Creation of the 'Q' stock

[Deleted]

Can anyone here tell me why parts of the different stocks, e.g. G, M etc., were re-formed with newer cars into the 'Q' stock, so beloved of a certain member of this forum? I've never understood why, for instance, the stylish 'M' stock did not just remain whole and get refurbished.

Also, when did the 'Q' stock program start and finish?

I'm sure the answer is in 'Steam to Silver', but, alas, I do not have a copy

[q8]

'Q' Stock was designated 'car' stock [as were the pre 1938 tube] rather than 'unit' stock. 'Car' stock could be remarshalled on a car by car basis and put in it's proper place in a train. Unit stock is a block of cars that have to be kept together as they have bar couplers within the unit.

The letters denoted the year of build. 'G' was 1923 'K' was 1927 an so on. 'H' was use for all stock with handworked doors until 1953. These were the District 'B' 'C' 'D' 'E' stock. 'J' was never use nor was 'I'

Q stock programme started 1935 and finsihed 1939. Did not amount to a lot really. Bit of rewiring and re-equping here and there and car re-numbering.

[towerman]

Then after the war when the R stock came along most of the Q38's were converted to R38's.

[Deleted]

q8 said:

'Q' Stock was designated 'car' stock [as were the pre 1938 tube] rather than 'unit' stock. 'Car' stock could be remarshalled on a car by car basis and put in it's proper place in a train. Unit stock is a block of cars that have to be kept together as they have bar couplers within the unit.

The letters denoted the year of build. 'G' was 1923 'K' was 1927 an so on. 'H' was use for all stock with handworked doors until 1953. These were the District 'B' 'C' 'D' 'E' stock. 'J' was never use nor was 'I'

Q stock programme started 1935 and finsihed 1939. Did not amount to a lot really. Bit of rewiring and re-equping here and there and car re-numbering.

Thanks q8, but I still don't understand why the likes of the M - stock weren't kept together as a stock on their own - why mix several body types. I had thought that the creation of the Qs was an austerity measure, but it was too early for that to be the case.

[Deleted]

The District had always run mixed trains. The F stock had different control equipment and always ran in complete trains, but the other stocks could and did run in multiple.

I have a suspicion that at times it was a question of finding any car that would run and was the right kind (motor, trailer) to make up a train. Certainly some of the trains looked that way!

But this was common on the main-line railways, apart from the top express trains. There were plenty of trains on the GWR which had no matching coaches.

[Phil]

The District very seldom ordered large quantities of stock, so complete trains would have been rare even as delivered.

For example: G stock was 50 motors ONLY
K class was 101 motors ONLY
L class was 8 motors plus 37 trailers
M class was 14 motors plus 14 trailers
N class was 26 trailers ONLY

This was all mixed and matched with older trailer cars, and older motor cars converted to trailers. So mixed trains were inevitable.

If anyone cares at all, I could extract some of the crazy stock conversions just before and after the war (from Steam to Silver). They say modern management is stupid - you should see what they were like before. Convert trailers to motors : oh dear not enough trailers so convert motors to trailers!: oh dear not enough east facing so turn a few (needing conversion at Acton): oh dear....... (and on ad infinitum).

The best was stock being delivered with EPB and air doors and being converted back to hand doors etc. because there was nothing for them to run with!!!

[q8]

It all boiled down to the financial state of the District railway [usually parlous] really. They bought new cars to run with the old as and when they could afford or they could not avoid doing so. Some of the older wooden bodied stock developed 'hills' in the centre of the car. Others 'sagged' in the middle. Still more bulged at the sides. So I was told by the old chaps. The stock they loved most of all were the 'F's [Tanks} as they could really shift and empty a platform. Incidentally The 'A' stock was loosely based on the 'F' stock. Body design wise.

[q8]

Below is a list of 'Q' stock formations as at January 1969. They were classed as 'Block' units. These units being semi-permanent formations. This, however, was not hard and fast.

4 CAR Blocks [west]


4184 - 08808 - 013156 - 4285 | 4188 - 08784 - 013158 - 4419 | 4200 - 014126 - 014149 - 4395 | 4202 - 08823 - 08028 - 4411 | 4204 - 08802 - 013147 - 4417 | 4248 - 08866 - 08021 - 4241 | 4250 - 08813 - 013132 - 4297 | 4252 - 08824 - 08829 - 4433 | 4264 - 08016 - 013152 - 4235 | 4266 - 08826 - 08801 - 4345 | 4268 - 08018 - 08026 - 4311 | 4360 - 08814 - 08083 - 4341 | 4362 - 08081 - 08058 - 4341 | 4364 - 08080 - 08061 - 4263 | 4356 - 08830 - 08833 - 4359 | 4368 - 08082 - 08071 - 4231 | 4370 - 08079 - 08834 - 4243 | 4372 - 08818 - 08049 - 4193 | 4374 - 08064 - 08819 - 4201 | 4402 - 08012 - 08817 - 4299 | 4404 - 08822 - 013151 - 4189 | 4406 - 08032 - 08782 - 4269 | 4408 - 08054 - 014184 - 4343 | 4410 - 08013 - 08035 - 4379 | 4412 - 013146 - 013139 - 4191 | 4414 - 014140 - 08805 - 4303 | 4416 - 014102 - 08831 - 4321 | 4418 - 08812 - 08063 - 4327 | 4420 - 08056 - 08053 - 4323


2 CAR Blocks [East]

08811 - 4185 | 08023 - 4195 | 08075 - 4197 | 08059 - 4199 | 08072 - 4207 | 013127 - 4217 | 013181 - 4219 | 08020 - 4221 | 08065 - 4245 | 08017 - 4251 | 08024 - 4253 | 08036 - 4255 | 08803 - 4261 | 08070 - 4267 | 08077 - 4271 | 08821 - 4277 | 08783 - 4279 | 08820 - 4287 | 08078 - 4289 | 08055 - 4293 | 08055 - 4299 | 013154 - 4301 | 08068 - 4309 | 08062 - 4315 | 08027 - 4319 | 08067 - 4325 | 08085 - 4335 | 08781 - 4351 | 08073 - 4355 | 08074 - 4357 | 08076 - 4361 | 08069 - 4377 | 014181 - 4409 | 08052 - 4413 | 08825 - 4415 | 013166 - 4421 | -13135 - 4423 | 08014 - 4425 | 08827 - 4427 | 013138 - 4429 | 013143 - 4431 | 013157 - 4435 | 014118 - 4437