MET A stock

Still waiting for the promised photos of New Mills performing at the recent Wigan Show so, in the meantime, something completely different. I was able to divert from a seasonal trip to London to look at the surviving Metropolitan A stock units, due to be replaced by the new Bombardier S stock by the spring of 2012. The A stock is almost 50 years old itself, introduced in 1962 to replace loco hauled services out of Baker Street. The iconic MET electric locos had until that year conveyed trains to Watford and Rickmansworth, steam locos taking over at the latter station for the run out to Aylesbury. However the LT network was truncated to Amersham and Chesham from 1962 with BR inheriting the services out to the county town.

Just before Christmas A stock could be seen on about 50% of MET trains. Above, an Amersham train about to depart from Baker Street.

Journeys end, the buffer stop at Aldgate, the Metropolitan's East End terminus in Whitechapel High Street.

Aldgate station at street level, the lettering above the upper windows reflecting it's Metropolitan origins when it was a through station on that companies route that continued onto the East London line. It later became the eastern terminus for MET services when through trains ceased in 1941.

A Chesham service pulls into the bay at Baker Street.

All Chesham branch services are now through trains to and from Baker Street or Aldgate, the legendary Chesham Shuttle finally expiring ahead of the new winter timetable.

At the time of writing it would appear that new S stock deliveries, a weekly night-time arrival from Derby behind Class 20s throughout the autumn, have been suspended due to 'technical glitches with their on-board computers', so said a driver. A reprieve for the A stock...good news for all fans!