Rail Photo of the Month: July 2023

1973 Stock 126

Arnos Grove Station, London, England
Operator of Vehicle: Transport for London
Date of Photo: May 21, 2008

This month, the London Transport Museum is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Piccadilly Line extension to Cockfosters.  In 1932, the line was extended from Finsbury Park to Arnos Grove.  Then on March 13, 1933 the line was extended to Oakfields and again on July 31, 1933 to Cockfosters, which remains the terminal today.  To mark this occasion, the London Transport Museum is running a special fantrip using its 1938 rolling stock on Sunday, July 9.  I haven’t been in London when any of these special types of events put on my the museum have occurred, but from what I see on social media, they look to be great.  As it is, the museum itself is a must see attraction for any transit fan visiting London.  

The photo featured here is of the 1973 Stock that currently operates on the Piccadilly Line at the Arnos Grove station.  The 1973 Stock is among the oldest rolling stock in use on a transit system in Britain but TfL has plans for new deep tube stock that may begin operating as soon as 2025.

For more photos of the 1973 Stock, please click here.  

Steam Trains to Return to the London Underground…One Last Time

Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No. 23 at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden

Unless you’re a member of the London Transport Museum and already booked a ticket, you’ve probably missed your chance to join a very unique fantrip.  On June 22 and June 23, the London Transport Museum will be operating a train pulled by steam locomotives between the Ealing Broadway and High Street Kensington stations to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the District Line’s opening.  In addition, due to the signaling improvements that are underway on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan Lines, the museum expects this to be the last time steam trains will be able to travel in to Central London on the sub-surface lines.  Tickets cost 150 GBP (197 USD) for standard class and 180 GBP (236.50 USD) for first class.  For more information, please visit https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/events-calendar/heritage-vehicles-outings.  And even if you missed out on the opportunity to ride this train, it is expected that you will be able to see it pass by from any of the District Line stations it will pass through on its journeys.