The London Underground is the world's oldest metro system. First opened to the public in 1863, it's now been in service for an impressive 160 years.

The first section to begin operating was a stretch of line running between Paddington and Farringdon which, in those days, came under the Metropolitan Railway.

To honour the landmark anniversary of this pioneering subterranean railway, I'd now like to take you on a journey through its early history...

There's a lot to cover in this story, so this is going to be a two part series: in this episode we'll be looking at how the railway came about, and what was involved in the arduous task of constructing it.

Then, in episode two, we'll be looking at the Metropolitan Railway itself- the stations, the rolling stock, and what the experience of riding the world's first underground system would've been like for passengers and staff in the 19th century.

With that in mind, if you haven't yet subscribed to my channel, then I'd appreciate it very much if you could please consider doing so, as this- along with clicking the bell icon to receive notifications- will ensure that you don't miss out on the next instalment!

I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the early Metropolitan Railway- so please do share them in the comments below.

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro
01:42 The Metropolitan Railway's Origins
08:46 Building the Metropolitan Railway
13: 51 Danger on Site
18:04 The Railway Nears Completion
19:54 Outro

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My video on Veeraswamy; the UK's oldest Indian restaurant:
   • London's First Indian Restaurant  

Thanks again for watching, friends. Stay well, and please be sure to stay tuned!
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Credits:

Footage:

New York Subway Footage: Danilo Obradović (pexels.com)

Punch Cartoon: Victorianweb.org

Smoke effect: AllDesigneCreative YouTube Channel

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Music:

The Builder (Kevin MacLeod)

Dark Hallway (Kevin MacLeod)

Friendly Day (Kevin MacLeod)
Friendly Day by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Moonlight Hall (Kevin MacLeod)

Investigations by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Sonatina No. 2 in F Major Allegro (Joel Cummins)

Modern Attempts (TrackTribe)

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