Steaming Into The Suburbs With Heritage Steam Train Rides
London Transport Museum’s newly restored Metropolitan steam Locomotive No.1 and ‘Jubilee’ Carriage 353 are bringing steam back to the Metropolitan Line on the 7 and 8 September. And on Sunday the steam runs will coincide with both Amersham Heritage Day in the old town and the inaugural Town Show by the station at Amersham-on-the Hill, with many activities taking place at both events.
Trains will run throughout the day between Amersham and Harrow-on-the-Hill with passengers choosing to travel in either the beautiful Victorian ‘Jubilee’ carriage or in former British Rail carriages dating from the 1950s. A GWR Pannier Locomotive and a GWR Prairie will be in action, along with Metropolitan Engine No.12 Sarah Siddons and a Class 20 Diesel. A new model Pannier Tank L94 will be launched for sale at the event, with prices to be confirmed.
Metropolitan No.1 was built for work on the Metropolitan Railway in 1898. It worked the line for decades before being withdrawn from service in 1963. It will be a thrilling sight to see the engine carrying passengers once again through London’s suburban areas as it did from the end of the nineteenth century. Also present will be the former Metropolitan Railway Carriage 353. It carried passengers until 1905, when some of the line was electrified. After years of neglect, 353 has been meticulously restored with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the London Transport Museum Friends and now provides the opportunity to see and experience what it was like to travel on the Metropolitan line more than one hundred years ago.
