End Of The Line: An Ode To The 1973 Stock

by | Sep 30, 2024

Over the past 49 years, the 1973 Stock has graced the rails of the Piccadilly Line. They are a symbol of the achievement that was connecting the London Underground to Heathrow Airport, however their time in the spotlight is fast approaching the end.

1. Pre History:

In January 1972, 52 years ago the Greater London Council granted authority to London Transport for a £39m order to Metro-Cammell for 87 and a half brand new trains for the Piccadilly Line. The purpose of this order was to withdraw pre-war 1938 Stock trains and reallocate newer 1959 Stock trains to the Northern Line. but there was a bigger purpose behind this order.

Previously in July 1967, royal assent approved the London Transport Act 1967 which laid tracks for one of the most important rail infrastructure projects in London’s history. Three years later in December 1970, the £15m Piccadilly Line extension to Heathrow Central was approved. This was it, the London Underground was coming to Heathrow. Marking the first time an underground railway would reach any airport in the world, this unlocked a tremendous amount of potential for the local borough of Hounslow, cementing the Piccadilly Line’s legacy as our most important tube line to date.

Mockup design concept of the Metro Cammell 1973 Piccadilly Line Tube Stock

The concept design for the 1973 Tube Stock: Circa 1967, Credit Unknown.

2. The Trains:

The new trains would be based off the fairly new Victoria Line 1967 Stock, incorporating features such as wrap-around windscreens, double-glazed windows and higher windows in the doors. The bogies would also be based on the 67 Stock trains but featuring a new system of load weighing for traction and braking purposes. Newer features for these trains included sliding cab doors with pneumatic seals and thermostatically controlled ceiling mounted fans to improve ventilation, provisions were also in place for ATO. Construction started in 1974 at Metro-Cammell’s Washwood Heath works, resulting what we know as the 1973 Tube Stock.

Two double ender units 892 – 692 – 893 and 894 – 694 – 895 were delivered with solid state traction equipment and electronic control systems and were known as the Experimental Tube Train, 892 being equipped by Westinghouse and 894 by GEC. These units were later reverted to standard systems to allow the trains to enter service in the late 1980s to provide additional capacity for the opening of the T4 Loop.

Unrefurbished Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock approaching Arnos Grove

Unknown unrefurbished 1973 Stock entering Arnos Grove on a service to Heathrow (CC BY-SA 2.0 Malc McDonald)

3. The Gateway To London Since 1977:

On the 19th of July 1975 the first 1973 Stock train entered service on the Piccadilly Line on the same day as the extension of the Piccadilly Line from Hounslow West to Hatton Cross, with the last units rolling into service in 1979. This allowed the 13 year old 1959 tube stock to start transferring onto the Northern Line to replace oldest 1938 Stock units. Until 1977 Hatton Cross would serve as the Hounslow Branch terminus of the Piccadilly Line before the extension to Heathrow Central was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth the second on the 16th of December of the same year. This was hailed monumental achievement for both London and Heathrow Airport being able to connect Heathrow to all corners of London by rail after many failed attempts which never made it past the concept stage, and the 1973 Stock was the glue to help stick this together. Unit 244 was the train to mark such a generational achievement, however this wouldn’t be the last of the Heathrow extension. Earlier in 1976 plans were rejected to build a third London airport at either Maplin or Stanstead which led the British Aviation Authority to decide an expansion of Heathrow Airport would be critical to handle the increased demand of air travel by the mid 1980s. Their attention turned to a spot of land occupied by sewage disposal works at Perry Oaks near the southern perimeter of Heathrow, about 2km away from Hatton Cross station. They estimated the Perry Oaks site could be an operational Terminal 4 by 1990. However Terminal 4 arrived on the 1st of April 1986, along with the new terminal came a £23m extension of the Piccadilly Line which was opened on the same day by The Prince & Princess of Wales with Unit 864 leading the celebrations. It was decided the best way to build the Piccadilly Line to Terminal 4 would to be a loop diverging off at Hatton Cross to Terminal 4 before passing around to Heathrow Central and eventually back to Hatton Cross. Provisions were put in place for another station which were never used for a previous Terminal 5 proposal.
Piccadilly Line Train Opens Terminal 4 Station lead by Princess Diana and Prince William

Unit 864 leads into the newly built Heathrow Terminal 4 on the 1st of April 1986.

4. Celebrity Units In The Spotlight:

Not only has the 1973 Stock played a pivotal part in connecting London to Heathrow Airport since the late 70s, they have also played their fair share in front of the cameras for a few movies and tv shows such as: Unit 865 was used in the filming of british drama programme London’s Burning Season 4 Episode 7 which depicted a drunk city yuppie who drops the contents of his briefcase onto the track at the fictional Blackwall Tube Station before jumping on the track to retrieve them then being struck by an oncoming train before fire rescue attend the station to save the man from under the train. Unit 891 was used in the filming of Superman IV which depicted a subway driver passing out at the controls of a train before coming into the services final stop 4th Avenue before superman steps on the fourth and running rail to short the electricity? bringing it to a halt. (yeah this one was a bit weird)
London's Burning Tube Scene, Superman IV Subway Scene

Above: a screenshot from both London’s Burning and Superman IV with the 1973 Stock playing an acting role.

5. Lost Vehicles & Scrapped Units:

Here is a list of scrapped and lost vehicles over the years. DM 888 was scrapped after a fire between Wood Green & Bounds Green in the early 1980s and was replaced with DM 114 in it’s 3 car set. Unit 204 – 604 – 404 was scrapped after a collision at Northfields Depot in 1990. The damage reported was fairly minor however the unit became a spares donor. UNDM 134 was scrapped at the same time as unit 204 – 604 – 404 which was reported to have never entered service. It became redundant after DM 114 replaced DM 888 with T514 modified and placed into the Track Recording Train with two 1960 Stock driving cars which can still be seen today. Unit 166 – 566 – 366 was the unit which was involved in the 7/7 Terrorist Attacks on the Piccadilly Line between Kings Cross and Russel Square. Tragically, 52 people lost their lives on that day which shook the fabric of London and the western world.

6. The Connection To Rail Tags. A Personal Story:

This chapter aims to provide a more autobiographic approach and how these trains helped shaped Rail Tags today. It’s safe to say these trains shaped my childhood, my now career and Rail Tags. It all started when I was a toddler in the early 2000s. I come from a family with a huge background in aviation. My father, uncle and grandfather once worked at British Airways Cargo at Terminal 4 and there is a general passion for aviation that runs through my family because of it. I’m pretty proud to say my uncle also helped deliver the British Airways Y2K project and was a project manager for Concorde following the tragic crash of Air France Flight 4590, helping shape the future service of Concorde which never came to vision. This family interest in aviation led to me being taken into the depths of the London Underground by my grandfather from my local station to Heathrow Airport as a child to watch airplanes take off and land. In a funny turn of events, these trips ended with me becoming heavily interested in trains well before I had any interest in aviation. I have vivid memories of being at my local station, it was quiet and dull. Then all of a sudden you’d hear the magic rattling of shoe gear through the tunnels and turbulence pick up before seeing the dark tunnels light up from headlights coming around the corner before a colourful train would thunder into the platform and fill the atmosphere. With their equally vibrant interiors, it was always so exciting to jump onboard a train and head to the airport (undoubtedly the highlight of the trips.) From that point onwards those trips to the airport became more about exploring the wider London Underground network and discovering other types of trains such as the C Stock and D78s which I also hold quite close from a nostalgia standpoint. It was always fun standing at Acton Town and racing a D78 out towards Chiswick Park. Of course we would win that race as the District Line would stop at all stations towards Hammersmith whether as the Piccadilly Line would pace up towards Hammersmith. This is where my personal love and interest in trains came from, those old memories down the line. If it wasn’t for those trips to Heathrow on the 1973 Stock, would I have even gained an interest in trains in the first place? would Rail Tags exist? would I be doing my current job? and what would my life ambitions have been hadn’t I been shown the world of the railways from my grandfather?
Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock arrives at Hounslow West Station.

An unknown 1973 Stock thunders into Hounslow West station on a Heathrow bound service.
Just like how I remember.

7. Midlife Refurbishment & The Future:

From 1996 to July 2001, the 1973 Stock was given a complete refurbishment by Eurorail at Horbury works, Yorkshire. This saw the whole interior being modified with the removal of traversal bench style seating to boost capacity, interior scrolling matrix displays were fitted for passengers, the wooden flooring was removed and replaced with vinyl, straphangers were replaced with standard grab poles, new ceiling covers for the ventilation fans, improved lighting, installation of car end windows which had become standard on LU refurbs and perch seats by the double leaf doors to allow for luggage space for Heathrow travellers. The aluminium unpainted exterior was replaced with a stunning LU corporate livery, as well as new emergency detrainment equipment being fitted to all driving motor car ends and paper destination boxes being replaced by LCD screens which were once again replaced with LED screens in 2015. The final refurbished 1973 Stock entered service on the 10th of July 2001. Shortly before their 26th birthday.
Interior of Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock train.

The post refurbishment product of the 1973 Stock trains carried out by Eurorail at Horbury Works.CC BY-SA 4.0 – DiscoA340.

Original plans in 2007 wished to see the 1973 Stocks replaced in 2014 by the then called 2014 Stock with interest being shown by Stagecoach to use them on the Isle of Wight to replace the Class 483s but bidding on the 2014 Stock was suspended and this plan never came to light. Later in June 2018 replacement plans became official with Siemens winning the bidding process to produce 94 nine car units for the Piccadilly then dubbed the New Tube for London and later being officially crowned as the 2024 Stock. However this new train order came with controversy as then Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed a heavy desire to have the new trains be fully automated and driverless to save operating costs and prevent disruption during strikes which received a heavy fight back by the ASLEF and RMT unions under safety concerns for passengers. Features of the new trains included a 10% increase in capacity per train, wider doorways, 20% decreased energy consumption due to a lighter aluminium construction, LED lighting and regenerative braking, air cooling and LED passenger information screens which is a feature commonly seen on new rolling stock. The new 2024 Stock trains are 23ft longer then the current 1973 Stock being comprised of 9 cars instead of 6. Initial deliveries were expected to start in 2023 with entry into service in 2024, however by March 2021 the delivery schedule had slipped behind by up to a year. Which has just seen the first 2024 Stock delivered to West Ruislip Depot with initial entry to service now expected in late 2025 with all 1973 Stocks withdrawn in by late 2027.
London Underground Piccadilly Line 2024 Stock train on test.

A London Underground 2024 Stock on test. Credit: Siemens.

What Do These New Trains Mean For The 1973 Stock?

Unfortunately, as the life cycle of our trains go. The 1973 Stock is expected to be withdrawn from service by 2027 and sent for scrap. However, optimistically this poses the potential for parts and seats to make their way into the hands of us enthusiasts and even more optimistically maybe a 1973 Stock Rail Tag down the line? but don’t get too excited. TfL have a history for placing total destruction order on their previous fleets such as the much loved A & C Stock trains meaning this could be unlikely which worries me quite heavily. It would be pretty disappointing to see this happen, especially considering the growing trend of upcycling unwanted train carriages into something new and reusable. Personally? if I had the chance I would collect any and every last bit off a 1973 Stock that I could to hold on to my memories I have made thanks to these amazing trains. There are also rumours circulating they could be heading to SIMS Newport via West Ruislip which would be disappointing considering SIMS track record with simply sending anything that touches their rails to oblivion. In some better news, recently made public documents show TfL are showing intention to keeping x2 three car sets for RAT duties beyond 2027 which would be a joy, considering the same has happened to the D78s.
Piccadilly Line Upgrade

This screenshot from a Piccadilly Line Upgrade meeting made public indicates plans to retain x2 1973 Stock trains for RAT duties.

What about preservation? we’re not sure what interest London Transport Museum or other preservation groups have towards the 1973 Stock however we believe a case for preservation should be made due to the undeniable role they have played in transporting millions of people to and from Heathrow Airport since the 1970s, often being one of the first tastes of London people have after arriving and being some of the most reliable trains the London Underground has had. If anyone has any serious intentions to help save a 1973 Stock we’re ready to help in any way we can. Rail Tags has never been “just a business” but more of a passion project towards railway preservation and these trains hold strong roots to our DNA as previously mentioned in this blogpost. I hope there is some form of light in the tunnel for these hard grafting trains, and we hope to play any part necessary to see them get a well deserved retirement.

The First 2024 Stock is expected to enter service next year, and the last 1973 Stock is expected to leave our rails in 2027. They will have proudly served North London, The West End and Heathrow for over fifty years by the time they leave us.

Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock leaves Hatton Cross for Heathrow.

1973 Stock Unit 111 leaves on the rear at Hatton Cross for a service to Heathrow Terminals 4, and 2&3