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Originally Posted by Julie & Ruth
Didge
great stuff very interesting.
I have ridden on the old ones in the IOW. They are still going strong.
Is there a tour of the tubes that are no longer in use? and are there some still left from the war? I'd be really interested to go on that ....do you know anything about it?
Julie
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Julie, as far as I'm aware, there are no old Tube trains running as such, but the London Transport museum in Covent Garden in London, has a wonderful display of most of the old rolling stock on display, as well as buses, trams, trolly buses and other old London Transport stuff. See attached photos of old 'F' and 'Q' stock cars from the 1920's/early 1930's.
Because of space, they cannot display all the old stuff, and a lot of it resides in storage at Acton Works in West London. Most of it fully restored I believe.
Acton Works was the place where 'heavy maintenance’ was done on all LU rolling stock at one time, but now it’s mostly done ‘in-house’. Each line doing it’s own maintenance, and Acton works is now a ghost of it’s former self.
It was once home to real craftsmen. Carpenter’s, metal workers, painter’s and sign writers etc. To watch some bloke with a paint brush, painting the logos, car numbers and pin stripes free-hand, was really something. Sadly, most of these old skilled workers have long retired.
Modern logos, are computer cut stickers, but LU still use skills such as the above when it comes to restoration of the old stock.
If ever you are coming to London, we can arrange to go to the LT museum, and I’ll be only too pleased to show you around. I cannot promise anything, but I might even be able to arrange a private viewing of the old stuff stored at Acton Works, I’d have to try and find out about that.