London Underground 1938 Stock

The London Underground 1938 Stock is a deep-level tube stock that runs on the London Underground from 1938 to present. During their long lives they work on the Bakerloo, Northern, Piccadilly, East London and Central lines.

1938 Stock
1938 Stock at Harlesden
Stock type	Deep-level tube
Line served	Bakerloo line   East London line   Northern line   Piccadilly line
Manufacturer	BRC&W Metro-Cammell
Operator	London Underground
Specifications
Car length	DM 52 ft 3+3⁄4 in (15.94 m) NDM/UNDM/T 51 ft 2+3⁄4 in (15.61 m)
Width	8 ft 6+1⁄4 in (2.597 m)
Height	9 ft 5+1⁄2 in (2.883 m)
Weight	DM 27.4 long tons (27.8 t; 30.7 short tons) NDM 35.9 long tons (36.5 t; 40.2 short tons) T 20.65 long tons (20.98 t; 23.13 short tons)

These trains do still run on the London Underground. The trains were built by Metro-Cammell and Birmingham RC&W. Some trains still run on the Isle of Wight's Island Line as the class 483. In March 2007, South West Trains purchased the rolling stock outright from HSBC Rail for £1. They are the oldest trains used on timetabled services on the National Rail network.

Background

The 1938 tube stock was built as part of the London Passenger Transport Board's New Works Programme, that took place between 1935–1940. The trains are mainly meant to be used on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. Seven more trains were also to be used on the Piccadilly line.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Northern Line only used 1938 and 1949 tube stock trains. These trains were starting to show how old they are by the late 1960s. The first trains were withdrawn from the Northern line in the early 1970s when they were replaced by the 1972 tube stock trains. Some units are still in service from preservation.