Secrets of the DLR

Continuing our 'Secrets' series, we've done all the tube lines now but there's still the Docklands Light Railway! So Geoff Marshall gives us a whistle-stop tour of the curiosities to be found on London's DLR.

[ThemeParkRyanYT]

When i was like 7, I sat on the front of the DLR and a worker opened the control box and let me open and close the doors at the station. 10 years and I still remember it.

[jimmeade]

I was a member of the engineering team that built the original DLR. There's an interesting story about the DLR front seat. When the DLR was officially opened in mid-1987, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip boarded a train at the original Island Gardens station and rode in the front seat to the Operations and Maintenance Centre at Poplar, where the opening ceremonies were being held. As the train pulled into Poplar station, one of the Queen's security guards opened one of the train's doors before it came to a full stop. This caused the train's emergency track brakes to activate, and the Queen and Prince were jostled a bit forward in their seats. Fortunately, they did not strike the windscreen.

[LinkTheFusky]

My friend uses the DLR to get home from work and he wears a uniform he once sat in the front seat of the DLR and two tourists freaked out after he got off the train because they thought he was the driver and left them inside they freaked out more when it started to move and he tried his best not to laugh at them

[LouisOnAir]

I once got a DLR front seat, I guess now my life is complete.

[Ben-yqgu]

Re sitting at the front pretending to drive: on my first ever trip on the DLR just after it opened I did that, and it felt like we were living in the future. My second ever trip, that bubble burst: there was a problem with the computer control, and they actually had a driver sitting at the front driving the train. There's a panel at the front which opens up and has a complete set of driving controls in there. It felt like all my dreams had died that day.

[kyvwupm]

The DLR has an “upside-down” traction-current-rail / train-shoe interface which gives it greater resilience to winter icing-up than the traditional U.K. third rail system.

[Tommytillah]

Did you also know that Mudchute station is the only stop on the Bank to Lewisham DLR where you are NOT reminded to 'take all your belongings with you'. Have a listen next time...

[draftsmann]

As an Anglo-Maltese mongrel I divide my time between London and Malta. Woolwich Arsenal is my local station... where the terrazzo floor tiles on the DLR platforms and walkways were made, wait for it, in Malta. By a company called Hal Mann. Kind of nice to have a bit of home from home.

[billythekid]

The DLR has turned 30 Years Old
It has linked East London for that long and I think its a very reliable light metro railway
My regular DLR journey is form Langdon Park to Stratford

[jamestoyn]

I remember watching Geoffrey Marshall on the tube programme back in 2003 episode 24 hours which was the world record for travelling on all the underground line and to all 250 stations I will never forget that episode.

[robster]

The DLR is very handy to Get from Bank or Tower Gateway to Beckton or Royal Albert where I travelled to on a really regular basis catching the Main line train down from the East Midlands to St Pancras getting the Tube from King’s X on the Northern Line down to Bank and changing there to catch the DLR changing at Shadwell, or Lime House for DLR services to Beckton

Great video Geoff!

[railotaku]

City Airport shuts on a Saturday afternoon to give the locals a break from the noise

[MeMyselfAndEyez]

Would quite happily watch an hour length episode of each of these (including the Tube ones), shame they're so short! :-D

[johncalvert]

I was on a DLR train once, sat behind couple of elderly ladies from the North American continent. One said to the other, "I can't believe they could have named a station called "Shagwell"!

[skidawg]

1:16 "To this day, it's only used by wankers."

[ednuttah]

You never fail to fascinate me Mr Marshall, just when I think the DLR HAS no secrets you explain them all, by the way 4:50 you big kid! hahahe! Love it, keep them coming I can't get enough of these Railway videos! 

[chriswood]

thanks Geoff, appreciate your work as always :)

[PisauraXTX]

I once rode a DLR train, but not in London. They had to sell a bunch of their old rolling stock to Essen Stadtbahn in Germany when they added the tunnel section back in the eighties.

[sunilmistry]

No mention of the really fun roller coaster bit on your way into bank

[gdwnet]

I go to East India DLR many times because of the data centre. I always wondered what that sundial was for, thanks for finally answering that question!