London Underground D78 Stock

The D78 Stock was built in the late 1970s for the District Line of London Underground replacing CO/CP and R Stock some of which had been in service since before the Second World War. The D78 (or just D) Stock bought a number of innovations with a keen eye for interior design to make them more inviting for passengers [1]. They had much improved suspension compared to earlier designs. They also introduced the twist-grip deadman joystick replacing the older style deadman button grip [2] (the deadman is a safety device which stops the train if the driver in incapacitated). One Man Operation began on the trains in 1985.

Information
Number built:	450 (75 6-car sets)
Built:	1978-81
Builder:	Metro-Cammell
Engine:	Brush LT118 traction motors (630v DC third & fourth rail)
Formation:	Driving Motor (DM)+Trailer (T)+ Uncoupling Non-Driving Motor (UNDM)+UNDM+T+DM (Some sets are DM+T+DM)

The D78 Stock cars were the longest on the Underground, which proved to be a problem on the District Line's High Street Kensington - Edgware Road branch as the D78 Stock was too long (C Stock trains were used instead)! [3] Most D78 Stock formations had 2 Driving Motors (DMs) at either end with non-driving motor cars in the middle, though some had DMs in the middle meaning they could be used as 3 car sets. They were used as such for a couple of years on the East London Line in the mid-1980s.

The D78 Stock fleet received a heavy mid-life refurbishment in the 2000s but were replaced as part of London Underground's standardisation for its Surface Stock fleet. The D78 Stock's replacement by S Stock was complete in Spring 2017, a number of years earlier than planned. Some D78 Stock will live on on the National Rail network as Class 230 DMUs (or bi-mode hybrids).

7535 at West Brompton

7094 at Earls Court

7049 at Kew Gardens

Aboard a D Stock train in its latter days

[1] Paul Moss, London Underground 1863 Onwards (Haynes, 2014) p. 132
[2] Piers Connor, The London Underground Electric Train (Crowood, 2015) p. 122
[3] Ben Muldoon, London Underground Rolling Stock Guide (Ian Allan, 2014) p. 26

Class 308 (BR York ER London Suburban Services AM8)

The original batch of 4-car units, originally known as the Southend Augmentation Stock, the AM8 (later Class 308/1) was built for commuter services out of London Liverpool Street to Colchester, Clacton and Walton [1]. Later on they were joined by a second batch (308/2) for boat train services out to Tilbury from London Fenchurch Street. One car was dedicated as a luggage van (though could also stow cycles and other items - it even included a fish stowage area!) [2] Finally a batch of 3-car units (308/2) was built for services from Liverpool Street to Chingford and Enfield Town.

Information
Number built:	177 (45 3 and 4-car sets)
Built:	1959-61
Builder:	BR York
Engine:	4 EE 536A traction motors per set (25kV AC OHLE)
Power:	770 hp (574 kW)
Formation:	308/1 : Battery Driving Trailer Composite Open Lavatory (BDTCOL) +Motor Brake Standard Open (MBSO)+Trailer Standard Open Lavatory (TSOL)+Driving Trailer Standard Open (DTSO) 308/2 : Battery Driving Trailer Standard (BDTS)+Motor Luggage Van (MLV)+Trailer Composite (TC)+Driving Trailer Standard (DTS) 308/3 : BDTS+Motor Brake Standard (MBS)+DTS 308/4 : BDTS+MLV+DTS

Externally the Class 308 looked similar to the likes of the Class 305 and 504 EMUs and had similiar equipment to the Class 302.

In the early 1980s the Tilbury boat trains ceased after Tilbury closed as a cruiser liner terminal. Three Class 308/2s were rebuilt as 308/4 postal trains, the non-motorised trailer being removed to make them 3-car units. Withdrawals of the 308 began in earnest in the late 1980s with the 308/2s and 308/3s being withdrawn. The 308/1s survived into the privatised era however and in their final years spread further afield. They could be found in the West Midlands and North East as a stop-gap stock pending new build EMUs [3]. They were finally withdrawn from service in 2001. One 308/1 DTSO has been preserved at the Electric Railway Museum.

Two views of the preserved 75881

[1] Colin J. Marsden, Motive Power Recognition 2: EMUs (Ian Allan, 1982) p. 28
[2] Alec Swain, Overhead Line Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1990) p. 44
[3] Colin J. Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 225