Early Metropolitan Railway Electric Multiple Units (1904, 1905, 1906 Stock)

Faced with competition from electric trams (and deep-level tube trains) and a growing reluctance from passengers to travel on steam trains underground, the Metropolitan Railway began the process of electrifying its lines in the early 1900s. An experimental train was built jointly with the District Railway [1] and tested in 1900 between Earl's Court and High Street Kensington. The line used twin 600v DC conductor rails either side of the track.

Preserved 1904 Stock trailer car at LT Museum Depot, Acton

Information
Number built:	535 cars
Built:	1902-06
Builder:	Metropolitan Amalgamated
Motor:	Westinghouse electric motors (600v DC Fourth Rail)
Power:	600 hp (440 kW)

Following the success of this test the Metropolitan Railway pushed ahead. A 3kV AC overhead electric system was considered, but in the end the Metropolitan decided to stick with DC conductor rails as was being adopted by London's other electric railways (and of course is used to the current day). The stock for this initial phase of electrification was built in three batches, known as the 1904, 1905 and 1906 Stock. A mixture of motor cars and trailers were built, open lattice gates used for passenger access. The initial batch of trains used Westinghouse electrical equipment though later units used more powerful British Thomson-Houston GE69 motors.

The units began operation from Uxbridge to Baker Street in 1905 [2]. The trains had first and third class seating. The open platforms proved to be troublesome in the open air parts of the line and were covered over after a short time [3]. Central sliding doors were also added in the early 1910s. One trailer has survived into preservation though is still in a poor state.

Car under test at Westinghouse track in Manchester (using AC OHLE) [4]

[1] Mike Horne, The Metropolitan Line (Capital Transport, 2003) p. 28

[2] Brian Hardy, Underground Train File Surface Stock 1933-1959 (Capital Transport, 2002) p. 4

[3] Piers Connor, The London Underground Electric Train (Crowood Press, 2015) p. 41

[4] "The Single Phase Railway System", The Electrician (July 6 1906) (Supplement Bulletin 10)

Metropolitan Railway BTH Locomotives

Following on a year after the first batch of locomotives for the Metropolitan Railway, were these locomotives which used British Thomson-Houston electrical equipment and General Electric motors. Unlike the earlier locomotives which had a central cab, these locomotives had a cab at each end. In 1919 the BTH equipment was replaced by Westinghouse.

No. 11 [1]

Information
Number built:	10
Built:	1907
Builder:	Metropolitan Amalgamated / British Thomson-Houston
Motor:	4 GE69 electric motors (600v DC third rail)
Power:	800 hp (567 kW)
Formation:	Bo-Bo

In the 1920s the Metropolitan Railway decided to have it's electric locomotives rebuilt by Metropolitan Vickers though this was quickly changed into an order for twenty new locomotives, which reused equipment from the earlier two batches. The BTH locomotives were withdrawn in the early 1920s.

Another view of No. 11 [1]

Inside showing the electric equipment, notice no cab partition [1]

Cab controls [1]

[1] "Metropolitan Railway locomotives for passenger and goods service", Railway Times (Aug 17 1907) p. 173

Leith Corporation Tramways

The Leith Corporation Tramways was a short-lived tramway company in Leith, Scotland. The company took over from the horse-drawn Edinburgh Street Tramways [1] in the Leith corporation district in October 1904. Work on electrification began immediately with electric tram services up and running by August 1905. The company survived until 1920 when it was taken over by Edinburgh Corporation Tramways. The tram routes continued to operate until 1956.

Tram on Newhaven Road [1]

Information
Number built:	36
Built:	1905
Builder:	British Thomson-Houston & Brush Electrical United Electric Car Works of Preston
Motor:	2 GE54 electric motors (500v DC OHLE)

Leith Corporation operated a fleet of thirty-six trams (plus a couple of works cars). All were double decker trams, thirty were open on top and six having a covered top deck. The tram car order was shared equally between British Thomson-Houston and Brush Electrical. The bodies were made by the United Electric Car Works in Preston, all trams used Brill 21E trucks and GE motors.

These trams were inherited by the Edinburgh Corporation and most of the open top deck were modernised with covers. The trams survived until the mid-1930s with the last scrapped in 1936. The company also operated a combined sweeper and sprinkler car.

Car depot [2]

Tram on Craighall Road [2]

[1] "Leith Corporation Tramways", Street Railway Journal (Vol. XXVI No. 24) Dec 9 1905, p. 1014
[2] Ibid. p. 1017

Metropolitan Railway 1906 Stock (M and N Stock)

The Metropolitan Railway began the electrification of it's lines in the early 1900s, with the first electric services running between Baker Street and Uxbridge in 1905. Electrification gave the Metropolitan Railway a problem however, they were left with a number of nearly new surplus locomotive hauled carriages. In 1906 the Metropolitan Railway began to convert these carriages into electric multiple units [1].

Side view of an M Stock DM [2]

Information for M Stock
Number built:	58 (Carriages)
Built:	1898-1900 (Conversions 1906)
Builder:	Ashbury Railway Carriage & Wagon Company (Conversions) British Thomson-Houston
Motor:	4 GE69 electric motors per power car (600v DC fourth rail)
Power:	1, 600 hp (1, 194 kW)
Formation:	Driving Motor (DM) + Trailer (T) + T + T + T + T + DM

The first conversions were 4-car rakes converted in 1906. They were initially found to be underpowered and were retro-fitted with more powerful motors. These cars, later in 6-car rakes, were known as N Stock and were later used on the Metropolitan Stanmore branch.

Also created were 7-car rakes with GE69 motors [2], two motors apiece on each bogie on the Driving Motor. These M Stock trains were later strengthened to 8-car rakes. Behind the cab in each Driving Motor the former guard and luggage compartment became an equipment area containing switching and other control electrical apparatus which took up about a third of the coach [3].

M Stock on test [2]

GE69 electric motor [2]

Equipment area behind the driver's seat in the cab [2]

[1] Piers Connor, The London Underground Electric Train (Crowood Press, 2015) p. 135
[2] "Converted coaches on the Metropolitan Railway", The Electrician (Oct 12 1906) p. 1004
[3] Oliver Green, The London Underground. An Illustrated History (Ian Allan, 1987) p. 26

NER Electric Shunter 1 (Class ES1)

A mile long freight branch from Newcastle Quay was electrified by the North Eastern Railway at the start of the 20th century because steam locomotives were proving hard to use on the line. The line had a tunnel with a very sharp hairpin bend in it so that both mouths were pointing in the same direction. This often meant that the exhaust from steam locomotives (which had to work hard because of the gradients in the tunnel) became trapped making conditions very difficult if not dangerous for crews [1]. Two electric shunting engines were instead built for this line by Brush using BTH electrical equipment collecting 600v DC current from overhead lines and third rail (in the tunnel). At the time of construction they were the largest electric locomotives built in the UK [2].

Information
Number built:	2
Built:	1903-04
Builder:	British Thomson-Houston/Brush
Engine:	4 GE/British Thomson-Houston 55 traction motors (600-630v DC third rail & OHLE)
Power:	640 hp (477 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	Bo-Bo

Although they spent most of their time on freight shunting they could also work with NER's Tyneside EMUs in the same area [3] at South Gosforth MPD [4]. They later passed into the LNER fleet and finally British Railways where they became known as the Class ES1. They were finally retired in 1964, Number 1 was preserved and can now be found at NRM Shildon.

Three views of Number 1 now preserved at NRM Shildon

Number 2 in original condition with bow style collector, public domain image [5]

Side view of Number 2 notice the third rail shoes deployed, public domain image [6]

[1] Brian Haresnape, Electric Locomotives (Ian Allan, 1983) p. 7
[2] "Electric freight locomotives for the North East of England", The Street Railway Journal October 1904 (Vol XXIV No. 15) p. 674
[3] R.L. Vickers, DC Electric Trains and Locomotives in the British Isles (David & Charles, 1986) p. 57
[4] David Dunn, Tyneside Electrics: 2 (South Shields Branch & System Miscellany) (Booklaw, 2016) p. 37
[5] Street Railway Journal p. 675
[6] Street Railway Journal p. 676

NER Tyneside Electrics

At the turn of the century many local lines were facing increased competition from the growing network of electric street cars (trams) and like a number of railway companies the North Eastern Railway turned to electric traction for its Tyneside network [4]. The EMUs were built at NER's York workshop with British Thomson-Houston electrical equipment and ran on a 600v DC third rail network which opened between Newcastle New Bridge Street and Benton in 1904, extending to Tynemouth later in the year [5] with further extensions in the following years.

Information
Number built:	157 (3-8 car sets plus MPVs)
Built:	1904-22
Builder:	NER York / British Thomson-Houston
Engine:	2 British Thomson-Houston traction motors (600v DC third rail)
Power:	250 hp (186 kW) final batch 280 hp (208 kW)

The EMUs were built to the NER's style with clerestory roofs. The original batch of 88 vehicles included driving motor cars (both with first/class class compartments and all third [6]), trailers and motor parcel vans which had a compartment for fish! Another 35 cars were built in 1915. However disaster occurred in 1918 when a fire at Walkergate Car Sheds destroyed 34 cars held inside [7].

Thirty-four replacement cars were built between 1920 and 1922. These had more powerful BTH motors (140hp as opposed to the original 125hp motors) and an elliptical roof instead of a clerestory. The original stock was replaced by newer units built by Metro-Cammell in the 1930s but the 1920-22 stock remained in service until it was replaced by Class 416 EMUs in 1955. One 1904 built parcel van has been preserved.

Public domain image [1]

Motor Parcel Van, Public domain image [2]

Public domain image [3]

[1] Charles H Grinling, The ways of our railways (Ward Lock, 1910) p. 172
[2] "Electric express car for the North Eastern Railway of England", Electric Railway Journal Vol XXXIII No. 14 (1909) p. 609
[3] "New motor cars for the North Eastern Railway of England", Electric Railway Journal Vol XXXIV No. 8 (1908) p. 290
[4] Brian Haresnape & Alec Swain, Third Rail DC Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1989) p. 15
[5] David Dunn, Tyneside Electrics: 1 (Book Law, 2016) p. 4
[6] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 182
[7] R.L. Vickers, DC Electric Trains and Locomotives in the British Isles (David & Charles, 1986) p. 56