Scrapping of D stock

Colin, seeing as they'll most likely be in better nick than the C stock when their time comes and more likely to be in gauge on NR than the A stock, what odds would you put on them going to the cutter's with a bit of dignity by rail instead of on low loaders?

I still can't believe that the first new stock I knew as a child will soon be no more. Are there any preservation plans? They are truly a unique train.

I'd expect a few double ended units to be retained to form 3 car sandite units, but I wouldn't expect 6 car units to be used as sandite, they would require more maintenance. I expect that a couple of units would be retained for preservation, but again it may be a double ended unit as opposed to 2 single ended units

Can't agree, when they were introduced they were a complete departure from any train I'd ever seen and have ever seen since. The current livery doesn't do them justice and the addition of hopper windows (though necessary, especially in the smoking carriages back in the day) also detracts from the design.

But don't hold your breath .....

As Colin said earlier



And one train will almost inevitably end up being preserved, but unfortunately there just isn't any use for them elsewhere without expensive modifications to the infrastructure or the trains - the demand just isn't there

There was a proposal to use some D stock on the Leeds to Harrogate line. www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2011/07/15-district-line-to-harrogate-electrification.html
I don't know if this plan is still ongoing.

One just has to read some of the comments below that article to see why the proposal went nowhere. Face it, 'D' stock are heading for the scrapheap. It may be 5-10 years earlier than one might have expectde them to go, but then again the A stock lasted longer than expected for a similar period. It can't be sensible to cling onto 35 year old technologty

An add on to my previous post, which was very much "thinking on the hoof"! Neasden would probably not work as a maintenance depot for D Stock if it were converted to 3rd rail operation, unless the DC Lines reverted back to the 4th rail throughout. A four car D Stock train may well be sufficient for capacity and would have sufficient compressors. It would in all probaility only be for the relative short term as HS2 will see the service ultimately diverted onto the North London Lines. Will stop the thought process here before I stray too far off the thread subject!

All the points you put apart from the last seem valid. This was supposed to be run as a metro type service and very few of these services require or have toilets.

Even Pacers have toilets - it would definitely be seen as a retrograde step to run services all the way to Harrogate and Knaresborough without them. As far as I am aware only the 313/507 family, the 376, 378, 455 and 456 are plumbing-free.

@ norbitonflyer

There might be two more reasons "why not", but need confirmation

1) They're 'out of gauge' for the existing infrastructure where they would be required to operate
2) They're also out of gauge to be hauled there. Each car would have to be lifted by road as individual cars, and the units re-assembled there

I agree with roythebus

During my lifetime, I have seen so many things that worked perfectly well, replaced by newer, shinier things that didn't work properly. The bus industry in particular is littered with examples. As things get more complicated, the more opportunity there is for things to fail taking the whole thing out of service.

In the late '60s, perfectly good buses were taken out of service to be replaced with the "newthink idea" of a central door for passengers to alight/(escape). Everyone on the bus crowded by the doors, > the weight of the passengers distorted the bus, > doors no longer worked > buses scrapped with no suitable replacements available

Is leaf clearing a problem on the district?