Oldest stock you've travelled in on the network.

[Taunton]

Not the oldest but some LMS 6 wheeled bogie sleepers lasted into the 1970's and received blue / Grey

Actually not that old. BR Standard stock was not introduced until 1951, until then the former company designs continued to be built, in their traditional workshops, and a lot of what was categorised as "pre-nationalisation" stock at the end was from then. Wartime lack of maintenance plus absence of any new build meant a lot needed replacing. Meanwhile the BR maroon livery gave way to blue/grey in 1965, so there was only a 14-year gap between the two, although not a lot of pre-standard stock was actually repainted.

Those LMS-design 12-wheel sleepers were actually built in 1950-52.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I have it on good authority that I was carried on to 502s and 503s as a toddler, so that's probably it for me. As far as my own memory goes, it's probably going to be whichever of the many heritage DMUs I rode as a kid- probably a 104 or something similar. Other than that it'd be a VEP or a CEP.

 

[satisnek]

It would have been the 4 COR units for me as well, although memories are extremely vague.

As for London Underground, I have a memory of travelling in a red-painted Standard (1923) stock vehicle, with 'bell' lampshades. For a long time I thought this was impossible and I must have been confusing it with a childhood ride on the (blue-painted) IOW stock. Only in quite recent years did I learn that a number of Standard stock trailers ran in 1938 stock sets well into the 1970s. That's what I remember

And the Waterloo & City... although the 1940 stock lasted into the early 1990s I can just about remember the pre-Moorgate days when the speed limit was 'as fast as the thing would go' and (for a small child at least) it was the white knuckle ride to beat them all!

 

[delt1c]

It would have been the 4 COR units for me as well, although memories are extremely vague.

As for London Underground, I have a memory of travelling in a red-painted Standard (1923) stock vehicle, with 'bell' lampshades. For a long time I thought this was impossible and I must have been confusing it with a childhood ride on the (blue-painted) IOW stock. Only in quite recent years did I learn that a number of Standard stock trailers ran in 1938 stock sets well into the 1970s. That's what I remember

And the Waterloo & City... although the 1940 stock lasted into the early 1990s I can just about remember the pre-Moorgate days when the speed limit was 'as fast as the thing would go' and (for a small child at least) it was the white knuckle ride to beat them all!

Some standard trailers were converted to run with Cravens 60 stock and used on the Hainult to Woodford section lasting into the 80's

 

[Dai Corner]

My mother tells me she took me into central London from Thornton Heath as a baby in 1960 but couldn't identify the stock. Any ideas anyone?

 

[30907]

My mother tells me she took me into central London from Thornton Heath as a baby in 1960 but couldn't identify the stock. Any ideas anyone?

4 SUB. But that means anything from pre-grouping 5-a-side bodywork on SR frames to late 40s Bullied stock (6-a-side or 3+2).

Lots of relevant stuff at http://www.semgonline.com

 

[yorksrob]

4 SUB. But that means anything from pre-grouping 5-a-side bodywork on SR frames to late 40s Bullied stock (6-a-side or 3+2).

Lots of relevant stuff at http://www.semgonline.com

I think all the pre-grouping ones were long gone (or departmental) by 1960.

Bullied SUB or EPB I would think.

 

[Dai Corner]

I think all the pre-grouping ones were long gone (or departmental) by 1960.

Bullied SUB or EPB I would think.

Thank you both.

I will read up on SUBs and EPBs and bore mother next time I see her!

 

[yorksrob]

Thank you both.

I will read up on SUBs and EPBs and bore mother next time I see her!

The key think you have to remember about EPB's is that they were wonderful

 

[daodao]

The 1500v DC EMUs (class 505) built for Manchester - Altrincham services from 1931 must have been contenders until withdrawal in 1971, they too received rail blue livery, sadly I never managed a journey on one of these despite them being on my doorstep so to speak.

The MSJ&A emus, and the converted LU emus on the IoW, are probably the oldest trains I have been on in the UK.

 

[PeterC]

Certainly as a child I travelled behind main line steam.

As a regular user classes 306 and 307 but occasional trips south of the Thames would have included a variety of older Southern Railway EMUs

 

[dgl]

Probably the Mk. 3 trailers in a HST set on GWR and probably as a baby/toddler on the Mk. 1 stock on the West of England Main Line and possibly the Mk. 1 based EMU's on the South West Main Line.

 

[Lampshade]

Probably Mk2s.

 

[Strathclyder]

303s on the mainline, no doubting it.

 

[Taunton]

The question was "in", and I do recall travelling to Minehead in GWR B-sets from Taunton, in use there until the early 1960s, probably the later Collett-era build, but hauled by the earlier 45xx 2-6-2T locos, which were built before 1910.

Bit concerning to think that was more than 100 years back from today.

 

[30907]

I think all the pre-grouping ones were long gone (or departmental) by 1960.

Bullied SUB or EPB I would think.

Very unlikely to be EPB on the Central in 1960 but not impossible.

Can't find definite info online about the prewar units, but the BR design EPBs 5301-70 were only built from 1960 so there must still have been some older stuff around.

 

[yorksrob]

Very unlikely to be EPB on the Central in 1960 but not impossible.

Can't find definite info online about the prewar units, but the BR design EPBs 5301-70 were only built from 1960 so there must still have been some older stuff around.

There were quite a lot of HAL's BIL's and COR's around until 1970, but I was under the impression these were all for longer distance rather than suburban services.

 

[djpontrack]

The oldest stock I've had has to be the 1923 and 1938ex LT units on the Isle of Wight followed by the 1940stock in the drain that I travelled on in the 1980s.

 

[AM9]

The oldest stock I've had has to be the 1923 and 1938ex LT units on the Isle of Wight followed by the 1940stock in the drain that I travelled on in the 1980s.

Same for me plus the F, O and J SSL on the District as well as the brown compartment EMUs and LHCS on the Met.
On BR, it was the class 306s on the GEML and the 4-COR/BUF on the Portsmouth direct.

 

[Bevan Price]

Which pre grouping company Bevan? Do you remember much about it?

At that time, I was more interested in loco numbers. But it would mostly be "LMSR" group stock - LNWR, L&YR , MR, some of which wandered away from their original territory.

From memory, it was similar in layout to the BR Mark 1 non-corridor compartment stock, but with less comfortable seats, and something like horsehair tending to stick through worn upholstery (a bit uncomfortable for schoolboys wearing short pants.) And as in almost all pre-BR stock, the windows were raised or lowered by leather straps.

I think some ex-GCR stock may have still been in use in the Manchester area.

 

[D365]

If it counts, I've driven a certain English Electric locomotive

Other than that, probably any old loco/steam-hauled stock.

 

[Bevan Price]

I think all the pre-grouping ones were long gone (or departmental) by 1960.

Bullied SUB or EPB I would think.

2 BIL & 2 HAL were still in use on the Central Division until the mid-1960s, although I am not sure how often they were used on trains stopping at Thornton Heath. They certainly ran on Brighton line services, and also Brighton to Portsmouth & elsewhere.

 

[Shenandoah]

This thread revived many memories.
The oldest carriages I rode I guess would be on the Tolleshunt to Kelvedon railway which I travelled on in late 1946. Also at that date would have been London underground F and Q units as we travelled from Paddington to Kings X and the return journey from East Anglia.
In the mid to late 1940's I also chose to ride in old GWR clerestory coaches which were used on the North Warwickshire line trains when they needed extra stock to deal with Bank Holiday traffic.
During the earlier part of my RAF service (early 1950's to the early 1960's), before I got my first car, many seemingly ancient coaches were often part of the make up of summer holiday time trains especially to the South West where I lived. Frequent visits, during that period, were to 'the smoke' and saw me riding many of the current, at that time, sub surface and tube stock such as O/P, R, T, Standard, 1938 and mid 1950's stock.

 

[30907]

There were quite a lot of HAL's BIL's and COR's around until 1970, but I was under the impression these were all for longer distance rather than suburban services.

Indeed. I thought we were discussing the SUBs specifically, sorry if I didn't make that clear.

In 1960 or so, the whole gamut of post 1932 "main line" stock was still in service, except the 2NOL units (which had pre-grouping bodywork on SR frames IIRC - the frames being recycled under the 56xx series of 2EPB/NOP and 2HAP units). The CORs lasted well into the 70s on the East and West Coast routes (of the Brighton!).

I agree with Bevan Price that BILs and above would have been unusual on suburban workings - though I have a memory of going Bromley S to Shortlands in a unit with a side corridor which can only have been a HAL - must have been no later than 1958.

 

[yorksrob]

though I have a memory of going Bromley S to Shortlands in a unit with a side corridor which can only have been a HAL - must have been no later than 1958.

I think they would have been just about finishing up on the Maidstone East services around then. Perhaps some had just been displaced by the new HAP's.

 

[randyrippley]

GWR non-corridor sets on Yeovil-Taunton and Yeovil-Weymouth.

 

[341o2]

There were quite a lot of HAL's BIL's and COR's around until 1970, but I was under the impression these were all for longer distance rather than suburban services.

Used on the Portsmouth line, the COR's were express, the BIL & HAL's on the stopping services.

For me, the 485 & 486 Island line
BIL & HAL Waterloo - Liss
1939 units Island line

 

[341o2]

The oldest stock I've had has to be the 1923 and 1938ex LT units on the Isle of Wight followed by the 1940stock in the drain that I travelled on in the 1980s.

Forgot about the drain, so I'll add that as well

 

[brstd4260]

I remember riding in some sort of LNER stock behind N7 tanks in the late 50's on the Enfield Town Branch (whilst in my push chair)

 

[181]

In my case the oldest stock at the time I travelled in it is the 1938 tube stock on the Isle of Wight, 76 years old on the latest occasion (although I'm not sure whether every vehicle dates right back to 1938). The earliest-built stock I've travelled in is I think the previous generation of IoW trains, which were about 60 years old at the time of my journey.

However, it occurs to me that the Vale of Rheidol Railway was part of BR until 1989, and according to Wikipedia a few of its carriages date back to 1923, older than most of the Standard tube stock, so that could possibly be the earliest-built for me and probably quite a few other people. (The other VoR carriages were built in 1938 and so 51 years old when they ceased to be part of the national network).

None of the Bulleid-designed 4-SUBs and 4-EPBs were built on second-hand underframes, were they?