London Underground rolling stock
The first underground passenger services started in 1863 when the Metropolitan Railway opened using steam locomotives hauling gas-lit wooden carriages, braked from a guards' compartment.
Other tube railways opened in the early 20th century using electric multiple units known as 'gate stock', as access to them was via lattice gates at each end of the car.
As of March 2013[update], the Central, Jubilee, and Northern lines also use forms of ATO, the latter two using a system called TBTC (transmission-based train control).
[3] New trains, which are designed for maximum number of standing passengers and for speed of access to the cars, have regenerative braking and public address systems.
[28][29]: 51 Concern about smoke and steam in the tunnels led to trials before the line opened with an experimental "hot brick" locomotive nicknamed Fowler's Ghost.
This was unsuccessful and the first public trains were hauled by broad gauge GWR Metropolitan Class condensing 2-4-0 tank engines designed by Daniel Gooch.
Former LMS locomotives replaced the L1s ten years later, when the joint line was transferred to British Railways' London Midland Region.
[34]: 15 Initially the locomotive could haul three carriages at an average 13+1⁄2 miles per hour (21.7 km/h);[34]: 30 [2]: 45 the trains were air braked, their reservoirs topped up at Stockwell.
[34]: 26 In 1923 the railway was closed for reconstruction and tunnel enlargement, and the line reopened using newly built Standard Stock electrical multiple units.
Ten were built in 1905, and these operated in pairs, initially used to haul London and North Western Railway passenger trains on their Outer Circle route between Earl's Court and Mansion House.
[35] Initially the carriages were braked with wooden blocks operated from the guards' compartments at the front and back of the train, giving off a distinctive smell.
Carriages were introduced in the later years of the 19th century that gave a better ride quality, steam heating, automatic vacuum brakes, electric lighting and upholstered seating in all classes.
[27]: 40–41 In 1903, the District tested two seven-car trains with different control and brake systems on its unopened line between Ealing and South Harrow.
A third of the vehicles were made in England, the rest in Belgium and France, and electrical equipment was installed on arrival at Ealing Common Works.
[27]: 85–86 The first order for electric multiple units was placed with Metropolitan Amalgamated in 1902 for 50 trailers and 20 motor cars with Westinghouse equipment, which ran as 6-car trains.
[36]: 175 For the joint Hammersmith & City line service, the Met and the Great Western Railway purchased twenty 6-car trains with Thomson-Houston equipment.
[27]: 76 Serving the Metropolitan main line there were three incompatible types of multiple unit compartment stock that had been built in 1927–33, and these were assembled into 9 × 8-car and 10 × 6-car trains after Westinghouse brakes were fitted and some cars regeared.
Similar cars were ordered to allow the Metropolitan line be extended to Barking and replace some of the rapidly deteriorating original wooden trailers.
Also, the sub-surface track, electrical supply and signalling systems are being upgraded in a programme designed to increase peak-hour capacity by the end of 2018.
[34]: 31–32 When the Central London Railway opened in 1900, carriages were hauled by heavy electric locomotives[2]: 54, 56 that caused vibrations that could be felt on the surface.
[26]: 23–24 Public service on the line began in 1904, using larger electric multiple units with control equipment supplied by British Thomson-Houston.
[34]: 116 From 1915 the Bakerloo was extended to a junction with the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) at Queen's Park and because of the difficulties of World War I, cars were transferred from the Piccadilly line.
[34]: 126–127 From 1917 tube trains ran through to Watford Junction using Central London Railway motor cars that had been built for an uncompleted extension to Ealing.
Modern electrical equipment was fitted under the floor, removing the need for a control compartment on the motor cars, increasing the number of seats to 40.
Some 1972 Mk I stock cars were released to be converted to augment the Victoria line fleet, running in the middle of eight-car trains.
[2]: 205 These trains are similar, composed of 17.7 metres (58 ft 7⁄8 in) long cars with externally hung doors, but with differing traction equipment.
In the early 1960s it was proposed to close the island's whole railway network, but the route from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin was kept as buses could not cope with the summer holiday traffic.
The line was electrified and forty-three cars of Standard Stock were purchased by British Rail, delivered in the spring of 1967 and ready for that summer season.
The line is currently (as at May 2021) undergoing engineering works (including platform height raising) to allow more recent London Underground D78 Stock to operate.
These heavily refurbished train sets are known of as British Rail Class 484 and (after some delays caused by software issues) entered service in November 2021.
