There is a hill at Shippea Hill. On the OS map, about a mile west of the station, there is a 5 metre contour encircling Shippea Hill farm. Not much, but when most of the land around is below sea level, anywhere that will stay above the frequent winter floods is significant. (I think you get a glimpse of the farm in the far distance at about 2:26 and again at 7:17)
Love this video (especially the way you did the end credits). My brother is a relief signalman for Network Rail and has (at least once) manned the signal box for Shippea Hill.
Back in the late 70's there used to be an AWOL express that would get you to Shippea Hill about 6 am on Monday. Then back to work at RAF Mildenhall at 7:30.
Ooh this brings back memories. You should come to Finland or idk probably go to many other places. Well all desolate train stops must be fairly similar. Soon the places will stop getting service or get built up or whatever. I imagine I missed many places. I liked this video.
the problem is stations like this close and they pull up the tracks. it happened here in Ontario, Canada. this increases road traffic so you should keep trying to out do that record just to make the point rail is still inportant regardless of location
I live in Cambridge and cycle around that area, and I can confirm that there isn't much for miles, certainly not a hill! I say, why not have a pub there, with a USP like a big beer garden or something? The Shippea Hill Arms has a nice ring to it...
Really loved how this video was edited. It seemed different from other videos but I thought it was really well put together. I think with the new into music everything ties in really nicely :) As for Shippea Hill, it reminds me of some of my (not so) local stations in South Lincolnshire in the fens. Not a hill in sight! Really enjoyed this video, very well structured and great entertainment. Cheers, Matt
I don't remember his first name, but his last name was Barton and would have had about four children when he worked here. He was moved to Enfield about 1930.
As a local I wish it was called Mildenhall South or something like that, it would guaranteed its survival, but its not served by bus from Mildenhall and neither is Ely, so most of us have to drive or taxi to one of the Cambridge stations, Ely or Kennet when we want to use a train, making it a very expensive mode of transport. Also it still had manual barriers in 2016.
I've done ✅ Shippea Hill twice. 1. I did a walk to there from Littleport on the Kings Lynn line. 2. I stayed nearby and drove there to do a return to Wymondham for the MNR. Both times were Saturdays cos there's only one train one way (to Norwich) Monday - Friday, or there was then. I believe the station can be very busy when engineering work takes place at/near Ely. Trains from Norwich terminate there and use the crossover before returning to Norwich. Replacement buses use the yard. I've not been there since the level crossing was modified.
Teeside Airport had 98 passengers in the most up to date figures from Office of Road & Rail: orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0020/23357/estimates-of-station-usage-2015-16.xlsx
Hasn't this station since been overtaken by 'Bernie Arms' (Norfolk), and the 'British Steel' station near Redcar (Cleveland) in terms of lowest passenger numbers?
@@hanskniezand2049 I don't personally. I am believing national rail's data. Maybe I'm naive.... Is it possible the guard records it on hand-held machine?
@@timor64 Good point, but who would buy a season ticket and then only make, presumably, 7 return trips? Perhaps most of the guards don't bother recording the journeys.
@@hanskniezand2049 something else occurred to me - maybe they have a season ticket valid between 2 other stations on that section of track and used it now and then at shippea hill... It seems real weird that is for sure :)
@@gettingthrough9289 Certainly is. I'd love to go there some day, just for the experience. That, and to belong to the elite band of people who have bought tickets for that station.
Thanks found that after I posted it - unfortunately though the linked site isn't working and Nominet says the domain expired 14th June 2018. Are they not trading any more?
When you get down to it the reason we as people want to go to these desolate stations is probably because its the only time we can easily influence anything, everyone that voted for [insert losing party here] last year would probably agree that voting was worthless but hey....you can account for 8%+ of a whole train stations passengers just by going there once a year.
It sounds to me that the local people would use Shippea Hill in the week, if every train that passed through treated the station as a request stop. The one train a day, in the week, thing is clearly an attempt to run down the service. I'd love to see Calling All Stations and All The Stations stick up a petition to get the request service "unlocked" so that we could see what the un-sabotaged footfall of the station is, over the following year.
The best pronunciation of the name used to be heard by the announcer on Norwich railway station. Not sure if she is there now but she always made a point of saying Ship...eeee...ahh sort of long drawn out almost as if she really hoped someone would get off or on there.
![TEEDEE TADA - DIAMOND NARAKORN X LEGO LYKN [Special Dance Performance]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QgtZedFeumA/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video - love the bit where you're filming Geoff and Vicki filming their video and showing it as an inset. 👍🏻😊
This is like watching one of those CSI crossover episodes!
There is a hill at Shippea Hill. On the OS map, about a mile west of the station, there is a 5 metre contour encircling Shippea Hill farm. Not much, but when most of the land around is below sea level, anywhere that will stay above the frequent winter floods is significant. (I think you get a glimpse of the farm in the far distance at about 2:26 and again at 7:17)
Would that make the "Hill" at sea level I wonder?
As I said, it's above the 5 metre contour, so it's more than 5 metres above sea level.
Quite high if you were in the Netherlands!!
Isochest or in east anglia
Or in Bangladesh
"Breakfast means breakfast!"
I enjoyed that, and it's more meaningful than the phrase from which it originates.
Love this video (especially the way you did the end credits). My brother is a relief signalman for Network Rail and has (at least once) manned the signal box for Shippea Hill.
that s stock shot on the intro is beautiful!
Back in the late 70's there used to be an AWOL express that would get you to Shippea Hill about 6 am on Monday. Then back to work at RAF Mildenhall at 7:30.
Ooh this brings back memories. You should come to Finland or idk probably go to many other places. Well all desolate train stops must be fairly similar. Soon the places will stop getting service or get built up or whatever. I imagine I missed many places. I liked this video.
Fab video, Andy! Definitely a good day. It's tempting to say we should do it more often, because it was good natured fun all round!
Barry Links next? ;)
the problem is stations like this close and they pull up the tracks. it happened here in Ontario, Canada. this increases road traffic so you should keep trying to out do that record just to make the point rail is still inportant regardless of location
Excellent stuff. Good pacing and commentary.
Your drone footage on the All the Stations videos is really good.
I live in Cambridge and cycle around that area, and I can confirm that there isn't much for miles, certainly not a hill! I say, why not have a pub there, with a USP like a big beer garden or something? The Shippea Hill Arms has a nice ring to it...
Really loved how this video was edited. It seemed different from other videos but I thought it was really well put together. I think with the new into music everything ties in really nicely :)
As for Shippea Hill, it reminds me of some of my (not so) local stations in South Lincolnshire in the fens. Not a hill in sight!
Really enjoyed this video, very well structured and great entertainment.
Cheers,
Matt
Thanks Matt, Different good I hope :) Yes I'm hoping the music goes someway to refresh the channel a bit :)
Definitely a good type of different! It's like the channel has had a bit of a kick added to it.
Most entertaining! A surprisingly animated me in it too - the horror! lol. Nice ATS crossover.
Thanks David
Great seeing the guys from walk the tube. gutted I couldn't be there. Great video as always mate
This video is fascinating!! Thinking to make the same journey soon... with mince pies!
My late wife's grandfather was signalman at Shippea Hill before the war.
Wonder if he knew Vicki's relative who also worked there...
I don't remember his first name, but his last name was Barton and would have had about four children when he worked here. He was moved to Enfield about 1930.
Nice video, great edit.
The manual gates only went about 3 or 4 years ago at Shippea Hill
What a wonderfully peaceful job that must've been!
Not necessarily - the line is quite busy with trains not calling at the station. Maybe the schedule harks back to the crossing keepers' shift changes?
Nice work Andy, cheers.
breakfast means breakfast...love it
Nathaniel Warner I bet he had a red, white and blue breakfast
mostly Bacon to be honest...
As a local I wish it was called Mildenhall South or something like that, it would guaranteed its survival, but its not served by bus from Mildenhall and neither is Ely, so most of us have to drive or taxi to one of the Cambridge stations, Ely or Kennet when we want to use a train, making it a very expensive mode of transport. Also it still had manual barriers in 2016.
Sadly it appears the Saturday service no longer exists, meaning the only guaranteed train is at 7:26 Monday to Friday.
Hard to believe that Berney Arms which has no facilities and is tiny and really in the middle of nowhere has more passengers !
Great viewing
I've done ✅ Shippea Hill twice.
1. I did a walk to there from Littleport on the Kings Lynn line.
2. I stayed nearby and drove there to do a return to Wymondham for the MNR.
Both times were Saturdays cos there's only one train one way (to Norwich) Monday - Friday, or there was then.
I believe the station can be very busy when engineering work takes place at/near Ely. Trains from Norwich terminate there and use the crossover before returning to Norwich. Replacement buses use the yard.
I've not been there since the level crossing was modified.
That's right, only the return trip on Saturdays :) Didn't see a crossover though? Maybe it got lifted?
Calling All Stations It's on the Ely side of the station. (Or was!)
Nigel C Ingle must've been quite the site a station the middle of nowhere acting as a terminus! 😊
Love this backstory. 😄
I enjoyed this video a lot.
I love the new intro!
Thanks :)
Nice to boost it to keep it open.
One thing I forgot. I think you'll find Teeside Airport the least used station on Network Rail. Only 8 passengers used that one!
Teeside Airport had 98 passengers in the most up to date figures from Office of Road & Rail: orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0020/23357/estimates-of-station-usage-2015-16.xlsx
Calling All Stations It was 8 a few years earlier.
Please - it's Teesside
I used to live not far from that station and it was the station I would use when I needed to take the train.
Correction: it's formerly Britain's least used station (156 people used it last year, 13x the year before).
Charming
Geoff Marshall? Londonist? Hey i love him
Who's the wag who set up the dot matrix? Genius stuff.
radagastwiz The sign is mine. It had to be done! There isn't one on the platforms!
Martin Clitheroe How did you get the dot matrix sign?
Another great video! Somewhat off topic please could tell me the approximate dimensions of your z21 controller? Many thanks...
Thanks, it's about 20cm x 15cm. About the sort of size of a router.
Calling All Stations about 3 cms high?
Shaun McCullagh about 4.5
It's like "The making of All the Stations".
Hasn't this station since been overtaken by 'Bernie Arms' (Norfolk), and the 'British Steel' station near Redcar (Cleveland) in terms of lowest passenger numbers?
Lovely Stuff Chaps
Thanks Troy :)
Brilliant
Shippea Hill got 276 passengers in 2017/18! It doesn't even look like that many people live nearby
So what was the outcome of this journey? Did another station get the top spot "least used"?
in 2017-18 there were 14 station entry/exits with season tickets!!! someone somewhere has a season ticket to shippea hill
And you know they made entries/exits because?
@@hanskniezand2049 I don't personally. I am believing national rail's data. Maybe I'm naive.... Is it possible the guard records it on hand-held machine?
@@timor64 Good point, but who would buy a season ticket and then only make, presumably, 7 return trips? Perhaps most of the guards don't bother recording the journeys.
@@hanskniezand2049 something else occurred to me - maybe they have a season ticket valid between 2 other stations on that section of track and used it now and then at shippea hill... It seems real weird that is for sure :)
@@gettingthrough9289 Certainly is. I'd love to go there some day, just for the experience. That, and to belong to the elite band of people who have bought tickets for that station.
very good
Do small stations really need people giving then some love? Maybe they just want to be left alone to enjoy the peace & quiet.
Can u post the Caledonian sleeper old video
because I follow Geoff and Vicky here on YT i came accross this footage, Like it and yes I did subscribe. so next video? When?
The driver must have been like what the hell
So who stayed behind to retrieve the drone?
So, what is the point of having a train in one direction but not having a train in the opposite direction at all at some point in the same day?
Great video
Thanks Elliot :)
The sign at 4:07 is interesting! Tells you the platform for Cambridge etc... but no trains actually run in that direction, right?!
1 a week on a Saturday evening goes at far as Cambridge, but nothing to Peterborough which is also there!
How did you all get back to Shippea Hill?
One presumes on the return train
It's 10 hours until the return train back to Shippea Hill, so perhaps not!
Some didn't go back, they went on to other places/home via other routes. We got a taxi from Ely (after passing through Shippea again).
and two ended the day at Diss, (via Norwich, Ely, Kings Lynn, Ely again, The PETERBOROUGH INCIDENT (ssh), Hitchin, Cambridge, and Ipswich
The fort William one
I thought Teesside Airport was the quietest Station?
Ok the station stats
16/17 156
17/18 276
How many trains does Shippea Hill get a day?
Jonistan 1:28
Calling All Stations thanks, missed that
Haha! Love this!
Isn't it illegal to fly drones at stations?
Shippea Hill is no longer the least used station, it is now Barry Links,
I'm beginning to wonder if 'Doing a Shippea Hill' will become an actual saying, denoting a group of people showing up at a remote location.
Wonder if with all of you there it became no longer the uk's least used station...
How on earth was the information sign done?
John Airey www.callingallstations.co.uk/departureboard
Thanks found that after I posted it - unfortunately though the linked site isn't working and Nominet says the domain expired 14th June 2018. Are they not trading any more?
These may have been old links. I've now updated them.
Thanks I've seen it now and I've subscribed for news when they get them back in stock.
The only people using the station is to have a look at the "least used station in Britain ".
well apart from the 3 ladies travelling to Norwich!
I’ve never been on a train in my life
isnt All the Stations doing this same thing?
Ummm... I'm a bit confused at what you mean Tim... This IS with All The Stations?
Ha I used to live near and use this station. So desolate.....
When you get down to it the reason we as people want to go to these desolate stations is probably because its the only time we can easily influence anything, everyone that voted for [insert losing party here] last year would probably agree that voting was worthless but hey....you can account for 8%+ of a whole train stations passengers just by going there once a year.
Certainly an interesting way of looking at it...
Is Shippea actually pronounced "Shippy"?
It sounds to me that the local people would use Shippea Hill in the week, if every train that passed through treated the station as a request stop. The one train a day, in the week, thing is clearly an attempt to run down the service.
I'd love to see Calling All Stations and All The Stations stick up a petition to get the request service "unlocked" so that we could see what the un-sabotaged footfall of the station is, over the following year.
What's an SWT 158 doing in East Anglia at th-cam.com/video/oz6g7eqnaCs/w-d-xo.html hmm?
If I were homeless I'd sleep in the waiting room, it's got a good shelter
I had to comment because there was 111 comments
Actually it is pronounced "Ship ee ah Hill"
++Robert Baker++ How predictably american. Shippea won't have been a word they'd ever encountered before.
Surely it's pronounced as it is spelled: Ship- (as in ocean) -Pea (as in pod) ?
Robert Baker also said it as chippy Hill at one point!
The best pronunciation of the name used to be heard by the announcer on Norwich railway station. Not sure if she is there now but she always made a point of saying Ship...eeee...ahh sort of long drawn out almost as if she really hoped someone would get off or on there.
OK what's with the "We've not been to the Isle of Wight" comments? Clearly I'm missing something.
Simon O, it's an on-going joke! They HAVE been to IoW, but everyone say's they haven't....
I'm not even sure why it started now... I think folk kept asking ATS when they were going to Isle of Wight the weekend they did...