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Post by johnb2 on Jun 7, 2008 19:27:40 GMT
I note that mrfs42 whished he could have seen the F Stock for real.
Well I used the Met line as a youngster (I lived in Pinner) but the F Stock usually ran on the Uxbridge branch along with the COPs.
For me to ride a F train was rare but different. Very occasionally one would show up on the Watford service as would a COP, that was an occasion for comment, "Oh look a red train!" as all thro' Pinner were the brown T's and Dreadnoughts.
They were built like tanks and growled around the system in 8 car sets, I never saw a short rake in service. The ride could best be described as 'rather firm'. They seemed to me, and it was a long time ago, to have a fair turn of speed, particularly south of Wembley Park.
Alongside the rather elegant looking COP stock they were angular in appearance with hardly a curve in sight, and appeared a bit ancient with their oval driving windows. The sliding doors always seemed to be a bit loose in their tracks and opened and shut with a decided rattle and thump, not a bit like today's mostly smooth movements.
In short the best description I could give would be 'battleship engineered'
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2008 19:37:36 GMT
What were they like 'off the starting line' from a station? Slow/noisy?
I've seen a few photos of them... I read that the crews hated them because of the small oval cab wndows - some crew members had to stoop down to see out properly...
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mrfs42
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Post by mrfs42 on Jun 7, 2008 19:37:36 GMT
Hence the nickname of 'tanks', I suppose. F and COP stock would/could appear on the Watford service around school turfing out times or when the diagramming for return traffic from Wembley caused them to wander off the home metals of the Uxbridge branch.
I think by the time the F stock were on the Met the motoring arrangements had changed to slow them down!
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Post by johnb2 on Jun 7, 2008 20:02:42 GMT
What were they like 'off the starting line' from a station? Slow/noisy? .. Starting away could be described as stately ;D They had a distinctive growl and rumble, not unduly noisy, just different. |
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metman
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Post by metman on Jun 7, 2008 23:09:36 GMT
Quality! I love to hear memories such as these! I'm 27 and never rode or saw F stock! I have a quiet respect for the tanks! They must have been suited for the Met to be honest. They always ran as 8 cars (except on the ELL) because the middle driving motor cars were only provided with 2 motors (rather than 4 [and hence being known as single rather than double equipped]) and no guards panels (a similar situation to the current A stock) either.
They were a sod to drive from what I've heard too - they needed to be hand notched!
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mrfs42
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Post by mrfs42 on Jun 7, 2008 23:52:36 GMT
They'd have been more suited to the Southend non-stoppers (apart from Whitechapel) - but that is another story in itself - changing a through train to a Barking changeover and tinkering with some of the acceptance conditions at Cromwell Road, particularly in the South Ken/Gloucester Road area. I still think that the F stock would have been better employed (rather than shoved mercilessly around the timetabling of the District and the Met - eventually ekeing out an existance on the much-missed ELL[1]) on a Queens Park - Watford shuttle - hence the 'dreaming of blue stripes and F stock'  [1] understanding ELL timetables is (if not arcane) a black art. |
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Post by tubeprune on Jun 8, 2008 11:38:18 GMT
They were a sod to drive from what I've heard too - they needed to be hand notched! Hand notching wasn't so bad once you got used to it. The lazier drivers just used positions 1, 5 and 9 (Inch, Series & Parallel) waiting until the motor current dropped before choosing the next notch, hence the stately start. However, you could get them to start more quickly if you went through all the notches properly but it took practice to avoid blowing the circuit breaker. Once they got going they were fast and they were very good for football traffic as they could clear a crowd. The motors were rearranged shortly after they arrived on the District as they were too powerful for the current supply. The motors were used on the District electric locos. Their other claim to fame is that they were the first Underground trains to have ep brakes - the forerunner of the old A Type. |
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Post by ruislip on Jun 8, 2008 22:40:13 GMT
1) Were the guards panels in the driving cabs, or inside the cars at each end?
2) Was the upholstery of the seats similar to what was in COP stock?
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metman
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Post by metman on Jun 8, 2008 22:54:13 GMT
1) The guards panels were in the former trailing end cabs (remember all [40] F stock motors were double ended and double equipped). When the EP brakes were added from 1928 all cars became handed and the second driving cab was removed from all motors. Some became single equipped and had the rear cab removed and the cab doors replaced by a window, the remaining double equipped cars used the space of the old cab as guard accomodation like the G stock did! On the ELL the guard had to use the [only] double equipped motor car in the four car set which often meant the guard was in the leading car!
2) Not sure whether they were like the CO/CP stock but the 'Frank Pick' refurb must have been similar to the (then) new G/K/L stock?
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