Riding The Red Train

17th March 2019

At twenty to nine on a bright sunny Sunday morning I found myself outside Northfields Station on the Piccadilly Line in West London to catch a very special train to Upminster.

At Northfields

Today was the second 2019 excursion day for London Transport Museum's 1938 Stock tube train which has been restored to a high standard and for now at least is able to travel over the underground network. At least until the new "on train" signalling system is completed, which means the 1938 stock will no longer be compatible.

So I got a ticket for Journey 1: Northfields to Upminster departing at approximately 10:00 from Northfields and arriving around 90 minutes later at Upminster, travelling most of the way on the District Line tracks.

At Upminster

I can remember these trains in service as they weren't withdrawn from London until 1988. They certainly weren't in such good condition as this one then. 

Inside there are 1970s and 1980s adverts - odd to see adverts for tobacco products and betting - lights with bulbs rather than fluorescent tubes, and wooden slatted floors. The line diagrams above the windows are for the Northern Line, the last to see 1938 stock trains in service. This is slightly confusing when travelling on the District Line as your eyes are naturally drawn to check where you are.

The distinctive sounds of the motors and braking systems brought back memories. After a while I realised what was absent from a normal 21st century tube journey. No continuous audible announcements of destination and next stop, or exhortation to take all your belongings with you and mind the gap between the train and the platform. Although just before Upminster the museum volunteer looking after our car did come around and warn everyone that when getting off there would be a big step up from train to platform - Upminster was not built for diminutive tube trains.

In the afternoon the train made a second journey back to Acton Town via Baker Street and Rayners Lane but I wasn't on that one. I did see it on its way through West Ham though. 

I made this video of quite a lot of the trip - it's not easy to film in a bouncy 80 year old train in a tunnel but it captures the "scenery" and possibly just as important, the soundtrack.