London Banter - View Single Post

Colin Rosenstiel · January 25th 05, 12:29 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Brimstone) wrote:

StaticFish wrote:
The Piccadilly trains were brought in 1975?! Blimey. They look lovely
compared to the "newer" District line trains.

The Piccadilly Line trains were refurbished in the mid 1990s. Prior to
that they too were unpainted aluminium as were all trains. The only
reason LU trains are painted at all is because of the increase in the
amount of graffitti over the last 15-20 years or so.

The irony is not lost on some of us.

When I were a lad in Putney, Underground trains were painted red (and
Southern trains were green). Then came unpainted aluminium on one R stock
District train in 1953, three prototypes on the Piccadilly in 1956 and
more R stock in 1959. Several tons were saved from the weight of the
paint, they said.

After that all underground stock gradually became unpainted aluminium as
new stock was introduced and red-painted stock withdrawn (or painted
silver in the case of the remaining R stock). With the introduction of the
D stock in 1980 the change to unpainted aluminium was complete.

Then LT discovered they had a graffiti problem and started painting trains
again until now the D stock is the last that is still unpainted.

--
Colin Rosenstiel