Out with the old (but hold on!)

On a recent visit to South West Trains on the Isle of Wight, our surveyor came across two ageing items that you would think should have long been retired, and it turned out to be a very interesting encounter.
 
Pictured is a 1938 London Underground tube train and an access platform of undetermined age, however it is quite possible that it is not much younger. But one is going to outlast the other as these two pensioners will finally be separated. One will be going to the great access platform museum in the sky, while the other will continue to bump over the 8 miles of track in Ryde, the advice given is that it is a good idea to hold on.

Manufactured in 1938 these trains never went into service in London until 1945 as they were mothballed until the end of the war. But why did these subterranean workhorses end up in Ryde?  Well it turns out that it was simply the right fit as they fit in the one tunnel on the 8 miles of track, and no other trains will, and as someone once said 'not a lot of people know that'. 

These wonderful old LU trains trundle daily around Ryde where the sea air has taken its toll on the paintwork, and so a refresh is overdue and is now taking place, hence our invitation to visit. As this project has highlighted the fact this old access platform so lovingly made way before the Work At Height regulations needs to be retired, so very soon there will be a new platform arriving at the platform in Ryde that will ensure compliance, and preventing a painful bump of a very different sort.

Click on image to enlarge.