Metropolitan T Stock

[christopher19]

Hi

I can't find any useful drawings or photos that help re bogie wheels on T stock carriages.

Were they solid disk or spoked? If spoked, how many spokes?

Any help on this would be appreciated

Cheers

Chris

[ted672]

This photo of mine may help: flic.kr/p/2noNj5k If you zoom in close enough, the wheels appear to be discs.

[spsmiler]

I can also offer an image, although I suspect that the wheels are not visible

Filmed at the 1983 Acton Depot open day.

T-Stock-Acton-OpenDay1983

[ted672]

Another, from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground_T_Stock#/media/File:Metropolitan_Railway_T_stock.jpg taken from a lower angle does seem to confirm disc wheels, at least on this car anyway!

[burkitt]

A photo of mine from Quainton, which would appear to confirm the conclusion that the wheels are of the disc type.

[christopher19]

Thanks for photos.

The curator at the Buckinghamshire Railway centre has confirmed today that they are all solid disc wheels.

Result.

[t697]

I have a vague recollection from childhood that the trailer cars may have had spoked wheels. Also possible they were changed during the vehicles' lives.

[brigham]

The T stock motors ran with existing bogie stock trailers at first.
Did these have spoked wheels?

[metman]

There are plans in Jim Snowden’s Rolling stock book on the Met Railway.

Having modelled a lot of T stock I can confirm they like many vehicles of the time had spoked wheels partly to reduce the weight.

The T stock fleet was built in several stages.
6 motor cars with vacuum brakes to run with existing steam stock. The steam stock was converted to be operated by either steam loco or electric motor car. The cars were known as MV stock.
Then there were 6 motor coaches with Westinghouse brakes. These operated with bogie stock (W stock) converted for the purpose. These motor cars were actually steel panelled but with mouldings to fit in with the other cars. The bogie stock had previously been converted to run with saloon stock motor cars but these were found to be under powered.

After a brief period in service these 12 prototype cars were supplemented by a full batch of MW cars which motor cars, trailers (1st and 3rd) and driving trailers. These were traditionally built with teak panels (the lower panels were steel as were all the previous cars) and mouldings. These too had Westinghouse brakes allowing them to run with the bogie stock and extra sets were converted.
A final batch of steel panelled MW stock was built and delivered in 1932. These were plainer than the previous cars but were ultimately compatible (after a change of gear ratios!).

Extra motor cars were included in each other for general spares but also to operate with existing saloon stock sets (VT stock) replacing many of the old Westinghouse equipped motor cars from 1904-05 some of which were converted to trailers.

The 6 vacuum braked cars and their steam stock trailers were eventually converted to Westinghouse brakes and the whole fleet became compatible around 1935.

The old bogie stock and saloon stock trailers were withdrawn during the 1939-45 war and this left a surplus of motor cars. These were to be supplemented with more steam stock trailer conversions and converted to have EP brakes. In the end the project was cancelled and the R38 motor car conversions received the EP brake controls!

The T stock was varnished teak up until the LPTB took over and then like the steam stock were painted a lighter shade of brown to look like teak. This was painted dark brown in the later 1950s.

[metman]

May 22, 2024 7:44:35 GMT brigham said:

The T stock motors ran with existing bogie stock trailers at first.
Did these have spoked wheels?

The photos in the book vary for the bogie stock. Some had spoked wheels and some disk wheels.

[metman]

Looking in my copy of the Snowden book I notice that when initially delivered the stock had Mansell type wheels but these had given way to disk wheels (some with 3 hole). The fox bogies which were motorised for the converted driving motor cars had spoked wheels for the reasons previously described.