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| 3231 arrives at Willesden Junction |
The fleet has undergone a refurbishment programme [2] to keep them going until then, though the 1972 Tube Stock fleet was found to be in even worse condition than first thought with a lot of work needed to repair and replace cracked and corroded parts of the structure. The interiors have also been smartened up with new moquette on the seating and improved flooring [3]. More work is being carried out on improving accessibility to the fleet.
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 441 (63 7-car sets, 30 Mark 1, 33 Mark 2) |
| Built: | 1972-74 |
| Builder: | Metro-Cammell |
| Motor: | 4 LT115A traction motors per motor car (630v DC fourth rail) |
| Power: | 1, 680 hp (1, 264 kW) |
| Formation: | Driving Motor (DM)+Trailer (T)+T+DM+ [Uncoupling Non Driving Motor (UNDM)+T+DM] |
The 1972 Tube Stock was built to replace 1938 Tube Stock which was becoming life expired in the early 1970s. To save time, the new stock was based on the 1967 Tube Stock which had recently been built for the Victoria Line [4]. Although externally they look very similar, there are sufficient differences to mean the 1967 and 1972 fleets were not interchangeable (though surplus 1972 stock were later modified and used to augment Victoria Line services). The 72ts comprises four and three car sets which together make a seven car train. The three car sets only have a cab at one end.
The first thirty sets were known as the Mark 1, none of these sets remain in passenger service as built though a set was preserved, an ex-Northern Line 4-car set, at Aldwych disused tube station for training and filming purposes [5] though has recently been withdrawn. The second batch of thirty three cars was the Mark 2 which had a slightly different interior and some equipment and control differences. The 1972 Tube Stock initially served on the Northern (Mark I) and Jubilee (Mark II) Lines though the latter were later transferred to the Bakerloo Line and they remain in service today. Thirty six sets are operated by the Bakerloo Line, the vast majority of these are Mark IIs but with a couple of Mark Is cars converted to be compatible.
Due to their age the 72 Tube Stock fleet in many ways is unique on London Underground, they are the only tube profile trains to retain some transverse seating and the last stock to be fitted with the once standard Westinghouse air brake [6].
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| Arriving at Marylebone |
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| 3261 at Queen's Park |
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| Post-life extension work exterior |
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| 3558 at Baker Street |
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| 3564 at North Wembley |
[1] Underground News Number 654 (June 2016) p. 344
[2] "Bakerloo Line Fleet Weld Repairs" <http://content.tfl.gov.uk/fpc-160708-14-bakerloo.pdf>
[3] Underground News Number 655 (July 2016)
[4] J. Graeme Bruce, The London Underground Tube Stock (Ian Allan, 1988) p. 109
[5] Anthony Badsey-Ellis & Mike Horne, The Aldwych Branch (Capital Transport, 2009) p. 103
[6] Piers Connor, The London Underground Electric Train (Crowood Press, 2015) p. 72