So i'm outside Acton Town tube station
gateway on the Piccadilly Line
to Uxbridge, Rayners Lane, and also
the Heathrow branch
Piccadilly Lines haven't always run to Heathrow in fact it used to be the District Line
so today, we're gonna take a ride west
from Acton, down towards Heathrow
and explain the history ... of this branch.
The line out to Heathrow starts at Acton Town
which opened in 1879 as Mill Hill Park
it would get renamed to Acton Town later
it was in 1883 that the railways went west
back then, the Piccadilly Line didn't exist , and it was built
as part of the Metropolitan District Railway
what we know now, as the District Line
the station that first opened, were ... South Ealing
... Boston Road ...
... Osterley & Spring Grove ...
and Hounslow, which was quickly renamed to Hounslow Town.
Osterley & Spring Grove is now an abandoned station
later replaced by Osterley
but you can still see the original platforms today
and the old station building is still there too
it's now been turned into a book shop
it's about a five minute walk down the main road, from the current day Osterley station
if you ever want to go and see it.
In 1884,
just a year after the line had first opened
it extended west again
with a station called Hounslow Barracks
followed swiftly, by a station ... at Heston & Hounslow
At the same time, the spur down to Hounslow Town
closed, with trains running straight through
except that in 1903, it opened up again
with also a new curve of track
that allowed trains that had gone to Hounslow Town, to keep heading west
but that didn't last long
and in the year of 1908 to 1909
that loop of track closed
Hounslow Town closed .. oh!
and Northfield (Ealing) station opened
And there is nothing left of Hounslow tube station today
the site of it in fact, is this ...
very pretty building, it's Hounslow bus garage
it does have, a nice roundel though.
A new Housnlow Town station though was built on the direct line through
and then, two years later in 1911
Northfield (Ealing) station was renamed to Northfields & Little Ealing
Boston Road, was renamed to Boston Manor
and then, in 1925 some more renaming took place
So Hounslow Central .. cute station
got renamed, and one stop down the line
Hounslow Barracks also got renamed ... and moved
In fact Hounslow Town was renamed to Hounslow East
Heston & Hounslow was renamed to Hounslow Central
and Hounslow Barracks became Hounslow West
but the current day Hounslow West
is not where it originally used to be
and so if you've ever parked a car at Hounslow West station
the site of where the car park is
is where the original Hounslow Barracks tube station was, now ...
in this video, we've had lots of nice animated graphics, and i quite often get asked
How do i do those?
So, i used to draw maps by hand
but that just took forever
And also .. i just keep getting pen on my hands
then - computers came along, and speeded things up
but in the early days it was all still very, you know ... basic
fortunately though, nowadays
everyone uses AfterEffects, and extremely powerful program
that lets you create 2D and 3D motion graphics for you videos
and one of the best ways to learn how to use AfterEffects
is through an online course, and that's why this video
is sponsored by Skillshare.
Skillshare, is an online learning community
with thousands of inspring classes for creative and curious people
you can explore and learn new skills such as editing, graphics design, app creation, music production
and yes - illustrating animated maps
which is dead handy for showing historical timelines
oh how railways changed over time
Here's one than's an introdiction to Aftereffects
getting started with motion graphics
that will take you through step by step and teach you
everything that you need to know
To get you started on Skillshare
the first 1,000 people to use the link in my description
will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium membeship and after that it's only $10 per month
So sign up to Skillshare today
and learn how to make illustrated maps
or whatever else it is you want to create.
A nd so into the modern era ...
where in 1933 trains from the Piccadilly Line now started to run down this way
although District Line trains still also ran, up until 1964
a new Northfields station then opened
and Osterley & Spring Grove that we saw earlier closed
with the current day Osterley opening in its place just a little way down the line
into the 1970's
and the old Hounslow West closes
and new one, opens on the same day
with the line now going down to a new station
at Hatton Cross.
Which is where I find myself now, and it's still looking as bland as it did
when it was first built in the 1970's, and to go to the airport back then
because trains terminated here
you had to get a bus, to take you down, but the line
was eventually extended.
In 1977, Heatrow Central tube station opened
which was later renamed to Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3
that was followed by Heathrow Terminal 4 in 1986
and the into this century
Heathrow Terminal 5 station opened in 2008
until finally Heathrow Teminal 1,2,3
was renamed to just 2 and 3
when Terminal 1 at the airport closed
Which brings us ... all the way
to where we are now.
So my thanks to Skillshare please click in the description, there's a link down there
for you to follow, if you want to
i'll leave you from the delights
of Hatton Cross Underground station
and that is the history of the Heathrow Branch ... of the Piccadilly Line.
[Train doors beeping]
[Release of air-brakes noise]