Storno legacy systems

Page Updated
8 March 2010

Storno Legacy

Here you can see some interesting examples of Storno equipment in service.

Update: Over the past few years most of these systems have been decommissioned and replaced with more up to date technology.

There were a number of different systems providing communication between the tube train drivers and the line controllers. Here you can see one of the old equipment rooms. On the panel to the right of the base station you can see the leaky feeder distribution equipment that provided signal to and from the trains using radiating cable running along the tunnels.

Here you can see a trackside base station installation adjacent to a main railway line.

As part of the upgrading of the London Underground, these type of systems have now been replaced by the London Underground Connect project. This is a new digital system providing comprehensive service over the whole network. The new equipment uses the Motorola Dimetra system which conforms to the TETRA open standard for trunked digital radio systems.

London Buses

If you visited London and traveled by bus, up until 2009 you still had a good chance of seeing the CQM6000 in action. The StarNet MPT1327 Band 3 trunked radio system supported many sophisticated speech and data features including automated logon of bus route and running numbers and AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) updated as the buses passed roadside beacons along the route. This information also updated the countdown passenger information displays at relevant bus stops.

Update: The StarNet infrastructure was decommissioned in 2009, replaced with the iBus system.

The Metropolitan Police Service has always been a Storno customer and the main VHF scheme will continue to employ the CQM6000 as a vehicle set up until migration to the O2 Airwave national public safety radio network

Update: The VHF scheme and MetRadio UHF system have now been replaced by Airwave.

The London Ambulance Service was one among many of the emergency services users equipped by Storno in the UK and the synthesised CQM5000 with 1200 Baud FFSK selective calling and status signalling provided speech comms back to control, working alongside the separate mobile data and vehicle navigation displays.

Update: London Ambulance Service has now migrated to the Airwave network.

Most of the fire brigades in the UK used AM systems but there were a few exceptions including Surrey which was a loyal Storno customer for many decades. The photo shows the control room at Brigade Headquarters featuring the custom control consoles.

Update: UK fire brigades are migrating to Airwave as part of the Firelink project, the Storno system was decommisssioned in 2010.

Another long-standing Storno customer, Both British Rail and Scotrail operated a number of wide area and local systems including the NRN Band 3 National Radio Network, RETB Radio Electronic Token Block systems for single track operation and the Channel Tunnel also has it's own trunked system. The picture shows the installation of a CSR Cab Secure Radio, a full duplex UHF Stornophone 6000 from one of the TTSBR Train to Signal Box Radio systems.

Update: Many systems are still operational but due to be replaced by GSM-R in due course.

The June 2005 edition of Land mobile magazine contained a detailed article on the old London Buses system.


	Page Updated 8 March 2010		Storno Legacy Here you can see some interesting examples of Storno equipment in service. Update: Over the past few years most of these systems have been decommissioned and replaced with more up to date technology.

			London Underground There were a number of different systems providing communication between the tube train drivers and the line controllers. Here you can see one of the old equipment rooms. On the panel to the right of the base station you can see the leaky feeder distribution equipment that provided signal to and from the trains using radiating cable running along the tunnels.

			Here you can see a trackside base station installation adjacent to a main railway line. As part of the upgrading of the London Underground, these type of systems have now been replaced by the London Underground Connect project. This is a new digital system providing comprehensive service over the whole network. The new equipment uses the Motorola Dimetra system which conforms to the TETRA open standard for trunked digital radio systems.

			London Buses If you visited London and traveled by bus, up until 2009 you still had a good chance of seeing the CQM6000 in action. The StarNet MPT1327 Band 3 trunked radio system supported many sophisticated speech and data features including automated logon of bus route and running numbers and AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) updated as the buses passed roadside beacons along the route. This information also updated the countdown passenger information displays at relevant bus stops. Update: The StarNet infrastructure was decommissioned in 2009, replaced with the iBus system.

			Met Police The Metropolitan Police Service has always been a Storno customer and the main VHF scheme will continue to employ the CQM6000 as a vehicle set up until migration to the O2 Airwave national public safety radio network Update: The VHF scheme and MetRadio UHF system have now been replaced by Airwave.

			London Ambulance The London Ambulance Service was one among many of the emergency services users equipped by Storno in the UK and the synthesised CQM5000 with 1200 Baud FFSK selective calling and status signalling provided speech comms back to control, working alongside the separate mobile data and vehicle navigation displays. Update: London Ambulance Service has now migrated to the Airwave network.

			Surrey Fire Brigade Most of the fire brigades in the UK used AM systems but there were a few exceptions including Surrey which was a loyal Storno customer for many decades. The photo shows the control room at Brigade Headquarters featuring the custom control consoles. Update: UK fire brigades are migrating to Airwave as part of the Firelink project, the Storno system was decommisssioned in 2010.

			Network Rail Another long-standing Storno customer, Both British Rail and Scotrail operated a number of wide area and local systems including the NRN Band 3 National Radio Network, RETB Radio Electronic Token Block systems for single track operation and the Channel Tunnel also has it's own trunked system. The picture shows the installation of a CSR Cab Secure Radio, a full duplex UHF Stornophone 6000 from one of the TTSBR Train to Signal Box Radio systems. Update: Many systems are still operational but due to be replaced by GSM-R in due course.

			Storno in the news The June 2005 edition of Land mobile magazine contained a detailed article on the old London Buses system.

Storno Legacy

London Underground

London Buses

Met Police

London Ambulance

Surrey Fire Brigade

Network Rail

Storno in the news