| Background: |
|
| L Stock | |
| Manufacturer: | UCC |
| Service: | 1931–1971 |
| Carlength: | 49feet |
| Width: | 8feet |
| Height: | 12feet |
| Weight: | 34.08LT |
| Seating: | 42 |
London Underground L Stock was a clerestory-roofed rail stock built for the District line in 1932 and subsequently absorbed into the London Underground Q Stock, being redesignated Q31 Stock.
The L Stock trains were built to provide additional rolling stock for the eastward extension of the District Line from Barking to Upminster.[1] Two new electrified tracks were added parallel to the existing steam-operated LMS lines, including several new stations such as Upminster Bridge.
Forty-five cars were built by the Union Construction Company, eight were driving motor cars and the rest were trailers. An innovation for surface stock was the provision of a sliding door at the guard's position. The eight motor cars, numbered 700-714 (even numbers only), were initially owned by the London Midland and Scottish Railway.[2]
The L Stock was based on the 1927 K Stock.
The conversion from L Stock to Q31 Stock took place in the late 1930s, with the major modifications being the conversion of the hand-operated sliding doors to air operation and the provision of electro-pneumatic brakes.[3] The last Q Stock trains were withdrawn in 1971.