A60 and A62 Stock | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Cravens[1] |
In service | 1961–2012 (A60) 1962–2012 (A62)[1] |
Lines served | Metropolitan East London (until 2007) |
Length per car | 635.5 in (16,140 mm)[2] |
Length of train | 212 ft (65 m) (4 cars) |
Width | 116 in (2,900 mm)[2] |
Height | 145 in (3,700 mm)[2] |
Maximum speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) (Max running speed is 50 mph (80 km/h)[1] |
Weight | Driving motor: 32.1 tonnes Trailer car: 21.8 tonnes[2] |
Seating | Driving motor: 54 plus 4 tip-up seats Trailer car: 58[2] |
Stock type | Subsurface |
The A Stock (also known as the A60 and A62 Stocks[2]) is the type of train used on the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground. It was built in two batches (A60 and A62) by Cravens of Sheffield in the early 1960s. The trains replaced all the previous stock then used on the Metropolitan Line (such as F Stock, P Stock, T Stock and locomotive hauled carriages). The A Stock started to be replaced by new trains of S Stock from 2010.
The A Stock is currently the oldest type of train in passenger service on London Underground, and the last rolling stock to have independent motoring and braking controls. In addition, it has no PA announcements.
Contents |
The core design of the A Stock was formulated by W S Graff-Baker of the London Passenger Transport Board as part of the electrification of the Metropolitan Line from Rickmansworth to Amersham and Chesham under the 1935–1940 New Works Programme.[3] The project was delayed by the events of World War II and the lack of funds available during the austerity period which followed the war: however, in 1946 two experimental trailers similar in exterior appearance to the production trains were built using underframes of the T Stock. The trailers were scrapped when the trials concluded.[1]
When the electrification project commenced in 1959, London Transport placed an order for 31 trains of the A60 Stock, which were built by Cravens of Sheffield. The first A Stock units (5004 and 5008) entered passenger service, beginning with the Watford service on 12 June 1961. Twenty-seven trains of the A62 Stock were built in 1962–63 to replace the F and P Stocks on the Uxbridge service. The roll-out was completed by December 1963.[1]
The trains were designated as the A Stock to mark the electrification of the Metropolitan Line to Amersham. However the A Stock was also used on the former East London Line (then a branch of the Metropolitan Line) between June 1977 to April 1985, May 1987 to 24 March 1995 and from 25 March 1998 until the line's closure for conversion to the London Overground network on 22 December 2007.[1]
The London Underground A60 and A62 Stocks were mainly designed as a compromise between the needs of longer distance “outer suburban” passengers on the outer reaches of the line and short distance “urban” passengers over part of the heavily used Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. For this reason the trailer cars feature three sets of doors per car.
A distinctive feature of this stock is the use of “tranverse” seating only. As it was designed for journeys which may last over an hour, most of the seating is of the high capacity 3 + 2 arrangement,[4] oriented across the car's width as opposed to a longitudinal layout, where seats are arranged along the sides of the carriage. In addition, four tip up seats are provided at the rear of the driving motor.[5] Nevertheless, despite each 8-car train seating 448 passengers,[6] these trains provided fewer seats than the locomotive-hauled and T stock trains which they replaced: however, the stock provides more seats than the S Stock, which began replacing the A Stock from 31 July 2010. For the convenience of long-distance passengers the A stock is also equipped with luggage racks and umbrella hooks, being the only stock on the system to have these features, commonplace on most National Rail passenger stock.
The A60 and A62 stocks are identical by appearance but the manufacturer of the compressors are different: The compressors fitted to A60 cars are of the Westinghouse DHC 5A type, while A62 cars have the Reavell TBC 38Z type: the different sound of these can act as an identifying feature.
At 2.946 m (9 ft 8.0 in) these are London Underground's widest trains.[7]
When the trains were refurbished by Adtranz (now Bombardier) Derby between 1993 and 1998, car end windows were installed and the overall livery was revised.[6] At the time of refurbishment the line on which they ran had a low priority for receiving new trains.[8]
A unit of the A stock consists of four cars: two powered driving motors at each end and two non-powered trailers in between. Each unit is further divided into two sets, consisting of a driving motor and trailer which are semi-permanently coupled. The A Stock operates in a two-unit formation of eight cars on the Metropolitan Line, between Aldgate and Amersham, Chesham, Uxbridge and Watford stations.
Until 11 December 2010, a single unit operated on the Chesham branch at off-peak hours, with two two-unit services running directly to or from Aldgate at each peak hour period. Since 12 December 2010, the off-peak single formation was replaced by a half-hourly two-unit service from Baker Street.[9]
The A stock also operated in a single-unit formation on the East London Line until 22 December 2007 when the line was closed for extension and conversion works.
When built they had a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) (World's fastest 4-rail train), and operated at this speed until the late 1990s/early 2000s. They are permitted to travel at no more than 50 mph (80 km/h) to improve reliability. Despite this, these trains are the fastest on the London Underground network. The A Stock is the last rolling stock on the London underground that still feature independent brake and traction control.[4] The A stock is also the last remaining stock currently on the London Underground not to have an automated public address system.
In addition to the Metropolitan line, the A Stock is permitted to traverse the following sections, subject to the following restrictions:[10]
Section | Passengers permitted | Coupled units permitted | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Acton Town to Northfields and Northfields Depot | Yes | No | Westbound local line only No access to Siding 7 at Northfields Depot |
Aldgate to Mansion House | No | Yes | |
Baker Street to Edgware Road | Yes | Yes | No access to side platforms at Edgware Road |
Edgware Road to Hammersmith | No | No | Specific authorization is required to run on this section |
Edgware Road to High Street Kensington | No | No | |
Embankment to High Street Kensington and Rayners Lane (via Acton Town), including the Cromwell Curve | No | Yes | No access to the Acton Town, Barons Court, and South Harrow sidings 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) speed limit at three bridges between Acton Town and South Harrow. |
Embankment to Mansion House | No | No | |
Jubilee Line tracks between Finchley Road and Stanmore | Yes | Yes | No access to the Wembley Park and West Hampstead sidings Usage permitted only when ATO is not in use |
As of 24 July 2010, the following stations are listed on the destination blinds of the A60/62 stock:[11]
General | Fast Baker St | Farringdon | Wembley Park | East London Line | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Blank red panel) | Slow Lines | Harrow | Northwood | New Cross | |||||
Special | Aldgate | Hillingdon | Rayners Lane | New Cross Gate | |||||
Sorry not in service | Amersham | Kings Cross | Rickmansworth | Shoreditch | |||||
Fast lines | Baker St | Liverpool St | Ruislip | Surrey Quays | |||||
Fast Aldgate | Chalfont | Moorgate | Uxbridge | Whitechapel | |||||
Fast Amersham | Chesham | Neasden | Watford |
Cars of the A Stock are identified by a four-digit number. The first digit identifies the type of car (driver or trailer) and the last three digits identify the set number (Numbers 000 to 231). The numbering system of the A stock upon introduction were as follows:
Sub-type | Driving Motors (DM) | Trailers (T) |
---|---|---|
A60 | 5000 to 5123 | 6000 to 6123 |
A62 | 5124 to 5231 | 6124 to 6231 |
Citation: Hardy 2002, p. 36 |
In further detail:
In service. '^' indicates operational DM | |
* | Scrapped or cannibalised |
Withdrawn after the introduction of the S Stock | |
** | Scrapped after the introduction of the S Stock |
†† | Renumbered |
†† | Rail Adhesion Train (not in service) |
A60 Stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | |||||||||||
5000^ | 6000 | 6001 | 5001 | 5022 | 6022 | 6023 | 5023 | 5044^ | 6044 | 6045 | 5045 | 5066** | 6066** | 6067** | 5067** | 5088^ | 6088 | 6089 | 5089^ | 5110^ | 6110 | 6111 | 5111^ | |||||
5002** | 6002** | 6003** | 5002** | 5024^ | 6024 | 6025 | 5025 | 5046^ | 6046 | 6045 | 5045 | 5068^ | 6068 | 6069 | 5069 | 5090^ | 6090 | 6091 | 5091^ | 5112^ | 6112 | 6113 | 5113^ | |||||
5004** | 6004** | 6005** | 5005** [S2] | 5026** | 6026** | 6027** | 5027** | 5048** | 6048** | 6049** | 5049** | 5070^ | 6070 | 6071 | 5071 | 5092^ | 6092 | 6093 | 5093^ | 5114^ | 6114 | 6115 | 5115^ | |||||
5006** | 6006** | 6007** | 5007** [S2] | 5028†† [c] | 6028†† [c] | 6029* | 5029* | 5050^ | 6050 | 6051 | 5051 | 5072^ | 6072 | 6073 | 5073 | 5094^ | 6094 | 6095 | 5095^ | 5116^* | 6116 | 6117†† [e] | 5117††^ [e] | |||||
5008†† | 6008†† | 6009†† | 5009†† | 5030** | 6030** | 6031** | 5031** | 5052^ | 6052 | 6053 | 5053 | 5074 | 6074 | 6075 | 5075 | 5096^ | 6096 | 6097 | 5097^ | 5118^ | 6118 | 6119 | 5119^ | |||||
5010^ | 6010 | 6011 | 5011 | 5032** | 6032** | 6033** | 5033** | 5054** | 6054** | 6055** | 5055** | 5076^ | 6076 | 6077 | 5077 | 5098^ | 6098 | 6099 | 5099^ | 5120^ | 6120 | 6121 | 5121††^ | |||||
5012^ | 6012 | 6013 | 5013 | 5034†† | 6034 | 6035 | 5035 | 5056^ | 6056 | 6057 | 5057^ | 5078^ | 6078 | 6079 | 5079 | 5100^ | 6100 | 6101 | 5101^ | 5122^ | 6122 | 6123 | 5123^ | |||||
5014^ | 6014 | 6015 | 5015 | 5036†† [d] | 6036 [s] | 6037†† [e] | 5037†† [e] | 5058** | 6058** | 6059** | 5059** | 5080^ | 6080 | 6081 | 5081 | 5102^ | 6102 | 6103 | 5103^ | 5232††^ | 6232†† | 6233†† | 5233††^ | |||||
5016^ | 6016 | 6017 | 5017 | 5038^ | 6038 | 6039 | 5039 | 5060^ | 6060 | 6061 | 5061^ | 5082^ | 6082 | 6083 | 5083 | 5104^ | 6104 | 6105 | 5105^ | 5234††^ | 6234†† | 6235†† | 5235††^ | |||||
5018^ | 6018 | 6019 | 5019 | 5040^ | 6040 | 6041 | 5041 | 5062^ | 6062 | 6063 | 5063^ | 5084^ | 6084 | 6085 | 5085 | 5106^ | 6106 | 6107 | 5107^ | |||||||||
5020^ | 6020 | 6021 | 5021 | 5042** | 6042** | 6043** | 5043** | 5064** | 6064** | 6065** | 5065** | 5086** | 6086** | 6087** | 5087** | 5108^ | 6108 | 6109 | 5109^ | |||||||||
A62 Stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | A DM | T | D DM | |||||||||||
5124** | 6124** | 6125** | 5125** | 5142** | 6142** | 6143** | 5143** [S2] | 5160 | 6160 | 6161 | 5161^ | 5178** | 6178** | 6179** | 5179** [S2] | 5196** | 6196** | 6197** | 5197** [S1] | 5214 | 6214 | 6215 | 5215^ | |||||
5126^ | 6126 | 6127 | 5127 | 5144** | 6144** | 6145** | 5145** | 5162 | 6162 | 6163 | 5163^ | 5180 | 6180 | 6181 | 5181^ | 5198 | 6198 | 6199 | 5199^ | 5216** | 6216** | 6217** | 5217** | |||||
5128^ | 6128 | 6129 | 5129 | 5146 | 6146 | 6147 | 5147^ | 5164 | 6164 | 6165 | 5165^ | 5182 | 6182 | 6183 | 5183^ | 5200** | 6200** | 6201** | 5201** | 5218†† | 5218 | 6219 | 5219^ | |||||
5130^ | 6130 | 6131 | 5131 | 5148 | 6148 | 6149 | 5149^ | 5166** | 6166** | 6167** | 5167** | 5184** | 6184** | 6185** | 5185** | 5202 | 6202 | 6203 | 5203^ | 5220 | 6220 | 6221 | 5221^ | |||||
5132** | 6132** | 6133** | 5133** | 5150 | 6150 | 6151 | 5151^ | 5168 | 6168 | 6169 | 5169^ | 5186** | 6186** | 6187** | 5187** | 5204** | 6204** | 6205** | 5205** | 5222 | 6222 | 6223 | 5223^ | |||||
5134^ | 6134 | 6135 | 5135 | 5152 | 6152 | 6153 | 5153^ | 5170* | 6170* | 6171* | 5171* | 5188 | 6188 | 6189 | 5189^ | 5206** | 6206** | 6207** | 5207** | 5224 | 6224 | 6225 | 5225^ | |||||
5136** | 6136** | 6137** | 5137** | 5154** | 6154** | 6155** | 5155** | 5172** | 6172** | 6173** | 5173** [S1] | 5190 | 6190 | 6191 | 5191^ | 5208†† [f] | 6208* | 6209* | 5209†† [g] | 5226 | 6226 | 6227 | 5227^ | |||||
5138^ | 6138 | 6139 | 5139 | 5156** | 6156** | 6157** | 5157** | 5174** | 6174** | 6175** | 5175** | 5192 | 6192 | 6193 | 5193^ | 5210 | 6210 | 6211 | 5211^ | 5228 | 6228 | 6229 | 5229^ | |||||
5140** | 6140** | 6141** | 5140** | 5158** | 6158** | 6159** | 5159** | 5176** | 6176** | 6177** | 5177** | 5194 | 6194 | 6195 | 5195^ | 5212 | 6212 | 6213 | 5213^ | 5230 | 6230 | 6231 | 5231^ |
The London Underground A60 and A62 Stock reached its 50th year of passenger operation on 12 June 2011.[13] The age of the fleet means that spare parts are becoming harder to obtain, and a number of cars have been cannibalised to keep the rest of the fleet in operation while the S8 Stock is being introduced.
The A Stock operated on the East London line until the cessation of Underground services on 22 December 2007. The units were returned to Neasden Depot via the St. Mary's curve before the link was severed permanently. Class 378 Capitalstar units now operate on the line as part of the London Overground network after the first phase of extensions was completed on 23 May 2010.[14]
The first S8 Stock unit was introduced into passenger service on 31 July 2010.[15] Although physically similar to the S7 Stock for the District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, the main differences will be the layout and quantity of seats and the provision of two active sand hoppers for each rail due to the different conditions at the country end of the line.[16] The final withdrawals of the A Stock after the introduction of the S8 Stock commenced on 9 and 10 October 2010, when sets no. 196, 197, 172 and 173 were scrapped at various locations, leaving 111 4-car sets and the Sandite dispenser car (6036) available for service as of 27 December 2010:[17] of the cars scrapped, a number were already out of passenger service owing to damage - car 5173, which last ran in service in 2007, suffered a cracked bogie and sustained damage after hitting a tree on the line near Ruislip. The wiring of car 5197 was damaged in February 2010. The first unit of fully serviceable A62 Stock (5179) was sent away to C F Booth of Rotherham for scrapping on 20 January 2011 along with 5006 which had suffered a major electrical failure a week previously.[18][19] It was announced in early April 2011, that 5066/7 (having finished RAT duties in December 2010), is now being stripped out at Neasden and will be scrapped in the coming weeks. It made its final journey to Northwood along with 5166/7 on the 9th May 2011. However, these units went to Eastleigh Works instead. 5142/3 were collected for scrap from Northwood on 21/22 July 2011. 5154/5 was next to be collected, followed by 5132/3+5206/7 a week later, followed by 5004/5+5156/7 a week later, followed by 5048/9+5205/4, and currently as of 08/08/2011, units 5054/5 and 5058/9 are awaiting collection at Northwood sidings. In the week commencing 17/10/2011, 5032/33 and 5186/87 were at Northwood sidings.
|
|