London Underground C69 and C77 Stock

C69/C77 Stock

C69 stock 5520 at Ladbroke Grove in August 2008

C69 Stock interior (Hammersmith & City Line) at King's Cross St Pancras station in June 2010
In service 28 September 1970 – 29 June 2014 (C69)
1977 – 29 June 2014 (C77) (43 years, 9 months, 2 days)
Manufacturer Metro-Cammell[1]
Built at Birmingham, England[1]
Replaced O and P Stock
Formation 6 cars per trainset
Capacity 821 per trainset
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body construction Aluminium
Car length DM 16.0 m (52 ft 6 in)
T 14.94 m (49 ft 0 in)
Width 2.92 m (9 ft 7 in)
Height 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Weight DM 31.70 t (31.20 long tons; 34.94 short tons)
T 20.2 t (19.9 long tons; 22.3 short tons)
Traction system Pneumatically driven double camshaft
(C69: English Electric-AEI Traction
C77: GEC Traction)[1]
Traction motors LT117 DC motor
(Brush Traction)[1]
Seating 198 per trainset
Stock type Subsurface
Notes
London Transport portal

The C Stock, consisting of C69 and C77 stock, was a class of rolling stock used on London Underground's Circle, Hammersmith & City and District line between 28 September 1970 and 29 June 2014. The class was maintained at Hammersmith Depot. The fleet's lifespan was just under 44 years.

The C stock were replaced by S7 Stock between January 2013 and June 2014. A farewell tour for the stock took place on 29 June 2014.[2]

Construction

In 1968 C69 stock 6-car trains were ordered from Metropolitan–Cammell of Birmingham to replace O Stock and P Stock on the London Underground's Circle and Hammersmith & City lines for delivery from 1969, but trials of a four-car unit were delayed until summer 1970.[3] The first entered service on 28 September 1970.[4]

The C69 stock was constructed using the then-standard form of a load-bearing aluminium underframe with a non-load-bearing body of riveted panels on aluminium framing. The high-density nature of the Circle line service meant that loading times were important; consequently all cars were fitted with four double sets of air-operated sliding doors per side. Seating was mainly transverse, and total seating capacity was 32 per car. The 106 DM cars (Nos 5501-5606) were each coupled to one of 106 T (Nos 6501-6606) forming semi-permanent two-car units, with an automatic coupler at each end. Three such units were then marshalled as six-car trains for normal service. The DM cars were slightly longer to accommodate the drivers' cabs, the saloon dimensions in all other respects being the same.

To replace the CO/CP stock on the Edgware Road to Wimbledon section of the District line, a further eleven trains designated C77 were ordered of identical layout. The 33 DM (Nos 5701-5733) and T (Nos 6701-6733) were also formed as 2 car units and could and did interrun with C69.[5] The first was delivered in July 1977.[4]

Equipment as built included load sensing "Metacone" air suspension, rheostatic braking, hydraulic parking brake, pneumatic camshaft control by GEC and Brush DC motors of type LT117, with each Dm car having four motors. Air supply was by Reavell reciprocating compressors and braking equipment was by Westinghouse. The guard's door controls were in the driver's cab; this eased conversion to one-man operation in 1983-4, the first LU line to do so.

A car was added to the C77 order to replace C69 car 5585, which had been damaged in the West Ham IRA bomb attack in March 1976. Unit 5585-6585 became a hybrid C69/C77 unit and was selected for a trial refurbishment in 1989 at BREL, Derby.[4]

Unit 5606-6606, which had been used for various equipment trials, was scrapped in December 1994. Cars 6505 and 6713 were damaged in the 7 July 2005 London bombings and were scrapped above the solebar. The remains were used in the building of new cars 6606 (the second car with this number) and 6734 as C08 stock. They were paired with 5505 and 5713, renumbered 5606 and 5734 to match their partners. 5548+6548 were rebuilt in part following the bombings.

Design

The stock was made up of three two-car units, a 16.030-metre (52 ft 7.1 in) driving motor and a 14.970-metre (49 ft 1.4 in) trailer, each with four pairs of doors on each side and seating 32 people.[6] The stock had a public address system and rheostatic brakes on the driving motor.[7][8] Although there are technical differences, units of different ages can be coupled together[5] and since the 1991–94 refurbishment there are no visual differences.[8][9] The stock was unpainted until refurbishment, then painted red, white and blue.[8]

When delivered, the cars were divided by partitions adjacent to each set of doors, with two facing pairs of transverse seats on each side of the aisle, giving limited standing room. The partition wall contained a large backlit advertising space above the aisle opening. When the stock was refurbished between 1990 and 1994 these features were removed, and all seating became longitudinal.

Operation

The stock operated on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, as well as the District line between Edgware Road and Wimbledon. The last stock was withdrawn on the Hammersmith & City and Circle Lines on 10 February 2014, and on the District line on 3 June 2014, having been replaced by S7 Stock trains.

Numbering

C69 Stock DMs were numbered 5501-5606 plus trailers 6501-6606; C77 Stock 5585(2), 5701-5733, 6701-6733 and renumbered 5734; C08s Stock 6606(2) and 6734.

As delivered, the numbering system composed of the following:

Formation Reversible units Notes
5xxx
(DM)		 6xxx
(UT)
Numbers C69 5501
:
6501		 6501
:
6606(1)
  • 5585(1) destroyed in 1975.
  • 5505 partly destroyed in 2005 - rebuilt as 5606(2)
  • 6505 renumbered 6606(2) in 2008
C77 5701
:
5733		 6701
:
6733
  • 6713 partly destroyed in 2005 - rebuilt as 6734
  • 5713 renumbered 5734 in 2008.
C08 6606(2)
6734

Withdrawal

The stock was replaced between 2012 and 2014 by S7 Stock.[10] Set 5595+6595 was cannibalised in 2011 as a trial programme, and resulted in a planned withdrawal until 2014. In July 2012 set 5532+6532 and 5575+6575 was damaged beyond economical repair in a side-swipe at Hammersmith depot. It was sent to the Northwood sidings on 15 October 2012, and taken to Eastleigh Works to be scrapped.

Final withdrawal of the C Stock commenced on 2 January 2013, when the first full 6-car train, 5515+6515, 5519+6519 and 5732+6732, was taken to Northwood sidings and loaded on lorries to be scrapped. A withdrawal was made every week or two weeks until 2014, but because of delays to the introduction of S7 Stock owing to modifications needed to be made to the S8 Stock, the withdrawal process was temporarily halted.

On 26 April 2013 the process resumed, with 5528+5588+5701 being transferred to Acton Works for removal from the system. The C stock was completely withdrawn on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines on 11 February 2014.

On 3 June 2014 the final scheduled working of C Stock on the London Underground system took place, consisting of 5533/6533+5517/6517+5592/6592. (Train 074). Unfortunately the last journey was cut short by four hours and ended at 9:30am, and the train went to Hammersmith Depot instead. Otherwise, the train would have ended service at 1:39pm where it would have headed to Neasden Depot.

A tour took place on 29 June 2014 traversing much of the mileage covered by the stock during its working life.[2] One train (5721+5531+5578) was retained for this tour with one held as a reserve in case of breakdown (5533+5517+5592).

The second-last train, the reserve train for the tour (5533+5517+5592), was taken to Ealing Common Depot on 4 July 2014 and loaded onto trucks to be scrapped at Rotherham Works, the same place where many A Stock and C Stock trains were scrapped. The final train, the railtour train (5721+5531+5578), was taken to Ealing Common Depot on 9 July 2014 to be scrapped at Rotherham Works as well. Only Car 5721 was preserved at the Acton Museum Depot.

Post-withdrawal use

Transport for London has donated two C77 driving motors to educational establishments, and another from the same sub-series to the London Transport Museum: these are 5701 and 5720.

Sub-seriesCar number(s)Notes
C77 Stock5701Donated by Transport for London to the Royal Greenwich UTC on 28 June 2013.[11]
C77 Stock5720Static feature at a Plumcroft Primary School playground, Plumstead.[12]
C77 Stock5721Static exhibit at the London Transport Museum Depot.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rolling Stock Data Sheet, London Underground (First Edition)" (PDF). WhatDoTheyKnow. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 "C Stock Farewell Railtours". Staff from TFL on District Dave. April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 114.
  4. 1 2 3 Hardy, Brian (1997). London Underground Rolling Stock (14 ed.). Harrow: Capital Transport. pp. 44–46. ISBN 185414 193 7.
  5. 1 2 Bruce 1983, p. 117.
  6. ↑ Bruce 1983, pp. 114-115.
  7. ↑ Bruce 1983, p. 116.
  8. 1 2 3 "Rolling Stock Information Sheets" (PDF). London Underground. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Rolling Stock: C Stock". Transport for London. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "Tube Upgrade Plan" (PDF). Transport for London. February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Underground News. London Underground Railway Society (620): 439. August 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help);
  12. ↑ Underground News. London Underground Railway Society (634): 540. October 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help);

Bibliography

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