Metropolitan Railway electric underground train (Bing 61-795-02)
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Metropolitan Railway electric underground train (Bing 61-795-02).jpg) (i)
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Arch Two , Area 14 US and European Locomotive Outlines (display) |
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A brown gauge 0 three-car Metropolitan Railway underground train made by Bing in 1923.
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Identification
The English Bing 1928 catalogue (reprint) lists two electrically-different versions of the train, a low-current version that ran from a nominal 12V supply and a higher-current 18V version. Ours is the higher-voltage ~20V-ish version.
Predecessor - The Bing Berlin Underground Train
This is essentially an updated lithographed version of the earlier red-and-yellow "Berlin" set, and if you ignore the paintwork/lithographing, it's physically almost identical on the outside. The internal detail is much more sophisticated on the Metropolitan, though, with legged chairs and tables.
Versions
Apart from versions that differed internally by having different motors, and the German "Berlin Underground" original, we know of three main English variations on Bing's underground train in ours and affiliated collections:
- Metropolitan, brown and cream
- LNER, brown, lithographed teak wood-effect
- Metropolitan, purplish brown and cream
The third version is the one that we have on display, mostly lithographed, but with some painted-in panels. Looking at one of the catalogue images that erroneously has Metropolitan markings and smaller LNER panel markings, it's possible that the overpainting on this Metropolitan version was to get rid of these conflicting LNER marks.
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