Morning.
Victoria Line train, pulling in here
at the southern terminus of the Victoria Line
but we're heading to the top
to do the other terminus at the northern end
at the top, at the end of the line, at Walthamstow
[Station Announcer] Walthamstow Central
where this train terminates
Welcome
to Walthamstow Central
Are they stepping back already?
It's very similar to Brixton, isn't it?
It's just two platforms linking corridors either side
(train whirring)
Yeah, I mean, most of the Victoria line looks the same
The Victoria line only came here in the 1960s though
as there had been a station
at Walthamstow Central since 1870
when it was originally known as Walthamstow Hoe Street
Nowadays, the 1870 station is operated
by London Overground Services
Oh, and there's a second overground station here
at Walthamstow too, as we'll see later
It is in fact Strikingly similar to Brixton
as a terminus station
Its tile pattern is different though
this being an adaptation of a design
by artist William Morris
who was born and worked in Walthamstow
"The Labyrinth" is at the top of the escalators
right by where the ticket barriers used to be
before they were moved
I've also always been intrigued
by this "Supervisor" sign that's here
and, of course, it's always nice to give a nod
to the old Next Train light box
now, sadly, no longer in use
but still here lying dormant after all these years
With just two platforms
train operators here step back, as they do at Brixton
and able to maintain a high frequency of service
36 trains per hour on the Victoria Lane in the peak
But it's to the outside we head
where all the real fun is at Walthamstow
as it's a transport hub
with two overground line services here
as well as the bus station
Yeah, the entrance here is newish
I say newish, almost 20 years ago now
In 2005, they dug the subway underneath
to pop up here into the bus station
Nice double roundels on the bus station, by the way
But on the other side
there's an even more recent new development
(shoes crunching on cement ground)
Yeah, this is Ray Dudley Way footpath
which only opened back in 2014
and it's a handy cut through
between Walthamstow Central, the tube
and Walthamstow Queen Street, the overground
which is just down here
Before then, it was a convoluted runaround
I remember doing it on a tube challenge once
It was down a lot of side roads to get there
This would've been so much more convenient
back in tube challenge days
When we get to the overground
we will speak about
the overground situation/problem/anomaly
which is at the moment being resolved.
Yes, the top end of the Victoria Line
is an excellent example
for the reasons behind why it's quite likely
that soon now the six different lines
on the overground network
are all going to get separate colours and new names
as when you look at a carriage map
on the Victoria Line right now
then at Seven Sisters, Black Horse Road
and Walthamstow Central they all just say "Overground"
but they're three distinct and separate branches
of the service
so some sort of distinction would be nice.
Normally, I would never shoot into the sun
That is a rule of filmmaking.
Always shoot out of the sun
because auto exposure goes crazy
But, however, oh, now the sun's going in
you have to do it, because I wanna get this shot here
Did you ever notice outside this side
on the eastern side of Walthamstow Central
there's a sun dial with Roman numerals
how cool is that
correctly displaying the time
except the cloud's just got over the sun
and so I can't get the shot
It's there
It's saying it's just past the X, which is 10
plus one for British summertime
it's just gone 11 o'clock, which is correct
Come for the tube station
and then also check out the overground station
Queen Street and this one here at Walthamstow Central
where there's this fantastic Maud Milton-designed
overground roundel.
There's loads of these all in this area
Actually, she has her studio down at Trinity Buoy Wharf
I don't think she's local
I'll put a link in the description down below
But also, at the Perky Blenders, not Blinders
coffee shop back over by the bus station
you can buy these roundels on mugs
Anyway, I love these
and this I think is the largest one
I've seen at Walthamstow
Hi, Maud. We love these.
Okay, so I just went and bought a mug
the Walthamstow one, of course
or Awesomestow, as we all know it's called.
And I'm genuinely
drinking a very tasty cup of tea right now
However, there's something we've gotta go and do
When you come
when, as part of your "End Of The Line" series
when you come to Walthamstow
there's a very, very, very, very big thing
that you simply have to go and do
just a five-minute walk in that direction
And that is the Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum
which is actually one stop down from Walthamstow
on the overground, or a 15-minute walk, as I did
The museum is amazing
It's a Grade II listed Victorian pumping station
that houses an original pair of Marshall
good name, steam engines
as well as a collection of small engines and pumps
And then a surprise to me when I went and discovered this
there's also a fire station museum
with a whole raft of firefighting equipment
from late Victorian pumps to more modern items
This, I'm informed, is a Dennis RS133 fire engine
I'm walking backwards to get to the plate down here
because you'll know it
Rather famously, it's been used
in loads of TV and film productions
most famously, Blackwall there
the fire station from "London's Burning"
And before we get to the tube carriages
which you may already know are here
did you also know
that this very family-friendly museum
also has a model railway that depicts the Liverpool Street
to Chingford lines over the years?
There's a model railway as well
which I didn't know was here
I just thought it was like big wheels
and steam, and pumps, but...
Hi. Vanessa, right?
Hello. Yes. Hello.
Are you a volunteer here? I am a volunteer
and I've been helping to make the model railway
Tell us about the model railway
How long has it been? The model railway is a
it's a representation of the Liverpool Street
to Chingford overground line
But it's not gonna be for the overground times
Yeah, I can't see orange overground trains
No
It's 1950s, from when the steam engines
were coming along these tracks
And this is Walthamstow Marshes
That's gonna be Walthamstow
It's a very much a working progress
That's fine. That's fine.
And so can people come and help build
or is it for play, or is it to watch only?
Oh, no
At the moment, we're very much still constructing
and trying to make it safe
for people to come and have a look
so we are looking for more volunteers
to help with the model making
So they want volunteers
Okay, right. We do want volunteers
So anytime the museum is open
the railway is also up, running and open
It is, yeah
Oh, hello
It's good close up here
And finally, what you're all here for
Yes, the two old 1967 Victoria Line tube carriages.
One, you may already be familiar with this
as I've been here before for The Supper Club
That's when you get to dine onboard a train for an evening
which is just a splendid night out
But you can also hire this tube carriage
for your child's birthday party
And at other times, the same tube carriages
are also used for static tube shots for TV and film
A fantastic oddity of this
is that if the production company aren't willing
to pay TFL the licence money to get the logo
and tube map in the background
then these made up "Transport Travel In London" signs
and diagrams are used instead
including this totally fictitious map of London
And the second tube carriage here
is one that was damaged but salvaged
and thus never had its midlife refurbishment in the 1990s
meaning that the layout, armsrest and seat moquette
are exactly as they were from the 1960s
Just gonna grab the strap hanger
Just pretend that I'm on this old 1967 Victoria line train
Come to Awesomestow, come to E17
visit its wondrous sights and sounds
and come to the Pumphouse Museum as well
More "End Of The Line" episodes coming up
There's still many more to get through
See you soon
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Bye