What train did I see - and where was the exit we left from?

[flashberry43]

Apologies for the quite bizarre request!

I was at the local yesterday with an old school friend for a reunion and we were going over old times. We both remembered vividly two things about Earls Court Station.

1) Sometime between 2000-2003 we found ourselves (10 years old I think!) at a disused exit to Earls Court Station, we think on the other side of Warwick Road. We couldn't leave, barriers in place but off, and then simply went back to I think the Eastbound district line platforms. We didn't think much of it - was there once another exit to Earls Court?

2) Around the same time a train came through, not stopping, on platform 3. It was unpainted, silver, and was much smaller than the D78 stock at the time (it kind of resembled the piccadilly line). We recall wondering what this train was... any ideas on what stock could run on the district line in the early 2000's/late 90's that would have been unpainted and smaller?

Thank you - its been bugging us for years!

 

[LUYMun]

Delete

 

[Dstock7080]

1) the entrance was just inside the now demolished Earl’s Court exhibition hall.

2) smaller Tube Stock haven’t run in service on the District Line , you probably saw an out of service train.

 

[CyrusWuff]

1) the entrance was just inside the now demolished Earl’s Court exhibition hall.

2) smaller Tube Stock haven’t run in service on the District Line , you probably saw an out of service train.

Could it have been the old Track Recording Train, comprised of two converted 1960 Tube Stock Driving Motor cars and a converted 1973 Tube Stock trailer?

 

[stadler]

Could it have been a 1973 Stock train? They have been to High Street Kensington on many occasions and would have passed through Earls Court high level on the way. So it could have been that. I remember seeing one at High Street Kensington about ten years ago and i think they have been many times before. They were previously painted allover white so could have possibly looked silver. So possibly it was a 1973 Stock train painted in the old allover white livery?

 

[Dstock7080]

Could it have been the old Track Recording Train, comprised of two converted 1960 Tube Stock Driving Motor cars and a converted 1973 Tube Stock trailer?

That is the current Track Recording Train.

Could it have been a 1973 Stock train? They have been to High Street Kensington on many occasions and would have passed through Earls Court high level on the way. So it could have been that. I remember seeing one at High Street Kensington about ten years ago and i think they have been many times before. They were previously painted allover white so could have possibly looked silver. So possibly it was a 1973 Stock train painted in the old allover white livery?

Prior to the mid-90s refurbishment 1973 Stock were unpainted aluminium.
They rarely visited High Street Kensington, on these occasions it was usually driver error at Hammersmith.
I did capture both a planned one train special working in the early-90s, and a later unplanned diversion.

 

[Royston Vasey]

1) the entrance was just inside the now demolished Earl’s Court exhibition hall.

I think this passage and exit was even featured in the last series of "Secrets of the London Underground" when they visited Earls Court. Worth a look on the U app or if you can download it, @flashberry43, it's S04E01.

Also does this video help (abandoned ticket hall at 1:51)

 

[MP33]

I have seen what appeared to be the recording train on the Circle line. The indicator board gave the next train as Special and a deep level train went past with carriages full of equipment cupboards and a carriage containing a man sitting at a control desk. I was meeting up with people who also seen it at other stations as well.

 

[Taunton]

This was a direct passage from Earls Court station platforms into the exhibition centre on the west side of Warwick Road. it was only opened when exhibitions were on there, with signage displayed or not as required, and depending on what was going on or which barriers had not been closed properly could give the impression of a disused exit.

Odd works trains do appear during the day, I recall one, hauled by battery locos front and back, and with works wagons, coming through Knightsbridge. Despite several announcements to stand clear, and it obviously comprising wagons with cement mixers etc, as it ground slowly through a number on the platform moved closely towards it. The driver hung back on approach until they could see the starting signal was clear, so as not to stop, for there was doubtless experience of passengers actually trying to get in.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

This was a direct passage from Earls Court station platforms into the exhibition centre on the west side of Warwick Road. it was only opened when exhibitions were on there, with signage displayed or not as required, and depending on what was going on or which barriers had not been closed properly could give the impression of a disused exit.

If this matches the view @flashberry43 had then it's definitely that exit...

 

[Mojo]

If this matches the view @flashberry43 had then it's definitely that exit...

Isn’t that the view from the Warwick Rd exit to the station, which is still well and truly open?

The now-closed Exhibition exit was a long subway from underneath the District line (as opposed to the Warwick Rd exit which is stairs up from the District line), this then led to escalators up to a subterranean ticket hall with steps going up into the Exhibition centre.

 

[Mawkie]

The now-closed Exhibition exit was a long subway from underneath the District line (as opposed to the Warwick Rd exit which is stairs up from the District line), this then led to escalators up to a subterranean ticket hall with steps going up into the Exhibition centre.

The old ticket office windows

The old escalators

The old tunnel

Another pic of the old tunnel.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Isn’t that the view from the Warwick Rd exit to the station, which is still well and truly open?

The now-closed Exhibition exit was a long subway from underneath the District line (as opposed to the Warwick Rd exit which is stairs up from the District line), this then led to escalators up to a subterranean ticket hall with steps going up into the Exhibition centre.

Oh... I thought that upper exit was the exhibition one as I haven't seen it open for years whenever I've been upstairs and on the occasion when I took those photos, I was on the way to an exhibition... and that was the signposted route for it on that occasion...

 

[Taunton]

I can recall long ago coming to London and travelling to Earls Court early one morning, as an actual exhibitor at the exhibition centre there, and being so impressed at what provision had been built just for trade shows like ours. But nothing compared to a couple of years later when our show was now at Olympia, and we had special trains, no less, running from Earls Court on the shuttle to there, our own C69 stock operation. Was all so striking for what the Underground provided for show traffic.

What a contrast to nowadays, going through Custom House station now for the current key exhibition centre, the Excel, and near our house. When equivalent major exhibitions are on there, extra provision consists of groups of sullen, shouty staff, and temporary barriers, making the ludicrous station design there an even more longwinded route march as we try to go from the Liz to the DLR, the regular walkway being closed, although empty. Progress!

 

[CyrusWuff]

What a contrast to nowadays, going through Custom House station now for the current key exhibition centre, the Excel, and near our house. When equivalent major exhibitions are on there, extra provision consists of groups of sullen, shouty staff, and temporary barriers, making the ludicrous station design there an even more longwinded route march as we try to go from the Liz to the DLR, the regular walkway being closed, although empty. Progress!

Meanwhile over in West London, the Olympia exhibition service is now almost always a bus running every 7-8 minutes on a circular route from Earl's Court (Bus Stop C on Warwick Road) - Olympia (Stop D on Hammersmith Road) - West Kensington (Stop S on North End Road) - West Brompton (Stop P on Old Brompton Road) - Earl's Court.

It appears on bustimes.org as route DL11.

 

[flashberry43]

I think this passage and exit was even featured in the last series of "Secrets of the London Underground" when they visited Earls Court. Worth a look on the U app or if you can download it, @flashberry43, it's S04E01.

Also does this video help (abandoned ticket hall at 1:51)

I saw my friend tonight and remembered I hadn't replied!

Yes, this was the exit we walked down. Sorry for the delay in replying! We got as far as the barriers - but then just turned around and walked back. It was somewhat lit up - I remember the lights on those escalators at 1:36 very well but the ticket hall was fully lit. Maybe the passage to the exit was left open by mistake?

No Oyster card readers however - 2000 to 2003 this would have been - why were they installed later as per the video I wonder? Was it going to be reopened?

As for the train. It was definitely unpainted and entirely normal service cars - and not 1973 stock. If anything, we want to say 1959 Stock but how did it get to Earls Court... going Eastbound?

Maybe we will never know!

Edit: Looking at the two stocks side by side now unpainted - maybe it was 1973 stock. Seemed much taller though!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Edit: Looking at the two stocks side by side now unpainted - maybe it was 1973 stock. Seemed much taller though!

73 stock and 59 stock are the same size - they were built to fit the same tunnels!. From new, even before refurbishment and painting, 1973 stock had a red "bib" from new. (As did 1983 and D stock)

Given the date you mention it was unlikely to be 1959 stock - the last one ran in service in January 2000 - and on the Northern, rather than the Picadilly. The similar 1962 stock had gone (from the Central Line) several years before.

It's possible the train you saw was on a stock transfer, but from where to where?

Or possibly being turned on the Kensington triangle, but why? Any line on which trains can be turned end-for-end (Northern, Central) can turn them back again.

 

[rebmcr]

much smaller than the D78 stock

maybe it was 1973 stock. Seemed much taller though!

Only one of these statements can be true. There is no size of train in-between the two, on LU nor anywhere in England.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

If anything, we want to say 1959 Stock but how did it get to Earls Court... going Eastbound?

The Picadilly line runs parallel to the District from Barons Court westwards. There are crossovers, so it's easy enough to get on District Line tracks. At Acton Town the eastbound District platform face is somethimes used by Picadilly line trains.

 

[norbitonflyer]

The Picadilly line runs parallel to the District from Barons Court westwards. There are crossovers, so it's easy enough to get on District Line tracks. At Acton Town the eastbound District platform face is somethimes used by Picadilly line trains.

Quite so, but to find 1959 stock on the Piccadilly Line any time after about 1980 would be quite surprising.

 

[Ian79]

If the train looked a bit like shrunken D-Stock, was it 1983 stock? The lights made them look quite different to all the other tube trains.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/1983_Stock_at_Kilburn_tube_station_in_1988_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-1983_Stock_at_Kilburn_tube_station_in_1988_%28cropped%29.jpg

They wouldn't have been running in passenger service as late as 2000 (replaced on the Jubilee Line by the 1996 stock a couple of years earlier), but it may have been a stock move to/from Lillie Bridge, Acton Works or similar.

Other option could have been one of the 1962 stock trains, some of which were converted to various engineering trains but not painted yellow.