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Longest and Shortest Serving Stock

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GNERman

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Just a quick question with regards to the lives of some of the fleets used on the Underground...

The first is - what stock lasted in service the longest on the LU. This excludes IOW stock and dept stock. The current A Stock is, at its oldest, 52 years old (?) but what about in steam days?

Secondly, on the other end of the scale, what lasted the shortest length of time, excluding prototypes (so 1986 stock doesn't count). Would it be the 1983 stock with their 15 years?

Thanks

 
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trc666

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Possibly the Central London Railway electric locomotives, in to service 1900, replaced by EMUs in 1903?
 

tom1649

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The oldest A Stock is just over 50 years old.

Some of the second batch of 1983 stock didn't enter service until 1988 so lasted just short of 10 years in service.
 

150222

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I think that the A-stock would be the longest serving (unless 1938 stock is ahead. When were they withdrawn?)

Shortest serving is definatly 1983 stock.
 

Eagle

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Just for comparison, the original 1896 stock on the Glasgow Subway lasted until 1977.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
(unless 1938 stock is ahead. When were they withdrawn?)

1988 (with some transferred to NSE for the Island Line). Although 1960 stock contained carriages of 1938 and earlier, and the last of those survived in service till 1994 on the Ongar shuttle.
 

tom1649

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I think that the A-stock would be the longest serving (unless 1938 stock is ahead. When were they withdrawn?)

Shortest serving is definatly 1983 stock.

Last 1938 stock was withdrawn from service on the Northern Line on 19th May 1988.
 

Peter Mugridge

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Can we count the class 487s on the Drain even though that wasn't part of the Underground until long after they had been withdrawn?

They were in service for 53 years from 1940 to 1993.
 

150222

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Can we count the class 487s on the Drain even though that wasn't part of the Underground until long after they had been withdrawn?

They were in service for 53 years from 1940 to 1993.

I'd hardly call 1994 long after withdrawel but I think you'll be correct there. :)
 

Metrailway

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Since you mentioned the steam days...

The A Class steam locos built in 1864, were the first Met owned locos to work the railway but by the early 1900s were made redundant as the Met network in London was electrified by that time, and the locos were not suitable on the unelectrified lines beyond Harrow. Thus, most were scrapped but a few remained to work the Brill Tramway as well as departmental duties. The Brill Tramway closed in 1935, meaning that the A Class had approximately 71 years in passenger service. It is preserved.

If you don't mind coaching stock, the steam hauled Ashbury coaches were introduced on the Metropolitan in 1898 but nearly all were converted into EMUs in the early 1900s. Most were then withdrawn by the start of WWII, but a few were re-converted back to steam hauled stock for the Chesham Branch. They managed to hang on until the end of steam in 1961, thus equalling 63 years of service. 4 of these coaches are preserved in running condition.
 

jopsuk

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I think we're only counting "regular service"- not preservation use.
 

150222

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Come to think of it the Q-stock was in service from 1923 until the mid 1970s. Is this just ahead of 1940 stock/Class 487.
 

Oracle

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Q Stock ran until 1971 on the ELL but Q38 stock that was converted to R Stock onwards ran in service until 1983. However I am sure that some Q38s continued as service stock after the R Stock's withdrawal as pilot motors.
 
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