Metropolitan line (1933–1988)

Last updated

London's Metropolitan Railway (MR) amalgamated with other underground railways, tramway companies and bus operators on 1 July 1933, to form the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB); the MR became the Board's Metropolitan line.

Contents

The LPTB cut back services to Aylesbury, closing the Brill and Verney Junction branches, and invested in new rolling stock and improving the railway between Baker Street and Harrow-on-the-Hill, including the extension of the Bakerloo line which took over the Stanmore branch. The outbreak of the Second World War saw these works suspended, and it was not until 1948 that Harrow-on-the-Hill station was enlarged to six platforms.

Steam locomotives were used north of Rickmansworth until the early 1960s, when they were replaced following the electrification of the tracks to Amersham and the introduction of new electric multiple units. London Transport withdrew its service north of Amersham at this time.

In 1988, the route from Hammersmith to Aldgate and Barking was re-designated as the Hammersmith & City line, and the route from New Cross and New Cross Gate to Shoreditch as the East London line; this left the Metropolitan line as the route from Aldgate to Baker Street and northwards to stations via Harrow, and that designation continues to this day.

History

Metropolitan Railway (1863–1933)

The origins of the Metropolitan line lie with the Metropolitan Railway (MR), the first underground railway built in London. The MR opened a line between Paddington and Farringdon Street in 1863. The line, opened with steam locomotives and gas-lit wooden carriages, was built to connect the capital's mainline railway termini. After forming part of the 'inner circle' (today's Circle line), the railway began to extend out to the suburbs from Baker Street, reaching Harrow in 1880, and eventually as far as Verney Junction, over 50 miles (80 kilometres) from Baker Street and the centre of London. The railway started to electrify its routes from 1905. It used electric multiple units on the electrified routes in London, but in order to serve stations on the unelectrified outer lines, coaches were hauled out of London by an electric locomotive that was changed for a steam locomotive en route. After the First World War, the "Metro-land" name was used to promote the new housing estates being built near the railway.

New Works, war and aftermath (1933–48)

On 1 July 1933, the MR amalgamated with other underground railways, tramway companies and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB). As a result, the MR became the Metropolitan line of London Transport. The LPTB was not interested in running goods and freight services. Carriage of parcels was discontinued on 2 July 1934; Vine Street goods station (near Farringdon station) closed on 30 June 1936, and the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) took over all freight traffic from 1 November 1937. At the same time the LNER became responsible for hauling passenger trains with steam locomotives north of Rickmansworth. [1]

The lines north of Aylesbury to Verney Junction and Brill were closed; the last train to Brill ran on 30 November 1935, and that to Quainton Road and Verney Junction on 2 April 1936. [2] Quainton Road continued to be served by the LNER.

From 1935, the New Works Programme entailed some station rebuilding at places such as Rayners Lane, Eastcote, Ruislip Manor and Uxbridge. [3] However, there was a bottleneck at Finchley Road where four tracks became two for the run through the tunnels to Baker Street. The solution chosen by the LPTB was to extend the Bakerloo line through new tube tunnels from Baker Street to Finchley Road, and for these trains to take over the service to intermediate stations to Wembley Park and the branch to Stanmore. The old Metropolitan & St. John's Wood Railway stations at St John's Wood Road, Marlborough Road and Swiss Cottage were replaced by new tube stations at St John's Wood and Swiss Cottage. Platform alterations were needed between Wembley Park and Finchley Road, and a flying junction was built at Wembley Park junction. [4] The intention was to enlarge Harrow from four to six platforms, providing dedicated platforms for LNER trains, [5] but this was not completed before the outbreak of the Second World War caused work to be suspended. [6] Construction began in April 1936, and on 2 November 1939 the Bakerloo line served Stanmore for the first time. [4]

The District line was congested east of Whitechapel on the line to Barking, so some Metropolitan trains were extended to Barking from 1936. [7] Initially these were 6-car Hammersmith & City line trains that had been seconded from the East London line, but from 1939, 8-car Uxbridge line trains were extended from Aldgate. However, this caused operational problems, and Barking was again served by Hammersmith & City line trains from 1941. [8] Through trains to the East London line via the St Mary's Curve were withdrawn in November 1939. [7]

The isolated Great Northern & City Railway between Moorgate and Finsbury Park became the Northern City line, part of the Edgware–Morden line (designated as the Northern line from 1937). The original trains were replaced by Northern line tube trains on 15 May 1939. [9] The Northern Heights plan would have seen the line extended to Alexandra Palace, but works were suspended after the outbreak of the Second World War. [10]

First class travel was abolished on local and Uxbridge services in 1940, and on all Metropolitan trains from October 1941. [11] The Metropolitan served Quainton Road again from May 1943 to May 1948. [12]

Nationalisation (1948–88)

London Transport (LT) was nationalised, along with the railway companies, on 1 January 1948. Immediately after the war, money for investment in the railway was short; housebuilding was given priority, and the main line railways took precedence in the new organisation. [13]

However, the Bakerloo line extension before the war had rearranged the tracks south of Wembley Park so that the slow Bakerloo lines ran between the fast Metropolitan lines. North of Preston Road junction, the tracks were arranged with fast and slow lines paired together; this meant that southbound fast trains had to cross both slow lines on the flat. Removing this junction was seen as a high priority, and station rebuilding and signalling changes meant that from May 1948, the slow lines ran between the fast lines all the way to Harrow. The work begun at Harrow before the war was over was completed, and involved opening two more platforms so as to give British Railways (BR) trains their own. [14]

North of Wembley Park, there was a bottleneck where the six platforms shared four tracks for half a mile before Stanmore junction. Two additional lines were built in 1954, segregating Metropolitan and Bakerloo trains. [15]

Approval for modernisation of the Metropolitan main line was given in 1956. This meant quadrupling the line from Harrow to the junction with the Watford branch, electrifying the line from Rickmansworth to Amersham and ordering new electric multiple units. A Stock trains began running in 1960; [16] the Chesham branch operated with electric traction from September 1960. [17] The last locomotive-hauled train ran on 9 September 1961. [16] The LT service was cut back to Amersham, with the stations beyond being serviced by BR diesel multiple units. [16] The quadrupling was completed in June 1962. [18] The new all-electric timetable saw 27 peak-hour trains arriving at Baker Street: 12 from Uxbridge, six from Amersham, one from Chesham and eight from Watford. [19]

The Great Central Main Line from Marylebone to Sheffield was considered by Dr Beeching as an unnecessary duplication of other lines that served the same places, especially the Midland Main Line and to a lesser extent the West Coast Main Line. Express passenger services from London to Sheffield and Manchester were discontinued in January 1960, leaving only three "semi-fast" London-to-Nottingham trains per day. The line north of Aylesbury finally closed on 4 March 1963. [20]

In 1988, the route from Hammersmith to Aldgate and Barking became designated as the Hammersmith & City line, [21] and the route from New Cross and New Cross Gate to Shoreditch as the East London line; this left the Metropolitan line as the route from Aldgate to Baker Street and northwards to stations via Harrow.

Rolling stock

Electric locomotives

Electric Locomotive No.12 "Sarah Siddons" seen at a heritage event at Amersham in 2008 Metropolitan Railway No 12 Sarah Siddons 1.jpg
Electric Locomotive No.12 "Sarah Siddons" seen at a heritage event at Amersham in 2008

London Transport (LT) took responsibility for the twenty 1,200 hp (890 kW) electric locomotives used for hauling coaches on the electrified lines south of Rickmansworth. They continued in this service until working ended on passenger trains after the introduction of the A Stock multiple units in 1961. [22]

One locomotive is preserved as a static display at the London Transport Museum, [23] and another, No. 12 "Sarah Siddons", has been used for heritage events, most recently in 2011. [24]

Steam locomotives

LT also took over the MR's steam locomotives; however, on 1 November 1937 the later G, H and K Class steam locomotives were transferred to the LNER, which took over all freight workings and became responsible for hauling passenger trains with steam locomotives north of Rickmansworth. From the early 1940s these were replaced by ex-Great Central Railway locomotives, now classified LNER Class A5. These were replaced by LNER L1s after 1948; ten years later in 1958, when the joint line was transferred to British Railways' London Midland Region, former London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) locomotives replaced the L1s. [25] Steam working ended on passenger trains after the introduction of the A Stock in 1961. [22]

LT kept eleven locomotives for use in departmental work. From 1956 these were replaced by ex-GWR 0-6-0PT pannier tanks, to be replaced by diesel-hydraulic locomotives DL81 to DL83 in 1971. [26]

Two Metropolitan Railway locomotives survive, one A Class No. 23 (LT L45) at the London Transport Museum, [27] and E Class No. 1 (LT L44) is preserved at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. [28]

Coaching stock

LT inherited Dreadnought coaches and two Pullman coaches, used on the locomotive-hauled trains that travelled north of Rickmansworth. The Pullman coaches were withdrawn early in the Second World War; [29] however, the Dreadnoughts continued until replaced by the A stock in 1961. The Vintage Carriages Trust has three preserved Dreadnought carriages. [30]

The unelectrified Chesham branch was converted to autotrain working in 1940, in which the trains could be driven from each end, thus avoiding the time-consuming repositioning of the locomotive. [11] [31] LNER C13 Class locomotives were used for this push-pull working, along with two three-car sets of Ashbury bogie stock from the multiple units that had become surplus after the introduction of O stock. [32] The Bluebell Railway has four of the 1898–1900 Ashbury and Cravens carriages, and a fifth, built at Neasden, is at the London Transport Museum. [33]

Multiple units

London Transport inherited a number of different incompatible electric multiple units from the Metropolitan Railway. Between 1927 and 1933, multiple-unit compartment stock had been built in batches by Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon and by Birmingham Carriage and Wagon, to be used on electric services from Baker Street and the City to Watford and Rickmansworth. These were of three incompatible types, with different electrical equipment and engines. In order to make a uniform fleet, units were fitted with Westinghouse brakes and cars with different engines were regeared to allow these to work in multiple with other cars. In 1938, 9 x 8-coach and 10 x 6-coach MW units were redesignated London Underground T Stock. [34] The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is home to two T Stock carriages. [35]

P Stock in red at Upminster CP & R at Upminster.jpg
P Stock in red at Upminster

The joint Met&GW stock on the Hammersmith & City line, dating from 1905, was replaced by O stock that initially operated in 4- and 6-car formations, entering service from 1937. [8] These trains were entirely made of motor cars, and this caused a problem with the electrical supply, so trailer cars were added from 1938. [36]

P Stock was ordered to replace all the remaining Metropolitan multiple units. A combination of 3-car units and 2-car units, to run in 6- and 8-car lengths, was delivered from July 1939. Two trailers were included in an 8-car formation, but these were designed to allow conversion to motor cars at a later date after improvements to the power supply. [37]

However, O and P stock were not compatible, having different electrical equipment. After 1955, trains were converted to PCM control and relabelled CO and CP stock as appropriate. [38]

F Stock trains had been built for the District Railway in the early 1920s. In the 1950s, a number became available for use on the Metropolitan line; they mainly worked the semi-fast Harrow and Uxbridge services, and ran on the East London line as modified 4-car sets. [39]

When the Amersham electrification project commenced in 1959, London Transport placed an order with Cravens of Sheffield for 248 cars of A60 stock to replace the T stock and locomotive-hauled trains. A further twenty-seven trains of A62 stock were built in 1962–63 to replace the F and P stock trains on the Uxbridge service. These were arranged as 4-car units which could operate as 4- or 8-car trains. [40] Four-car units operated on the East London line from 1977, and a 4-car unit operated the Chesham shuttle. [22]

In 1968, an order was placed for 35 six-car trains to replace the CP and CO stock on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. These were arranged as two units with a driving cab in the motor car at one end only, and were normally run as three pairs. These trains were designated C69 stock. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan line</span> London Underground line

The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between Aldgate in the City of London and Amersham and Chesham in Buckinghamshire, with branches to Watford in Hertfordshire and Uxbridge in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the line is 41.4 miles (66.7 km) in length and serves 34 stations. Between Aldgate and Finchley Road, the track is mostly in shallow "cut and cover" tunnels, apart from short sections at Barbican and Farringdon stations. The rest of the line is above ground, with a loading gauge of a similar size to those on main lines. Just under 94 million passenger journeys were made on the line in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Street tube station</span> London Underground station

Baker Street is a London Underground station at the junction of Baker Street and the Marylebone Road in the City of Westminster. It is one of the original stations of the Metropolitan Railway (MR), the world's first underground railway, opened on 10 January 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalfont & Latimer station</span> London Underground and railway station

Chalfont & Latimer is a London Underground and National Rail station in Travelcard Zone 8 on the Metropolitan line, in Buckinghamshire. It also serves the Chiltern Railways line to Aylesbury. Chalfont & Latimer station is located just before the junction for trains to Chesham. The station serves Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, Little Chalfont and Latimer. It is located in Little Chalfont. It opened as "Chalfont Road" on 8 July 1889 but changed to the present name from 1 November 1915. The station is a good location to alight from to explore the Chess Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brill railway station</span> Former railway terminus in Buckinghamshire, England

Brill railway station was the terminus of a small railway line in Buckinghamshire, England, known as the Brill Tramway. Built and owned by the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, it was later operated by London's Metropolitan Railway, and in 1933 briefly became one of the two north-western termini of the London Underground, despite being 45 miles (72 km) and over two hours' travelling time from the City of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Railway</span> Underground railway in London 1863–1933

The Metropolitan Railway was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex suburbs. Its first line connected the main-line railway termini at Paddington, Euston, and King's Cross to the City. The first section was built beneath the New Road using cut-and-cover between Paddington and King's Cross and in tunnel and cuttings beside Farringdon Road from King's Cross to near Smithfield, near the City. It opened to the public on 10 January 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, the world's first passenger-carrying designated underground railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesham tube station</span> London Underground station

Chesham tube station is a London Underground station in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. It was opened on 8 July 1889 by the Metropolitan Railway (MR). It is the terminus station of the Chesham branch of the Metropolitan line, which runs from Chalfont & Latimer. The station, a Grade II listed building, is in London fare Zone 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorleywood station</span> London Underground and railway station

Chorleywood is a London Underground and National Rail station in Travelcard Zone 7 on the Metropolitan line. The village of Chorleywood is in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire about 20 miles (32 km) from London. Chorleywood station is also served by Chiltern Railways, which runs trains from London Marylebone station through to Aylesbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Underground rolling stock</span> Passenger trains that run on the London Underground

London Underground rolling stock includes the electric multiple-unit trains used on the London Underground. These come in two sizes, smaller deep-level tube trains and larger sub-surface trains of a similar size to those on British main lines, both running on standard gauge tracks. New trains are designed for the maximum number of standing passengers and for speed of access to the cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the London Underground</span>

The history of the London Underground began in the 19th century with the construction of the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. The Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863 using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, worked with the District Railway to complete London's Circle line in 1884. Both railways expanded, the Metropolitan eventually extending as far as Verney Junction in Buckinghamshire, more than 50 miles (80 km) from Baker Street and the centre of London. The first deep-level tube line, the City and South London Railway, opened in 1890 with electric trains. This was followed by the Waterloo & City Railway in 1898, the Central London Railway in 1900, and the Great Northern and City Railway in 1904. The Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) was established in 1902 to fund the electrification of the District Railway and to complete and operate three tube lines, the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway, which opened during 1906–1907. By 1907, the District and Metropolitan Railways had electrified the underground sections of their lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Underground T Stock</span> Electric train series used on the Metropolitan Railway from 1927 to 1962

The T Stock was a series of electric trains originally built in various batches by Metropolitan-Vickers and the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the Metropolitan Railway in 1927–31 for use on electric services from Baker Street and the City to Watford and Rickmansworth, though rarely some worked on the Uxbridge branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickmansworth station</span> London Underground and Chiltern Railways station

Rickmansworth is an interchange railway station in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, northwest of central London, served by the London Underground Metropolitan line and by Chiltern Railways. It is one of the few London Underground stations beyond Greater London and as a consequence is in Travelcard Zone 7. The station is a good location to alight from to explore the Chess Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Underground A60 and A62 Stock</span> Class of sub-surface train run on the London Underground, built in 1960

The London Underground A60 and A62 Stock, commonly referred to as A Stock, was a type of sub-surface rolling stock which operated on the Metropolitan line of the London Underground from 12 June 1961 to 26 September 2012, and on the East London line from 1977 until 22 December 2007, when it closed to be converted into London Overground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London–Aylesbury line</span> Railway line in the UK

The London–Aylesbury line is a railway line between London Marylebone and Aylesbury, going via the Chiltern Hills; passenger trains are operated by Chiltern Railways. Nearly half of the line is owned by London Underground, approximately 16 miles (26 km) – the total length of the passenger line is about 39 miles (63 km) with a freight continuation.

Rolling stock used on the London Underground and its constituent companies has been classified using a number of schemes. This page explains the principal systems for the rolling stock of the Central London Railway (CLR), the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL), the District Railway (DR) and the Metropolitan Railway (MR). For information about individual classes of locomotives and other rolling stock, see London Underground rolling stock.

The New Works Programme of 1935–1940 was the major investment programme delivered by the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), commonly known as London Transport, which had been created in 1933 to coordinate underground train, tram, trolleybus and bus services in the capital and the surrounding areas. The programme was to develop many aspects of the public transport services run by the LPTB and the suburban rail services of the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). The investment was largely backed by government assistance as well as by the issuing of financial bonds and was estimated to cost £42,286,000 in 1936.

The London Transport Executive was the organisation responsible for public transport in Greater London, England between 1948 and 1962. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waddesdon Road railway station</span> Former Brill Tramway (Later Metropolitan Railway) Station in Buckinghamshire

Waddesdon Road railway station, called Waddesdon railway station before 1922, was a small halt in open countryside in Buckinghamshire, England. It was opened in 1871 as part of a short horse-drawn tramway to assist with the transport of goods from and around the Duke of Buckingham's extensive estates in Buckinghamshire and to connect the Duke's estates to the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway at Quainton Road. In 1872 the line was expanded and converted for passenger use, becoming known as the Brill Tramway. In 1899 the operation of the line was taken over by the London-based Metropolitan Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesham branch</span> Branch line of the London Underground

The Chesham branch is a single-track railway branch line in Buckinghamshire, England, owned and operated by the London Underground. It runs from a junction at Chalfont & Latimer station on the Metropolitan line for 3.89 miles (6.26 km) northwest to Chesham. The line was built as part of Edward Watkin's scheme to turn his Metropolitan Railway (MR) into a direct rail route between London and Manchester, and it was envisaged initially that a station outside Chesham would be an intermediate stop on a through route running north to connect with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Deteriorating relations between the MR and LNWR led to the MR instead expanding to the northwest via Aylesbury, and the scheme to connect with the LNWR was abandoned. By this time much of the land needed for the section of line as far as Chesham had been bought. As Chesham was at the time the only significant town near the MR's new route, it was decided to build the route only as far as Chesham, and to complete the connection with the LNWR at a future date if it proved desirable. Local residents were unhappy at the proposed station site outside Chesham, and a public subscription raised the necessary additional funds to extend the railway into the centre of the town. The Chesham branch opened in 1889.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Railway electric multiple units</span>

Metropolitan Railway electric multiple units were used on London's Metropolitan Railway after the lines were electrified in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Underground carriages</span>

The London Underground opened in 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. The Metropolitan and District railways both used carriages exclusively until they electrified in the early 20th century. The District railway replaced all its carriages for electric multiple units, whereas the Metropolitan still used carriages on the outer suburban routes where an electric locomotive at the Baker Street end was exchanged for a steam locomotive en route.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Horne 2003, pp. 54–55.
  2. ↑ Horne 2003, pp. 55–56.
  3. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 58.
  4. 1 2 Horne 2003, pp. 59–61.
  5. ↑ Simpson 2003, p. 74.
  6. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 71.
  7. 1 2 Rose 2007.
  8. 1 2 Horne 2003, p. 65.
  9. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 48.
  10. ↑ Green 1987, p. 48.
  11. 1 2 Horne 2003, p. 66.
  12. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 69.
  13. ↑ Green 1987, p. 54.
  14. ↑ Horne 2003, pp. 71–72.
  15. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 72.
  16. 1 2 3 Green 1987, p. 56.
  17. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 75.
  18. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 77.
  19. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 79.
  20. ↑ Horne 2003, p. 87.
  21. ↑ "Hammersmith and City Railway". AIM25 Archives in London and the M25 area. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  22. 1 2 3 Bruce 1983, p. 113.
  23. ↑ "Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive No. 5, "John Hampden", 1922". London Transport Museum . Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  24. ↑ "Past Events — Metro-land Heritage Vehicle Outing" (Press release). London Transport Museum. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  25. ↑ Casserley 1977, pp. 80–83.
  26. ↑ Casserley 1977, p. 95.
  27. ↑ "Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23, 1866". London Transport Museum. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  28. ↑ "Metropolitan Railway E Class 0-4-4T No.1". Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  29. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 63.
  30. ↑ "Metropolitan Railway Nine Compartment Third No. 465". Vintage Carriages Trust. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  31. ↑ Foxell 2010, p. 114.
  32. ↑ Foxell 1996, p. 66.
  33. ↑ "The history of the carriages". Bluebell Ashbury Supporters and Helpers. 14 January 1996 – 14 January 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  34. ↑ Bruce 1983, pp. 72–74.
  35. ↑ "Metropolitan Railway T-Stock". Spa Valley Railway. 3 November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  36. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 93.
  37. ↑ Bruce 1983, pp. 90–93.
  38. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 94.
  39. ↑ Bruce 1983, pp. 78–81.
  40. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 110.
  41. ↑ Bruce 1983, pp. 114–115.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.