Transport for London-Tickets now on sale for an art deco-style experience on a beautifully restored 1938 Tube train

Images left to right: 1938 train,11 July 2025 © London Transport Museum, Interior of 1938 train, date unknown © London Transport Museum, 1938 train outing, 2023 © London Transport Museum

• Travel back in time through lush suburbs on a red 1938 art deco-style train 
• These special outings will mark Transport for London’s (TfL) 25th anniversary and 200 years of train travel   
• Tickets now on sale for the Heritage train journeys: Metropolitan line special event from Friday 5 to Sunday 7 September

Guests will be transported back in time as they travel on the Metropolitan line from Amersham station to Harrow-on-the Hill (Friday and Sunday) or Amersham to Watford, via the rarely used North Curve (Saturday) on a beautifully restored art deco-style 1938 train. Tickets are available for these nostalgic journeys from Friday 5 September to Sunday 7 September.

From Friday to Sunday London Transport Museum will be celebrating Railway 200 and Transport for London’s 25^th anniversary called TfL25. Ticket holders will have a chance to immerse themselves in London’s transport story, meet a character based on architect Charles Holden and hear about the links between Holden’s design and art deco-style. This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the birth of the man who transformed the face of London. Guests can pick up a souvenir leaflet to take home. 

On Saturday only the 1938 train will be heading to Watford Underground station which this year also has a special birthday as it celebrates 100 years since the opening in 1925. In addition transport enthusiasts will enjoy travelling via the North Curve, a rarely used section of track of the Metropolitan line which connects Croxley and Rickmansworth and bypasses Moor Park station. Only a few passenger trains use this part of the line, mostly early in the morning towards Watford and late at night leaving Watford or when trains are diverted to this section of the line due to engineering works.

On Sunday only these special heritage train journeys will coincide with the popular annual Amersham Heritage Day to be held in Amersham town.

Journey options include: 

• Friday 5 September: Amersham – Harrow-on-the-Hill – Amersham (returns with singles available for first and last trips that start/end Harrow-on-the-Hill)
• Saturday 6 September: Amersham – Watford via the North Curve – Amersham (returns with singles available for first and last trips that start/end Harrow-on-the-Hill)
• Sunday 7 September: Amersham – Harrow-on-the-Hill – Amersham (returns with singles available for first and last trips that start/end Harrow-on-the-Hill)

About the 1938 Tube train 

The 1938 Stock was the first kind of Tube train to have all the electrical equipment underneath the floor, combining the latest technology of the era with quintessential late 1930s style. These trains served London, on several deep-level Tube lines, for half a century. The 1938 stock was one of the capital’s longest serving Tube trains.

The beautifully restored electrified train is made up of four cars complete with green and red moquette seating, grab handles and distinctive art deco light fittings. London Transport Museum offers the only opportunity to travel on a heritage train on London Underground.

Metro-land, the growth of the suburbs and the Metropolitan line 

During the 1920s and 1930s, thousands of homes were built in previously rural areas of north-west London and neighbouring counties along or near what was then called the Metropolitan Railway. The name ‘Metro-land’ was first coined in a 1915 publicity booklet that sought to lure aspiring homeowners to new housing on land owned by the Metropolitan Railway that was also reached by their services. As passengers journey on this northern section of the Metropolitan line they can still experience these leafy suburbs and see parts of the city intrinsically linked to the development of the Underground network.

Matt Brosnan, Head Curator, London Transport Museum, said: ‘Come and be transported to the golden era of travel. Our gleaming 1938 art deco train is a rare historic gem that we know the public loves travelling on. This is a rare treat – make sure you don’t miss out!’

Tickets must be bought in advance www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/heritage-vehicle-outings