Tuesday 18 December 2012

First steam train for over 100 years runs on London Underground
Metropolitan Steam Locomotive Number 1, which dates from 1892, pulled a restored original Victorian first-class carriage from Earl’s Court to Moorgate




The first steam locomotive to run on the London Underground in more than 100 years pulls into Baker Street station.
It was part of a test run for a retro service marking the Tube’s 150th anniversary next year.
Metropolitan Steam Locomotive Number 1, which dates from 1892, pulled a restored original Victorian first-class carriage from Earl’s Court in West London to Moorgate in the City early on Sunday.
Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London, who helped bring back the steam Tube, joked: “This is the advantage of having your own railway – you don’t have to ask permission.”
The carriage – which had been used as a chicken coop in a farmyard before being renovated – has a luxurious teak frame, crimson upholstered seats, leather panels and gas light fittings.
It was restored thanks to tireless fund-raising campaigns and a Lottery grant.
Locomotive No 1 went overground in 1904 – a year before the last steam Tube ran – as the Underground moved over to electricity.
It was finally withdrawn from service in 1963.
Chromolithograph by the Kell Brothers after their original drawing, showing passengers waiting on platforms at Baker Street underground station
Baker Street in 1863
A newly restored steam engine built in 1898, known as Met Locomotive No. 1, travels through Baker Street Underground station