Agreed! I actually rode these growing up. Had family in South Kensington and they will forever hold a close memory. Getting the chance to ride one here in the US is something I'd never expected I'd be able to do!
@@HighIronProductions They were decent trains, in fact I was told they were the most reliable trains on the Underground. My stock (1992 on the Central) is probably the least reliable. Shame they had to be withdrawn but they couldn’t keep up with our demand now.
Ironically the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has had one of ours for some time. NYC Subway R6 Class 1144, one of the “Arnine” series built for the Independent System.
@@HighIronProductions No one has bought one in the USA yet. None in service or projected to be. Expect to see it scrapped as the transport costs back to the UK will be too much.
Never thought I'd see the Great British empire crumble into a self-inflicted disaster but here we are... Sipping on a tall glass of sovereign tears produced at Bregret Abbey.
Strange to think that, as these units were in service for decades on the District Line on the London Underground before they were renovated, millions of Londoners would have travelled in these actual carriages at one time or another.
The shot at 2:22 looks incredible where you can see an old narrow gauge American steam locomotive and a modern standard gauge British EMU set facing each other. Past meets present, USA meets UK, steam meets electric, all are true.
The D78 stock first entered service on London Underground's District Line in 1980!. The former D78 stock I believe was basically stripped right down to the bare bodyshell and rebuilt
Well, having rattled about on the District Line on these trains since about 1979, I can honestly say I never thought I would see one with a cow catcher fitted to the front....
They look so different yet so similar to the D stock. But I do wonder, why does Vivarail and this company decide to completely remove the middle storm door and window?
I don't know if it's been commented elsewhere, but the Description provided with the video is wrong in one respect. The article claims that their traction motors continue to produce their iconic low hum. That suggests that the motors are original; they are not, they were replaced with new motors sourced from an Austrian supplier. The high-pitch whine is characteristic of the new 3 phase AC traction system that feeds the motors.
That’s the most surealistic real life thing I’ve seen so far. A former London Underground train at the other side of the atlantic ocean. Impressive! 🙌🏻
strange seeing a such a british train in america, glad to see that places can make use of the lovely D78s, i do miss them, where my favourite sub-surface underground stock
They really went all in with it, it looks like a modern metro AND it has battery powered propulsion. Truly mindboggling. This goes to show, with a will, there is a way.
Holy crap! This is not clickbait whatsoever! I am honestly shocked and thought that this would NEVER happen! Talk about something that I would literally dream of seeing in my childhood LOL. 😂
Great to see - look so different and the thought of taking these from Southfields on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line so many times - good they have been re-vamped for several different operators and modes - fab!
Amazing seeing this, thanks so much for sharing. Had to check it wasn't published on April 1! I went to school on these every day, so crazy to see them in this wonderful setting. I really didn't like them(!) and found them boxy and charmless... Thanks again for the fantastic video!
@@bugbloke616 indeed. The US guy who was bank rolling Vivarail was the same guy behind getting the cl230 train to the US. He couldn't, or wouldn't, provide Vivarail with any more cash so they went belly up (more complicated than that though) and the CEO also sadly died late last year. I think there were x70 ex-District line D trains at Long Marston that could have been converted, but they will probably be scrapped now as the administrator will be racking up storage costs for them. It will remain a novelty in the US no doubt for a while, but I doubt there will be any more, any where.
That would be a great thing for larger regional towns with old disused railway lines running through them which currently have no public transport or just have buses! :)
Thanks for this. I’ve been wondering what would happen to this units as Vivarail (the manufacturer and a former employer of mine) is now sadly bankrupt.
These, now called the Class 230, went into service a few weeks ago on the Wrexham (Wales) to Bidston, Birkenhead (nr Liverpool) line. The wheels are turned by electric motors with diesel generators providing the electricity for the motors and charging the batteries. Not sure if brake regen is a part of it. They also operate between Beltchley and Bedford and are scheduled to be operational in South Wales.
Pop Up Metro is a crazy concept, but I hope their battery rolling stock gets buyers in the US. I can see a set snapped up by SMART (Sonoma-Marine Area Rail Transit) out here in California to supplement their Nippon Sharyo DMU's.
@@rambunctiousmedia3350 We are still around. I think SMART is a great deployment opportunity. We are in talks with some other CA sites, but have yet to consider Sonoma! Thank you!
I well remember catching the very first one of these trains into service one dark and cold but dry January morning from my then local station at Ealing Common. That was, ahem, over 43 years ago.
They look awesome ,I remember back in late 1979 when they started to test run them on the district line brand new gleaming aluminium and red painted front lower panels ,ironically when new the interiors were orange based with brown fittings and biscuit coloured panels and a orange,yellow,black,brown seat moquette ,stainless steel grab poles , , I saw one one Sunday around November they entered service soon after I miss them ,but they have done a cracking job on that unit looks like a brand new train looks more modern than the NYCs latest cars ,40 years old and still going strong a well built train by metro cammel in Birmingham ,England All the best ,look after them 😊😊
Some of them were built at Cammel Lairds shipyard in Birkenhead. The facilities they had were vastly superior to those in the Midlands. The massive ship cranes would lift a car from one part on the yard to another, to do various fitting out tasks, which quickened production enormously.
It's a shame Vivarail went bust as these were really still in experimental stage in the UK & nobody's really taking them on. They were working on a short route for London North Wester Railway which is currently being extended & now people on this route have a bus instead. These underground conversions are perfect for short commuter routes linking up main lines.
Omg! Just saw a video from Jen On the Move a out the 230 class on a line in Wales. Those were hybrid, 3 car trains, but SOS amazing to see an all battery one!
@@HighIronProductions That is great. Sadly all of the Met-Camm trains around my way (Tyne and Wear Metro) and Class 156 Super Sprinter DMUs have lost those now. I do wonder if Met-Camm would have been successful like Hawker-Siddeley in the US market - Met-Camm were a final-assembler where only the R&D and final assembly was done in house with fabrication and fit out being subcontracted that would have worked well with Buy American rules.
Sad that Vivarail has stopped operating, although there are plans to resurrect the company under new ownership. Their plans for cheap metro-style trains could've been a winner in places with tight budgets
@@williamerazo3921 Vivarail (re)manufactured these units and maintained x3 for West Midlands Trains (under the London Northwestern brand) on the Marston Vale line - now withdrawn from service following the demise of Vivarail, Transport for Wales have another x5 that have just entered service and GWR bought the fast charge test unit from the administrator. A 750VDC EMU variant - x5 Class 484 units operate on the Isle of Wight.
It's a shame Vivarail is no more. I have seen the USA Class 230 train over the Internet but it's the first time l've seen the video of it l do like the livery.
This is the first video that I have seen of the American tests. Although the Vivarail company has gone bankrupt, as has been mentioned in some of the previous comments, the Great Western Railway in Britain is continuing with its trials and has not only recruited some of the former Vivarail staff, but has, I believe, purchased the remaining bodyshells and has arranged for the provision of spares. Perhaps if the company had concentrated on battery power and straight electric (as now in use on the Isle of Wight) instead of its early conversions with diesel power packs, then it might have been more successful. Unfortunately, a series of engine fires have left the Marston Vale line without a train service. Very sad.
but as DEMUs the are working on the service from Wrexham now , so some problems have been solved, I think it was the specific Marston Vale contract that was a financial problem
@Giles Itsnot Cheers, I somewhat assumed the power unit for the DEMUs had been changed from the NW units. I agree failure to check the spec of the generator motors for reliable use was not a good idea, it is not as if 70 odd years of DEMU experience was not avalible - admittedly most early ones were monsters of power units but I assume something of the right size/clearence and reliably cooled ones must be avalible.
@Giles Itsnot , lets get this right - the DfT has stumped up for the assets of Viva Rail through GWR (part of FirstGroup, now contracted to operate GWR services as a concession to the UK Government, not a franchise). According to GWR staff in the know, that includes 80 spare bodyshells as well as 230001. I would expect Henry Posner now owns 230002/011 at Rockhill. Agreed GWR won't build anything.In the unlikely event that more units are needed, the work would have to be undertaken by another train manufacturer.
@@highpath4776 The Welsh trains are battery - diesel hybrids, much more complex than the two BEMUs at Rockhill. The Wrexham service has been very unreliable so far, a number of teething troubles.
They were operating with diesel power conversions (engines slung under the frames powering electric motors) on the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Bedford from 2019-2022 until Vivarail collapsed. Public reaction to these new units on this line had been very positive. The replacement long term 'emergency' bus service, less so. (there is a shortage of diesel rail units in the UK).
Why don't they have these pop up metros for certain events with temporary high level wooden platforms? Maybe they can also be used as special event trains in Boston.
So first they're used to replace pacers, then they bring some to the Isle of Wight and now to Pennsylvania? These trains must be awesome if they see reuse in so many places.
Question: what powers the motors? I didn’t see any diesel, pantograph or third rail equipment… Batteries were installed? Also, I have never seen this high quality renovation done to the old outdated rolling stock inside and outside just for the museum purposes that it looks more modern in all the aspects than the newest NYC subway cars! Very interesting😮
Not sure about FRA compatibility, but the idea would be to run them with temporal separation, similar to light rail systems which operate on shared track with freight railroads.
The plan is to use these as demonstration trains for cities considering rail transit on existing freight lines. None of these lines will be electrified. The overhead wires seen in the video are part of the trolley museum's infrastructure and can only handle trolley poles, not modern pantographs.
I've got a question, how does it get it's power to move the untils, I see at the beginning theirs overhead and third rail, but no shoe or paragraph? and when getting to the other building on the site theirs no overhead/third rail but still the motors sound strong of power!? One I can think of it can generate on the movement with batteries to help it's power of acceleration/deacceleration!
@@navzmetrotransit alas I don't but they have also been trialling hydrogen powered recently. That old district line tube stock (I think) just keeps going and going. Amazing
Ground level capable cars probably would have been more flexible for experimenting. I can't think of many lines in urban areas where the owners will let this set up anyway.
Interesting...I had no idea this was going on there. I used to live in Pa. but since moved to Fl. It's been a while since I was at that place...How long has this testing been going on there?
Perhaps it quietly explains why people in the USA are experimenting with old British trains. The American narrow gauge train is almost the same size as the British standard gauge one!🙂
@@HighIronProductions ah is that a separate company then? I got the impression it was all still under the vivarail brand. Would be good if they're able to keep the trials going and maybe have some enter service!
Wow, something from the old world has come to the new as the old saying goes great to have former London underground cars in the United States, which is the worlds oldest subway, which has been around since the 19th century it’s probably as old as some of the first Rail Roads in North America even the East Broad Top Railroad correct me if I’m wrong
Not sure what the latest is, given their ownership arrangement, but if things go as planned, they will eventually start operating in cities wishing to explore the potential of having passenger rail - hence being a "pop up metro".
Things you don't expect to see out of the window of a District Line train.
1. Pennsylvania.
It’s insane seeing one of our former trains in America. The District line hasn’t been the same since these left!
Agreed! I actually rode these growing up. Had family in South Kensington and they will forever hold a close memory. Getting the chance to ride one here in the US is something I'd never expected I'd be able to do!
@@HighIronProductions They were decent trains, in fact I was told they were the most reliable trains on the Underground. My stock (1992 on the Central) is probably the least reliable. Shame they had to be withdrawn but they couldn’t keep up with our demand now.
Ironically the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre has had one of ours for some time. NYC Subway R6 Class 1144, one of the “Arnine” series built for the Independent System.
@@HighIronProductions When I was slightly younger, I used to wait for the d-stock trains instead of the s stock.
@@HighIronProductions
No one has bought one in the USA yet. None in service or projected to be. Expect to see it scrapped as the transport costs back to the UK will be too much.
Never thought I'd see a London Underground train in the USA.
Same Here
Never thought I'd see the Great British empire crumble into a self-inflicted disaster but here we are... Sipping on a tall glass of sovereign tears produced at Bregret Abbey.
🤨
@@still_guns It's okay. We got Brexit done!
@@The-Cat What does this have to do with a train?
Strange to think that, as these units were in service for decades on the District Line on the London Underground before they were renovated, millions of Londoners would have travelled in these actual carriages at one time or another.
It is possible that I could have travelled on these very trains myself.
The shot at 2:22 looks incredible where you can see an old narrow gauge American steam locomotive and a modern standard gauge British EMU set facing each other. Past meets present, USA meets UK, steam meets electric, all are true.
@@dylanwinn3 The Swiss did that already, during the Second World War when there was a shortage of coal (SBB E 3/3) ;-)
The D78 stock first entered service on London Underground's District Line in 1980!. The former D78 stock I believe was basically stripped right down to the bare bodyshell and rebuilt
Rockhill Furnace really is the 'end of the line.' As soon as I saw D78 stock, Geoff Marshall came straight to mind.
Well, having rattled about on the District Line on these trains since about 1979, I can honestly say I never thought I would see one with a cow catcher fitted to the front....
Indeed! Even the Isle of Wight version , Class 484, have cow catchers!
Imagine if it's ones I've been on over the years. Madness.
They look so different yet so similar to the D stock. But I do wonder, why does Vivarail and this company decide to completely remove the middle storm door and window?
I don't know if it's been commented elsewhere, but the Description provided with the video is wrong in one respect. The article claims that their traction motors continue to produce their iconic low hum. That suggests that the motors are original; they are not, they were replaced with new motors sourced from an Austrian supplier. The high-pitch whine is characteristic of the new 3 phase AC traction system that feeds the motors.
That’s the most surealistic real life thing I’ve seen so far. A former London Underground train at the other side of the atlantic ocean. Impressive! 🙌🏻
The old Underground stock are perfect for conversion to battery-powered surface use.
with some major adjustments yea sure
The new state-of-the-art Merseyrail Class 777s can be battery powered. They are built light for this function. The old D stock are heavy cars.
strange seeing a such a british train in america, glad to see that places can make use of the lovely D78s, i do miss them, where my favourite sub-surface underground stock
The paintjob makes it look less British.
I used to drive those trains over 20 years ago here in London. I never thought I would see the D Stock being used in the US!
They really went all in with it, it looks like a modern metro AND it has battery powered propulsion. Truly mindboggling. This goes to show, with a will, there is a way.
Wow, they've done a superb job with the refurb. I used to ride on these all the time and I genuinely did not recognize them!!
U don't see this every day. Old London UK train in the US. That's crazy!
The prototype battery electric train was tested at my place of work, a few years ago on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, Bo’ness Scotland. 🏴
Holy crap! This is not clickbait whatsoever! I am honestly shocked and thought that this would NEVER happen! Talk about something that I would literally dream of seeing in my childhood LOL. 😂
These units looks and sounds great
Insane! The transformation from their original forms! So crazy to hear it sound like an R142/R188 or a MBTA greenline Type 8
Hi Rainbow Railroad Crossing: I noticed it these 2 cars sounded exactly like these you mentioned.
Great to see - look so different and the thought of taking these from Southfields on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line so many times - good they have been re-vamped for several different operators and modes - fab!
Wow, seeing D stock in the USA blows my mind. I really miss that feeling of going on a real District line train before 2017.
Amazing seeing this, thanks so much for sharing. Had to check it wasn't published on April 1!
I went to school on these every day, so crazy to see them in this wonderful setting. I really didn't like them(!) and found them boxy and charmless... Thanks again for the fantastic video!
Great footage! Nice to see that these railcars are still testing. I hope a few lines in the U.S. use them soon.
Septa: is for me?!
I doubt that will happen because the company behind this went bust a few months ago.
@@dr_dr And this is the only battery cl230 in the USA
@@bugbloke616 indeed. The US guy who was bank rolling Vivarail was the same guy behind getting the cl230 train to the US. He couldn't, or wouldn't, provide Vivarail with any more cash so they went belly up (more complicated than that though) and the CEO also sadly died late last year. I think there were x70 ex-District line D trains at Long Marston that could have been converted, but they will probably be scrapped now as the administrator will be racking up storage costs for them. It will remain a novelty in the US no doubt for a while, but I doubt there will be any more, any where.
The company is totally bust, this concept is not going anywhere
Jeez!!... I'm gonna felt worse for that train to find, huh!! 😧
That would be a great thing for larger regional towns with old disused railway lines running through them which currently have no public transport or just have buses! :)
It would be nice to see these be used on a railroad that this company owns. Iowa Interstate.
Thanks for this. I’ve been wondering what would happen to this units as Vivarail (the manufacturer and a former employer of mine) is now sadly bankrupt.
.......and unfortunately the man who's brainchild these units are - Adrian Shooter - died a few months ago.
I think their assets are being bought up by another company, unless I'm mistaken.
@@davidbull7210 Which companies brought what parts of Vivarail? I know GWR brought 230001 and some staff.
@@A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire I think GWR bought up all the assets
@@davidbull7210 Including pop up metro?
These, now called the Class 230, went into service a few weeks ago on the Wrexham (Wales) to Bidston, Birkenhead (nr Liverpool) line. The wheels are turned by electric motors with diesel generators providing the electricity for the motors and charging the batteries. Not sure if brake regen is a part of it.
They also operate between Beltchley and Bedford and are scheduled to be operational in South Wales.
Just weird to see an ex-LU D78 District line train in the USA...thanks for sharing. Glad it has a new home!
Pop Up Metro is a crazy concept, but I hope their battery rolling stock gets buyers in the US. I can see a set snapped up by SMART (Sonoma-Marine Area Rail Transit) out here in California to supplement their Nippon Sharyo DMU's.
Sadly the company who made this have gone bankrupt
@@Seagull81006 That's a shame.
@@Seagull81006 We're still kicking and setting up deployments around the US
@@rambunctiousmedia3350 We are still around. I think SMART is a great deployment opportunity. We are in talks with some other CA sites, but have yet to consider Sonoma! Thank you!
I well remember catching the very first one of these trains into service one dark and cold but dry January morning from my then local station at Ealing Common. That was, ahem, over 43 years ago.
Some of my earliest memories from the UK involve these, when they had wood-slatted floors and checkered orange and yellow seats.
They look awesome ,I remember back in late 1979 when they started to test run them on the district line brand new gleaming aluminium and red painted front lower panels ,ironically when new the interiors were orange based with brown fittings and biscuit coloured panels and a orange,yellow,black,brown seat moquette ,stainless steel grab poles , , I saw one one Sunday around November they entered service soon after I miss them ,but they have done a cracking job on that unit looks like a brand new train looks more modern than the NYCs latest cars ,40 years old and still going strong a well built train by metro cammel in Birmingham ,England
All the best ,look after them 😊😊
Some of them were built at Cammel Lairds shipyard in Birkenhead. The facilities they had were vastly superior to those in the Midlands. The massive ship cranes would lift a car from one part on the yard to another, to do various fitting out tasks, which quickened production enormously.
Those trains look so nice the are also used on the Island line in the Isle Of Wight but the livery looks so good
Technically those are the Class 484, not the Class 230, although they both are made from the same original D-stock.
It's a shame Vivarail went bust as these were really still in experimental stage in the UK & nobody's really taking them on. They were working on a short route for London North Wester Railway which is currently being extended & now people on this route have a bus instead. These underground conversions are perfect for short commuter routes linking up main lines.
I really hoped Viva would lift off. Shame about their bankruptcy and other’s ignorance.
They are in use now on the Isle of Wight, 3rd Rail powered.
Vivarail's was mainly bought out by GWR. They have parts and bought up the old trains ready for conversion.
Omg! Just saw a video from Jen On the Move a out the 230 class on a line in Wales. Those were hybrid, 3 car trains, but SOS amazing to see an all battery one!
The paintjob is beautiful and I had to look very hard to identify those carriages as ex-London underground rolling stock.
Do these trains still have their Metro-Cammell builders footplates?
They do! I was glad to see them when stepping onboard.
@@HighIronProductions That is great. Sadly all of the Met-Camm trains around my way (Tyne and Wear Metro) and Class 156 Super Sprinter DMUs have lost those now. I do wonder if Met-Camm would have been successful like Hawker-Siddeley in the US market - Met-Camm were a final-assembler where only the R&D and final assembly was done in house with fabrication and fit out being subcontracted that would have worked well with Buy American rules.
Sad that Vivarail has stopped operating, although there are plans to resurrect the company under new ownership. Their plans for cheap metro-style trains could've been a winner in places with tight budgets
Very interesting concept. It will be interesting to see where this goes!
Indeed!
I really hope this company is successful, despite Viva shutting down. It's such a cool idea.
Agreed!
UK-based company that rebuilds these units over here has gone bust.
Very unfortunate indeed.
@@HighIronProductions yeah, the ones on the Marston Vale line are going as they can't be maintained.
Name of the company?
@@williamerazo3921 they company that operates them are london north western railway and they are maintained by vivafail (vivarail but funny joke).
@@williamerazo3921 Vivarail (re)manufactured these units and maintained x3 for West Midlands Trains (under the London Northwestern brand) on the Marston Vale line - now withdrawn from service following the demise of Vivarail, Transport for Wales have another x5 that have just entered service and GWR bought the fast charge test unit from the administrator. A 750VDC EMU variant - x5 Class 484 units operate on the Isle of Wight.
wow the old D stock is moving far and wide... dread to think how much a ticket wil cost to from baker street to there !!!
and what zone Rockhill Furnace would be in...?
Woah....that's crazy, they sound very similar to our R142A subway cars here in New York City.
or the stupidest V type car train
Nonsense @@Alexandraofficialproductions nonsense
It's a shame Vivarail is no more. I have seen the USA Class 230 train over the Internet but it's the first time l've seen the video of it l do like the livery.
Fish out of water for sure. What a find!
Nice video.. Great captures..! Cheers
I remember one of the early models of these reborn underground trains catching fire in Kenilworth while undergoing trials.
I remember getting on the old D stock to Hornchurch to go college its weird seeing them in America London heritage I miss the d stock
This is the first video that I have seen of the American tests.
Although the Vivarail company has gone bankrupt, as has been mentioned in some of the previous comments, the Great Western Railway in Britain is continuing with its trials and has not only recruited some of the former Vivarail staff, but has, I believe, purchased the remaining bodyshells and has arranged for the provision of spares.
Perhaps if the company had concentrated on battery power and straight electric (as now in use on the Isle of Wight) instead of its early conversions with diesel power packs, then it might have been more successful. Unfortunately, a series of engine fires have left the Marston Vale line without a train service. Very sad.
but as DEMUs the are working on the service from Wrexham now , so some problems have been solved, I think it was the specific Marston Vale contract that was a financial problem
@Giles Itsnot Cheers, I somewhat assumed the power unit for the DEMUs had been changed from the NW units. I agree failure to check the spec of the generator motors for reliable use was not a good idea, it is not as if 70 odd years of DEMU experience was not avalible - admittedly most early ones were monsters of power units but I assume something of the right size/clearence and reliably cooled ones must be avalible.
@Giles Itsnot , lets get this right - the DfT has stumped up for the assets of Viva Rail through GWR (part of FirstGroup, now contracted to operate GWR services as a concession to the UK Government, not a franchise). According to GWR staff in the know, that includes 80 spare bodyshells as well as 230001. I would expect Henry Posner now owns 230002/011 at Rockhill. Agreed GWR won't build anything.In the unlikely event that more units are needed, the work would have to be undertaken by another train manufacturer.
@@highpath4776 The Welsh trains are battery - diesel hybrids, much more complex than the two BEMUs at Rockhill. The Wrexham service has been very unreliable so far, a number of teething troubles.
@Giles Itsnot
These trains in the USA are a dead end, as no one is taking up Vivarails conversions of the old D stock.
I knew the district line used to got much further west, but not this far!!!
We need to legalize this FRA restricts where metros can run
Thanks for sharing a great video ✨️
Cheers 🍹
Great video. ☺️
They have the same train set's operating on the Isle of Wight in the southern UK but running off a third power rail instead of battery power.
They were operating with diesel power conversions (engines slung under the frames powering electric motors) on the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Bedford from 2019-2022 until Vivarail collapsed. Public reaction to these new units on this line had been very positive. The replacement long term 'emergency' bus service, less so. (there is a shortage of diesel rail units in the UK).
Similar diesel class 230 units entered service on the TfW (Welsh Railways) Borderlands Line from 3rd April 2023 after testing runs on the line.
@@frglee it's a great shame Vivarail went under.
Why don't they have these pop up metros for certain events with temporary high level wooden platforms? Maybe they can also be used as special event trains in Boston.
We're trying!
So first they're used to replace pacers, then they bring some to the Isle of Wight and now to Pennsylvania? These trains must be awesome if they see reuse in so many places.
There will be no more as Vivarail went bust.
Smart livery, too.
Question: what powers the motors? I didn’t see any diesel, pantograph or third rail equipment… Batteries were installed?
Also, I have never seen this high quality renovation done to the old outdated rolling stock inside and outside just for the museum purposes that it looks more modern in all the aspects than the newest NYC subway cars! Very interesting😮
Wow! Awesome Video!👍
This is dead-on interesting i never seen a London Underground subway car in the USA :D
Weird to see old tube trains outside of their native habitat.
Retired subways, but they're still more modern then most subways in America.
How did that thing get there without us noticing?
It's so strange seeing something I used to ride on saved and being used again in a country an entire ocean's distance away from London 😃
Wish it had the underground livery, it would of teared me up with nostalgic memories
I agree, this would be fantastic, but the livery they used doesn't look all that bad.
ex London Underground Sock fot Viva rail ? Love it!!!
So they want to run ex UK underground stock in the US. Is it FRA compatible? Meet crashworthiness requirements? Car height and width?
Not sure about FRA compatibility, but the idea would be to run them with temporal separation, similar to light rail systems which operate on shared track with freight railroads.
Just abolish the stupid standards they are useless
Quite funny one of these has ended up here before the Greenford to West Ealing Branch Line in West London 😂
These trains look brand new. They sound like New york City IRT R 142 A & BMT / IND R 143 cars . They sound like KAWASAKI..
Looks modern
How are these trains powers, i dont see a pantograph or 3rd rail apart from the narrow gauge?
They have a battery on board which powers the electric traction motors.
They probably will not return home after the trials are over. Wishing these trains a happy new life in the land of the free
Wow that's bizarre. How did they transport them there?
are these still being tested/used following vivarail shutting?
Yes. Pop Up Metro was a stakeholder in Vivarail, not a part of it. I don't believe Vivarail going out of business affects their operation.
Nice catch and what an odd thing to see!
Stupid question. They have overhead wire’s installed. Why did they choose to go with batteries instead of a pantograph.
The plan is to use these as demonstration trains for cities considering rail transit on existing freight lines. None of these lines will be electrified. The overhead wires seen in the video are part of the trolley museum's infrastructure and can only handle trolley poles, not modern pantographs.
I've got a question, how does it get it's power to move the untils, I see at the beginning theirs overhead and third rail, but no shoe or paragraph? and when getting to the other building on the site theirs no overhead/third rail but still the motors sound strong of power!?
One I can think of it can generate on the movement with batteries to help it's power of acceleration/deacceleration!
Battery powered
@@Wharferine Wow that's amazing technology, Do you know how many miles they can do before needing a power source?
@@navzmetrotransit alas I don't but they have also been trialling hydrogen powered recently. That old district line tube stock (I think) just keeps going and going. Amazing
This is so cool! Are the pop-up stations going to have high floors for this to work?
Yes
Ground level capable cars probably would have been more flexible for experimenting. I can't think of many lines in urban areas where the owners will let this set up anyway.
Maybe they could add pneumatic steps or ramps that fold out the doorways?
Interesting...I had no idea this was going on there. I used to live in Pa. but since moved to Fl. It's been a while since I was at that place...How long has this testing been going on there?
The first set arrived in 2021, I think? Not sure how frequently they get run, though.
They certainly have been transformed and tinted glass.
How does the metro get its power? I saw no over head collector.
They're equipped with on board batteries.
Built in Birmingham, rebuilt in Warwickshire, sent to the USA.
It’s a shame Vivarail collapsed 😢
It is...
Shame that Vivarail went into administration. But this Class 230 train looks really impressive in that livery.
It's a good looking scheme!
Indeed.
These look great but apparently they were a flop on the VIVA rail line in UK. I think they were all taken out of service due to reliability issues
Perhaps it quietly explains why people in the USA are experimenting with old British trains. The American narrow gauge train is almost the same size as the British standard gauge one!🙂
will it ever run in america
now Americans can enjoy the simplicity of our train naming system where each train just gets a number in a certain group 2XX meaning it is a DMU
@Giles Itsnot oh right there are some class 230s that have batteries
Is this still going ahead after the death of vivarail?
Yes. These cars are under the care of Pop Up Metro, so as far as I know they aren't affected by the issues with Vivarail.
@@HighIronProductions ah is that a separate company then? I got the impression it was all still under the vivarail brand. Would be good if they're able to keep the trials going and maybe have some enter service!
@@MikeWillSee Pop Up Metro was a major stakeholder in Vivarail, but they are a separate company.
@@HighIronProductions ah I didn't realise that, good to know!
What range do these battery electric units have?
The UK battery unit 230001 is said to have 50 miles reliable range. It ran from Glasgow to Inverkeithing (47 miles) on a test run.
What is the power source? I don't see a pantograph or third rail.
Onboard batteries.
This looks so unusual- how long will it be staying at Rockhill? Any idea where it will head next?
They will be at Rockhill for several years. I don't think there are any concrete plans on where they will be demonstrated next yet.
Next stop, mornington crescent ...😊
Only if you've invoked Trumpington's Variant and haven't made a reverse diagonal move. Mrs Trellis got caught out that way in the 1978 semi-final.
of all the images I expected to see, a 3ft 2-8-2 staring down a D-line tube train is not one of them.
I hope cities in the Lehigh valley look at these.
Yes!
Wow, something from the old world has come to the new as the old saying goes great to have former London underground cars in the United States, which is the worlds oldest subway, which has been around since the 19th century it’s probably as old as some of the first Rail Roads in North America even the East Broad Top Railroad correct me if I’m wrong
Yes the first London Underground line opened in 1863, 8 years before the EBT.
@@DanQuine holy cow it is older than any of the railroads of America. That is so cool.
@@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan I have a feeling some of the early electric London underground stock was bought from US manufacturers.
@@highpath4776 yup under the American financier Charles Tyson Yerkes back. It’s why LU trains are referred to as having “cars” instead of “coaches”.
So these metro cars won't be staying in Rockhill Furnace?
Not sure what the latest is, given their ownership arrangement, but if things go as planned, they will eventually start operating in cities wishing to explore the potential of having passenger rail - hence being a "pop up metro".
@@HighIronProductions I hope this startup has more success. I love the idea.
Those old trains have scrubbed up well
Is this the battery electric retrofit from vivalrail
Reading the description. This pop up metro sounds like a brilliant idea!
Yes - and yes, hopefully, it will continue!