Collections close up: Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive, 1922

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Metropolitan Railway encouraged the growth of what it called ‘Metro-land’, an increasingly suburban area northwest of London. The growth of Metro-land and suburban traffic resulted in longer and heavier trains. The first-generation electric locomotives, built between 1904 and 1906, were no longer powerful enough. There were plans to upgrade these locomotives, but it soon became apparent that it would be more economical to replace them. 

In 1922-23, Metropolitan-Vickers delivered 20 new locomotives of a new design. Fitted with four 300 horsepower electric motors, one for each axle, these were the most powerful locomotives ever to work on London Underground. 

These locomotives were built at a time when most Underground lines in London were either changing to or already operating electric multiple units. For decades, the Metropolitan remained the only line using locomotive haulage. They were finally withdrawn in 1961.

As the only railway company operating in London to own and develop land, the Metropolitan Railway gave its name to Metro-land, the suburbs reached by its services. At its longest, the Met stretched over 50 miles out of central London, and the journeys on its services were typically longer than on other London lines.

The Metropolitan-Vickers locomotives were used on Metropolitan main line services from the City and Baker Street as far as Rickmansworth. This was the furthest point of electrification from 1925. For the final part of the journey to Buckinghamshire, a steam engine took over. The change of locomotive only took a few minutes. When the line was electrified to Amersham in 1961, the locomotives were withdrawn.

Locomotive number 15 was displayed at the British Empire Exhibition and named ‘Wembley 1924’. The other 19 were named after real or fictitious people associated with the Metro-land area.

One of an order of 20, locomotive number 5 was built by Metropolitan-Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness in 1922. It served on the Metropolitan line until 1961.

In 1927, the locomotives were named after famous people associated with the area they served. Number 5 was named after the leading 17th century Parliamentarian John Hampden (1594-1643). Hampden was MP for Wendover and clashed with King Charles I in the years before the English Civil War.

Only two of the locomotives now remain: number 5 ‘John Hampden’ and number 12 ‘Sarah Siddons’, which has been preserved in operational condition.

After withdrawal from passenger service, number 5 became the Acton Works shunter. It was restored for the London Transport Collection at Syon Park in Brentford in 1973. It has been on display here at London Transport Museum since 1980, when the Covent Garden site opened.