The 1930s O and P stock (latterly known as CO/CP stock) looked very similar to the R stock shown in the photo above, except that it remained red until the end. I can just about remember CO/CP stock - I used to get very excited when I saw a red train. I grew up in Putney, and remember the CO/CP and R stock on the District Line. I can also remember the D78 stock being new.
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TRIVIA: Things you saw travelling on the LU that you don't see today
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The 1930s O and P stock (latterly known as CO/CP stock) looked very similar to the R stock shown in the photo above, except that it remained red until the end. I can just about remember CO/CP stock - I used to get very excited when I saw a red train. I grew up in Putney, and remember the CO/CP and R stock on the District Line. I can also remember the D78 stock being new.
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bramling
Veteran Member
The colour isn’t the same. There seems to be some confusion with one sort of LED lamp replacing an earlier sort of LED lamp. True filament bulbs give a much softer green colour and a slightly softer yellow colour. Likewise the light will have a distinctive sparkle to it which LEDs simply don’t have.
I have a feeling the Central may still retain filament bulbs, they did last time I would have noticed which is a year or two ago. Apart from that pretty much all Tube tunnel signals went LED ages ago. ISTR repeaters retained filament green bulbs for some reason.
None other than that, arguably, the colour isn’t as pleasing on the eye!
ISTR they were an improvement in that they didn’t need to be closed before going through a washing plant!
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From what I recall, the ones on LU stations seemed to be even worse at dispensing anything than the ones on BR stations even though they were the same type of machine, where you put your money in the slot and then opened a drawer to take out what you wanted.
Smoking was allowed on Underground trains until 9th July 1984, latterly in two cars per train (normally the trailer immediately next to each driving car).
On the C stock, trailers were smoking if marshalled next to the driving cars at either end, but otherwise they were non-smoking. Because of this, the intermediate trailer cars had slots at the bottom of each window into which "no smoking" roundels were inserted when required, while the driving cars were always non-smoking so they had "no smoking" roundels permanently affixed near the tops of all windows.
I was 9 in 1984, and I can remember seeing posters at Underground stations announcing the smoking ban on trains. For the first few weeks after that date, the erstwhile smoking cars had paper "no smoking" roundels on the windows, until these were replaced by permanent "no smoking" signs in due course.
I think smoking was banned on the Underground in three stages, firstly on trains, then in below-ground stations (probably because of fires such as that at King's Cross in 1987) and lastly at surface stations.
Of course, in the days when trains had smoking cars, it was tough luck if you were a non-smoker and got on a train at the last minute then found after the doors had closed that you were in a smoking car (or, conversely, if you were a very dependent smoker and found that you'd got in a non-smoking car by mistake).
simple simon
Member
people often smoked in the non-smoking cars and if you complained they offered to use their knuckles to rearrange your facial features if you did not shut up.
Busaholic
Veteran Member
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Underground drivers could sometimes be seen smoking a crafty fag in the cab forty and fifty years ago. I was with a District Inspector at Hammersmith when an eastbound Picc came in and the driver's face when he saw the D.I. at the end of the platform was a picture: he must have taken a good three minutes to finally make it to the starting signal by which time he'd managed to set his newspaper alight. The D.I. was a rather laidback character, and could barely contain his mirth!
simple simon
Member
Sorry, its taken me a few days to find the master image. Yes you are correct with the number, and although I did not quote the message I agree that it is not Sloane Square. The next image in the folder on my external HD named O-P-Q-R shows one of these trains at Sloane Square and I must of mistakenly assumed that this image was from the same station. However, close comparison between the two images proves that this is not so. This image does not cite a station name - only that these three cars are R47 - R59 - R49. So, thank you for naming the station.
I do not have the car number for the R47 car at the far end of the photo. I'll use a lupe to look at the Kodachrome slide and let you know.
The Underground seems considerably less filthy than it was in the 1990s. Particularly Zone 1 stations seemed to be covered in grime and dirt back in that era. Seems to be a lot cleaner nowadays. Don't see the dirt now.
Also: not a thing I 'saw', but I remember there was often a palpable smell of ozone in the air (especially on the subsurface lines) that seems to have largely gone away now. Mixed in with brake dust, it had a very identifiable quality to it. Suspect there was more arcing due to less maintenance on brakes, track and shoe gear due to the budget constraints of that era. Or perhaps the technology has just improved. I'm not sure.
One other thing I remember as a child is the gates were often opened at rush hour at the busy stations as the paper ticketing system wasn't fast enough to keep up with the commuter flows. These days, practically all London natives and tourists are travelling on plastic. It's a different world!
Also: not a thing I 'saw', but I remember there was often a palpable smell of ozone in the air (especially on the subsurface lines) that seems to have largely gone away now. Mixed in with brake dust, it had a very identifiable quality to it. Suspect there was more arcing due to less maintenance on brakes, track and shoe gear due to the budget constraints of that era. Or perhaps the technology has just improved. I'm not sure.
One other thing I remember as a child is the gates were often opened at rush hour at the busy stations as the paper ticketing system wasn't fast enough to keep up with the commuter flows. These days, practically all London natives and tourists are travelling on plastic. It's a different world!
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ChiefPlanner
Established Member
And internal car maps - "Oval" used to have "Meat Pie" written under it - copying the LT staff menu I understand.
I've seen it often enough on the Piccadilly, yes. I believe they are supposed to only do so on the secondman's side, but this is not always adhered to!
Happens on the Central a fair bit but that means the driver will be in manual.
Also occurs on the Bakerloo as the windows aren't the best when it's really hot.
Yep, M door, it allows quite a few flies in though
Mutant Lemming
Established Member
Crews carrying round the old white enamel tea can with the lid that doubled as a cup
bramling
Veteran Member
Certainly happens on the Northern, although many drivers are scared of having to drive manually in order to facilitate it!
I’m not sure about the 09 stock, but all the other Tube stocks can be driven with the doors open. S stock can’t, I’m not entirely sure why it was designed like that.
As to whether it’s permissible, it’s a bit of a grey area. In all honesty no one wants to make too much fuss if it avoids a train being cancelled due to no air conditioning, nor if it avoids a train being cancelled because the relieving driver has a BO problem!
I mean, it probably is safer to have the door interlock run through the cab doors. Not such a big issue if the cab has air conditioning anyway.
Rick1984
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Have payphones gone? I used one at Waterloo around 15 years ago.
that's amazing. means if want to take bike from Portsmouth to Scotland in can use the Circle instead of trying to Cycle through London.
Dstock7080
Established Member
S Stock side cab doors can be opened in RM (Restricted Manual) so limited to 9.9mph, will be rare once CBTC.
The front and rear M cab door is similarly restricted.
There is still a ‘Cab door interlock’ (it’s just usually cut out on 73 Stock so I don’t know how having the active cab on the same circuit as the saloon doors and rear cab makes things safer.
As already said by @bramling, many T/Ops are happy to drive with the door open. The S stock in particular can also cause issues for incident investigation as often an operational manager might want to run with the M Door or one of the side doors open to use the thermal imaging camera or have a detailed look for something on the track.
bramling
Veteran Member
Still happened on the Northern up to the end of the 1990s. It was common enough that management must have been aware of the practice - but then the official procedure worked on the basis of the guard’s door being open leaving platforms anyway. One could certainly argue that having the door open longer than necessary to carry out duties wasn’t reducing risk to ALARP though.
Of course in those days there wasn’t so much CCTV around, and certainly no social media for someone to post to the world “shocking” pictures of something or other!
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ChiefPlanner
Established Member
The level of "black dust" used to be awful , especially on the Northern line in the days of the 59 stock - window ledges used to be particularly bad. Obviously the end of cast iron / composite brake blocks and better tunnel cleaning hugely improved things.
Another lost site are the staff mail boxes on platforms , along with despatch bags being handed to guards.
Another lost site are the staff mail boxes on platforms , along with despatch bags being handed to guards.
Central
Member
Used to be a bar on the outer rail platform at Liverpool St as well,not to mention the staff bars at White City & Camden Town plus bars in the booking halls at Victoria & Baker St.
Belperpete
Established Member
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I remember Victoria line stock used to have lots of transfers above the seats reading things like BIC, EPBIC, DIC, COS, etc. in gold letters. These had long bemused me (although I had worked out what EPB stood for, with my Southern background), until an open-day at a depot somewhere I got someone to explain them to me. Didn't see them on my last trip on the Vic line.
just the Vic? seem to remember them on 1938 stock.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I remember them on most lines. Pretty sure at least some are still shown on some stocks, but rather more discretely these days?
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