This train first ran before the Second World War. Today, it’s pulling into a west London station, not for the morning commute, but to give passengers a rare chance to experience history.

The 1938 Tube stock train has been fully restored and is back in passenger service as part of the "Piccadilly Medley".

The special program of heritage journeys marks 25 years of Transport for London and 200 years since Britain’s first passenger train.

Three heritage journeys are being offered for people to travel.

One runs from Northfields around the Heathrow loop, while others run from Acton Town to Uxbridge and Ealing Broadway to Cockfosters.

The train carriages retain the key design features of the era.

There's green and red moquette seating, wooden floors, curved black grab handles and Art Deco light fittings.

The carriages also feature replica advertisements from the time: some charming and others outdated – all part of the period detail for visitors.

"The adverts are fun," said passenger Andrew Burman. 

"I like the design, I liked the lighting, the Art Deco lighting, aesthetically it is a treat, a feast for the senses."

Modern-day passengers tap in and out using contactless cards and smartphones.

The heritage train offers a reminder of how far the system has come: from paper tickets and enamel signs to digital signage and climate control.

But the train wasn’t just about style at the time it was launched.

It introduced a major innovation: all electrical equipment, including motors, were placed under the floor for the first time on deep-level Tube stock.

More than 1100 of these trains were built.

They remained in use across the network for decades and some continued operating on the Isle of Wight until 2021.

Currently, this is the only way to still ride one on the Underground.

Back at Northfields, today's Piccadilly line trains include the 1973 stock, which still continue their daily service.

These trains have now been in operation for 50 years and are among the oldest still running on the network.

They’re due to be replaced by a new fleet, the 2024 stock, with the first trains already in testing and set to enter service from 2026.

For some visitors, the heritage experience is a moment of nostalgia.

For others, like Luke Agbaimoni, it’s part of a much bigger project to document the whole network. Agbaimoni is on a mission to photograph every station and stop on the London Underground Tube Map.

"They're built in a sort of different way," Agbaimoni said. "I like how the windows are designed, the space is different.

"Even the seating is different when you sit down. I think these trains just feel a bit more, I don't know, they just make me smile when I see them."

Another heritage run is planned for September 2025 on the Metropolitan line, as the anniversary celebrations continue.