To be honest, whenever I drove under this bridge, I never actually read the graffiti. I just noticed it was there Wish I’d payed more attention now to what it said
Thank you to your dad! When I was very young, my parents used to drive us south to my grandmother’s house in Surrey; we called her Nanny. Whenever we went under that bridge, I knew we were nearly at Nanny’s house, thereby saving my parents from the endless “are we nearly there yet” questions. We call it “The Nanny Bridge” and it still creates great feelings of nostalgia when I get to drive under it. Also, the painter Jen Orpin did a great painting of it.
I guess that was the inevitable result of having an architect design a bridge :) But yeah, I sort of agree with John - it's ugly but at least you notice it.
You've missed a fantastic bit of trivia. In 1989, Chris Rea wrote the song "The Road to Hell". It was written because of Chris' frustration of the M25 & M4 traffic, from when he used to commute from the recording studio to his house in Cookham Dean.
@@cullercoatswebsite Indeed he did, bit I think at the time he was doing his album "Dancing With Strangers" at Miraval Studios in France and used to fly in and out of that airfield called Heathrow. That's where the idea of the song came from.
Aha, I THOUGHT it was about the M4 going through Slough. Although being around there, I'd have thought he'd have used the M40 instead, since it doesn't have so many Slough morons on it.
I’ve driven under the peas bridge my whole life, and we always wondered as a family the story behind the graffiti - thanks for the intel! I’ve loved seeing it evolve over the years, but I desperately miss “give peas a chance”.
The Chalfont Viaduct predates the M25 by about 80 years, having been originally built to carry the Great Western Railway over the River Misbourne in 1902-06. When the M25 came along it was squeezed through the existing arches, hence the lovely brick construction rather than 1980s concrete.
Suspension vs cable stayed is not a function of the number of towers, but how the deck is suspended. Cable stayed suspends the deck directly from the towers, suspension bridge runs a big cable between the towers and hangs the deck off that. The M48 has both - a suspension bridge over the river Severn, and cable stayed over the River Wye. Both have 2 towers.
As you say, Lyne railway bridge is a cable stayed bridge. The only suspension bridge on mainline UK railways is the Royal Albert bridge over the river Tamar at Saltash, built by I K Brunel. Although at first glance it doesn't look like a suspension bridge, technically it is!
@@no-one-in-particular possibly, although the railway line each side of the bridge bends extremely tightly away from the road (well, certainly Saltash side, it does, anyway)
@@no-one-in-particular it’s also to reduce the chance of trains, which are large masses on compliant suspension systems, setting up oscillations in the structure which could weaken and, ultimately, destroy the bridge.
I was amazed by the thumbnail as to how a Victorian railway bridge could possibly and so confidently bestride a late 20th century motorway, so the clickbait worked.
The Peas graffiti makes me think there might be a video to be made about famous MWay graffiti. I often saw “Give Peas a Chance” and wondered what it was about. My journey east from the West Country would also bring the long-lasting “thing” after the printed word “London” on the mileage signpost approaching the A4 Theale interchange with the M4, while on bad M25 days I might use the M40, which would bring “why do I do this every day” written along a fence on the outskirts of Gerrards Cross. There must be many more instances of long-lasting graffiti along our MWays.
On the subject of the demise of 'Give Peas a Chance', there was a bridge on the A10 in Enfield, over the railway, between Bury Street and Lincoln Road - somebody tagged it with 'Hello Aunty Jilly'. It stayed like that for decades - until about 5 or so years ago - and I never got to find out who Auntie Jilly was. But I always admired 'her' bridge
Thanks John as interesting as ever. For future reference, everything close to the M25/M3 interchange with Lyne in its name, including the actual village of Lyne, is pronounced as 'line' and not the same way as the town in Norfolk. Thanks again.
At the same time as they realigned the A4 leaving an abandoned bridge, they also realigned Bath Road, which was the A4 before it was realigned to make the Colnbrook Bypass. This realignment of Bath Road has also left an abandoned bridge. I wonder if any other river has so many abandoned bridges.
That railway line underneath the M25/M40 junction is part of a line that used to run from West Drayton to Staines which ran parallel to Wraysbury Reservoir, the railway being carried on a brick viaduct across the moor. Both the railway (which was largely defunct) and much of Moor Lane was wiped out during the construction of the M25, which I recall being done during the 1980s. What is left of that railway was essentially retained to help with the transport of materials for the building of terminal 5. Also, the M25 at that point is close to the site of the last fatal aircraft crash at Heathrow in June 1972 when a Trident airliner crashed killing all 118 on board.
Papa India... I remember it well!... Caused by a stall due to the flaps being prematurely stowed and poor or non existent crew resource management... (CRM). Some reports suggest the pilot may have had a heart attack...
@@officialmcdeath Having now looked at the overheads, there's a bunch of logistical type businesses which border that little line. For example, there's a huge Grundon wast/incinerator plant. There's a depot for building materials and a bunch of others. I believe that most fuel into Heathrow gets there by underground pipeline from depots (there used to be a large one near Langley station), but it's certainly feasible to pipe fuel from that branch line into Heathrown from trains. If I go back a lot of years (I worked nearby), I once remember a trains crossing the main road at Colnbrook, presumably to one or other of the businesses on the south side. But it was very rare, and the level crossing is not defunct, albeit that the rails almost up to the road.
@@TheEulerID strongly suspect the oil facility in Colnbrook is kept on warm standby - reasoning follows. First, if we look at realtimetrains, Colnbrook Elf Oil Siding is still listed. Second, YT has plenty of clips of the aviation fuel workings between Colnbrook Elf and Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire up to 2016. Third, a brief skim of enthusiast forums tells us that these workings peaked at 6 times a week after the Buncefield fire and that more recently there have been a few round trips from Grain in Kent, interrupted by the plague, of course. Yes there is the pipeline network but Buncefield proves the need for backup \m/
@@officialmcdeath The Colnbrook rail facility was doubled in 2019, at least 3 trains a day from the Isle of Grain refinery. There is a Total pipeline to the Heathrow tank farm. Shell Mex BP built a pipeline from Walton on Thames and Esso from Fawley. The Heathrow tanks are empty daily and pipeline pumps have run at full capacity to refill. Exxon Mobil are building a new pipeline from Southampton to relieve the shortage.
The A580? The same dual carriageway that had an astoundingly useless temporary 20 mph speed limit (that no one followed despite them painting over the 40 mph signs)?
My great great grandad worked on the viaduct over the Misbourne valley ( give peas a chance bridge). What amazing forward thinking that it should accomodate a motorway a hundred years hence.
As someone who uses Junction 13 quite alot, if you are heading westbound and want to get off at first exit on the roundabout you have to cut over 2 lanes of traffic that is coming from Egham. And is the same if you come from Egham and want to head Eastbound on the M25 towards junction 12 you have to cross over to the right handside to take the 4th exit of the roundabout. Having learnt to drive around that area, it is scary to begin with, with people criss-crossing across the lanes.
@@roberthill6216 start with Jago Hazzard and Geoff Marshall, Ruairidh MacVeigh isn't bad. RMTransit (Canadian) for international stuff. I think Geoff's Secrets of the Underground series (originally for The Londonist) inspired Jon to start this fwickedsweetawesome series.
Such short sightedness to cut that project. Obviously not enough money landing in party donors pockets. Last thing certain people want is something that would make UK industry more effective and competitive
@@hydorah If you think HS2 is that great, start a campaign to buy shares in it, and see how many people are willing to put their money where their mouth is. I love trains, but HS2 is a joke.
Everybody (at least that's how it felt) opposed HS2, right up to the point word got out that the tories were going to cut it. Suddenly everyone demanded that it be completed. This country frustrates me at times.
2:40 Have seen swans wandering around on the hard shoulder of the Runymeade Bridge - it's thought that they confuse the flat grey asphalt with the water surface particularly if its a quiet period of traffic
You neglected to mention the hideous road surface between junction 10 and 11. It's exceptionally bad. Every time I drive it I have to remind myself that I probably don't have a puncture on all 4 tyres.
Cable Stayed Bridges are designed that a cable can conveniently be removed and replaced. This is much harder to do with the cable of a suspension bridge.
I followed one the other day for about 10 miles, flashing my lights, blowing the horn, the driver wasn’t impressed when he eventually pulled over when I told him he was losing his load!! 😂
Hi John, the A41 Tring bypass was originally opened as the A41(M), two lanes and hard shoulder, the hard shoulder runs out just south of Tring, when the extension to the M25 was put in the whole length became just the A41. Toodle pip.
The A41M was never completed, but the section past Tring was called the A41M for a time. Hence, it is built to motorway standards with proper hard shoulders, etc.
Imagine the M25 as a giant roulette wheel with 'one inch' ball slots. The odds of winning the euromillions jackpot would be a roulette wheel 19 times the circumference of the M25. That is approx 2223 miles of one inch slots. Dont hold your breath!
Your video is the first that I have watched today at normal speed rather than 1.5x…and that sir, is the highest accolade in my book. Consider it a golden globe. 👍
working in inner-city Sheffield made me more aware of graffiti taggers in general, and provided occasional moments of comedy - the most prolific ones round there were NO:P, DYSON and VOMIT (I understand NO:P is a group of people rather than an individual, and VOMIT is also active in Derby and Nottingham) at one point, the singularly odd and beautifully lettered tag "MILK & SMOKED KIPPERS" appeared on the inner ring road near Netherthorpe Road tram stop, followed by a nearby and very appropriate "VOMIT" someone extremely brave and/or foolish painted "NO:P" onto the top storey of a long-derelict office block, in letters 5 feet high, which I found hilarious; if you're risking life and limb to write a message on the side of a tower block in huge letters, you might as well make it snappy and meaningful, not a tag that maybe a few dozen people, at best, will understand and in a wonderful bit of visual schadenfreude, your man(?) VOMIT once missed out the I on the tag, so it read "VOMT", but in case there was any doubt about the authorship, it was helpfully signed "VOMIT DF"
I was one of those locals back in the 90’s … and yes, the motorway often shit itself. The stretch between 15 and 16 was quite interesting during its widening in the early 90s, with a chap employed to turn the contraflow cones round in the winter so the shite sprayed on the reflectors could wash off whilst revealing freshly rain-washed reflectors ready for the next few hours … Just awesome!
Ooh liking the old A4 bridge of 1928 - MCC and BCC - Middlesex County Council and Buckinghamshire County Council - In the Slough district which is now Berkshire.
Jon - if you ever find Helch - I do hope you give him a piece (Peas) of your mind from all of us! An act of cultural desecration worse than chucking orange paint at London galleries. I do hope they're running scared. Though they probably have for 5 or 6 years now.
I was thinking what Helch means. Including you see that on the M3 motorway after the M25 motorway at Junction 2. Plus after the M25 at Junction 16 (M40 Junction 1a) you see a newly built junction that is only used for the construction of HS2. As the HS2 is to pass underneath the M25 on the county boundary of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
Ah the Lyne bridge, I remember that from a corse I did we had a guest speaker from the police who explained that it would be the worst place for a mid air collision during rush hour falling onto two packed passenger trains and stationary traffic..... Possibly larger death toll than 911 attacks!
The newly built junction on the M25 between Junction 16 and Junction 17 is used for the construction of HS2 Phase 1 to Birmingham Curzon Street and it will pass underneath the motorway once it’s completed. And is on the boundary of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
M57 railway bridge by the switch island end has had The Pies on it for a long time ( 20 yrs possibly ) note. This bridge was the one the PIRA said a bomb was under. This was before the threat in a car parked on the Grand national Racecourse causing the introduction of the satilite car parks of future years and budding to/from the races.
Whenever I went under that bridge I always wondered who on earth Helch was? These days I see “10FOOT” all over London and it always makes me smile when I see it 🤣
Great video about the M25 and its bridges and junctions, which has highlighted at least two things. The first of these is the need for a bridge over the M25 with “M Khan is bent” daubed on it. The second is the need for the letter “H” to be pronounced “aitch” and not “haitch”, as in HS2. We say HS2 a lot these days, so let’s get it right, please.
The lyne bridge always stands out to me when we go back to where my Dad Grew up in Burnham on Crouch. It's not especially significant other than it's unique design.
As you mention the A41 towards Tring and did your short section on short lived and former motorways, the A41(M) was a very strange section of motorway standard bypass which for years went from nowhere to nowhere past Tring. Various improvements to rods in the area saw its shape change but it is definitely worth your time. The new A41 route was not the original idea (from the 1950s?) but was a godsend when it all opened in 1994. That whole road has an interesting history all the way across from the new end at the M25 through Gadebridge and towards Watford (your next episode it would seem will cover that) through Watford to the Otterspool way at Junc 5 of the M1 and parallel to Junc 4
I moved from London nearly a decade ago, and haven't seen the Peas bridge since. When i would see it, i would know that i had at least another 50 minutes of travel to get back home... The new artist, i have seen his work near the M5 / M4 junction on the M4 heading back towards civilisation (east). That was a couple of years ago, and i couldn't understand his message... "Give peas a chance" is a better play with words. I give all my mates nicknames, one i used to call "Junction 9". One day my bald mate asked "why do you call me junction 9?" I replied"what's junction 9 on the M25?" He was not amused when he realised junction 9. Is Leatherhead
Apparently Peas got arrested for that stunt and a friend made the tag a slogan as an act of solidarity and protest. If it didn't currently have Helch's handiwork on it you can guarantee 10 Foot would be up there.
My favourite bit of bridge graffiti was alway the one over the A40 at (I think) Wheatley. The railway line was probably the old Oxford to Princes Risborough line, though it might have been the old Watlington to Princes Risborough line. Either way the railway passed over the A40 using a quite imposing bridge at a diagonal angle. The notable thing was the graffiti which was there for years, and proclaimed that "Max Planck is God!". I don't think the bridge is there any more, and I have been unable to find out anything about it on the interwebs, sadly.
The most famous cable stayed bridge under construction is the new link between Detroit and Windsor also known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge and it looks fabulous unlike the one close to Junction 12 of the M25!
Here's a trivial fact for you. If you can find them, at Hounslow Heath (Heathrow) there are upended buried cannons. These cannons replaced the wooden posts that were used as the first baseline in 1784 for every other triangulation that gave rise to the mapping of Great Britain by The Ordnance Survey. Every single measurement in every map used this as the baseline. You could argue that the Heath is the most important spot in the UK for cartography geeks.
8:04 What was the final score? Or, by how much did Ian Hislop lose this time?😂 Great job and camera work! Greetings from Montreal where the gritter trucks are always out. ☃️
I also love how Jon started the credits rolling at exactly the same point in the music as they would on HIGNFY. A tiny detail, but it didn’t go unappreciated!
Fun Fact: A small bit was made between the A41/M25 roundabout and a bit past Berkhampstead and was designated as the A41(M). Although we desperately need a bypass around Aylesbury imo. Hate rushour during going through it!
Ah, the good old old Tring Bypass. It used to be a 2 mile length of isolated motorway, in the middle of nowhere, until the A41 was improved in the 90s.
The Tring Bypass (the short section between the two junctions either side of Tring) was actually opened as A41(M) back in July 1975, but downgraded to a regular A road in 1987 when it became clear the rest of the route down to Watford wouldn't be upgraded.
The Gade viaduct steel was fabricated in northern Italy in 30 degrees when it was shipped here it had contracted by a few inches after they put a few up on the pillars it got to the point where they were too short to reach the next pillar. That took a while to sort and I think it was one of the last parts of the M25 to open
When travelling to London via the Chiltern Line, crossing the M25 on the Chalfont Viaduct is the point at which you know you're getting close to "Greater London", with seing the first Underground roundel at West Ruislip being the point "London" properly starts - with the West Coast Main Line, it's even more noticable, as you go under the Gade Valley Viaduct... and then seeing the first Overground trains at Watford Junction being the point you begin to get your things together.
Worth noting that junc 14 was so complex and needed so much earthworks, it required a separate contract on its own, and cost 14million, the most expensive on the network
Wasn't it the Chalfont Viaduct Bridge that, back in the very early 90's, had the slogan "M. Khan is Bent'. . . As made famous by The Mary Whitehouse Experience?
I can remember the M3/M25 bridges having been built years ahead of the M25. It looked really strange, bridges built with nowhere to go. Had to use the dreaded South Circular for some years yet…
Getting rid of “give peas a chance” was an act of war.
Thought the removal of Give Peas a chance was Network Rail who decided to paint the viaduct black. That gave them an nice Black wall to paint.
It was. I wonder why our man wants to contact Helch? Is it to give him a piece (Peas ) of his mind. I'd do the same!
I do miss that
Always made me laugh
@@anthonyfmoss or is it so he can do a film asking how many places they have tagged. I see Helch all over the place.
To be honest, whenever I drove under this bridge, I never actually read the graffiti. I just noticed it was there
Wish I’d payed more attention now to what it said
Had to laugh at the map of Heathrow. “Massive fuck off airport” printed in the middle. 🤣
The architect who designed the lyne hideous bridge was my dad. Made my day seeing this.
As Jon said - Very well designed. just not the prettiest of bridges
Wicked Sweet Awesome 😅👌
Thank you to your dad! When I was very young, my parents used to drive us south to my grandmother’s house in Surrey; we called her Nanny. Whenever we went under that bridge, I knew we were nearly at Nanny’s house, thereby saving my parents from the endless “are we nearly there yet” questions. We call it “The Nanny Bridge” and it still creates great feelings of nostalgia when I get to drive under it.
Also, the painter Jen Orpin did a great painting of it.
I guess that was the inevitable result of having an architect design a bridge :)
But yeah, I sort of agree with John - it's ugly but at least you notice it.
Peace, Love and Bridges. We need RCE to review the bridge.
You've missed a fantastic bit of trivia. In 1989, Chris Rea wrote the song "The Road to Hell". It was written because of Chris' frustration of the M25 & M4 traffic, from when he used to commute from the recording studio to his house in Cookham Dean.
True, although Chris's house had a built in recording studio too.
@@cullercoatswebsite and he'll pop an egg in the bath for you to enjoy after a recording session;]
Like it 😂 nice reference ( to Bob Mortimer if you don't know) @@repletereplete8002
@@cullercoatswebsite Indeed he did, bit I think at the time he was doing his album "Dancing With Strangers" at Miraval Studios in France and used to fly in and out of that airfield called Heathrow.
That's where the idea of the song came from.
Aha, I THOUGHT it was about the M4 going through Slough.
Although being around there, I'd have thought he'd have used the M40 instead, since it doesn't have so many Slough morons on it.
Can’t believe we’re almost done! What’s next? Secrets of the Dual Carriageways?
More and more railways are sneaking in- perhaps that is where Jon is going to continue?
There's many an interesting tale of battles to build a bypass...
#swampy
My guess would be A roads. Including singles.
He could do some famous A-roads like the A5 and the A505
I'd love to see him do the A5 Roman road, would be a whole series itself
Impressive time lapse video so you can see the cars moving on the M25. 🙂
I've missed Give Peas a Chance since it went. When driving back from Bournemouth to Borehamwood it was the sign we were nearly home!
I’ve driven under the peas bridge my whole life, and we always wondered as a family the story behind the graffiti - thanks for the intel! I’ve loved seeing it evolve over the years, but I desperately miss “give peas a chance”.
The Chalfont Viaduct predates the M25 by about 80 years, having been originally built to carry the Great Western Railway over the River Misbourne in 1902-06. When the M25 came along it was squeezed through the existing arches, hence the lovely brick construction rather than 1980s concrete.
I feel like Jon is the most polite youtuber out there. Always asking how we are and after our weeks. Doin well mate if you're interested
Like yr comment. Joh asking how we all are, and politist you tuber
An escape route from when the M25 inevitably shit itself, has to be one of the the most poetic things uttered on CZcams in a long time. 👍
I did giggle when he said that, priceless.
"Can't Undo a Tunnel" - Woodhead "Hold my Beer"
Suspension vs cable stayed is not a function of the number of towers, but how the deck is suspended. Cable stayed suspends the deck directly from the towers, suspension bridge runs a big cable between the towers and hangs the deck off that. The M48 has both - a suspension bridge over the river Severn, and cable stayed over the River Wye. Both have 2 towers.
I smiled at the HIGNY theme as the outro - classy!
Great tune from Big George!
I love how the M25 was used in the series Good Omens as a hellish fire ring around London
As you say, Lyne railway bridge is a cable stayed bridge. The only suspension bridge on mainline UK railways is the Royal Albert bridge over the river Tamar at Saltash, built by I K Brunel. Although at first glance it doesn't look like a suspension bridge, technically it is!
That must be why the train crawls over it at very low speed
@@no-one-in-particular possibly, although the railway line each side of the bridge bends extremely tightly away from the road (well, certainly Saltash side, it does, anyway)
@@no-one-in-particular it’s also to reduce the chance of trains, which are large masses on compliant suspension systems, setting up oscillations in the structure which could weaken and, ultimately, destroy the bridge.
Always amazed that in 1902 they already knew how wide three lanes of a motorway would be when designing and constructing Chalfont Viaduct.
Its 4 lanes, and they don't really fit, they made them slightly thinner so they would fit when they upgraded from 3 to 4 lanes.
My first ever trip around the M25 (back in the day!), I remember that being my thought at the time - how it just conveniently fits!
I was amazed by the thumbnail as to how a Victorian railway bridge could possibly and so confidently bestride a late 20th century motorway, so the clickbait worked.
3:20 just caught the name of the airport! Brilliant!!
"Give PEAS A Chance"
The Peas graffiti makes me think there might be a video to be made about famous MWay graffiti. I often saw “Give Peas a Chance” and wondered what it was about. My journey east from the West Country would also bring the long-lasting “thing” after the printed word “London” on the mileage signpost approaching the A4 Theale interchange with the M4, while on bad M25 days I might use the M40, which would bring “why do I do this every day” written along a fence on the outskirts of Gerrards Cross. There must be many more instances of long-lasting graffiti along our MWays.
On the subject of the demise of 'Give Peas a Chance', there was a bridge on the A10 in Enfield, over the railway, between Bury Street and Lincoln Road - somebody tagged it with 'Hello Aunty Jilly'.
It stayed like that for decades - until about 5 or so years ago - and I never got to find out who Auntie Jilly was.
But I always admired 'her' bridge
You could say if you don't give PEAS a chance, you're on the road to Helch.
Thanks John as interesting as ever. For future reference, everything close to the M25/M3 interchange with Lyne in its name, including the actual village of Lyne, is pronounced as 'line' and not the same way as the town in Norfolk. Thanks again.
I can confirm that - much to my surprise - Lyne is indeed pronounced "line".
Sunday lunchtime and I start having a good week when auto shenanigans drops
At the same time as they realigned the A4 leaving an abandoned bridge, they also realigned Bath Road, which was the A4 before it was realigned to make the Colnbrook Bypass. This realignment of Bath Road has also left an abandoned bridge. I wonder if any other river has so many abandoned bridges.
The next series could be abandoned bridges.
That railway line underneath the M25/M40 junction is part of a line that used to run from West Drayton to Staines which ran parallel to Wraysbury Reservoir, the railway being carried on a brick viaduct across the moor. Both the railway (which was largely defunct) and much of Moor Lane was wiped out during the construction of the M25, which I recall being done during the 1980s. What is left of that railway was essentially retained to help with the transport of materials for the building of terminal 5.
Also, the M25 at that point is close to the site of the last fatal aircraft crash at Heathrow in June 1972 when a Trident airliner crashed killing all 118 on board.
Papa India... I remember it well!... Caused by a stall due to the flaps being prematurely stowed and poor or non existent crew resource management... (CRM). Some reports suggest the pilot may have had a heart attack...
Last time I looked, it was still being used to transport jet fuel to Colnbrook \m/
@@officialmcdeath Having now looked at the overheads, there's a bunch of logistical type businesses which border that little line. For example, there's a huge Grundon wast/incinerator plant. There's a depot for building materials and a bunch of others. I believe that most fuel into Heathrow gets there by underground pipeline from depots (there used to be a large one near Langley station), but it's certainly feasible to pipe fuel from that branch line into Heathrown from trains.
If I go back a lot of years (I worked nearby), I once remember a trains crossing the main road at Colnbrook, presumably to one or other of the businesses on the south side. But it was very rare, and the level crossing is not defunct, albeit that the rails almost up to the road.
@@TheEulerID strongly suspect the oil facility in Colnbrook is kept on warm standby - reasoning follows.
First, if we look at realtimetrains, Colnbrook Elf Oil Siding is still listed.
Second, YT has plenty of clips of the aviation fuel workings between Colnbrook Elf and Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire up to 2016.
Third, a brief skim of enthusiast forums tells us that these workings peaked at 6 times a week after the Buncefield fire and that more recently there have been a few round trips from Grain in Kent, interrupted by the plague, of course.
Yes there is the pipeline network but Buncefield proves the need for backup \m/
@@officialmcdeath The Colnbrook rail facility was doubled in 2019, at least 3 trains a day from the Isle of Grain refinery. There is a Total pipeline to the Heathrow tank farm. Shell Mex BP built a pipeline from Walton on Thames and Esso from Fawley. The Heathrow tanks are empty daily and pipeline pumps have run at full capacity to refill. Exxon Mobil are building a new pipeline from Southampton to relieve the shortage.
After this series, why not look at some other major roads like the A1, A303 and the A580?
sure he will
You might enjoy "A303: Highway to the Sun" narrated by Tom Fort, BBC 2011 (Video and book).
The A580? The same dual carriageway that had an astoundingly useless temporary 20 mph speed limit (that no one followed despite them painting over the 40 mph signs)?
A charming documentary - thanks for the reminder!@@cdl0
An excellent documentary...@@cdl0
My great great grandad worked on the viaduct over the Misbourne valley ( give peas a chance bridge). What amazing forward thinking that it should accomodate a motorway a hundred years hence.
Hello Jon, how the devil are you, have you had a good week?
As someone who uses Junction 13 quite alot, if you are heading westbound and want to get off at first exit on the roundabout you have to cut over 2 lanes of traffic that is coming from Egham. And is the same if you come from Egham and want to head Eastbound on the M25 towards junction 12 you have to cross over to the right handside to take the 4th exit of the roundabout. Having learnt to drive around that area, it is scary to begin with, with people criss-crossing across the lanes.
Agreed, its a piss poor design
I really hope secrets of the railways is next love this series 🙌🏽
There are other channels already covering that well.
@@EmyrDerfelWhich channels ate those?
@@roberthill6216 start with Jago Hazzard and Geoff Marshall, Ruairidh MacVeigh isn't bad. RMTransit (Canadian) for international stuff.
I think Geoff's Secrets of the Underground series (originally for The Londonist) inspired Jon to start this fwickedsweetawesome series.
Interesting as ever. The HS2 will still be needed - it is now. One of our glorious leaders will have no choice but to re-start the project...
And it’s only going to get more expensive the longer it’s delayed…
Broken up into 15 minute segments?
Such short sightedness to cut that project. Obviously not enough money landing in party donors pockets. Last thing certain people want is something that would make UK industry more effective and competitive
@@hydorah If you think HS2 is that great, start a campaign to buy shares in it, and see how many people are willing to put their money where their mouth is. I love trains, but HS2 is a joke.
Everybody (at least that's how it felt) opposed HS2, right up to the point word got out that the tories were going to cut it. Suddenly everyone demanded that it be completed.
This country frustrates me at times.
2:40 Have seen swans wandering around on the hard shoulder of the Runymeade Bridge - it's thought that they confuse the flat grey asphalt with the water surface particularly if its a quiet period of traffic
You neglected to mention the hideous road surface between junction 10 and 11.
It's exceptionally bad. Every time I drive it I have to remind myself that I probably don't have a puncture on all 4 tyres.
oh yes, the lumpy, bumpy concrete miracle.
Do you tap the steering wheel in time to the beat? or is it just me that does that?
@@bushcraftdadgary5381 Yes. I nod along to the beat too. Rock 'n' Roll!
Cable Stayed Bridges are designed that a cable can conveniently be removed and replaced.
This is much harder to do with the cable of a suspension bridge.
There is a nice view of Stealth at Thorpe Park from the M25/M3 junction. Occasionally (rarely), you can see the ride carriages going over the top.
feels like our first secret junction in a while, and we got two, i'll resist the obvious transport joke
Where's the third one. They always come in threes, or so I was told.
US resident here - I love the term "gritter truck"! I believe that is the equivalent to what we call a "sand (or salt) truck".
they get given names as well,Sleetwood Mac, Grit of Thrones, Spready van Halen etc
Gritney Spears... There's an online map where you can track them, I think hosted by ArcGIS.
And Ewan McGritter.@@andreww2098
@@andreww2098 gritter Garbo
I followed one the other day for about 10 miles, flashing my lights, blowing the horn, the driver wasn’t impressed when he eventually pulled over when I told him he was losing his load!! 😂
Brooklands also has the one third scale toy Concorde which used to sit at mouth of the Heathrow tunnel off A4.
The caption for the map with LHR made me howl. 🤣
I like shenanignans, cross over with the tone of your reluctant voice, adding favour to the story being told. Subscribed.👍👍👍
Nice one, Thanks for watching!
HELCH V PEAS. Who will win? Thank you Jon for continuing to inform and entertain. 👏👏👍😀
Hi John, the A41 Tring bypass was originally opened as the A41(M), two lanes and hard shoulder, the hard shoulder runs out just south of Tring, when the extension to the M25 was put in the whole length became just the A41. Toodle pip.
The A41M was never completed, but the section past Tring was called the A41M for a time. Hence, it is built to motorway standards with proper hard shoulders, etc.
The Tring Bypass! Awesome bit of road for giving it some welly, when returning to RAF Halton after a weekend on leave
@@SimonAylingIts always been the Tring race track!
'Massive fuck off airport' on the planview image of Heathrow made me spit my coffee out!
Thus is going to leave a hole in my Sundays
Imagine the M25 as a giant roulette wheel with 'one inch' ball slots. The odds of winning the euromillions jackpot would be a roulette wheel 19 times the circumference of the M25. That is approx 2223 miles of one inch slots. Dont hold your breath!
Your video is the first that I have watched today at normal speed rather than 1.5x…and that sir, is the highest accolade in my book. Consider it a golden globe. 👍
another cracking video, the secrets of the motorways series is nearly up, maybe the A38 would be a place to start the next series.
Can't wait for the follow up series 'Quirks of the A road' 😂
The M3/M25 junction with the sewer works. You can smell it
Scratch and sniff?
Wraysbury ? ( Try Berrylands Train Station, the one place to be thankful for doors that dont open unless you really need to get on or off
This is the only CZcams video channel that aids digestion and makes you laugh at the same time. Great.
J14 heathrow has to be the most awful junction to be transiting any time around or at rush hour.
working in inner-city Sheffield made me more aware of graffiti taggers in general, and provided occasional moments of comedy - the most prolific ones round there were NO:P, DYSON and VOMIT (I understand NO:P is a group of people rather than an individual, and VOMIT is also active in Derby and Nottingham)
at one point, the singularly odd and beautifully lettered tag "MILK & SMOKED KIPPERS" appeared on the inner ring road near Netherthorpe Road tram stop, followed by a nearby and very appropriate "VOMIT"
someone extremely brave and/or foolish painted "NO:P" onto the top storey of a long-derelict office block, in letters 5 feet high, which I found hilarious; if you're risking life and limb to write a message on the side of a tower block in huge letters, you might as well make it snappy and meaningful, not a tag that maybe a few dozen people, at best, will understand
and in a wonderful bit of visual schadenfreude, your man(?) VOMIT once missed out the I on the tag, so it read "VOMT", but in case there was any doubt about the authorship, it was helpfully signed "VOMIT DF"
I was one of those locals back in the 90’s … and yes, the motorway often shit itself. The stretch between 15 and 16 was quite interesting during its widening in the early 90s, with a chap employed to turn the contraflow cones round in the winter so the shite sprayed on the reflectors could wash off whilst revealing freshly rain-washed reflectors ready for the next few hours …
Just awesome!
Ooh liking the old A4 bridge of 1928 - MCC and BCC - Middlesex County Council and Buckinghamshire County Council - In the Slough district which is now Berkshire.
I’d love to see a video about the A4
Old London to Bristol coaching road, bags of history in every mile
Jon - if you ever find Helch - I do hope you give him a piece (Peas) of your mind from all of us! An act of cultural desecration worse than chucking orange paint at London galleries. I do hope they're running scared. Though they probably have for 5 or 6 years now.
maybe a sub series one day looking at and reviewing motor and transport museums in the UK and Ireland ?
I was expecting these M25 vids to be weeks apart, delaying the inevitable end of this fantastic series
I was thinking what Helch means. Including you see that on the M3 motorway after the M25 motorway at Junction 2. Plus after the M25 at Junction 16 (M40 Junction 1a) you see a newly built junction that is only used for the construction of HS2. As the HS2 is to pass underneath the M25 on the county boundary of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
Fantastic Ep, having used the M40 into town for 20 years, this was a great memory jerker.
Ah the Lyne bridge, I remember that from a corse I did we had a guest speaker from the police who explained that it would be the worst place for a mid air collision during rush hour falling onto two packed passenger trains and stationary traffic..... Possibly larger death toll than 911 attacks!
The newly built junction on the M25 between Junction 16 and Junction 17 is used for the construction of HS2 Phase 1 to Birmingham Curzon Street and it will pass underneath the motorway once it’s completed. And is on the boundary of Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
"I am here" "massive fuck off airport" just had me!
Nice one, thanks for watching!
not gonna lie, Helch really pi$$ed me off with that one
Lots to enjoy in this video.
The bridge needs to be re-instated with PEAS
M57 railway bridge by the switch island end has had The Pies on it for a long time ( 20 yrs possibly ) note. This bridge was the one the PIRA said a bomb was under. This was before the threat in a car parked on the Grand national Racecourse causing the introduction of the satilite car parks of future years and budding to/from the races.
100%!
Helch seems to get everywhere (including my mum’s flats?!)
I miss “give peas a chance” 😢
Whenever I went under that bridge I always wondered who on earth Helch was?
These days I see “10FOOT” all over London and it always makes me smile when I see it 🤣
10Foot got nothing on Helch :D
I’ll keep my eyes open for Helch now but 10FOOT is pretty much everywhere in London 😉
Replace the H with an F in Helch and it describes his work perfectly!
Felcf? 🤔
@@GWorsfold I didn't say both H's ....If you know you know lol
Great video about the M25 and its bridges and junctions, which has highlighted at least two things. The first of these is the need for a bridge over the M25 with “M Khan is bent” daubed on it. The second is the need for the letter “H” to be pronounced “aitch” and not “haitch”, as in HS2. We say HS2 a lot these days, so let’s get it right, please.
You missed the fact that J13 CW exit slip roads are not under motorway restrictions as you merge straight into the A30.
I miss "Give peas a chance" 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Jeez I wish I was a swole as the river Thames here!
Runnymead, that brings back memories & especially the M3 that starts with J1 near KEMPTON PARK RACECOURSE & Becomes the A316 into London....
The lyne bridge always stands out to me when we go back to where my Dad Grew up in Burnham on Crouch. It's not especially significant other than it's unique design.
Full endorsement of the Brooklands being worth the price of entry thing. Been regular card-holding visitors for years and never tire of the place.
As you mention the A41 towards Tring and did your short section on short lived and former motorways, the A41(M) was a very strange section of motorway standard bypass which for years went from nowhere to nowhere past Tring. Various improvements to rods in the area saw its shape change but it is definitely worth your time. The new A41 route was not the original idea (from the 1950s?) but was a godsend when it all opened in 1994. That whole road has an interesting history all the way across from the new end at the M25 through Gadebridge and towards Watford (your next episode it would seem will cover that) through Watford to the Otterspool way at Junc 5 of the M1 and parallel to Junc 4
This title absolutely hooked me and I’m here to learn 🤩
Nice one, Thanks for watching!
I moved from London nearly a decade ago, and haven't seen the Peas bridge since. When i would see it, i would know that i had at least another 50 minutes of travel to get back home...
The new artist, i have seen his work near the M5 / M4 junction on the M4 heading back towards civilisation (east). That was a couple of years ago, and i couldn't understand his message... "Give peas a chance" is a better play with words.
I give all my mates nicknames, one i used to call "Junction 9". One day my bald mate asked "why do you call me junction 9?"
I replied"what's junction 9 on the M25?"
He was not amused when he realised junction 9. Is Leatherhead
Apparently Peas got arrested for that stunt and a friend made the tag a slogan as an act of solidarity and protest. If it didn't currently have Helch's handiwork on it you can guarantee 10 Foot would be up there.
You just get better and betterer! 👍
Nice one, Thanks for watching!
It’s been a brilliant series. Thanks!
Thanks a lot mate :) appreciate that a lot.
Brilliant (again)! Cheers Jon. Have a good week 👍🏻
My favourite bit of bridge graffiti was alway the one over the A40 at (I think) Wheatley. The railway line was probably the old Oxford to Princes Risborough line, though it might have been the old Watlington to Princes Risborough line. Either way the railway passed over the A40 using a quite imposing bridge at a diagonal angle. The notable thing was the graffiti which was there for years, and proclaimed that "Max Planck is God!". I don't think the bridge is there any more, and I have been unable to find out anything about it on the interwebs, sadly.
The most famous cable stayed bridge under construction is the new link between Detroit and Windsor also known as the Gordie Howe International Bridge and it looks fabulous unlike the one close to Junction 12 of the M25!
True, but the Elizabeth Bridge is quite impressive. Personally I think suspension bridges are far more fabulous though.
It's so sad as I'm a grown man. But I was excited to see your intro at Brooklands which is close to my house...
That cut at 7:42 is wicked sweet awesome.
You missed the New Haw viaduct, very impressive elevated section of the M25
Here's a trivial fact for you. If you can find them, at Hounslow Heath (Heathrow) there are upended buried cannons. These cannons replaced the wooden posts that were used as the first baseline in 1784 for every other triangulation that gave rise to the mapping of Great Britain by The Ordnance Survey. Every single measurement in every map used this as the baseline. You could argue that the Heath is the most important spot in the UK for cartography geeks.
Helch! That name has stayed with me for years from the countless hours on the M25, M1 and M3.
Likewise... I have so many questions starting with "how"
@@AutoShenanigans hahaha yes that would be my first question
8:04 What was the final score? Or, by how much did Ian Hislop lose this time?😂
Great job and camera work! Greetings from Montreal where the gritter trucks are always out. ☃️
Paul 5
Ian 0
Was it Lulu?
Dolphin in a bath-tub
I also love how Jon started the credits rolling at exactly the same point in the music as they would on HIGNFY. A tiny detail, but it didn’t go unappreciated!
Excellent video Jon, by far one of the most entertaining channels on CZcams. British humour at its best
A length of the A41 near Tring has a hard shoulder, presumably built when the plans for the A41(M) were still going to go ahead.
Fun Fact: A small bit was made between the A41/M25 roundabout and a bit past Berkhampstead and was designated as the A41(M). Although we desperately need a bypass around Aylesbury imo. Hate rushour during going through it!
Ah, the good old old Tring Bypass. It used to be a 2 mile length of isolated motorway, in the middle of nowhere, until the A41 was improved in the 90s.
The Tring Bypass (the short section between the two junctions either side of Tring) was actually opened as A41(M) back in July 1975, but downgraded to a regular A road in 1987 when it became clear the rest of the route down to Watford wouldn't be upgraded.
The Gade viaduct steel was fabricated in northern Italy in 30 degrees when it was shipped here it had contracted by a few inches after they put a few up on the pillars it got to the point where they were too short to reach the next pillar. That took a while to sort and I think it was one of the last parts of the M25 to open
When travelling to London via the Chiltern Line, crossing the M25 on the Chalfont Viaduct is the point at which you know you're getting close to "Greater London", with seing the first Underground roundel at West Ruislip being the point "London" properly starts - with the West Coast Main Line, it's even more noticable, as you go under the Gade Valley Viaduct... and then seeing the first Overground trains at Watford Junction being the point you begin to get your things together.
Worth noting that junc 14 was so complex and needed so much earthworks, it required a separate contract on its own, and cost 14million, the most expensive on the network
Wasn't it the Chalfont Viaduct Bridge that, back in the very early 90's, had the slogan
"M. Khan is Bent'. . . As made famous by The Mary Whitehouse Experience?
I can remember the M3/M25 bridges having been built years ahead of the M25. It looked really strange, bridges built with nowhere to go.
Had to use the dreaded South Circular for some years yet…
Another fantastic and informative video Jon.