London Underground 1906 Stock

Infobox Underground stock
name = 1906 Stock
InService = 1906-1953
Manufacturer = American Car and Foundry
LACN
HRC&MW
Brush
Metro-Cammell
Weight = DM 27.5 tons
CarWidth = 8' 9"
CarLength = DM 50' 3"
CarSeating = DM 36
TubeStock=true

The 1906 Stock, also known as "Gate Stock", was built for the Yerkes tube lines, Bakerloo, Piccadilly Line, and Hampstead Line.

Construction

Bakerloo Line

For the Bakerloo Line 108 cars were built by the American Car and Foundry who had purchased premises in Trafford Park in Manchester, England. There were thirty-six each of driving motors, driving trailers, and trailers.

Hampstead Line

For the Hampstead Line 150 cars were built, also by American Car and Foundry. Sixty were driving motors, fifty were driving trailers, and forty were trailers.

Piccadilly Line

For the Piccadilly line 218 cars, seventy-two motor cars and 146 trailers, were built, the order being split between Les Ateliers de Construction du Nord de la France, at Blanc-Misseron, France and Hungarian Railway Carriage and Machinery Works, in Raab, Hungary. Two cars were also built in Britain, one by the Metropolitan Carriage and Wagon Co and one by Brush Electrical Engineering Co Ltd.The cars built in both France and Hungary were shipped unfinished to England were they went to Lillie Bridge depot where they were prepared for service. Seating on the Piccadilly line cars was forty-two in the motor cars and fifty-two in the trailers, the seats were rattan-covered. Livery was Midland lake.

Conversion to air-operated doors

Only thirty cars, all driving motors, were converted for air-operated doors. These were all French built cars and were converted in 1920 for use with the 1920 stock. These lasted until 1930 when they were replaced by 'Standard Stock' driving motors.

A few of these cars were used as ballast motors while two were rebuilt into double ended cars and used on the Aldwych branch until the 1950s.

Although it was not the only stock to have gates the 1906 Stock seemed to be the only one that earned the nickname "Gate Stock". Entry and exit was by the end platforms, being protected by lattice gates, and operated by a gateman stationed between cars. The gateman opened and shut the gates as well as passing the signal to start from car to car until the driver received it.

One anomaly remained until the 1980s to remind of the original "Gate Stock". This was the "Gateman's Allowance" paid under a 1927 agreement to the guards until around 1985, to compensate for the guard now having to operate all the doors on the train.

Preservation

Part of one carriage of the stock has been preserved by the London Transport Museum acton depot

External links

* [http://photos.ltmcollection.org London Transport Museum Photographic Archive]
**ltmcollection|2j/i000062j.jpg|1906 Gate Stock train in tunnel at Hampstead, 1907
**ltmcollection|0o/i0000b0o.jpg|1906 Gate Stock Drive Car, 1920
**ltmcollection|0q/i0000b0q.jpg|1906 Gate Stock Trailer Car, 1920
**ltmcollection|y1/i0000ay1.jpg|Interior View of Gate Stock Car, 1906