Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 17:59:05 GMT
I've been looking at as many pictures as I can to figure something out regarding '56 tube stock. When the stock was built, it looks like the air intake grills and destination indicator on the front end had the beading between the body and roofline underneath. In later years this beading had moved to run above the air intakes and destination indicator. Does anyone know when this change occured? Thanks.
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Post by astock5000 on Jan 18, 2009 18:28:27 GMT
I thought that some of the 56TS was different to others - each of the three trains were built by different companies.
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metman
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5056 05/12/1961-23/04/2012 RIP
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Post by metman on Jan 18, 2009 18:56:14 GMT
Yes that's correct. There were 3 different companies involved. The Metrocammel design was chosen because it was the neatest. It was used to make the 59/62 albetit with two marker lights.
The Birmingham design did not have a beading light on the front of the cab at cant level, nor did the Gloucester build, although the Gloucester unit had a beading line at the base of the passenger windows- very backward!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 19:29:33 GMT
The book UNDERGROUND Movement has many of these details for your modelling. IIRC it has pictures of all the designs and highlights the differences. It's a very good book. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 21:05:28 GMT
Sadly, I don't have said book! It would appear that the Gloucester unit had the beading above the destination indicator as did one of the Birmingham sets. Who'd be a modeller!!!! One other question. Would I be right in guessing that, when uncoupling was in operation with the '56 sets, did the sets get mixed. eg, a Birmingham 4-car with a Gloucester 3-car? Also, at what time were they rebuilt to be compatable with the 59/62 stock and would combinations with these have been common? I know, more questions. Thanks for indulging me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 21:25:55 GMT
The Metro-Cammell 1956 roof line was very similar (but not exactly identical) to the production 1959s. The beading around the roof line of the Gloucester and Birminghams were indeed different, and don't forget the waist-level beading line on the Gloucester and the straight rainstrips over the passenger doors (which curved downwards at the ends) also on the Gloucester. The Birmingham and Metro-Cammell trains had the traditional eliptical rainstrips.
I remember these coming into service very well. On Saturday afternoon outings with my parents, the 1956 would usually turn up at about 14.30 at Alperton on the eastbound. Very occasionally a 1938 would be substituted. All was fine until there was a timetable change sometime later .......
I also recall the 1956s uncoupling and running in service as 3s and 4s. Because only the 'middle' DMs had fully automatic couplers, care had to be taken to ensure that like couplers were facing each other at coupling up time. The outer end DMs had only mechanical couplers (like the 35xx DMs of 1972 Tube Stock).
The uncoupling schedules of the 1956s was thus rather complex and warrants a subject in its own right.
Otherwise the three prototype trains were compatible within their three-train group at the time, but were later made compatible with the 1959s as well. I am not sure when the outer ends got auto couplers but the 4xxxx numbers were changed to the beginning of the 1959 Tube Stock series in 1965.
The 1959s did not uncouple (apart from the 3-car Aldwych) because uncoupling on the Picc (and Central) ended in December 1959, and the first 1959 didn't enter service until 14 December 1959 (which I rode on, on Saturday 19 December from Ealing Common to Alperton - the twin headlights rather caught me by surprise!).
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