London Underground C69 Stock
Encyclopedia
C Stock is the name given to the trains currently running on London Underground
's Circle and Hammersmith & City
lines as well as on the District Line
between Edgware Road
and Wimbledon
. They are maintained at Hammersmith Depot.
by Metro-Cammell and delivered in two batches, known as C69 (1969-70) (35 trains) and C77 (1978) (11 trains). The C69 Stock was purchased to allow the transfer of CO/CP Stock from the Circle Line and Hammersmith & City Line to the District Line (in turn allowing the replacement of the District's Q Stock
, the oldest of which dated back to 1923). The first C Stock train entered service on the 28th September 1970.
The C77 Stock was purchased for the District Line's to service, which is unable to use the District Line's D Stock because of short platforms between and Edgware Road. The introduction of the C77 Stock allowed the withdrawal of some of the CO/CP Stock.
There are four sets of double doors per car side. When originally delivered, the cars were divided by partitions adjacent to each set of doors, with 2 facing pairs of transverse seats on each side of the aisle, giving them a claustrophobic feel and limited standing room. The partition wall contained a large back lit advertising space above the aisle opening. When the stock was refurbished in 1990-94 all these features were removed. Each car now features 4 seats against the sidewalls between each door, creating a much wider aisle. In 2001 a new seat moquette was introduced called the spatter moquette as it contained spattered paint style moquette which replaced the square box moquette. Recently the spatter moquette has begun to wear out producing a lot of dust, and an experiment has been used on certain C stock cars still using the spatter moquette but with grey covers instead of black ones, also new floors have been added.
Each six car train consists of 3 units of 2 cars each. This means all trains have three cabs. They are all painted in the London Underground corporate livery.
's voice on the D78 Stock. It is voiced by Sarah Parnell. An example of the regular voice patterns on each of the 3 lines are as follows:
"This is . This is a Circle Line train via and ."
"This is . This is a Hammersmith and City Line train to ."
"This is . This is a District Line
train to ."
In December 2007, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) changed slightly to include St. Pancras International and London Overground
; however Emma Clarke's voice was still used. On doing this, the system has also taken the opportunity to change "Alight" for "Exit" (like on the Jubilee Line
). An example of this new voice pattern is at Westminster station.
"This is . Change here for the Jubilee Line
. Alight here for The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Riverboat services from Westminster Pier. This is a Circle Line train via and ."
In December 2009, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) was upgraded due to the Circle line extension. On doing this, the system has taken the opportunity to replace archaic phrases with updated versions. Emma Clarke no longer voices any of the recordings; a new voice-over artist has been selected.
trains.
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
's Circle and Hammersmith & City
Hammersmith & City Line
The Hammersmith & City line is a subsurface London Underground line. It connects Hammersmith in the west with Barking in the east, running through the northern part of central London. It is coloured salmon pink on the Tube map...
lines as well as on the District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
between Edgware Road
Edgware Road tube station
Edgware Road station is a London Underground station on the corner of Chapel Street and Cabbell Street Road in Travelcard Zone 1 serving the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines. The separate Edgware Road tube station is about 150 metres away on the opposite side of the Marylebone Road...
and Wimbledon
Wimbledon station
Wimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
. They are maintained at Hammersmith Depot.
Construction
They were built in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
by Metro-Cammell and delivered in two batches, known as C69 (1969-70) (35 trains) and C77 (1978) (11 trains). The C69 Stock was purchased to allow the transfer of CO/CP Stock from the Circle Line and Hammersmith & City Line to the District Line (in turn allowing the replacement of the District's Q Stock
London Underground Q Stock
The Q Stock consisted of various District Line trains built from 1923 until the mid 1930s, originally built with manually operated sliding doors. Following conversion to air operated doors, the trains became collectively known as Q Stock...
, the oldest of which dated back to 1923). The first C Stock train entered service on the 28th September 1970.
The C77 Stock was purchased for the District Line's to service, which is unable to use the District Line's D Stock because of short platforms between and Edgware Road. The introduction of the C77 Stock allowed the withdrawal of some of the CO/CP Stock.
Design
Each six car train consists of 3 units of 2 cars each. This means all trains have three cabs. They are all painted in the London Underground corporate livery.
Announcer system
The C Stock trains are fitted with an automated announcer system which uses a similar style to Emma ClarkeEmma Clarke
Emma Clarke is a writer of comedy and drama scripts and an award-winning voice-over artist, best known as the voice of the automated messages on certain lines of the London Underground....
's voice on the D78 Stock. It is voiced by Sarah Parnell. An example of the regular voice patterns on each of the 3 lines are as follows:
"This is . This is a Circle Line train via and ."
"This is . This is a Hammersmith and City Line train to ."
"This is . This is a District Line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
train to ."
In December 2007, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) changed slightly to include St. Pancras International and London Overground
London Overground
London Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
; however Emma Clarke's voice was still used. On doing this, the system has also taken the opportunity to change "Alight" for "Exit" (like on the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
). An example of this new voice pattern is at Westminster station.
"This is . Change here for the Jubilee Line
Jubilee Line
The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
. Alight here for The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Riverboat services from Westminster Pier. This is a Circle Line train via and ."
In December 2009, the Digital Voice Announcer (DVA) was upgraded due to the Circle line extension. On doing this, the system has taken the opportunity to replace archaic phrases with updated versions. Emma Clarke no longer voices any of the recordings; a new voice-over artist has been selected.
Numbering
C69 Stock DMs were numbered 5501-5606, and trailers 6501-6606. 5606 and 6606 were scrapped in the 1990s. The C77s are 5701-5733 and 6701-6733.Planned withdrawal
The C Stock will be replaced between 2012 and 2013 by the new London Underground S StockLondon Underground S Stock
The S Stock is a class of sub-surface train currently being delivered by Bombardier Transportation in Derby to the London Underground to replace 177 existing trains on the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City, and Circle lines, with a new fleet of standardised car design, totalling 191 trains...
trains.