Editing District line (section)

=== District Railway ===
{{Main|District Railway}}
The Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) was formed to build and operate part of an underground 'inner circle' connecting London's railway termini. The first line opened in December 1868, with services from South Kensington to Westminster; these were operated by the [[Metropolitan Railway]] using wooden carriages hauled by [[steam locomotive]]s. By 1871, when the District began operating its own trains, the railway had extended to West Brompton and a terminus at [[Mansion House tube station|Mansion House]].{{sfn|Green|1987|pp=8–10}} A curve from [[Earl's Court tube station|Earl's Court]] onto the [[West London Railway]] was used by the [[London & North Western Railway]] (L&NWR) for a service to {{rws|Broad Street|England}} and the [[Great Western Railway]] for a service to Moorgate via Paddington.{{sfn|Horne|2006|p=15}} Between 1 March 1883 and 30 September 1885, the District Railway ran trains between Mansion House and [[Windsor & Eton Central railway station|Windsor]], via Paddington. Stations after Ealing Broadway (the current terminus) were West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes & Harlington, West Drayton, Langley, Slough, and Windsor. The service was discontinued because it was uneconomic.{{sfn|Rose|2007}}{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=26}}

Hammersmith was reached from Earl's Court, services were extended to Richmond over the tracks of the [[London and South Western Railway]] (L&SWR), and branches reached Ealing Broadway, Hounslow and Wimbledon. As part of the project that completed the [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle line]] in October 1884, the District began to serve [[Whitechapel station|Whitechapel]].{{sfn|Green|1987|p=12}} Services began running to Upminster in 1902, after a link to the [[London, Tilbury & Southend Railway]] (LT&SR) had been built.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=28}}

[[File:Experimental Train.jpg|thumb|The jointly owned experimental passenger train that ran for six months in 1900|alt=A three-quarter black-and-white photograph of a train standing at a station, showing the end carriage with windows at the end.]]

At the start of the 20th century, the District was seeing increased competition from the new electric underground tube lines and trams, and the use of steam locomotives underground led to unpopular smoke-filled stations and carriages.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=28}} The American [[Charles Yerkes]], who was later to form the [[Underground Electric Railways of London]], financed the necessary electrification of the railway, and the first electric services ran from Ealing to South Harrow in 1903.{{sfn|Green|1987|pp=24–27}} Electric multiple-units were introduced on other services in 1905, and East Ham became the eastern terminus. Electric locomotives were used on the L&NWR services from Mansion House to Earl's Court, and in later years exchanged for a steam locomotive on LT&SR services from Southend to Ealing Broadway at Barking.{{sfn|Green|1987|p=28}}

Hounslow and Uxbridge were served by 2 or 3-car shuttles from Mill Hill Park (now Acton Town); some trains also served South Acton and central London in the peaks.{{sfn|Horne|2006|p=44}} Services were extended again to Barking in 1908 and Upminster in 1932.{{sfn|Horne|2006|pp=45, 61}} In 1932 [[Piccadilly line]] trains were extended from Hammersmith to South Harrow, taking over the District service from Acton Town to South Harrow, although the District continued to provide a shuttle from South Harrow to Uxbridge.{{sfn|Horne|2006|p=58}} In 1933, Piccadilly line trains reached Hounslow West, the District continuing to run services with an off-peak shuttle from South Acton to Hounslow.{{sfn|Horne|2006|p=60}}