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Gate Stock in generic terms refers to any transit stock having exit and entry controlled by concertina style gates at the car ends. Probably first seen on the wooden cars of the early New York steam hauled Elevated Railroads of the 1870s, themselves a light weight development of standard wooden rolling stock used in the United States. In terms of London Transport Gate Stock, these were introduced on the Central London Railway (today's Central Line ) on its opening in 1900 . Its origins, design and manufacture are obscure, but are definitely American influenced. Originally loco-hauled, these sets of 7 cars had Gatemen stationed between cars to open and shut the gates and pass the signal to start from car to car until the Driver received it and was clear to move the train out of the station. By 1903 the Central London was forced to abandon its loco haulage because of the heavy wear on the tracks and the excessive vibration and noise transmitted into the surrounding properties. The same stock continued to be used, with Motor cars added at either end of the train. This stock continued to run as Gate Stock until 1927, when the gates were replaced with air-operated doors. The Gatemen were now redundant and a Guard was employed at the rear of the train to operated the doors, and passed the start signal directly to the Driver when it was safe for him to proceed. When the privately owned Central London Railway passed into the hands of the newly formed London Transport Passenger Board (LPTB) in 1933, plans were put in hand to convert the Central London from its 3 rail form to the standard 4 rail system used by LT. At the same time the stations were to be enlarged to take 8 car trains of "Standard Stock" and extensions to the line pushed far out into the London suburbs in the format we now know as the Central Line. Although this work was completed by the summer of 1939 , it was not opened to the public until after World War 2 , the newly completed tunnels being used for bomb shelters and ordinance factories. Consequently the Gate Stock (now in its form as '27 Stock) continued to run through out the war, while its replacement Standard Stock gently rusted away in Ruislip Depot, awaiting the cessation of hostilities. One anomaly remained until the 1980s to remind of the original Gate Stock. This was the "Gateman's Allowance" paid under a 1927 agreement to the Guards until c1985, to compensate for the guard now having to operate all the doors on the train. |
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