old Tube stock ?

[raafif]

My Grandfather was the last person killed on the Tube before carriages with automatic doors were put in service. Planning to visit the site at Earls Court next year.

Can anyone direct me to pictures of the electric Tube trains & carriages in use in 1935 & the automatic-door carriages that replaced them ?
Also looking for pics of east-bound end of the platform of Earls Court No.2 Road in 1935 (is the same platform still in use for east-bound as in 1935 or a different one now ?).

thanks, Ray

 

[CatfordCat]

Do you know whether this happened on the District Line or the Piccadilly Line? Earls Court has both, although they do not share platforms - the Piccadilly line is deep under ground, the District Line is at surface level - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl's_Court_tube_station

I am inclined to think it was the District, as the Piccadilly Line (along with the other 'deep tube' lines) had 'gate-men' who operated the gates at the end of each carriage before powered doors were introduced.

The District however did have doors that could be opened / closed by passengers.

The pre-1930s rolling stock was either withdrawn in the 30s or rebuilt to have air doors controlled by the guard - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_Q_Stock has more.

There is one carriage from this type of train in the London Transport Museum collection - I understand it is on display at Covent Garden although they do occasionally swap what's on display with what's at their store in Acton (although this is a bigger job with railway vehicles) - http://www.ltmcollection.org/museum/object/link.html?IXinv=1981/542 - there is more on the 'in service' link about this type of train, and a picture of Earls Court Station.

 

[raafif]

thanks for those links.

I assume it was the Piccadilly Line as the train was the "4.19½, p.m. train from Ealing to Mansion House, due at Earls Court Station at 4.37 p.m. in No.2 road" (from the guard's testimony at the Inquest).

Carriages were, I was led to believe, slam-door types on this train - 27th December, 1935. The Inquest seems to infer that the carriages & loco were separate & each door-handle had an indicator on both the inside & outside as to whether it was "locked" or "unlocked" (certainly not well-visible to passengers boarding in a hurry), I have never seen handles like that on the old surface carriages.

The Inquest recommended that a white paper notice be put in the window if the door was locked. There seems to have been several legal cases against London Transport for "entrapment" ... ie "encouraging" passengers to assume that all doors are unlocked unless a notice is prominently displayed. This train only had a driver & a guard - a platform "porter-guard" gave the "all clear to proceed" but was distracted by a person on the platform & did not see my grandfather attempt to board the train, or the train depart.

 

[NSEFAN]

I assume it was the Piccadilly Line as the train was the "4.19½, p.m. train from Ealing to Mansion House, due at Earls Court Station at 4.37 p.m. in No.2 road"

Wouldn't Ealing - Mansion House make it the District line? In which case it would almost certainly have been Q stock.

 

[Busaholic]

Wouldn't Ealing - Mansion House make it the District line? In which case it would almost certainly have been Q stock.

You're absolutely right.