STILL STEAMING UNDERGROUND!
This year’s commemorations to mark 150 years of the District Line brought the curtain down on the operation of steam on the Underground (LUL) in Central London – but all is not lost for steam elsewhere on the tube network and the London Transport Museum (LTM) is now looking to the future.
The weekend of June 22/23, 2019 saw three commemorative steam-hauled journeys run each day between Ealing Broadway and High Street Kensington, giving people the opportunity to experience what it would have been like to travel on the District line when it first opened on Christmas Eve, 1868.
Passengers boarding the train, hauled by Met 1, at Ealing Broadway were entertained by Victorian-costumed actors and a vintage brass band, as onlookers waved goodbye from the platform. This was the final time a heritage steam train will travel in central London on the Underground due to the installation of a new signalling system on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. When the upgrade is complete in 2023, it will provide increased capacity and make journeys faster and more comfortable across 40% of the Tube network.
In partnership with Transport for London (TfL), LTM will continue to offer its heritage steam train outings on the outer reaches of the Metropolitan line towards Chesham.
With 2019 coming to a close, Her itage Railway decided it was time to reflect on the story behind running steam on LUL – and also find out what lies in store for the future.
Survivor
Metropolitan Railway (MR) E Class 0-4-4T No. 1 is a lucky survivor and is today preserved by the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre (BRC) at Quainton Road.
“The only plan for steam operations in 2020 is the Amersham Heritage Weekend on September 6/7. Trains will run between Amersham and Harrow on the Saturday and Sunday. That will involve L150, our 4TC carriages, and a Class 20. Plans for charters with our 1938 Stock are currently being finalised. We’re keen
