I highly recommend you watch this video in HD, to enable you to read the station names on the map. Click on "HD is off" if necessary, then click the fullscreen button.

This is a time-lapse video of my TrainMapper v1 web application, recorded on Wed 14th Jan 2009. A 24-hour clock is displayed in the top-left corner, and the video runs about 242 times faster than real-time.

The map shows two train lines in the south-west of London, running between Guildford and London Waterloo. Only trains which stop at Esher and Hinchley Wood are displayed.

TrainMapper uses live train status information which is publicly available on the internet. For each train, it analyses the latest departure and arrival data, and then calculates the approximate geographical position, which is then plotted on the map.

If a train is reported to be delayed or cancelled, the map is updated accordingly. When this happens, you'll see the train "jump" forwards or backwards, or even disappear completely.

Unfortunately, no live train status information is available after midnight, so all the trains disappear from TrainMapper at that time (even though trains are still running until about 2am).

More info at michael-hogg.co.uk/trainmapper.php

Also see the time-lapse video of my much-improved TrainMapper version 2 at vimeo.com/3296193