London Underground C69 and C77 Stock
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| C69/C77 Stock | |
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| Manufacturer | Metro-Cammell |
| In service | 1969-present (C69) 1977-present (C77) |
| Lines served | Circle Line District Line Wimbledon Branch Hammersmith & City Line |
| Length per car | DM 16.03 m T 14.94 m |
| Width | 2.92 m |
| Height | 3.68 m |
| Weight | DM 31.70 tonnes T 20.2 tonnes |
| Stock type | Subsurface |
C Stock is the name given to the trains currently running on London Underground's Circle and Hammersmith & City lines as well as on the District Line between Edgware Road and Wimbledon. They are maintained at Hammersmith Depot.
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[edit] Construction
They were built in Birmingham by Metro-Cammell and delivered in two batches, known as C69 (1969–70) (35 trains) and C77 (1978) (11 trains). The C69 Stock was purchased to allow the transfer of CO/CP Stock from the Circle Line and Hammersmith & City Line to the District Line (in turn allowing the replacement of the District's Q Stock, the oldest of which dated back to 1923). The first C Stock train entered service on the 28th September 1970.[1]
The C77 Stock was purchased for the District Line's Edgware Road to Wimbledon service, which is unable to use the District Line's D Stock because of short platforms between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road. The introduction of the C77 Stock allowed the withdrawal of some of the CO/CP Stock. One additional car was added to the C77 order to replace C69 car 5585, which was damaged in the West Ham terrorist bomb incident in March 1976. The driver was killed. Unit 5585-6585 thus became a hybrid C69/C77 unit and was selected for a trial refurbishment in 1989, which was carried out at BREL, Derby.
Unit cars 6505 and 6713 were the vehicles within which the 7 July bombings occurred and both were subsequently scrapped above the solebar. The remnants were utilised in the building of two new vehicles numbered 6606 (the second vehicle of this number) and 6734; these vehicles being known as C08 stock. The new vehicles were paired with 5505 and 5713 but both renumbered as 5606 and 5734 to match their partners. 5548+6548 were rebuilt in part following their involvement in the events of 7 July 2005.
[edit] Design
There are four sets of double doors per car side. When originally delivered, the cars were divided by partitions adjacent to each set of doors, with 2 facing pairs of transverse seats on each side of the aisle, giving them a claustrophobic feel and limited standing room. The partition wall contained a large back lit advertising space above the aisle opening. When the stock was refurbished in 1990-94 all these features were removed. Each car now features 4 seats against the sidewalls between each door, creating a much wider aisle. In 2001 a new seat moquette was introduced called the spatter moquette as it contained spattered paint style moquette which replaced the square box moquette. Recently the spatter moquette has begun to wear out producing a lot of dust, and an experiment has been used on certain C stock cars still using the spatter moquette but with grey covers instead of black ones, also new floors have been added.
Each six car train consists of 3 units of 2 cars each. This means all trains have three cabs. They are all painted in the London Underground corporate livery.
[edit] Announcer system
The C Stock trains are fitted with an automated announcer system which uses a similar style to Emma Clarke's voice on the D78 Stock. An example of the regular voice patterns on each of the 3 lines are as follows:
"This is Bayswater. This is a Circle Line train via High Street Kensington and Victoria."
"This is Goldhawk Road. This is a Hammersmith and City Line train to Barking."
"This is Wimbledon Park. This is a District Line train to Edgware Road."
In December 2007, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) changed slightly to include St. Pancras International and London Overground; however Emma Clarke's voice was still used. On doing this, the system has also taken the opportunity to change "Alight" for "Exit" (like on the Jubilee Line).[2] An example of this new voice pattern is at Westminster station.
"This is Westminster. Change here for the Jubilee Line. Alight here for The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Riverboat services from Westminster Pier. This is a Circle Line train via Victoria and High Street Kensington."
In December 2009, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) was upgraded due to the Circle line extension. On doing this, the system has taken the opportunity to replace archaic phrases with updated versions. Emma Clarke no longer voices any of the recordings.
[edit] Numbering
C69 Stock DMs were numbered 5501-5606 and renumbered 5606(2) plus trailers 6501-6606. The original 5606 and 6606 were scrapped in the 1990s. The C77s are 5585(2), 5701-5733, 6701-6733 and renumbered 5734. The C08s are 6606(2) and 6734.
[edit] Planned withdrawal
The C Stock will be replaced between 2012 and 2014 by the new London Underground S Stock trains.[3]
In 2011, set 5595+6595 was withdrawn for spares in the run-up to the run-down of the fleet; it is currently located at Acton Works.
Vehicle 5555 has defective controls and cannot be used as a driving car; as a result 5555+6555 must operate as a middle unit in the six car rake. To this end it has been involved in both advertising liveries to date (yellow pages and back the bid) as the middle set.
[edit] References
- ^ Day J.R. & Reed J.: The Story of London's Underground, page 172. Capital Transport, 2008.
- ^ London Underground C Stock at TrainWeb
- ^ "Tube Upgrade Plan" (PDF). Transport for London. February 2012. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/tube_upgrade_plan_timeline.pdf. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: London Underground C69 Stock |
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