Third-Rail EMU Photos

[talisman56]

4 hours ago, 4630 said:

A couple more BR blue & grey, this time from around Chichester and the West Coastway line circa 1985-87.

 

 

I can't recall where I took this one, the 68 headcode is for Brighton to Bognor via Littlehampton, but I believe it's Angmering.  Showing evidence of recent renumbering 4Vep 3095.

 

 

This one must qualify for one of the most renumbered units:

 

7795 > 7908 > 7795 > 3095 > 3527 > 3914 > 3842...

 

Yes, that is Angmering.

Edited October 4, 2019 by talisman56

[talisman56]

Duplicate...

Edited October 4, 2019 by talisman56
Duplicate post

[4630]

1 hour ago, talisman56 said:

 

 

This one must qualify for one of the most renumbered units:

 

7795 > 7908 > 7795 > 3095 > 3527 > 3914 > 3842...

 

Yes, that is Angmering.

 

Thanks for the confirmation that it was Angmering.

 

You're probably right with the number of renumbering of 7795.  I figured that it was renumbered with class numbers and again when the brake van mods were done.  I'd forgotten though that it was one of the batch of BI units that were renumbered and vinyled, and dedicated to Victoria-Gatwick Airport services as 4 Veg units.  

Edited October 4, 2019 by 4630

[phil-b259]

2 hours ago, 4630 said:

 

Thanks for the confirmation that it was Angmering.

 

You're probably right with the number of renumbering of 7795.  I figured that it was renumbered with class numbers and again when the brake van mods were done.  I'd forgotten though that it was one of the batch of BI units that were renumbered and vinyled, and dedicated to Victoria-Gatwick Airport services as 4 Veg units.  

 

BR didn’t apply ‘vinyl’ liveries - it was all done with good old fashioned paint!

 

As some TOCs / RoSCos are finding out while using vinyls wraps is quick to apply (particularly with complex liveries that would take a long time to apply in paint) they are corrosion inducing moisture traps.

 

[4630]

7 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

BR didn’t apply ‘vinyl’ liveries - it was all done with good old fashioned paint!

 

As some TOCs / RoSCos are finding out while using vinyls wraps is quick to apply (particularly with complex liveries that would take a long time to apply in paint) they are corrosion inducing moisture traps.

 

 

Sorry Phil.  Vinyl might not have been the right word, but I wasn't implying that the whole livery was vinyled.  Just that the white bodyside lettering and logo branding for the Victoria-Gatwick on the 4Veg was 'vinyled'. That certainly wouldn't have been hand painted.  

[phil-b259]

1 minute ago, 4630 said:

Just that the white bodyside lettering and logo branding for the Victoria-Gatwick on the 4Veg was 'vinyled'. That certainly wouldn't have been hand painted.  

 

Even small stuff like that would have been painted in BR days - though they may have used a stencil / mask setup rather than hand painting it.

[Oldddudders]

9 hours ago, 4630 said:

Sticking with BR blue & grey again...

 

A pair of Epb units in the low level platforms at London Bridge.

 

I can be certain about the date for that one - 23rd August 1986 - as I was there in connection with the London & Greenwich Railway 150th anniversary event which was taking place in nearby London Cannon Street.  There's a bit about the event here - https://www.kentrail.org.uk/L&GR 150.htm

 

Sticking with Epb units, here're 6214 and 5127 at Charing Cross, probably taken around 1988-1989.

 

 Shifting a generation in EMU body design, if not in traction equipment, class 455 5831 at East Croydon.  Again, probably taken around 1988-89.

I would have expected some NSE branding on the units by that date, even a flash on the ends? 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Oldddudders

[4630]

27 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

I would have expected some NSE branding on the units by that date, even a flash on the ends? 

 

You may well be right Ian.  I’m relying on my (failing) 60 year old memory and I appreciate from your previous roles with BR(S), you were much closer to the day-to-day changes at that time. 

 

Really regretting that I didn’t keep any notes from my visits back then.

[Budgie]

Here's one I took today. 2 x 375 going to Charing Cross, diverted, taking the Beckenham Junction to New Beckenham line.

Clearly visible are the red and yellow stripes that some people were complaining about a couple of pages ago. 

 

 

[Budgie]

While I was there, parked at Beckenham Junction was this 73 with a NR inspection train. Yes, I know it's not an EMU, and it's probably not electric, but it's in third-rail territory. The nearest track, with the OLE, is the Croydon Tramlink.

 

 

[Pete 75C]

1 hour ago, Budgie said:

The nearest track, with the OLE, is the Croydon Tramlink.

 

Thanks. I was just about to ask what that was!

[SRman]

The third rail shoes appear to be retracted on the ED there, Budgie, but I think the class 73s should count as honorary EMUs, seeing as they worked Gatwick Expresses and also substituted for 4 REP DM cars when the class 442s were being constructed with electrical equipment recycled from the REP motor coaches.

[John M Upton]

Littlehampton this evening.  The 700 on empties to the shed, the infamous blue 313 waiting to return to Lovers Walk as she is broken.... again!

[Mark Saunders]

2 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Littlehampton this evening.  The 700 on empties to the shed, the infamous blue 313 waiting to return to Lovers Walk as she is broken.... again!

 

How long will the 700's last?

[John M Upton]

2 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

How long will the 700's last?

Not as long as the 313's have I would wager!

[Gwiwer]

23 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

How long will the 700's last?

Not until the end of the week if the commuter groups and rail user folk have anything to do with it. 

 

They are absolutely loathed on the Sussex coastal runs which have featured, over the years, 6Pul, 6Pan, 4Cor, 4Cig and  class 377 plus occasional appearances of other types and sometimes including a buffet car. All of those were comfortable trains. 

 

Then not only are the 377s replaced by stark, harsh-seated inner suburban-style class 700s but their trains arrive at London Bridge already well filled from points farther north meaning grabbing one of those seats is a less than even bet. 

 

Furthermore the trains are no longer platformed for around 10 minutes allowing a modicum of sanity in boarding. They are now through trains on a busy route and expected to handle several hundred people all boarding in 60 seconds or less. 

 

The City of London commuter has been served very poorly by an over-ambitious Thameslink which should have stopped at Three Bridges and allowed the Southern electrostars to do what they do very well. Namely shifting a lot of people comfortably. 

[John M Upton]

Since a couple of the morning big peak trains out of Littlehampton were shifted over to Thameslink, there has been a noticeable increase in commuters from the Coastway now heading over to Ford/Barnham from the likes of Angmering, Goring etc to head up the Arun Valley instead.

 

I can honestly see a time probably in a couple of years time when the Littlehampton Thameslink's are quietly dropped and realigned to only run to/from Brighton instead.

 

The target time for station dwell time on Thameslink services, from coming to a halt, opening doors, everyone off/on, closing doors and moving off is twenty two seconds.  That is the timings that will need to be rigidly stuck to if the proposed twenty four trains an hour each way through The Core is to work.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by John M Upton

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Sadly this means that Thameslink seem to have priority over all others. Given that Thameslink appear incapable of adhering to their timetable, Southern services running on time (more common than people think!) frequently get held up to allow a late-running Thameslink to pass. Only to be further held up as we follow it losing yet more time!

 

It gets beyond parody when they dispatch the all-stations Thameslink from Horsham ahead of the fast train...which duly crawls to Three Bridges behind the Thameslink, unable to pass until beyond Three Bridges. By which time an on-time train is 10 minutes late, and on course for delay repay territory by the time it gets to London.

[DY444]

1 hour ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

Sadly this means that Thameslink seem to have priority over all others. Given that Thameslink appear incapable of adhering to their timetable, Southern services running on time (more common than people think!) frequently get held up to allow a late-running Thameslink to pass. Only to be further held up as we follow it losing yet more time!

 

It gets beyond parody when they dispatch the all-stations Thameslink from Horsham ahead of the fast train...which duly crawls to Three Bridges behind the Thameslink, unable to pass until beyond Three Bridges. By which time an on-time train is 10 minutes late, and on course for delay repay territory by the time it gets to London.

 

Except at that strange time eating vortex which humans call Streatham South Junction.  Over the years Southern trains have almost always got priority there particularly over TL trains to/from the Wimbledon line.  Quite common for TL trains to depart Streatham on time and then be 3-5 mins down by Tooting.

[Pandora]

On 05/10/2019 at 12:50, Pete 75C said:

 

Thanks. I was just about to ask what that was!

The NR Inspection train set was stabled in the siding of the New Beckenham spur with a failure of a coach bogie,  a wheelskate was required for movement to a maintenance depot.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Pandora

[Darius43]

Sone photos of Eastleigh yard taken from a Flybe Q400 on finals into Southampton Airport.

 

 

 

 

Granted not the best of photos but we were passing by rather quickly and there is an EMU in each one.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Gwiwer]

The target time for station dwell time on Thameslink services, from coming to a halt, opening doors, everyone off/on, closing doors and moving off is twenty two seconds.

There is just no way that is going to happen at peak times. My experience (mostly on the Wall of Death roundabouts) has been 45-60 seconds at Blackfriars. The doors take longer than 22 seconds from release to fully open then from alarm to locked. 

 

The typical evening peak loading on the London Bridge - Littlehamptons would be in the order of 700+.  If one assumes perhaps 100 alight upon arrival at London Bridge from points farther north and maybe 400+ are waiting to board then we are expecting unrealistic dwell times arising from what may be equally unrealistic modelling and assumptions re passenger movements. 

 

I am not surprised that some folk have migrated to Barnham. Over the years the Littlehampton via Hove trains have gained more and more stops. The Arun Valley offers a fast run from Barnham to Horsham at least. 

 

And still there are no direct trains, but there is chronic road traffic congestion, between Arundel and Littlehampton. Southern really are missing a trick here. 

[Phil Mc]

3 hours ago, Darius43 said:

 

 

 

Granted not the best of photos but we were passing by rather quickly and there is an EMU in each one.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

4x LNER 80?'s.

1x TPE 80?.

Some off-lease mk4's.

 

All a long way from home !!

 

Cheers,

Phil.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

No photo as it was too dark, but a bit of a surprise at Pulborough this morning as 700120 passed through with the diverted 05:52 Littlehampton - Bedford. I suspect they may have used the Arun Valley line before (for this to run, there must have been gauging tests), but this was a first for me.

[John M Upton]

Very over running engineering works at Shoreham by Sea so it got diverted calling additionally at Horsham with a Southern driver also aboard acting as a pilot as Thameslink drivers have no route knowledge Arundel Junction to Horsham.