Colour transparency; the last day of steam event run on the Underground, by London Transport, 1971

Long after the introduction of electric trains, London Underground still used a number of steam engines. Eleven small tank engines had been inherited by the company from the Metropolitan and District Railways. These were used to pull engineers' trains and for general non-passenger duties. They were replaced in the late 1950s by a fleet of pannier tank steam engines like this one. This was the last steam train to run on the Underground until the Steam On The Met events of the late 1980s and 1990s. It was not a regular service, but one specially arranged for the occasion. The photo was taken on 6 June 1971 to commemorate the final journey from Barbican to Neasden. It shows the engine at Barbican station.