When the old bridge was the pedestrian crossing between the stations, it crossed a service road, a taxi road I think. The new bridge spans this road, making it safer.
When this popped up, I assumed it was YT playing silly buggers, because I was sure I'd already watched your Waterloo East video. But, no, this seemed to be a brand new film. So I watched it. And all the way through I had this feeling that I'd seen it before. Am I finally going mad?
One strange thing about Southwark station is that there is no entrance/exit at the point where it 'meets' Waterloo East; for one journey I made some years ago, that would have been very convenient. I was told that it had been considered, but that local opinion was against it ...
The eponymous battle in 1815 would have been lost if it had been down to the bickerings of various train companies. Wellington would have met his Waterloo on platform 1.
Long ago in the mists of time, as a seven year old, I used to be put on the train (one of the narrow bodied thumpers) at Tunbridge Wells by my mum and collected off it at Charing Cross by my dad. One day I looked up from my book as 'Waterloo' station hove into view. Confused, I leapt out and through the barrier, only to realise I'd hopped off a station early. Doubling back, upset, the ticket collector gave me a ticket back and I jumped back on the next train and on to Charing Cross, and my (by now) frantic dad. Until today the mystery of how I made this mistake had niggled at me. Now I know - Waterloo East was simply called Waterloo at this time. So confusing!
I believe the LSWR had originally planned Waterloo to be a through station so that they could connect with the mainline across the river (GCR?) to give us a north to south mainline but as this would enter the city of London's "square mile" permission was refused.
I guess your next challenge is to take a train from Waterloo,England to Waterloo (Gare de Waterloo) in Belgium. Apparently it can be done in just over 3 hours…..🏴🇧🇪🇪🇺
At one time it coukd be done with one change - at Brussels Midi - but now you would have to chhnage three times (there being no direct Tube link from Waterloo to St Pancras)
I'm surprised that you forgot to mention that the old footbridge between Waterloo East and Waterloo forced people to cross a road used by taxis. I used to sometimes use Waterloo East before the new footbridge got built, and when they put in the new footbridge I had no idea the entrance was moved up in the air and ended up standing in the road in front of a locked gate wondering what they heck was going on.
Very good video Jago. Now that you've done the other Waterloo station, you'll have to do a video on the other other Waterloo station which gives you an excuse to travel on a 777.
Are you sure it got its current name only in 1978? I can remember using trains on the north Kent coast line in 1968, and the announcements for the up trains went, 'Blah, blah, Bromley South, Waterloo East, and Charring Cross."
00:44 - Mind the Thigh Gap between the train and the platform edge. Although one could also say "At Waterloo East, Napoleon didn't surrender there either". 😂
You still have to try and figure out when the next train is going towards Charing Cross or London Bridge. It really needs a Camden style next train to London Bridge and Charing Cross sign
Bricklayer's Arms was not their own station; it was a joint venture with the London & Croydon. Both companies didn't want to pay the London &: Greenwich 'exorbitant' tolls to use London Bridge. The strategy worked and the SER obtained the L&G on a 99 year lease.
With the history of London railways you really explain why London Transport is so convoluted and not really fully joined up until this day . The future has to be investing a bit more in the Overground especially Nw to West London eg the Dollis Hill to Acton onto Brentford this has to be done asap . The North Circular is just too congested .
Go to ground.news/jago to spot media bias and make sure you’re getting the full story. Subscribe through my link to get 40% off the Vantage subscription this month only.
The Murdoch "News" is either NewsCorp or News Limited.
I absolutely love the story about the Waterloo Junction ‘interruption’.
Coi*us Interruptus
It was known, colloquially, as 'punching the ticket', at least according to 'Walter' a Victorian gent and the pseudonymous and priapic author of 'My Secret Life' .
@@quantisedspace7047”cockney blocking”?
@@bostonrailfan2427outstanding reply! 😂😂
@@claire6258 took a stab in the sark there, had no idea if it was apt or a groaner but it’s apt after all 🤣
You know, odd as it sounds, calling this station 'the other Waterloo station' to me is so funny. It makes total sense why; Waterloo is a goliath of Britain's railway network and Waterloo East is basically a small satellite station to it, but as someone that lives in SE London and who rarely travels out southwest I use this station *far, far* more than its much larger sibling.
I did always find the arrangement fascinating; why it was a separate station connected via footbridge and not simply more platforms within the main station was something that stood out to me. The fascinatingly confusing, chequered, and even slightly seedy history outlined here really does give an answer to that lol.
Great video.
9:33 My grandmother, who lived until 1987, called it Waterloo Junction all her life. (She also always referred to "3rd Class", despite it being renamed in 1956.)
Interesting similar story: In ye olden days of slam-door, non-walkthrough trains on the Chiltern Line, young couples found that, if they had a carriage all to themselves of an evening, there was a 12 minute window between leaving Marylebone and arriving at Harrow-on-the-Hill where, usually in the stretch of track in the St. John's Wood and Hampstead tunnels, they would often join what was known as the 'Mile-Low Club' . . . . Whatever that means 😉😉😉
What did they do for the remaining ten minutes?
@@andrewemery4272 Clean up and awkward silence, I expect :D
Smoke
wink wink nudge nudge say no more 🤣😎
@@AFCManUkshe cleans, he apologizes profusely as it “never happened to him before” 😉😎
The fact that the old connection bridge still remains, fascinates me. I hope it never gets taken down as it is a wonderful piece of (as someone once advised me it is called) urban geology - even though it is over, rather than under the ground?!?! Still, long may it stand!
It's probably impossible to remove the old red footbridge, without dismantling the new footbridge built on topi of it.
As far as I'm concerned it's become one of the stars of this channel.
I am still confused about why that is not needed as a railway connection. The other lines seem to be right there on the map.
It was built to carry trains. So it's pretty sturdy. So sturdy, I'm sure without trains using it anymore that it will easily last quite a long time. Maybe just needs an occasional coat of paint. And removing it may be extremely difficult with the way it passes through the current buildings. (forgot the new footbridge as someone else mentioned).
@@petermatyas4834 I'm sure they could run a very useful east/west train line across it. But it was only 1 track, not 2. Also: Jago barely showed/mentioned it (but did discuss it in a past video about the main Waterloo station) the original line ran right through the middle of Waterloo at the same height as the other tracks. As in: to run a train over it, you first needed to block it off and not let pedestrians walk across as it cut across the middle of the pedestrian concourse. Not the smartest design. To be able to easily run trains over that section now, the best solution would be to build a higher level viaduct to pass over the current Waterloo station, or a tunnel underneath everything. Either of those solutions would be very expensive.
I associate this station, in pre modern pedestrian bridge times, with fried egg and chips followed by ginger cake. I used to travel through there to get from home in Clapham Junction to my great grandmother's house in Slade Green. She always had the same meal ready.
I really think they should reintroduce the junction track through the concourse, if for no other reason than just the sheer lunacy of it 🤣🤣
"a sprawling complicated mess of a station where finding your train was an expedition in itself"
gotcha, so, totally different to today's Waterloo
Ladies of negotional affection is the term you are after
Or seamstresses (If you know, you know!)
Oook!
"It has been a business doing pleasure with you."
They also used to frequent the top section of Tower Bridge.
The right honorable Bishops' Prostitutes of Medieval Southgate would approve... ;)
6:00 --and for shunting military trains to go deal with the angry Martians coming up from Horsell Common. (Why does that one little detail of the book stand out so vividly? Oh well....)
6:24 I've always loved the absolutely farcical passage in "Three Men in a Boat" where the three men (and the dog, but not the boat!) try to catch a train to Richmond -EDIT: Kingston - from Waterloo. This explains the utter madness that unfolds.
Actually they are trying to get to Kingston
@@norbitonflyer5625 indeed. Mea culpa.
@@gingergeordiejames And it's only two of the men, as George "went to sleep in a bank from 9 til 5, except on Saturdays when they put him outside at 1 o'clock" - so he was going to meet them at, I think, Sunbury as he couldn't get Saturday morning off.
8:30 "perform their professional duties...so Waterloo Junction was added to the journey to provide an interruption"
LOL! That moment when 19th century railway executives decided working commuters should no longer be allowed to lie back in their seats and think of England... :D
This station actually saved me earlier this year.
I was visiting a cousin in Kennington, and had to get a southeastern train from Charing Cross to get home. So I got on the first Northern train from Kennington, but I later found out that it was the wrong one as the line separates there... I got off at Elephant & Castle and took a Bakerloo train (as it went to Charing Cross).
While on the train, I worked out that it would arrive at Charing Cross only a minute before my train left. Hardly enough time to get to the main station in time.
As my ticket was pre-booked from Charing Cross to Hastings specifically, I was worried that it wouldn't let me through the Waterloo East ticket barriers, but I decided to take that risk, and thankfully it did. And I managed to catch the same train I was meant to be on.
The confusing layout at Waterloo even gets a mention in literature. The protagonists in the comic novel _Three Men in a Boat_ start their journey by train from Waterloo to Kingston-upon-Thames, but can't find the train in question. They resort to bribing an engine driver to take them.
Waterloo East is probably one of the most useful connections for people wishing to visit the south West from the south east and vice versa. Waterloo has so many connections that quickly being able to switch to one from is vital. Also the fact you can be in Sidcup and half an hour later be on a train to Bournemouth is incredible.
The confusing platform arrangement at the original Waterloo was extensively sent up by Jerome K Jerome in 'Three Men And a Boat'.
“Ladies doing their professional duties” sounded so quaintly British yet, however you put it, Jago, I see exactly where you’re coming from with that 😅
So now I want a video on the live and crimes of your lawyer!😊
There’s a TV show instead. I think it’s called ‘Gotta Get Paul’ or something on the sorts. Aparently it’s a prequal
Not Solly Atwell by any chance🤔
@@robertbartender591 i think he has from New Mexico. Or maybe it was just mexico? One will never know
The firm is Yerkes, Floggitt & Runn.
@@merlijnwiersma7801 I am available.
I can remember back in 1991 (same time as operation Desert Storm) taking a train from Waterloo East to Blackheath to an 'Hotel', i use the term loosly
(Access, Barclaycard and DHSS cheques accepted). I was attending a week long course in Rotherhithe and took the train daily to New Cross to get a connection. Every morning, for the trip to New Cross on the station amongst the silent hoards, the Station 'Master' would pop out and insert a finger sign in a post on the platform to indicate what the next train was. Ah, them were the days.😅
I seem to recall travelling by train from outer - S.E.London into Charing Cross, ('way back in the day...1980, earlier to London Bridge for The Borough in 1969) and seeing Waterloo East...
Don't remember anything else about it - other than the name!! It's so long now - sunce becoming diasbled (mobility issues etc) since I boarded any train to any destination!! As a wheelchair*-user for any travels now (pushed by my daughter/carer, or 'clamped' in place on pre-booked patient hospital transport)
(*Fixed-axle, making it difficult to steer by me, hence the need for my daughter's 'push-power'!!) 'Bye-'bye Trains. Thankyou Jago, for the memories.👍🏴
8:10 You did good deafening the censors, and what good reason to use such a random station near Waterloo.
Oh, come on Mr H! Samuel Smiles isn' a real name! It's obviously made up. It's probably an alias of Charles Yerkes!
Actually... He did exist. He also wrote the Victorian self-help book..... called Self Help!
Robert Tressell critiqued Smiles' book in ",The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists": basically he regarded it as pernicious capitalist propaganda.
Mentioned Charles Yerkes - finish your drink
1, Did he really write a self help book called Self Help? If so, he was too good at imaginative titles, was he? 2. I didn't know he's mentioned in Ragged Trousered Philanthropist. And it's one of my favourite books! 3. Okay, my drinks finished. Where are you taking me?!
Yerkes!
The excitement of seeing my workplace in a Jago video!
It's a good station, handy for when you've had enough tube for the day or just feel like seeing things out the windows
Waterloo East is an extremely useful connection for SWR passengers coming in to Waterloo who need the West-End or London Bridge, as it offers that connection to Charing Cross or London Bridge for free being included your normal Waterloo terminus ticket, whereas you'd have to pay to do the same journey by tube unless of course you have a travelcard.
I reckon not many people know that
As someone living on the Isle of Dogs, southeastern services a short dlr trip away to waterloo east is useful when i want to see friends in surrey and Hampshire
@@memediatek never thought of that route being quicker than dlr w and c
In the aftermath of the pandemic, I had to travel from Reading to a meeting in the hotel at Charing Cross. As I didn't think it wise to be travelling on the crowded Underground at that time, I caught the Reading-Waterloo train, then to Charing Cross via Waterloo East.
Please can you explain how that works or what ticket would need to be bought? I’m being a bit dense and trying to get my head around it, thanks
I found myself in Waterloo Road and decided to talk up those stairs which I probably hadn't done in 20 years. I staggered to my platform on jelly legs and gasping for breath. Won't be doing that again.
We need to start a Crowd Fund Raiser to get Jago's lawyer out of jail. That or find him a better lawyer. That comment made me laugh.
Back in the mid 1980's until about 2004 I regularly used Waterloo East. Fond memories of the station.
8:23 wasn't expecting flint knapping on trains
I imagine they were straight at it the moment the train left the station.
"Fancy a chip off the ole block?" :D
Jago as a Yank, that has used all of these station and somewhat aware of the history this was one of the best explanations of the connections. As someone who lived in a place where the New York Central met the New York Ontario and Western via street rail, I'd love to see a train cross the old bridge.
Great video about part of my favourite subject, the SER and railways in the London Bridge Area. I worked at London Bridge Area SIgnaling Centre (LBASC) for 25 years then worked the same lines from Three Bridges ROC (TBROC) for a further seven years. Waterloo East was named Waterloo when LBASC opened in 1975. When the station was renamed, the diagram at LBASC was never altered. It remained Waterloo station up until the day the signalling control was migrated to TBROC in 2016, when it was finally changed to Waterloo East. Fascinating stretch of line the "Charing Cross Railway". Orignally built as three lines with Blackfriars (SER) station. The site of the northern side platform still exists, but the southern side platform site lies beneath the up Charing Cross line, which was the additional fourth line added betwen Metropolitain Junction and Charing Cross to improve traffic flows. A whole series of videos could be compiled of the story of the lines into London Bridge and beyond. Great work, I am a big admirer of your work, not only enjoyable, knowledgable and interesting, but also great fun.
I used to end up here all the time before HS1. I hated schlepping all the way along that footbridge!
I installed the ticket machines at Waterloo East, each one weighed around half a tonne and we had to get them up the stairs from the street overnight. Unusually we were allowed to do it while passengers were still using the stairs (luckily only a few) we just had to pause and guide them past the machine.
My nan lived not far from here at Mead Row 1950 to 1970. The episode 'The Miracle Tea Party' of The Saint with Roger Moore begins with him coming out of Waterloo station, with the British Railways logo seen on the side of the station. New cross also has lettered platforms A to D.
Just watched it. Great episode. 😇
Brilliant video sir, thoroughly enjoyed it, award yourself many points!
First discovered Waterloo East in 1983 when aged 12 went on a family holiday to Germany sailing from Folkestone. Very handy connection for someone living in Southern England.
I like that you used a round part of the building, ( my ex place of work ) to describe the website that gave you every angle in news articles.
Waterloo East was an exciting step on my family's annual holiday from Feltham to Ramsgate. My mother would never have used it if she'd known those ladies of the night frequented the line! 😮 Matron! 😂
I used to travel up, occasionally, from rural Kent to Charing Cross and would glance wistfully at the main Waterloo facade, remembering all those holidays being pulled by Bulleid Pacific’s to destinations in Dorset, Devon & Cornwall including the A.C.E.
I remember walking over the old blue bridge on many occasions before the high level walkway was built, Waterloo East was my old commute point where I worked at Soundbank Building for Shell (before the IMAX was built).
I used to use it every day. I remember seeing Roy Kinnear and David Rappaport at different times on the footbridge back in the 80s.
Growing up I did not know where was a larger Waterloo station. It’s on the Hayes line so Charing Cross was my London terminus station
The wonders of Waterloo never cease to amaze us.
🥉
I do kinda find it fascinating those situations where if your train is stuck at one “station” you can walk to the next one without having to go outside. They just added that a few years ago here at NYCT. You can walk from 5th Avenue station on the 7 line to Times Square, where the 7 also stops, without leaving subway.
If your tube train is stuck at Southwark, you can get up to Waterloo and not need to walk on the street.
I prefer just to go up to the street rather than walk the endless harshly lit corridors.
Boston's MBTA has an underground pedestrian tunnel under Winter Street behind the faregates connecting Park Street and Downtown Crossing, which are subsequent stops on the Red Line. One use of this is to provide a gate-free transfer between the Green and Orange Lines, without having to ride one stop on the Red Line to travel about 400 feet. Haymarket and North Station also offer transfer between these lines, but not all Green Line trains go to those stations.
It certainly made my journey from Dover Priory to Surbiton each Friday doable. I had driving lessons at 19.00. Leave Dover Priory about 16.20, get into Waterloo East at about 18.15. Mad dash over the road to pick up my Waterloo to Surbiton train - non stop. Get into Surbiton at 18.45. Quick walk up the hill to home. Driving lesson at 19.00. Heady days - Phew. Lucky, I only had to do it 11 times. Passed the driving test on the next booking.
As a Kentish lad, Waterloo East was *THE* Waterloo station to me as a kid.
Went here last week, less than a week later and Jago actually makes a video on it
Having now visited every London Underground station, I now fancy visiting other modes on the Tube map, including the South Eastern stations
That 'service of ill repute' sounds like a good challenge!
From 1985 to 1987 I commuted here each week day from Lewisham Station . Then, some years ago, I done a course at Southwark College so used this station again.
I can no longer cope with those stairs though I must say 😆
Found it handy when travelling from Richmond to Dover. Looks like all Charing X trains stop there.
I was very happy when I moved from Guildford to Kent and my London commute switched from the horrible main Waterloo to the much more bearable Waterloo East, with a bonus that I could shortcut through Southwark Underground to walk closer to my office, rather than walk out the main exit.
Of course this was all before Covid, and now there's no commute at all...
I thought “The Worlds Oldest Profession” was Begging - because originally someone had to ask for it!
Re the pre-reconstruction Waterloo, I recommend the description of catching a train at Waterloo in Jerome K. Jerome's classic Three Men in a Boat. Very funny.
Probably my favourite station in London - just love the old fashioned look…
Omg I love Waterloo East station.
My Great Grandad worked in the later years of the SECR, entirety of the SR and most of BR. Some of that time was at Waterloo East.
Loo East always mentioned as the first stop out of Charing Cross but has a useful connection to big brother next door.
Good point about London Bridge ; I worked there for a while and it's a confusing area . Never really been out of Waterloo much but it seems equally confusing . Perhaps because I come from NW London even a little bit South London confuses me .
Lurking on the grimey footbridge to see which platform the next up train to Charing X or down train to London Bridge would pull into and then running like the clappers is my memory of Waterloo East in the 80s
23:31 This never ceases to amaze me, but I’ve found (I don’t know how many more others have), a lot of tube / overground stations are walkable from one intermediate station to another, and if I lived in the Waterloo East area, I’d gladly walk through, right through to the city on foot instead of the crazy amount of traffic you get every day! I’ll only use the tube or the bus if I was travelling further.
The Elizabeth Line platform has long platforms, the one at Liverpool Street ends at Moorgate.
I spent a lot of time commuting via Waterloo East.
During the Olympics, they put a barrier down the middle of the passenger footbridge to stop people from walking on the right (instead of staying on the left). Sadly, that was taken away.
On one occasion I went over the footbridge and idiots had all tried to come over on the right side of the footbridge in both directions. Each side only left room for one passenger to squeeze out on the left and ate up all the rest of the space. Nobody came onto the tannoy to tell people to "GET OVER ONTO THE LEFT AND BACK UP" and the entire thing became a logjam. I'm surprised nobody got crushed to death. It took 40 minutes to get across the footbridge. There was literally nothing causing this except passengers being impatient and the space for passengers not being able to cope with poor passenger flow.
On the Waterloo East side of the bridge, near the bit that splits up into the routes to the different platforms, there used to be ticket machines...and signs showing you where trains would leave from. This would cause chaos as people would stand there and foot traffic would rapidly back up.
Ideally, Waterloo East should be rebuilt, with the area on the east end of the footbridge massively expanded and the three existing platforms replaced by two island platforms (one that has all the Charring Cross trains and the other that has all the London Bridge trains). If that was done, there would be no reason for anyone to wait on the footbridge between Waterloo and the new Waterloo East platforms.
The footbridge also needs a tannoy system and there needs to be a permanent crowd control team that forces passengers to stay on the left side of the footbridge.
To say that anything published by Murdoch "leans Right" is a bigger understatement than "Hitler had hate issues ".
Waterloo east reminds me of haymarket in scotland
8:08
As I understand it all SER trains from Charing Cross ran via Cannon Street where they reversed to go to London Bridge and beyond. That is why until the Thameslink upgrade the south side of the Borough Market triangle (the one giving direct access between London Bridge abnd Waterloo East/ Charing Cross) had only two tracks whilst the east and west sides of the triangle had four tracks. With changing operating patterns, and most trains going to Charing Cross (with fewer to Cannon Street and none at all between the two) this became the most intensively-worked double track railway in the UK.
The Thameslink upgrade included a second pair of tracks on the triangle - Charing Cross trains now use these, whilst Thameslink uses the original pair.
Heavy. I had no idea that Waterloo East even /had/ any street level buildings or access of its own: I've just assumed that the footbridge from Waterloo was the only access.
I used that station for years and didn't know it had street level access either. Had I known that I might not have needed to spend 3 hours waiting for a track circuit fault to be fixed.
For years one used to have to cross the perimeter road of Waterloo Main Line station, and then join a much shorter corridor to reach Waterloo East's platforms. The changeover occurred in early January 1992; trains from Charing Cross non-stopoed Waterloo East and ran straight to London Bridge for a few days whilst the work was carried out with completing the new connections.
The stairs which lead you down to the road are quite handy, though quite a climb if you're entering the station!
@@PlanetoftheDeaf Yes, they got longer when they switched the passageways up above.
Every time I hear 'Waterloo' reminds me of that song by ABBA!!! 😉😄🚂🚂🚂
Have I just inadvertently discovered why closed-compartments were known as doggie-carriages?
Waterloo East also has the fun, albeit obvious given this video, tidbit of being the only station which provides an interchange between South Western Railway and Southeastern.
When the old bridge was the pedestrian crossing between the stations, it crossed a service road, a taxi road I think. The new bridge spans this road, making it safer.
You could come to Wellington, New Zealand and do a story about the “other other” Waterloo station! (The main railway hub in Lower Hutt).
When this popped up, I assumed it was YT playing silly buggers, because I was sure I'd already watched your Waterloo East video. But, no, this seemed to be a brand new film. So I watched it. And all the way through I had this feeling that I'd seen it before. Am I finally going mad?
east got mentioned in waterloo, and I think was done a while back but this is expanded
@@paulhaynes8045 No, but Jago has also done videos on the predecessors of Waterloo East and their origins.
I used to work in southwark so used to take the train in to waterloo east. Very strange station as it doesn't even have a concourse.
But those two in those tunnels did
One strange thing about Southwark station is that there is no entrance/exit at the point where it 'meets' Waterloo East; for one journey I made some years ago, that would have been very convenient. I was told that it had been considered, but that local opinion was against it ...
@@Bruce-h8w what two in what tunnels?
The eponymous battle in 1815 would have been lost if it had been down to the bickerings of various train companies. Wellington would have met his Waterloo on platform 1.
And there ws me thinking this wS about the novelty tube line to Sefton.
Long ago in the mists of time, as a seven year old, I used to be put on the train (one of the narrow bodied thumpers) at Tunbridge Wells by my mum and collected off it at Charing Cross by my dad. One day I looked up from my book as 'Waterloo' station hove into view. Confused, I leapt out and through the barrier, only to realise I'd hopped off a station early. Doubling back, upset, the ticket collector gave me a ticket back and I jumped back on the next train and on to Charing Cross, and my (by now) frantic dad. Until today the mystery of how I made this mistake had niggled at me. Now I know - Waterloo East was simply called Waterloo at this time. So confusing!
"You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me. "
19th-20th century railway companies lore
I believe the LSWR had originally planned Waterloo to be a through station so that they could connect with the mainline across the river (GCR?) to give us a north to south mainline but as this would enter the city of London's "square mile" permission was refused.
I guess your next challenge is to take a train from Waterloo,England to Waterloo (Gare de Waterloo) in Belgium. Apparently it can be done in just over 3 hours…..🏴🇧🇪🇪🇺
At one time it coukd be done with one change - at Brussels Midi - but now you would have to chhnage three times (there being no direct Tube link from Waterloo to St Pancras)
Isn't that one of Nick Badley's Point to Point journeys?
I didn't realise it was only named Waterloo East in 1978 - that's about the time that I first started travelling up to London
Waterloo Junction - like Mitcham Junction, which is still called that, despite not having been a junction since the year 2000!!
And poor old Burscough Junction is now just a one platform station on a single track branch line
Wait, what??! So Waterloo Sunset ISN'T a station?
I'm surprised that you forgot to mention that the old footbridge between Waterloo East and Waterloo forced people to cross a road used by taxis. I used to sometimes use Waterloo East before the new footbridge got built, and when they put in the new footbridge I had no idea the entrance was moved up in the air and ended up standing in the road in front of a locked gate wondering what they heck was going on.
not got to vid end but if you go "you are the interruption to my performance"
There's also a Waterloo station in Belgium, surprisingly.
Not that surprising, since Waterloo Station is, ultimately, named after the battle that took place at the Belgian village of that name.
Very good video Jago. Now that you've done the other Waterloo station, you'll have to do a video on the other other Waterloo station which gives you an excuse to travel on a 777.
Nice pub next to Waterloo East....
Are you sure it got its current name only in 1978? I can remember using trains on the north Kent coast line in 1968, and the announcements for the up trains went, 'Blah, blah, Bromley South, Waterloo East, and Charring Cross."
00:44 - Mind the Thigh Gap between the train and the platform edge.
Although one could also say "At Waterloo East, Napoleon didn't surrender there either". 😂
Waterloo Junction or "Coitus Interruptus" station 😂😂
I know of people who travel to Waterloo East then enter & exit Southwark station using it merely as a passageway!
There can't be many stations built partly to interrupt ladies of the night 😂😮
Up the Junction gets a bit of a Squeeze here.
There was a 3rd station only open at dusk.
Waterloo sunset .
You still have to try and figure out when the next train is going towards Charing Cross or London Bridge. It really needs a Camden style next train to London Bridge and Charing Cross sign
Bricklayer's Arms was not their own station; it was a joint venture with the London & Croydon. Both companies didn't want to pay the London &: Greenwich 'exorbitant' tolls to use London Bridge. The strategy worked and the SER obtained the L&G on a 99 year lease.
With the history of London railways you really explain why London Transport is so convoluted and not really fully joined up until this day . The future has to be investing a bit more in the Overground especially Nw to West London eg the Dollis Hill to Acton onto Brentford this has to be done asap . The North Circular is just too congested .
We need a tier list of London railway companies from the 19th century.
The strange bit of no man’s land between Waterloo east and Southwark Station.