One completed, two to go
Work underway on next Q Stock vehicle in queue.
THE INTERNAL restoration of the London Transport Museum’s (LTM) Q Stock Project has moved on to its second car. The interior restoration of Q38 Driving Motor car No. 4417, that includes the overhaul of two compressors and the door engines, has been completed. In addition, the door engines of the Q35 Stock trailer No. 08063, originally saved by the London Underground Railway Society, have also been overhauled as part of the works.
LTM volunteers will now focus on the second Q38 Driving Motor car,
No. 4416. This car has been stored alongside another Q Stock car, Q23 Driving Motor No. 4184, outside in the LTM’s yard under a protective tarpaulin for the past few years. It will be moved into the museum’s Acton stores depot this year so that restoration work can begin as part of a two-year restoration, bringing it up to the same standard as car No. 4417.
SUB-SURFACE ISSUES
The LTM continues to be in dialogue with TfL with regards to how the Q Stock unit could be used across the centre of London, having originally operated on the District Line. Since the Q Stock was withdrawn from passenger service in September 1971, the Sub-Surface Railway (SSR) on the Underground has changed beyond recognition. The CO/ CP trains that were cascaded from the Metropolitan to the District to replace the Q Stock disappeared in early 1981, along with the R Stock two years later. The D Stock, introduced in 1980, has also since given way to the S7 units that currently operate the Circle,
District and Hammersmith & City lines.
Meanwhile, the District and other three lines that make up the SSR railway, are being fitted with new automated signalling as part of the
Four Lines Modernisation project (4LM). Consequently, the Q Stock would need to operate with corresponding automated train operating equipment. Due to the high cost, the decision has been made to operate the three-car Q Stock train sandwiched between two battery powered locomotives and brake vans. The timber vans that would have operated with steam traction, that ceased operating in June 1971, will be fitted with the corresponding couplings for the different types of rolling stock.
RESTORATION REQUIRED
These two brake vans are already owned by the LTM, however they are also in the yard where car No. 4416 has been housed for some years. Consequently, they too will need to be restored. A specification for this has now also been drafted, with the aim of making progress during 2022.
Once work to restore the interior and door motors of Q38 car No. 4416 is complete, attention will then turn to the Q35 Trailer car No. 08063. This car is an earlier design, with a clerestory roof and contains different components. However, being a non-driving vehicle and as it’s almost complete, there will be less work to do. Meanwhile attention will also turn to the traction motors of the three-car unit. Housed underneath the solebar, this work will need to be undertaken by an external contractor, with timing being dependent upon the costs and availability of funding.
The LTM Friends have donated considerable sums to the project, including an initial generous bequest from the estate of the late Bob Greenaway. Funds have also been raised through a public appeal, launched in late 2018. The LTM is also keen to attract volunteers with specialist knowledge and skills to assist with the next stage of work. This includes vehicle electronics, painting and carpentry.
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