Indian Railways News => Topic started by Mafia on Dec 18, 2012 - 20:00:16 PM


Title - 1892 steam train returns on London Underground to mark Tube's 150 years , AniNews.in
Posted by : Mafia on Dec 18, 2012 - 20:00:16 PM

London, Dec. 18 (ANI): The first steam locomotive to run on the London Underground in more than 100 years pulled into Baker Street station in London.

It was part of a test run for a retro service marking the Tube's 150th anniversary next year.

Metropolitan Steam Locomotive Number 1, which dates back to 1892, pulled a restored original Victorian first-class carriage from Earl's Court in West London to Moorgate in the City early on Sunday, the Daily Mirror reports.

"This is the advantage of having your own railway - you don't have to ask permission," Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London, who helped bring back the steam Tube, joked.

According to the report, the carriage, which had been used as a chicken coop in a farmyard before being renovated, has a luxurious teak frame, crimson upholstered seats, leather panels and gas light fittings.

Locomotive No 1 went overground in 1904, a year before the last steam Tube ran, as the Underground moved over to electricity.

It was finally withdrawn from service in 1963.

The test run was slightly longer than the first ever Tube journey on January 9 1863, which ran just three-and-a-half miles on the Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to the City, the report said.

Thousands of 19th-century Londoners queued to enjoy the novelty when it first opened.

In the first six months 26,000 passengers used the railway as it became a worldwide sensation.

But there were complaints about the sulphurous atmosphere as steam and smoke fogged the platforms and tunnels.

Passengers using the special steam service next year will pay 150 pounds for a second-class ticket and 180 pounds for first class, the report added.