EMU maroon livery

Yup, they got Regional Railways 'green stripe', and I'm sure one was given advertising livery when they started working to Manchester Airport.

I remember when the Waterloo and City line was 3-rail with sleepered track and green trains. EMU trains built in 1940 survived until 1993.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@notigg.not.no contains these words:

They did switch part of their system to 3rd rail, but from the LBSC DC overhead power shortly after grouping!

AC. It was remarkably ahead of its time.

Well I have trawled through what I have to hand (not a lot as most is in storage) and what I could find on the net, but I cannot find any reference to GWR electric stock. As well as several joint ops, such as that with the Met, they did have a tie-in with the Central London underground line, something to do with GWR freight and CL accessing suburbs on surface lines. There is mention of 'workmens trains' (parliamentaries?) run by the GWR but I was not able to find any references to electric GWR operated stock.

Anyone any ideas on where I can find info on these?

Regards

Mike

The Hammersmith and City line was jointly owned and operated by the Met and the GWR.

It's described in the RCTS volume on the rail motors and internal combustion vehicles.

My copy is packed away pending a house move.

But AFAIR the carriages were lettered for Metropolitan and Great Western Joint, or Great Western and Metropolitan joint depending on ownership.

Thanks - I think I may have some info on this in the post from an old chap in London. If it contains any useful info I will stick in on the page and post a note to the group.

Mike

The original Euston-Watford units were fourth rail DC so definitely not Class 309 which are overhead AC. According to John Peel's programme they were also 750v but some sources dispute that. Peel also commented that drivers were forced to wear asbestos-lined caps to avoid being electrocuted by the cab light.

(kim)

As the poster who somewhat mischievously mentioned the GWR Electric stock the information that you have written is exactly as I recollect.

My reference would be a copy of Steam to Silver which was a publication about the " normal " sized trains used by what was then LT and its predecessors. My copy is buried somewhere but ISTR that it was published about 1969.

What I have never found out is how long the units sent to Merseyside lasted. It was only because LT had recently introduced new stock as WW2 broke out that it was available to help out with the Wartime demand on the Mersey railway. In the normal course of events it would have been in the scrapline. Doubt it lasted too long. I believe the Mersey railway was completely converted from 4 to 3 rail electrification by the mid fifties.

G.Harman

Okay, I found info on standard gauge four wheel coaches built by the GWR for use on underground lines (I think this was for the joint line with the Met). There were some underground lines built to broad gauge clearances but the GWR broad gauge was never very successful as a suburban commuter system.

The GWR was tied in to the Central London tube line and as I understand it the GWR got to run freight into town and the Central London people got reciprocal access to GW lines (so either there was an electrified GW line or possibly the CL used steam).

As far as I can see the GWR did not use any electric locomotives. They did have a tie in with the line that tried a pneumatic tube line.

Can't be more specific as I have not had time to look through the notes (the person I lookafter is a bit unwell)

Mike

These were known as Metropolitan stock. They were smaller and narrower than the other GWR 4-wheel stock of the time. The most noticeable feature was the top of the carriage door which was curved like the Met's own compartment stock so the door wouldn't be ripped of if accidentally opened in the tunnels. They finished up all over the system, mixed in with the other 4-wheeled stock on branch lines.

The original sections of the Met (now the Circle Line) were broad gauge (actually mixed gauge). Indeed the Met was originally operated by the GWR but there was a bust up, the GWR withdrew its trains and the GN supplied emergency replacements. The third (standard gauge) rail had never been tested and there where problems but from then on the Met was a standard gauge railway

Are you sure about the Central London Railway? The freight trains were to Smithfield Market via the Met, and AFAIR exclusively cattle.

The Central London Railway actually did have a pair of tiny Hunslet tank engines left over from its building, and used them for maintenance trains.

The GWR-owned electric stock was identical to the standard Met EMU stock of the time.

It didn't have any electric locomotives.

Many thanks - That clears up a number of points - It is starting to look like I just might get this done!

Regards

Mike

The two lines above sounds like it could have been gleaned from a discussion about the GWR proposal to electrify in the West Country. Brunel not envisaging the failure of the Atmospheric railway section effectively left a profile which hampered motive power until the arrival of the HS125. The GWR looked at electrifying from Taunton to Penanze in the late twenties to elimanate the difficulties of steam haulage but it never progressed beyond paper proposals. That would have changed the look of Postcards of Dawlish in the 1930's for sure. Chocolate and Cream Coaches behind a GWR green Swiss crocodile lookalike anyone? Now wheres that old kitmaster Kit I've got somewhere. I think I have found a use for it. G.Harman