The red painted 1938 tube trains are one of the classic London Transport designs, along with the Routemaster bus and like the bus has been equally long-lived, the last trains seeing 50 years in regular service on the Underground. Even today one 4-car unit which includes the first production 1938 stock driving motor cars is retained in operational condition by the London transport Museum and 3 1940-built 2-car units are still in service on the Isle of Wight.
Designed for the 1930s restructuring of Londons' public transport services under the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) which took charge of bus routes and underground lines in 1933 the 1938 stock featured underfloor electrical control gear, allowing the full length of all cars to be available for passenger seating. 1,121 cars were built by Metro-Cammell and the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, though deliveries and commissioning of the units was disrupted by WW2.
After the war fleet revisions saw the 1938 stock augmented with an additional 173 cars, including rebuilds of the experimental 1935 and older 1927 stock cars. Excepting loses due to accidents and enemy action the fleet remained in service until withdraws commenced following the introduction of the new 1972 stock on the Northern line. The Bakerloo line continued to be operated with 1938 stock into the early 1980s, the best cars from the fleet being selected for life-extension Extra Heavy Overhauls to maintain reliability.
Final withdraw should have come in the early 1980s, with the delivery of the Jubilee lines' ill-fated 1983 tube stock releasing 1972 stock trains for the Bakerloo. However the later (and generally similar) 1959 stock on the Northern line was beginning to suffer increasing casualty rates and five 7-car units of 1938 stock were given a further overhaul to cover. The last 1938 train ran in public service on May 19th 1988 and quite amazingly the 4-car unit included the first two production 1938 stock driving motor cars, numbers 10012 and 11012. These cars had been delivered on May 11th 1938 and entered service on June 30th 1938 and this 4-car unit was retained by LT as part of the London Transport Museum collection.