Another outing for the iconic restored 1938 tube train – this time on a Friday evening along the District line. This weekend (29th/30th Aug) the Upminster depot is open to the public for its 50th anniversary, and the 1938 train will be on display.

Being normally stored safely at London Transport Museum’s Depot at Acton, the train has to get back – and so on Friday 4th Sept the 1938 stock train will be making its return to the depot, and you can be a passenger on that train.

It will depart Upminster station at 19:52 and will run non-stop to Ealing Broadway – approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are £20 each and are limited to 150 places only.

Book tickets for this event via their website or telephone 0207 565 7298.

I’ve done quite a few trips on the train, and the look of the general public as the old train goes through the stations is by far the best fun you can have. I’ll bet a few spectators will wonder if they had a few more post-work drinks that remembered when the train passes their bleary eyes on this Friday evening!

Please note, there will be a photo opportunity at Whitechapel platform 4 from 20:35 until 20:48 and reverse at High Street Kensington platform 2 at 21:19.

Today was the highly anticipated 1938 tube train run along the modern Jubilee Line extension, and a rare chance to visit the disused platforms at Charing Cross station. Although I have been on the train several times – the last one booking an entire carriage for a private group, this was still a chance not to be missed.

As the excited crowd gathered at Stratford station, the tannoy repeatedly asked passengers for the 1938 heritage train to assemble by platform 13. Unlucky for those on the platform waiting for a normal train who were politely evicted – but lucky for the rest of us!

Shortly before the train arrived, we were let onto the platforms and I noticed a nice touch in that the display indicator mentioned the train trip. Previous trips on the Northern Line have usually just said “train not in service”. Small things like this make me a happy person.

As the train pulled in, the usual rush to get photos of it arriving, and I also managed to snap a shot of the old train and a modern one sitting next to each other before the modern train took off with conventional passengers.

A few people I recognised were there, so we traveled together for much of the journey – The Charlton dwelling author of the 853 blog and fellow tube geek, London Stuff (who snuck into the drivers cabin for a while)

After a short wait we were off!

As before, the trip was basically a run along the train lines without stopping – so in itself it shouldn’t  be that exciting. Somehow though, the nostalgia, and the sheer unusualness of the trip makes it worthwhile – and as before, watching the dumbfounded looks of people on the platforms as this bizarre old train passes through the station is a sheer delight.

After leg-stretching at West Hampstead as the train was stopped and turned around, we re-embarked and headed back down the line towards Green Park. Here the excitement got palpable, as the train deviated from the usual line and hurtled down the old tracks to the disused platforms at Charing Cross. Even though that was my normal station for many years, it was really nice to see the old platforms again.

We were given a very healthy 20 minutes to take photos of the old platforms and wander around a bit, while various people posed in the drivers cabin for photos. Then back on the train and off up to West Hampstead again where our trip ended. A second trip later in the day took people back along the line to Stratford.

Even though I have been on the train a few times, two new things struck me today. One was that the old lights never ever flickered throughout the journey. Considering how often modern strip lights flicker or go out on trains, this was an interesting oddity. The other, is that I was able to see a lot more of the tunnel infrastructure as we went along. I suspect a fair bit was lit up, but the lack of double glazing on the old trains does seem to make it a lot easier to peer out in to the tunnel gloom.

The tickets to this trip, even though it was mid-week rather than at the weekend, sold out so fast that I really wouldn’t be surprised if they try to squeeze another run in before the signaling upgrade makes it impossible to run the old train along the tracks.

As an end-point, as I got off at West Hampstead, I was approached by the press officer who had overheard my chatter on the train and asked if LBC Radio could ask me a few questions. It is actually quite difficult to put into words why I enjoy taking these heritage trips, especially when a microphone is pointed at you, so I fluffed my lines a bit. Maybe the train racing past in the background means they might not use the interview. Erk!

Photo credit to darryl853

As usual, some photos on my Flickr account.

I get emails from a person within TfL letting me know of upcoming heritage trips, so I usually post a note on the blog when I get told about them.

Busy weekend, but culminated with a trip on a restored 1938 tube train running along the Northern Line, probably for the very last time, as new signalling work later this year will make it impossible to run old trains along the Northern Line.

I actually had an entire carriage all to myself, having won an auction by the Transport Museum, but invited friends and people I spar with on another discussion forum to join me. Almost all of them turned up, and some were even on time!

As the Hendon Pageant was also happening this weekend, where the RAF Museum had a series of 1940s events, I hired a suitable outfit for the day and arrived dressed as a WW2 private soldier. This was actually damn uncomfortable, partly as it was very hot and I was wearing clothing more suitable for colder weather – but also I am now sure that wartime rationing shrunk the inch, as trousers ordered an inch larger than necessary (as insurance), felt to be at least an inch too narrow!

In addition to being probably the last time the heritage train could run along the Northern Line, this was a rare chance for passengers to stay on a train as it traveled through the “infamous” Kennington Loop. The trip itself was uneventful, but bizarrely fun for a trip along a tube line and as we passed through stations, people on the platforms looked in bemusement as this odd little train trundled past their lowered jaws. The look on their faces proved to be what some of the group said was the highlight of the trip.

As we left Kennington though, the excitement got a bit more heightened and it was just possible to see in the tunnels the point were we left the main track and entered the Kennington Loop, which is a very sharp loop around to reverse the train back onto the northbound line. Looking at the other carriages made it easy to see just how sharp the curve is.

We were nearly deafened by the screech of wheel on track as we went round the loop – or at least we think that is what causes the noise, as the loop is reputed to be haunted.

Slowly back up the Northern Line through the West End and the train eventually pulled into Colindale station, which itself had been decorated in Union Flags Jacks and wartime posters. Many of the staff were also dressed up in WW2 uniforms. Waiting outside, an unexpected bonus, as a Lancaster Bomber which was due to have made a flypast over the RAF Museum had been delayed, and we had arrived just in time to watch the magnificent aircraft roar overhead and wheel over Colindale a couple of times before heading off.

I didn’t actually take any photos of the trip, having taken photos last year on previous trips. A friend took the photos of me in uniform.

There is a scanned image of the Kennington Loop here.

Although this was probably the last time the train can run along the Northern Line, here are plans to run the tube train again in September, but up near Amersham, along with the Sarah Siddons locomotive. As usual, as soon as tickets are made available for the heritage train runs, I’ll flag them up on here.