M@London Underground 1967-99: Rare Photos Of Recent Tube Past
Three-car 1960 stock train emerging from the Grange Hill Tunnel in May 1990.
A new book captures key moments in the tube's history from the 60s to the 90s.
When we think of the history of London Underground, it's often of the first 50 years or so, when most of the lines were first scooped out or tunnelled. But, as a new book reveals, plenty of change was afoot during the second half of the 20th century.
The short-lived Charing Cross Jubilee line station sees a 1972 Mk II train awaiting departure. The overrun tunnels extended most of the way to Aldwych for the intended continuation to Fleet Street and beyond.
London Underground 1967-99 by John Glover is a handsome collection of 180 photographs, taken by the author over three decades. Glover's lens captures the changes to rolling stock and station design, and the numerous experiments with livery and branding that were trialled over this period.
On 1959 stock trains, guards were positioned at the front of the last coach. A smartly turned-out individual is seen here at Borough on the final day these trains were used before withdrawal. The date is 27 January 2000.
We witness the early days of the Victoria line, the withdrawal of services out into the Home Counties, the retirement of train guards, the gradual upgrading of rolling stock, and the coming of the Jubilee line extension.
A southbound train to Morden of 1959 stock arrives at the un-rebuilt Angel in March 1987. Access to the platform was then available only by stairs from the northern end – seen here. The only remaining examples of such a layout with a narrow island platform are at Clapham North and Clapham Common.
Those who remember the period will find nostalgia-inducing details on every page. Those who are too young, or too new to London will find many surprises. Who knew that Moorgate was open to the elements until relatively recently, or that trains occasionally carried advertising along their whole length?
The Moorgate/Barbican area needed total reconstruction in the post-war era. This included straightening the 500 metres of railway between those stations, crucial for the Barbican development. This view shows Moorgate station in 1967. It was yet to be built over and shows an A stock train to Uxbridge and a Class 31 locomotive on a Great Northern Widened Lines service.
Photo books of the tube are common enough, but this one stands out from the crowd by capturing elements from the network's recent history that are often overlooked.
The East London line was chosen to experiment with alternative livery to ward of a problem with graffiti. This red, white and blue A stock is being shown off at New Cross on 3 May 1990.The interior of the 1983 stock, taken at Dollis Hill on 28 December 1996. Further use was sought for the stock when withdrawn, but to no avail. The single doors were a major stumbling block; if they were to be converted to a double-door layout, the cost would be such that new trains would be only marginally more expensive.The Metropolitan Railway continued to the rural outpost of Verney Junction, 50.5 miles from Baker Street, where it met the one-time Oxford to Cambridge line of British Railways. The Metropolitan became part of London Transport in 1933 and this appendage was closed, without delay, in 1936. Built as a double-track railway, this is a 1994 view along a former cutting.The 1938 stock continued to provide passenger services on the Bakerloo line until the 1980s. Here, one such train is arriving on the southbound line at West Hampstead in 1977. Remarkably, the last of these venerable trains was still providing commercial services on the Isle of Wight until 2021.This C stock train is at Barbican in March 1998. It is bedecked with Yellow Pages advertising. Such overall advertising on Underground trains was only used in a few instances and is no longer being applied.
