50 Years of the 1972 Stock: The Oldest Trains on the Underground

[@bigaspidistra]

TfL are missing an opportunity with the Bakerloo to turn it into a heritage line. Staff with peaked caps, fruit & nut machines that don't work but take your money anyway, newsagents' kiosks, stale smoke smell in one carriage etc. Charge premium fares and it will pay for itself 😁

[@PaulChapman1bz]

Start the petition immediately

[@zepic9093]

Honestly since demand from Paddington has been reduced since Eliz opening they can and should do that

[@swskating3865]

I would ride it ...

[@simonhaytack8801]

It’s a commercial line that people rely on as part of their commute to get to work. It would never be turned into a heritage line.

[@countluke2334]

@@simonhaytack8801 really? Oh, now I'm disappointed.

[@truckerallikatuk]

As someone born in the same year as the 72 stock, I fully empathise with the poor old worn out trains working too hard for too long.

[@itsreeah2663]

Awww 😭😭

[@brianfretwell3886]

Well at least they didn't bring back the older stock from the Isle of Wight to help out when the 72 stock breaks down. 😄

[@BibtheBoulder]

I am 1963 stock, and still put in a 12 hour shift most days. You have it easy.....

[@kelvinhill9874]

Same here. Lol. 1972 was a good year.

[@oscarfeatherstone6688]

My favourite things about the 72 stock is slamming oneself down on one of the longitudinal seats will send your adjacent passenger flying up on a bubble of air. I can't be the only one who does this.

[@herseem]

And I bet you do it deliberately, as I would, haha!

[@bigaspidistra]

Sends up a cloud of dust too depending on when last deep cleaned.

[@xander1052]

the 72s do bring a smile to my face, mainly because you can feel the relays clunk into place as the driver switches between the levels of resistance to increase the power gradually, rather than what we have on any of the more modern stocks, which is something unfortunately missing from my beloved 73 stock. Also the bench seats and the fact that they share the 73's dodgy lighting is brilliant

[@warweezil2802]

The "Dodgy lighting" is down to the unitary design, the train is comprised of 2 units coupled together so when crossing a current rail gap each unit goes "off juice" you will also hear the motor alternators spinning down briefly as they run of of the traction current. It is also the last stock with dual braking systems, the rheostatic & EP (operated for main line air) used normally in service and the Westinghouse (operated by trainline air and auxiliary reservoirs,) which is a pure air brake and is also connected to the tripcock & deadman's handle. Generally regarded as a back up system, it takes practice in operation but a favourite sport of mine was to use it for most stops when working on Sundays ( slightly more relaxed running) it is some years since I worked this stock but inseem to recall being told they had since removed the passenger emergency handles from the train line system and fitted alarm push buttons linked to a warning system in the cab. I can't remember if the 72s had a similar system to the rapid pneumatic accelerator system used on the 56/59/62 stock where of you sat at the front end of the front car you would hear clicking from underneath as the cams notched up and down as the train accelerated from rest. Funny. After all these years away from it I can still remember a lot of my training, if I was still on the Tube, the ones I'd want to be driving would be the these. Any time I go back home I always find time for a trip on a 72 on the Baker.

[@patrickthomas1035]

As a motorman you could go strait into parallel it was the relays that increased the power ...

[@kaitlyn__L]

Relay contactors for power regulation is definitely not around anymore! Electric cars from the 70s had them too, usually just 2-4 speeds, rather than the modern analogue speed pedals.

[@xander1052]

@@warweezil2802 damn, thanks for the info! and didn't know that that was the reason for it (I knew it was to do with leaving the conductor rail, but not that it was to do with it being a 2 units coupled)

[@xander1052]

@@kaitlyn__L yup, including the rather silly wedge that is the Citicar.

[@mdhazeldine]

Personally, I love them. They are the last bit of stock left that was running when I was a kid, and I used to visit my then-girlfriend, now-wife on them when she was a student in Regent's Park. Happy memories! I also think they look pretty slick for their age. The Bakerloo is fast becoming a living museum, like the Island Line was until recently. They obviously really need replacing, but it's nice to have a little bit of history still alive and kicking (for now).

[@johnmccallum8512]

Don't worry you will still be able to visit them up here in the North when they refurb them and call them new trains for Nothern rail./s

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@johnmccallum8512 too true

[@charlietbarnes4842]

Wots the island line ??

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@charlietbarnes4842 a semi official nickname for the trains running on the Isle of Weight - they inherit old Tube stock for historical reasons relating mainly to their third-rail electrification. So it gets called “The Island Line” as if it’s part of the rest of the network, even though it isn’t 🙂

[@SportyMabamba]

@@kaitlyn__L it’s more a function of the limited loading gauge; otherwise any 3rd rail train could run. Except they had to lower the offending bit of track in order to fit the larger D-Train (ex-D78 LU stock) now running down there :)

[@ulicnik24]

I personally love this stock because it's the last one which reminds me the overwhelming history of the London Underground. It's like seeing Routemaster or old Black cab.

[@petergibbs]

I don't know if anyone else feels the same, but I get a warm feeling of pleasure when an underground train comes into an underground station. The sound of the approaching unseen train in the tunnel, followed by the sound of it bursting into the station and the squeal of brakes as it stops and then the rubble of dozens of opening doors. I also have a feeling of lose when a train leaves. The building whining sound of the motors, but also fading away as it enters the tunnel and the quiet almost silent and often empty platform it has left behind.

[@aprilsmith1166]

@Peter Gibbs You are not alone! And I'm cheered to realise that I'm not either! 🙂

[@khidorahian]

I get that feeling too. Sadly, people don’t like the noise.

[@aprilsmith1166]

@@khidorahian I don't like noise for no reason but the noise of the approaching train plus the distinctive slowing down and breaking noise I find reassuring. Not so long ago railway trains had a lovely (imo) rythmic noise as they drove over the points (at least, that's what I assumed it was) but modern trains seem to have lost that 😢

[@mane42]

The 67 and 72 Stock trains will always be my favourite London Underground train models as far as appearances go. Moved away from England at the end of 2006, just before I turned 4, and visited every 3 or 4 years since. Those models have always been THE Underground trains to me.

[@Oxyopiia]

Absolutely love the 72 stock. Just the old feel makes it have its own experience!

[@luornu]

the 72 stock is a fun retro experience if it's not crowded and it's not a hot day. In my experience though the bakerloo trains are usually really badly overcrowded even in off peak times, the lack of aircon makes them nearly unbearable on hot days (same for piccadilly and central).So I do like them up to a point but I'll be glad when all the lines' stock is fully modernised.

[@rjjcms1]

They're the familiar ones to me from being a kid on 70s family trips,typically involving the Northern,Victoria,Piccadilly and Central Lines,hoping for an old red train coming out of the tunnel as silver ones were more commonplace. But did I prefer the dangly things people hold onto to be black or grey?

[@BenLondonN6]

A lovely little well made documentary. Thanks. I played, as a kid, right next to the tunnel opening, out on the Northern Line, in Cherry Tree Wood. There was a muddy dip right next to the line, which we used as a bike ramp (now covered up with trees and hedges). I remember lots of "new stuff" happening at the time... There was a space-age feeling and the money changed too. As a kid, it seemed amazing when the tube trains were suddenly silver and red, instead of just red. The single deck red buses came in around the same time, in North London; before that, the only single deckers we saw, were Green Line buses.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

I first visited London in October of 1974 and recall riding 1938 stock, all painted dark red. Upholstered seats, wood trim, they were nice.

[@oludotunjohnshowemimo434]

The picture was the 1972mk2 on the Jubilee line when it was new at the former terminus at Charing Cross. Now it only operates on the Bakerloo Line, A few former Northern line mk1 trains have been added to the fleet, complete trains and half 4 or 3 car units with the mk2s as one train, converted to driver only working and refurbished. The mk1 cars have the black rubber seal around the door windows, longer windows.

[@4sotiris]

i love the bakerloo line the most because of the trains and it passes the best places of london like waterloo and embankment

[@mikedyble3648]

Its quite strange, I left London in 1980, and of course then the 1972 were still fairly new. Up until a few years before that one would still encounter a Standard stock trailer marshalled in the 1938 stock on the Bakerloo line, these dated from the 1920s. So of course my memories have been preserved, as apart from an occasional visit I now live in Yorkshire, and have done for the last 40 odd years. I am still fascinated with the history of transport in general, and full marks to you Mr Hazzard for making some excellent videos.

[@johntomlinson6849]

Much the same here. On my first visit to London as an 8 year old in 1973, I remember some of the pre-war stock with great fondness.

[@supernick345]

Appreciate the deep tube novelty of transverse seating you only get on the 72 stock - in the section between Queens Park and Harrow the contrast between them and the new 710s is vast, keep on trucking 72s!

[@kins9737]

Most comfortable seats on any underground train it’s fun to watch the person next to u fly up in the air when u sit down on the facing bench seats quite vigorously

[@JayForeman]

How, physically, do you get a train off the Piccadilly line and put it on the Northern line?

[@JagoHazzard]

I was wondering about this. So apparently you go to Rayners Lane, switch on to the Metropolitan Line, switch on to the Jubilee at Neasden, then on to the Bakerloo at Baker Street. And not, as I thought, by taking a run-up at Piccadilly Circus.

[@nickpotter3693]

There's a connection at King's Cross.

[@matthewdunderdale8685]

jay and jago coming together... all we need is a comment from geoff and my nerdgasm is complete!!

[@RWL2012]

@@matthewdunderdale8685 haha Jay and Jago together is funny because they are kind of like each other :P Geoff on the other hand, he comes across all "nice" on his videos but he likes to block people, and recently he seems to be acting quite weirdly. (EDIT but without reading replies) - I acknowledge that things have been difficult for Geoff and that that might be why he has been acting wierdly, but he was already known for blocking people, despite coming across all "nice" on his videos.

[@patrickovsiu]

@@nickpotter3693 Not enough capacity for such massive stock movement though. I suspect they did it with cranes and trucks.

[@rolandbogush2594]

I can well remember travelling in the then newish1972 stock as a teenager and thinking how modern they seemed in comparison to the 1938 and 1959 stock. Even though the 72s are older now than the 38s were back then, they don't feel nearly as old fashioned to me now as the 38 stock did back then, if you know what I mean. Maybe it's the space age curved windows or maybe just because I'm so much older now. Yes, that's probably the reason. Great video - I love your verbal delivery style. Just the ticket!

[@PLuMUK54]

That has made me feel old! I remember, as a teenager, watching these being transported from Metro Cammel by road. Although the factory was relatively close to the motorway, they had to use a less than direct route in order get the carriages round the widest corners possible. Even then it was quite a performance, taking a long time, and blocking two major roads. The local press used to announce times, and sizeable crowds turned up to watch...we were easily entertained in those days!

[@andrewchivers509]

I've just had my 60th birthday. I don't want to be retired from the network!

[@trentr9762]

I love the backerloo. Find the chairs to be really comfy and the train is just rather cute. Makes me happy

[@smokerjim]

For those wondering about the pub in the background at 2:34, it is The Windermere, on Windermere AvE, just yards from the entrance to South Kenton station (I grew up near there) and according to Google it is still operating as a pub as of the date this video was published (29/06/22)

[@SC-oj2ll]

My brother worked on the Northern line in 80/90’s and referred to the 72’s as “one armed bandits” as traction and braking had been combined into a single dead man’s handle. I recall the smart looking 72 MK 2 with the red doors and grey/ red interior lined up at Stanmore station before the short lived 83’s took over. At the time the Jubilee line 72’s looked like the best kept trains on the network. (Was a joke that staff “retired” to the Jubilee to see out their days! Not sure how true that was). Anyway, Happy 50th 72 stock, just a shame you won’t get to retire to the IoW!

[@patrickthomas1035]

All of us motormen called them `one armed bandits` ... I was there when they were introduced ...

[@stephenhester9804]

There were some prehistoric ones hanging around on the Northern Line in the early 90s, I recall riding one with a 1938 Footplate in the Doorway with the 2 + 2 Seat arrangement.

[@jamesharmer9293]

I've ridden on them. I also had the rather unnerving experience of smoke billowing out from under the seats and the guard saying "Don't worry it always does that!". I got off.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@jamesharmer9293 😳 I wonder what that came from… the brakes?

[@jamesharmer9293]

@@kaitlyn__L Looking back on it, I think so. But at the time, I wasn't hanging around to find out. Asphyxiation in a dark tunnel somewhere north of Bank didn't appeal.

[@mrkipling2201]

Keep the 72 stock on the Bakerloo line!! It's the only line that feels like the Underground trains i used to travel on when I was younger. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

[@neville132bbk]

Great breakfast viewing here in LeviNZ "They shall not grow old as We who are left grow old" They have nothing to lose but their bearings.

[@peterd788]

I'm so old I can remember travelling on all of the stocks mentioned here. My first memory of travelling on the tube is from 1970 when I was 9.

[@Pesmog]

Me too. I have probably travelled on more 1938 and 1967 stock than I have 1972.

[@trevorelliston1]

I just about remember riding the clerestory roofed “standard stock” which predated the 1938 stock, and the District railway/Metropolitan line F stock, dating from the 1920’´s. as well as the T compartment stock and loco hauled Met stock, in the very late 50’s and very early 60’s.

[@michaeldwyer3352]

as long as the 1972 stock continues to age as gracefully as her majesty one has nothing to worry about.

[@patrickovsiu]

Erm... Her Majesty originates from the days of the Standard Stock...

[@FART-REPELLENT]

The 72 TS trains are not aging gracefully, in fact their structural integrity has been compromised through corrosion, the same with the 73 TS trains

[@robertward7449]

It takes a true connoisseur to appreciate the 72 stock!

[@johntyjp]

The real Tube fun time, was all the old pre-War stock when the lights went out on crossings and bright flashes lit up the tunnel walls, Electric!!!!! 😆

[@FART-REPELLENT]

That also happened on Underground trains built during the 50's and 60's, not just pre war trains

[@simonholliday9874]

I lived in London during 1981-2 and used the Bakerloo most days. It was in the hands of 1938 stock, which I loved best of all that was around then.

[@dodgydruid]

Funny thing about the 72 stock is it still looks modern and smart showing someone in the design department absolutely nailed it in the same way the Routemaster/RT designer nailed it there creating a design icon. My favourite was the odd bell shaped District trains, they looked so olde worldey and all that wood panelling inside and horsehair seats lost in today's plastic junkboxes on wheels, me and my brother used to bet whether the one coming in was a red one or a white one and the little peep peep of the whistles just adorable. I also liked the W&C BR painted trains too, cracking machines all.

[@PTFS_Player72]

the video was in 2022. still running. its still running and is now 52 yrs old this means it ran longer than the 67 stock.

[@samuellourenco1050]

The 1972 stock looks classy. However, I don't understand the odd number of carriages, which means that one of the motorized carriages ends mating two towed carriages on each side. Something like M-T-T-M|T-T-M instead of M-T-T-M|M-T-M. You can see what I'm talking about at 4:44. When I played the Bakerloo line in Train Sim World 2, I thought that the game designers did a bad job, that is, along with other bugs. I'm amazed to see that, after all, this is a mismatch in real life.

[@nickjacobs1770]

The song New York Shuffle by Graham Parker & the Rumour was originally called The London Underground Shuffle, due to the band being huge London Underground fans, especially of their stock movements. But they could get it to work. So they changed it to New York Shuffle.

[@baxtermarrison5361]

Possibly my favourite of the tube stock.

[@adammars1438]

What I’ve noticed is the 72 stock are the only trains left in passenger service to retain their original air horns as opposed to whistles used by other stock trains. The 73 stock had them prior to refurbishment.

[@oludotunjohnshowemimo434]

I saw a 1972mk2 stock with a light blue grab pole, taken from a redundant 1967 ex Victoria line stock train. That tells me that all of the redundant ex Victoria line 1967 and most of the ex Northern line 1972mk1 stock had components removed for spare parts to keep then remaining 72 stock on the Bakerloo line operational. There are a few ex Northern line 1972mk1 stock on the Bakerloo line. At least two of them are complete 7 car 1972mk1 stock trains, and the rest are half three and four car units

[@ianmcclavin]

I can remember when the 1972 Stock trains were brand new, operating on the Northern alongside the 1938 Stock. To hear hhem described as the oldest trains on the network seems incredible, especially as the 1959 Stock running on the Northern Line is still quite a vivid memory!!

[@ianmcclavin]

@Syd McCreath The ones with the red and green upholstery and varnished floors were the 1938 Stock (in their original form, not as modified for their use on the Isle of Wight). They were always painted red on the outside when used in London. The silver ones on the Northern were the 1972 Stock, in two batches, the ones with silver doors have now been scrapped, but the ones that had red painted doors from the outset are the ones still at work on the Bakerloo.

[@neilbain8736]

I must have been on the newly refurbed 72 stock in the 90's and thought Gosh, this is all rather new and spangly, and that's 30 years ago now. It struck me that the psychology of shuffling round the stock, and using the trains, is like the old Clyde steamer services where there were 40 ish steamers from around the1890's - WW1, all owned by competing companies servicing the exact same piers numbered in their dozens. I like the train whistle; a sniff. That's a comment. It must have been fun to time :)

[@driver288]

The 1972 stock is immortalized in Train Sim World where you can drive the Bakerloo line in realistic graffiti free cars, or ride, as much as you like!

[@dvdvnr]

If it's graffiti free then it's probably not very realistic! Ha ha!

[@dangerousandy]

@@dvdvnr **sarcasm**

[@EpicThe112]

Absolutely correct and the master switch is actually behind the driver to turn it on or off. Somewhere in the cab a procedure is written for no traction

[@SouthLondonRailwayPhotography]

There's no 1972 stocks in departmental use, the Asset Inspection Train was scrapped last year after not being used at all owing to a substantial amount of issues with the project. The Aldwych 1972 Mk 1 stock has also been completely stripped now.

[@johnburns4017]

Many, if not all of them, were built at Cammell Lairds ship yard in Birkenhead. They would use the huge ship cranes to lift the cars from one part of the yard to another, for various types of works, with great ease. Something other train building factories would drool over.

[@johnburns4017]

I have seen a photo of one car being craned over a ship. 😀 The skilled men who would normally fit out the likes of 5 star ocean liners, found it odd that they were working on trains. Their quality was apparently higher than other places that made trains.

[@juliansadler6263]

And remember in 1972 the East London Line was still running 1923 COP stock. I think that was probably the last year of that though.

[@Nick_80599]

The 1972 Stock can go for another 20-30 year, they need a lot of repairs and refurbishment inside on the scale as the previous refurbishment, they could also be fitted with the display that tells you what stations it is and next station with an improved Digital announcer. By removing the front/backward seating and putting the signature side by side seating arrangement, this will make enough space for wheelchair/pram space. The wheelchair, the digital announcer and the display are a legal requirement under disability laws. Since TFL are unsure when they can replace these trains, I would slap 2040 down as a date and go ahead with major repairs and refurbishments as these trains can survive that long

[@john1703]

Some of us remember travelling on the '38 stock from Edgware, in the 60's, when Finchley central was 2/6d from Golders Green, on the Northern Line. : )

[@patrickthomas1035]

I was a motorman based at Edgware in the late 60`s ....

[@srfurley]

I remember how space age the ‘67 stock seemed when it was introduced, and it’s still difficult to think of the ‘72 stock as being old. The ‘38 stock however did seem quite old when I first saw it in the ‘60s.

[@matthew-Williams]

Love the 72 stock, the only ones still with the no smoking roundles on the windows I believe.

[@enzedpcs2]

I grew up in high Barnet and remember the old trains, what sticks in mind most for some reason was the small candescent light bulbs, now live in Ñew Zealand where we have no tubes, although the local line to Wellington goes through a 7km tunnel.

[@metropod]

“We’re 50 years old! We’re ancient!” …the R32 has entered the chat…

[@KingofGamingAndTrains456]

Glad to see an someone from NYC here. (Don’t mind the fact that this reply is over a year late)

[@cool-hg8ss]

yay people from the USA here

[@highbury1972]

Now that’s the only jubilee I can actually celebrate! I have fantastic childhood memories of these trains on The Northern Line when I’d visit my Grandparents on the Edgware branch from Warren Street. I am glad they’re still running. I now live in Brighton and today I traveled to Seaford on Class 313 trains built in 1976 and in regular service on this branch line. We even have one unit painted in BR colours.

[@MPSpecial]

Ha, we still have trains from 1962 in Paris They're obsolete but they still work perfectly

[@Furitokama]

The first MP59 were put in service in 1963 but the MP59 still running on line 11 are from 1967. There are also the MF67 on line 3 that were first put in service in 1968. Most of the MF67 are from the early 1970s. (line 3 3bis, 10 and 12). MF67 stock especially those one line 3 will stay longer than the MP59. The MP59 of line 11 will be replaced by 2023-24 (new stock is already under construction) but replacement of MF67 of line 3 isn't planned until the end of this decade.

[@Mojo29]

The 72 stock at Aldwych was taken away at the end of last year. It was well overdue an exam (service) and was decided not financially viable so was taken away to Ealing Common depot and later to Ruislip depot where it can be seen from passing Central line trains. Many pieces of components including the cabs and body side panels were taken away for use on the Bakerloo fleet.

[@ianholt154]

I heard this too from a friend who works at Holborn. He said it was taken to the depot for servicing, but was sadly vandalised whilst it was there. Apparently, with the damage caused by the vandals added to the maintenance work required, as you say, repairs just weren’t viable, so the decision was made to scrap it. Word is there are plans to make Holborn step free in the not too distant future, which will involve dropping lifts right down through the line of the track for the Adwych branch. That will then leave the branch completely isolated from the mainline. Trains will no longer get past Holborn, so will leave Aldwych completely cut off. That would sadly remove any need for the train being parked on the branch anyway.

[@Boristhe3rd]

@@ianholt154 the vandalism happened on the platform at aldwych over lockdown. It was removed to from aldwych with the intention to scrap it.

[@ianholt154]

@@Boristhe3rd Thanks Boris and I hadn’t heard that. Can’t have been the easiest place to get to, compared to being outside in a siding and that doesn’t seem to be the way urban explorers normally behave. In the end, I’m guessing that if the plan is to seal off the branch anyway, TfL have decided they don’t want or need it anymore and that’s a good excuse to scrap it. I had a private tour of the abandoned platforms at Holborn a while back and the train was parked in the tunnel there and it was so atmospheric and seemed like a time warp looking at it. A real shame, whatever the reasons.

[@ianthomson9363]

The 2013 £2 coin minted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground had a Tube train on the reverse, which looks very much like the 1972 stock. I tried to paste a photo of one here but it doesn't appear to be possible.

[@highpath4776]

Think it was picc line stock, but dont quote me on that

[@ianthomson9363]

@@highpath4776 According to Wikipedia, it's a 1967 stock.

[@SportyMabamba]

Last stock to have real mahogany floors! Since replaced during overhaul. Also, Mr Jago, on a point of order: your image for 72 stock in departmental use shows the Asset Inspection Train. The AIT was intended to replace the Track Recording Vehicle but encountered significant teething issues which were never resolved. The AIT spent a lot of time sulking in Northfields Depot and has now been all but scrapped piecemeal. The Track Recording Car is the last remaining Mark 1 72 Stock vehicle on the network! With its 2 pilot cars (1960 Cravens units) it forms the TRV.

[@emjackson2289]

Mahogany. . . . . You must be from the South #MapMen

[@SportyMabamba]

@@emjackson2289 mahogany mahogany!

[@nixmixes770]

Maple, according to my information

[@DaveDeltic]

​@@nixmixes770 Quite right, NIx Mixes, and for very good reasons, which neither Tim Dunn nor Siddy Holloway knew in "Sectrets of the London UndergrounD". Maple has a very dense grain, so it is therefore resistant to fire, but also is non-slippery when wet, so found use on escalator treads as well as train floors.

[@barbaralamson7450]

You are a breath of fresh air after watching a couple of true crime stories. Thank you 😊

[@kieranstravels]

The 1972 stock is truly amazing. Happy birthday 1972 stock!

[@donbain732]

thanks again Mr J for the memories. I worked in London in the seventies using the northern and bakerloo every work day, and explored the other lines at weekends 😊

[@rogercook6360]

Wonderful, as always Jago. I'd like to comment on two things, the first being the age of the 1972 stock, yes they are getting on but we must remember that the 1938 stock tube trains were still running 80 years after introduction on The Island Line isle of Wight. My second comment is more of a reflection back to my childhood, you see I was born in 1947 at Uxbridge and as my father worked for London Transport I often got to ride either the Metropolitan or the Piccadilly Lines into central London. Needles to say the stock then was old as I can recall travelling on 'F Stock' Metropolitan trains with their oval driving cab windows ! Finally i would like to say that as a boy I was so fortunate to even get cab rides right into the centre of London, some being on Piccadilly trains in to the main underground tunnels.... Lucky lucky boy !!!

[@Keithbarber]

The 1972 stock has plenty of special character

[@Dukeofplymouth]

Having these old 72 stock gives me a strange sense of comfort, knowing that my parents literally used the same carriages in the past as I do now. It is nice to think that maybe my father had sat on the exact same spot that I do.

[@delurkor]

My two London visits, in 1959 and 1965 or 66 meant I rode the really old cars. And the current cars are still kids at fifty. The trip in '59 taught me that there were two styles of underground; the just underground and the really, really underground. You had to ride an elevator, sorry lift, to get there.

[@darthwiizius]

Elevator is technically the correct term. Mechanical lifts were around way before them(hence why we refer to all such tech as lifts) but were about as dangerous as could be so really were only used where necessary such as coal mines(cable lifts) or for lifting heavy goods(cable and scissor lifts). The elevator was invented by an American who demoed his idea in England at just the right time, just as building space was at a premium in London so buildings were getting taller, up until that point the height that one could build was determined by how many steps a person could practically navigate not the limits of building engineering as steel framed structures were already common and modern mass produced concrete just on the horizon. Funnily enough the chap who invented the escalator was also an American and he worked for an elevator company. When you consider the escalator and the electric multiple unit then the US contribution to sub-terrainian mass transport is quite significant.

[@henrybest4057]

@@darthwiizius You forgot to mention the other American contribution to London's Underground, Charles Tyson Yerkes.

[@darthwiizius]

@@henrybest4057 Ah yes Mr Tram from Chicago was definitely on a mission going underground, how very "London" of him getting into the spirit of the town.

[@delurkor]

@@darthwiizius Elisha Otis invented the safety elevator in 1852. Wikipedia doesn't say but perhaps one of his sons sold the idea in Britain. Further transit connection Frank Sprague designed the electric elevator, made electric streetcars practical, and invented multiple unit control for rail systems. Finally a CTY connection, the Chicago streetcar lines that Yerkes took over were cable hauled. Chicago's cable cars were the largest in terms of ridership in the nation. San Francisco beat them in mileage but not capacity. I need a lay down after that nerdgasm.

[@darthwiizius]

@@delurkor Britain was the first customer of the Elevator, in the US it was thought of as a useless gimmick, a fair ground oddity so the chap demoed it publicly in England. Or to be specific he demoed a gerry rigged wooden contraption with the key mechanical feature. The automatic ratchet system to stop the lift falling. Companies in London needed to build upwards and the elevator was the key invention that made that possible and so not too long after a British architect then demoed the potential for steel framed structures as the first sky scraper went up(in Chicago I believe), all due to the elevator.

[@paulobrien7978]

Another fascinating video thanks Jago. I'm curious about the logistics of moving 'fleets' of trains from one Line to another.

[@b_altmann]

The trains are really nice, typical for the Space Age. Quite streamlined and great features like the circular lamps at the end of each carriage, that look like eyes. The little sofas are also neat. They are grey and red, not brown, by the way. First memory of when I arrived in London in 2007: there was still a District Line with wooden slats on the floor and those pear shaped things to hold onto. The Piccadilly Line is meant to be replaced, but I can’t remember if that was 2018, 2020, 2022 or 2065.

[@rachelcarre9468]

I love the 1972 stock, they have an old world charm to their features: the curve on the divider by the doors. They were also the first Underground trains I rode upon. I only know this because they had ‘Metro Cammell 1972’ cast into the metal floor edge plates at the doors.

[@FART-REPELLENT]

Most of my all-time favourite Underground trains were built by Metro Cammel

[@godfreytables3141]

I really like the 72 stock, they're worn but somehow familiar and comfortable, like an old favourite shoe.

[@colinchaves9285]

When I was a young boy i use go on the bakerloo line and i now sometimes still use it. It breaks my heart seeing these wonderful trains looking so shabby. I hope LU replace these trains and let the old 72 stock retire with some dignity.

[@Drengade]

1:17 Ok, but why does this look better than any tube train i've actually seen in service.

[@itechcircle9410]

because it isn't in service so it's clean

[@believer5497]

Fantastic. New York replaced its 1972 R44 railcars with the R160s between 2006 and 2010. As a matter of fact, they replaced groups of rolling stock with 1,662 subway cars, plus another 318 during 2017 to 2019. These cars ranged from the 1964 R32 1966 R38,1967 R40,1968 R40a,1969 R42 and the already mentioned 1972 R44s. The 1975-78 stock,R46s,are being replaced by the new R211A and R211T subway cars beginning the tail end of 2022. 1612 cars are being produced as direct replacement vehicles, and growth cars to support new route expansion. Looking forward to seeing new London Underground railcars. Thanks for the content.

[@rakondite]

The ‘72 stock will always be the Northern Line to me. For me, it will for ever be associated with my days at university and a part of my distant childhood. The old blue and green maquette that has sadly disappeared from use is part of the the textural theme of my travels in London of those years. Ah, nostalgia! It’s not what it used to be! Have you done a piece about the moquette fabric through the history of LT? It’s an amazing trip through graphic and textile history.

[@dougmorris2134]

I believe that there is newer stock now running on the Island Line on the Isle of Wight. But of course it is ex-District Line D78 given a new lease of life. The London Underground do have exeedingly good stock.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Building for a metropolis is overbuilding for almost anywhere else!

[@MercenaryPen]

partly this is because the Isle of Wight has been taking ex-London commuter trains even back into steam days (the O2 and A1X tank engines that were once the mainstay of steam operation there having originally been built for London commuter services)

[@dougmorris2134]

Although I have not travelled on the steam trains during the steam period, I have travelled on the class 485 (standard) stock just prior to their replacement by the class 483 (1938) stock. The 485s in RydeRail livery and the 483s in Network South East livery. I worked in London in 1970-71 and travelled on the Central, Northern and Bakerloo Lines so encountered some ‘38 stock trains with 1927 (Metro Cammel) trailers. I think the old 1920s 485s in RydeRail and the ‘38s in NSE liveries look absolutely great. Unfortunately I have not been to the IOW to try out the D78s as the new 484 stock but they too look great.

[@autumnmatthews3179]

I loved the old '38 stock on the Isle of Wight. I was really sad when they took them out of service

[@patrickthomas1035]

There is still a 4 car unit at Ongar Essex ....

[@Sim0nTrains]

Enjoyable video Jago, I do enjoy riding the 1972 Tube Stock when down in London.

[@slinuk]

Hi Jago, Thanks for the great video. The train from Aldwych is striped for parts to allow other legacy trains to be in service and scrapped.

[@Jeagles]

I like the 72TS because it’s the last train on the underground that has the slightly dodgy feel of the underground pre-2000, even the 73TS is that bit more refined. Just a pointer by the way - sadly the last true MkI 72TS (the one formerly residing at Aldwych) has now been scrapped for spare parts, and the various 72 derived test trains are out of commission, leaving the only MkI 72TS units those converted to MkIIs. The scrapping of the Aldwych unit also led to the demise of the ball on spring strap hangers. :(

[@martinda7446]

They are still new trains to me. The 30s are the best. Beautiful things. The 20s were not bad either!

[@cerneuffington2656]

Having traveled mostly on the 1959 stock, The '72 stock still seem fairly new to me 😆

[@stretch9952]

I rode on the "72 stock trains during my first visit to London in the summer of 1972. My first reaction was to wonder why the shape of a modern tube train would appear to so closely resemble its predecessors. The obvious answer was the shape of of the tube itself, and the challenges of fitting as much useable space within the train cars as possible into that tube shape. Its predecessors had all to deal with that challenge. In the ensuing equipment updates, it is the ends that most change to reduce air resistance. Yes, I know, that's all rather obvious now, and learned rather quickly at that, but at the time I was young and impressionable and thought I had really just stumbled upon something useful. One of my old London memories. (sigh).... I shall not go further at this point.

[@the_real_littlepinkhousefly]

I got to spend a semester in London in the late 1980s, lived in a flat off the Northern Line. These were the trains I took every weekday to school, and of course to shopping and entertainment and other places around town where I and my friends (including the guy I met who was also on the same student program, and who I eventually married, and am still married to!) wanted to go. So this was a real treat to see these trains and remember the times spent on the Tube coming and going around London during one of the best times of my life.

[@TheCyberSalvager]

There's some nostalgia! I remember going on school day trips to London in the late 80s/early 90s and arriving at Marylebone, where we would go on that seemingly enormous escalator to the tube station (On the Bakerloo line). It's interesting that you mentioned the refurbishment being carried out by Tickfords. I'm assuming it's the same firm that worked on the MG Maestro/Montego turbos.

[@dreamcastfan]

I’ve always associated the Bakerloo line with old trains as I remember my mother taking me on there once in the early ‘80s and one of the maroon trains came into the station. I remember it had some sort of control panel on the wall at the end of the carriage and my mother had to warn me not to push any of the buttons! For years I thought the maroon colour was meant to match the maroon colour of the Bakerloo line on the map. 😅

[@thomasburke2683]

Bulk Slash It was red, not exactly maroon. These were the 1938 stock. They were not necessarily the last red trains on the underground, the CO/ CP stock on the District line might have been produced later, they were converted from O & P stock. Some of the 1938 stock ended up on the Isle of Wight, working until very recently. My memory of the last years of the 1938 stock on the Bakerloo, is of trains often taken out of service due to door closing defects. The 1972 stock like that of 1967 & 1973 will always be modern in my eyes. The control panel at the end of the carriage is the guard's door control panel, from which he also gave the start bell to the driver.

[@RogersRamblings]

The "control panel" would have been the Guard's position from where he operated the doors. Although your mother's advice was sound, as I'm sure you've learnt since, the controls only work when they're switched in for which a special key is needed.

[@MrDavil43]

Painting the trains in the appropriate colour of their line as shown on the map is a great idea....until they get shuffled around! But a coloured stripe along each carriage at waist level surely wouldn't create much of a problem.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@MrDavil43that’s fun, now I’m imagining a searing bright neon yellow train for the Circle line!

[@AaronOfMpls]

@@MrDavil43 Especially if it could be peeled off and replaced as needed -- assuming it makes operational sense to use the same trains on the same lines all the time. Or they could do what the light rail trains here do, and have RGB indicator signs in a prominent place on the side of the train (Blue Line, Green Line, etc).

[@PaulChapman1bz]

I wonder how many of us have been on the same one, probably even sat in the same seat, multiple times without even realising it...

[@aprilsmith1166]

@Flick Meatwood Spooky, isn't it!

[@russbetts1467]

Thanks again, Jago. Yes, I remember the old stock on the Misery Line, especially the Red Leather arm rests between seats and the spring-loaded 'Hanging Straps' for standing passengers, when the train was in motion during busy times. Those things Rocked and Rolled their way through the tunnels and were very noisy, with the Air Vents being open at all times. I haven't travelled on the Northern Line since I left London in 1974, so it would be interesting to know what they are using these days. Shortly before I left London, I travelled on the Victoria Line from Stockwell to Tottenham Hale, where the trains were all Automatic, except for the driver needing to open and close doors and start the train rolling. The driver kept the Cab Door open and a gave me and a friend a 'conducted tour' of the whole system. What was very interesting, was that when the train stopped, it stopped within 6 inches of it's stopping point, at every station. Early computers at work. As they were still testing the systems, they were required to have a driver on board at all times, to stop the train in an emergency. I have no idea what the current situation is. Do the trains still need drivers?

[@FrangoTV1]

They don’t make them like that anymore - let’s not forget they were designed for the Bakerloo in a different era and are still doing an amazing job in a different one. Even the 1990s stock on the Central Line won’t last as long & will eventually be replaced with the same type of stock as is being built for the Piccadilly Line. It will be a sad day when trains on these 3 lines are replaced, but it’s a double-edged sword as the London Underground cannot be a heritage railway and be World Class at the same time!

[@jackmellor5536]

When I go to London I normally use the deep level lines as they're my favourite lines. I first went to London in the 90s and enjoy travelling on lines which still use the trains from my childhood. They are the Backerloo, Picadilly, Northern, Waterloo, and City and Central lines.

[@johnjephcote7636]

In '72 I was doing my final degree year at Kentish Town. I only remember the 1938 stock with the wooden, internal window frame and the guard in his roped-off space.

[@pvuccino]

Electric trains can last forever, if taken care of properly. The underground line in my city was electrified in 1904 and it still used it's original trains until the 80s! (among newer models, of course) Which was amazing, since they were wooden and pretty grand and you felt like you stepped back in time!

[@pvuccino]

​@Syd McCreathAthens, but the trains aren't currently running. They stopped in 1983.

[@civ27]

the Buenos Aires metro ran 100 year old trains until 2013, also grandiose with wooden interiors

[@chrismaton01]

Hello Jago. As far as the seating goes, these are the most comfortable tube trains on the network although they can chuck you about on the curves. I especially like the transverse seating where you can look out of the window. I like coming into Piccadilly Circus from the north. The announcements are minimal unlike the constant babble on the Victoria Line. who needs to know which side the doors open. Some of the stations from Edgware Road going north have been beautifully restored. Glad to hear we have it for a bit longer. I live near Arnos Grove on the Piccadilly Line and am quite fond of the increasingly scruffy 1973 stock. Feel free to join Jeff and me for a drink!!

[@AlexMetroman]

Nice video! Just an update, the AVIT has now been scrapped and the 72TS at Aldwych has been stripped for spares and sits at Ruislip Depot.

[@grumpyoldman47]

Although Tickford was the main contractor for the refurbishment. the work was actually carried out at either Vic Berry's in Leicester or the Rosyth Royal Dockyard At Rosyth, the cars were moved around using Hovair units, and one of the first transfers ended suddenly when the movement went over a drain; the air disappeared through its grid, and the underground car just remained stationary until it could be rescued. This resulted in routes being marked on roads around the dockyard for the Hovairs to follow, carefully avoiding drains and their grids

[@mrb.5610]

As someone who can clearly remember the 1938 stock, the 1972 flavour hardly seems old at all ! Guess I'm old.

[@lenodh]

I love your videos. I learn something new everytime.

[@shaunhouse8469]

I read, saw, heard somewhere that the oldest electric rolling stock on what I really really want to still call the British Rail Network are the 313 EMUs from the mid 70s. This means the 1972 Stock on the Bakerloo are the oldest electric trains in regular passenger use in the country since the Island Line put their four ex 1938 stock sets out of service. PS Southern have refurbished at least one of their 313 sets in their original 1970s turquoise and white BR literary and IMHO turned them into nicest looking trains on National Rail. PPS although not comfortable the boingy seats on the 1972 stock are fun

[@Bunter.948]

Entirely up to your excellent standard, Mr H. And we want no suggestion of ditching stuff simply because of its age. Where would that lead us? Thanks, Simon T

[@Dolemaster124]

those trains are my fav because of the whistle

[@richardmattocks]

Shuffling trains? You missed the chance to say “shunted about” 😎

[@Dekko-chan]

I love the 32’s with the front windows that form an arch, just like the really old diesel train engines do

[@michaelmiller641]

I remember when the oldest stock on the underground was the 1923 Q23 stock

[@martinda7446]

I remember they were still on the District line in the late 60s early 70s maybe even.

[@r.markclayton4821]

I first visited London in 1967 aged 11, and was shocked to notice that some tube trains had threshold plates saying "Metro Camel 1938" on them - these only recently ended service on the Island Line on the Isle of Wight, so maybe the 1972 stock will still be running somewhere in the 2050's?

[@slynskey333]

The staff must look after those trains so well, I would have never have thought they were that old.

[@davidty2006]

With a bit of good maintenance a thing can keep running forever.