Is there an iconic Tube train?

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:02]Hello chums. I was working on another script the other day when I had a slightly random thought which is is there an iconic tube train.

[00:00:14]Let me explain my thinking here. See when it comes to London buses there is the routem. Even if you don't know buses you've heard of a route master. You can buy little souvenirs of it. You could probably identify one if you saw it.

[00:00:32]Similarly, there's the London taxi, particularly the TX1 or the FX4. I would consider both of these iconic. Is there an equivalent for the tube? Now, the word iconic is ridiculously overused these days. Seemingly anything well-known is liable to be described as iconic. Even things that aren't wellknown might be. I've encountered more than one half-built housing development whose estate agents are already describing it as iconic. So, I think I should clarify what I personally mean by the word. We're not going for pedantic literal definitions here, but simply what makes an icon in the popular consciousness.

[00:01:14]I would say that firstly, the thing, the building, the person, whatever has to be well known. I mean that goes without saying unless you are an estate agent.

[00:01:25]But it needs to go further than that. It needs to represent something more than it is. So let's take Big Ben or the Elizabeth Tower or whatever you want to call it. It is literally the big clock tower attached to the Houses of Parliament. But it represents more than that. It's used to represent London or Britain or the government or time or authority or Westminster. There's a reason it appears in the establishing shot of every American movie set here and on a million souvenirs of London.

[00:02:04]Are you with me? So, using that definition, I think the London Underground has a lot about it that's iconic. For instance, I saw the round in this bookshop in Amsterdam used to represent books in English. The map has been copied more times than whoever came up with join the something revolution as an advertising slogan. But is there a specific train? I mean, I think most people in the UK know roughly what a tube train looks like, but is there a specific class that comes to mind? The thing is, there is no single type of tube train. Different lines have different requirements, and their trains need replacing at different times. There are trains in service from the ' 70s, the '9s, and the 2000s with more on the way. That's before we've got into older trains that are kept in service for engineering. There have been many, many different tube trains since the network was first begun in 1863. In fact, let's start in 1863.

[00:03:07]This is the Metropolitan Railway Aclass steam locomotive. These were built for what's now the Metropolitan Line, the District Railway, later bought some of their own, and variants of it worked on several other railways. This particular one is the sole survivor. In 1963, it took part in centinery celebrations for the Underground, and it's now an important exhibit in the London Transport Museum. Is it an icon? Well, I think it is an icon of the museum. It's been used on posters advertising the museum, for instance.

[00:03:43]But I don't think it's what your average person imagines when they think of an underground train. I think we need something more universal. What if we skip ahead? The first attempt at a universal tube train, something that could be used across multiple lines, was the type of train known as gate stock or 1906 stock. This was ordered for the Piccadilly, Belaloo, and Hamstead lines, which were all owned by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited or URL. This was largely a practical thing, buying in bulk as it were, but it contributed to a united corporate identity across the URL lines.

[00:04:25]The same train appeared in all publicity materials, and I would say that corporate identity is a key part of the modern system. But is this train iconic?

[00:04:37]Well, I'd guess that unless you're a tube nerd, you've probably never heard of the 1906 stock. No examples survive save for the end of one carriage at the museum depot in Actton. So I'd say no.

[00:04:52]The next candidate I'll put forward is the 1938 stock. By the way, there are two separate naming conventions for classes of tube train. The big ones that operate on the subsurface lines are known by letters. So you get the S stock, the A stock, and such like.

[00:05:10]Meanwhile, the ones on deep level lines are usually known by the date they were introduced or supposed to be introduced.

[00:05:17]Anyway, the 1938 stock was introduced by London Transport. London Transport had been formed in 1933 and their first order of business was to modernize and unify a network that was frankly rather disperate and illogical despite the best efforts of URL. The 1938 stock was a part of that. It was a stylish semi-streamlined kind of train with a clear art deco influence but without going all out with the styling like the mainline railways were at the time. And this was intended as far as possible to be used across all deep level tube lines. They could be seen on the Baloo, Central, Piccadilly and Northern lines.

[00:06:00]The Jubilee and Victoria didn't exist at the time. They worked on the Northern City and East London lines, which aren't even tube lines anymore, nor were they built for deep level trains. Several of them ended up going to the aisle of white, where they operated on the Island line until just a few years ago. They had at the time the dubious honor of being the oldest trains in revenue earning service in Britain. Several examples have been preserved, including a set that runs excursions over the tube network. These excursions sell out very quickly. I would submit that these are perhaps the best candidate for an iconic train. They represent a kind of old-fashioned design quality and a bygone era. Yet many of the features they introduced are still current to this day. But they don't exactly represent the modern-day network. I would say for that there are two possibilities. One is the S-stock. The S7 and S8 trains are, I would submit, the best of modern design on the tube, at least for now. They operate on the Metropolitan District, Circle, and Hammersmith and City lines. They're roomy and airond conditioned with a walkth through layout. They were unlike anything that had been seen on the tube network before, though they have undoubtedly inspired trains since. In 2015, a poll carried out under the Transported by Design program picked the STOK as a design icon. So, there you go.

[00:07:33]It's official. But there's another more left field choice, and that's the 1972 stock, and not necessarily for positive reasons. The 1972 stock now only runs on the Baloo line, although the similar 1973 stock can be seen on the Piccadilly line. Remember how I said the 1938 stock used to be the oldest train in revenue earning service in Britain? Well, now it's the 1972 stock. It's bemoaned by passengers and politicians as a sign of neglect on the network. That being said, it also has its defenders who like it for its old-fashioned styling and layout and because it's an underdog. A set of 1972 stock also used to be kept on the disused Old Witch branch where it was used for filming. So, there's a good chance you've seen it, even if you've never been to London. I will say that there are other candidates I skipped over because, as I said at the start, there have been many different classes of train. We might throw in the standard stock, which was the predecessor of the 1938 stock, and another attempt to design a universal deeple train. Again, some sets saw out their last days on the aisle of white, but I'd say they're far less familiar than the 1938 stock these days. Perhaps because there are no working examples. Perhaps because the last revenue earning sets were withdrawn long before nerds like me could put them on the internet. We might also suggest the 1967 stock, built for the Victoria line and representing a new dawn in underground design. The 1972 and 1973 stock drew heavily on it. It had automatic train operation which is now fairly standard on the underground and London transport loved to use it in publicity. But ultimately I don't think there is one single class of train that could be said to be the icon. The 1938 stock is an icon of classic design. The 1972 stock is an icon of the system at its worst, and the S- stock is the system at its best. I guess this shows how complicated and unplanned the system was. But one might also say that it is these very quirks, this lack of overall unity that prevents us from picking one, but makes the system as a whole iconic.

[00:10:11]Well, I do hope you enjoyed this iconic tale from the tube. If you did, please do leave a like and consider subscribing for more. I would like as ever to thank my donors on Kofi, on Patreon, and here on YouTube for your generous support.

[00:10:25]You are the iconic status to my tube train. And I will see you all again very soon. Cheerio.