The Q38 stock was built in Gloucester as part of the 'New Works' programme, a major modernisation scheme that began in 1935. The modern cars had stylish windows and distinctive flared sides, which were partly to stop people riding on the outside of cars. Used on the District line from 1939 to around 1970, the new cars were often combined with older stock.
FAQs
How did they dig the London Underground? ›
The building method used for many years was a so-called “cut-and-cover” system. It was easier to dig out a large open hole in the road, build the arch of the false tunnel with bricks, and then refill the hole with the dug-out material.
Which tube line is the oldest? ›Metropolitan line
Opened in 1863, The Metropolitan Railway between Paddington and Farringdon was the first, urban, underground railway in the world. An extension from Baker Street to Swiss Cottage in 1868, however, put an end to this claim to fame.
The current operator, London Underground Limited (LUL), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL), the statutory corporation responsible for the transport network in London.
What is the subway called in London? ›The London Underground is often called the Tube because of the shape of the tunnels. The London Underground is one of the oldest metro systems in the world, opening in 1863.
How much of the London Underground is abandoned? ›Along its entire network of 249 miles, there are in the region of 40 abandoned or relocated stations on the London Underground.
Where did the soil from the London Underground go? ›It's certainly true in London, where the soil, spoil and detritus of the city has for centuries been put to good effect. As part of the Crossrail dig, excavated earth was transported over to Wallasea Island in Essex as part of efforts to create the largest artificial nature reserve in Europe.
What is the oldest line in the world? ›The London Underground first opened as an underground railway in 1863 and its first electrified underground line opened in 1890, making it the world's oldest metro system.
How deep is the deepest part of the London Underground? ›Hampstead is the deepest station below the surface, at 58.5 metres (192 ft), as its surface building is near the top of a hill, and the Jubilee line platforms at Westminster are the deepest platforms below sea level at 32 metres (105 ft).
Is the tube older than the subway? ›THE world's first metro, now the world's oldest system, is the London Underground in England, which is more commonly known as the Tube, which was opened in 1863.
Who owns most of London? ›The Crown, the Church, and five aristocratic estates with a collective wealth of £22billion still own a thousand acres of central London's super-prime real estate. That's the conclusion of an investigation carried out by Who Owns England, featured in today's Telegraph.
Does the London Underground run under Buckingham Palace? ›
Kind of. The Royal Mail used to operate an underground mail train throughout London, to move vast amounts of mail quickly and without risk of delays caused by increasing traffic. This line runs under Buckingham Palace, and it has a platform there to unload Palace mail.
Who owns London now? ›The “Crown” owns all land in the UK. However, people and companies own freehold rights to the use of that land in perpetuity.
What is the British slang for subway? ›A city's underground railway system is usually called the underground (often the Underground) in British English and the subway in North American English. Speakers of British English also use subway for systems in American cities and metro for systems in other European countries.
Why is it called oyster in London? ›According to Andrew McCrum, now of Appella brand name consultants, who was brought in to find a name by Saatchi and Saatchi Design (contracted by TranSys), "Oyster was conceived ... because of the metaphorical implications of security and value in the hard bivalve shell and the concealed pearl.
What did subway used to be called? ›It was founded by Fred DeLuca and financed by Peter Buck in 1965 as Pete's Super Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut. After several name changes, it was renamed Subway in 1972, and a franchise operation began in 1974 with a second restaurant in Wallingford, Connecticut.
How did they dig the Chunnel? ›Digging started in 1988, with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) used for all the tunnels. Five TBMs dug from France, six TBMs dug from the UK. The TBMs started work on the service tunnel first. This was so engineers could see what the actual ground conditions were like.
Was the underground dug by hand? ›They just tore up the street, dug a trench, and covered it over. The Circle and District lines are the clearest examples. The deeper lines were made by tunnelling, initially by hand and then later by tunnel boring machines.
Why is the London Underground so deep? ›Building underground railways so close to the surface proved to be a very expensive exercise and it was realised that considerable costs would be saved if new tubes could be built at a deeper level, where they would involve much less disruption to existing buildings and services.
How deep is the London Underground? ›For example, the tube varies greatly in depth, but is typically 24m. The deepest point is below Hampstead Heath at Bull and Bush (where a station was part-built, but never completed), which reaches 67m.