Third-Rail EMU Photos

[Gwiwer]

Several comments have appeared on the Southern Electric Group's Facebook feed suggesting that 700s are not gauge-cleared between Horsham and Arundel Junction.  I believe they are and that there have been test trips that way to allow for exactly this scenario namely a unit trapped at Littlehampton being unable to run via Hove but required in traffic.  The perils of offering a Littlehampton - Bedford service where a problem on the Sussex coast can affect local services very far away.  

 

As John has confirmed the trip did run via the Arun Valley we can at least say this was a first-time-in-service for such a working.  If those Littlehampton trips to revert to Southern in due course this might also become a unique working.  

 

By the by it seems to many regular users and observers that NR engineering works are over-running more and more frequently.  Often not by much but enough to disrupt early morning stock moves and the first services of the day but those disrupt the entire morning peak to at least some extent.  When over-runs stretch into hours and entire routes are denied train services it is too often the TOC's station staff who bear the brunt of customer frustration rather than NR whose orange army are responsible for handing the line back on time.  I understand that unforeseen events can cause an over-run on occasions but there have been four over-runs in the past week affecting either Southern or SWR alone.  Is someone trying to do too much too quickly with too little?  Or is the planning process flawed?

[John M Upton]

The reported issue with the 700's up the Valley is that two cannot pass each other through Billingshurst platforms, apart from that they are fully cleared aside from route knowledge having lapsed as none are booked that way either in service or ECS anymore.

 

As an aside, current arrangements see one of the evening arrivals at Littlehampton berth overnight (or over the weekend as Thameslink only do weekdays!) in Littlehampton Carriage Shed, this then forms one of the northbound services the next/Monday morning.   Drivers are taxied to/from Three Bridges.

 

All the other morning departures are formed of ECS moves that come from Three Bridges via Hove.  The odd one out is the mid morning arrival from Bedford that then forms a 10:14 to Haywards Heath (all other daytime xx:14 departures are Southern services to Victoria) which from the Heath goes ECS to Three Bridges.

[Gwiwer]

The post above flags two facets of modern-day (specifically post-privatisation) railway operation.

 

Train crew are regularly ferried by taxi for not inconsiderable distances and largely because a train has to be berthed at or started from a location which is not the operator's home turf.  

Trains are also run for many miles out of service to reach their starting point / return to base from their terminals.  

 

All of this costs money.  Wages, access fees, the lot.  The public at large are probably ignorant of such things when they complain about fares rising again.  I won't advance the rose-tinted argument that BR was better but pre-privatisation the crews arriving at Littlehampton were usually Littlehampton crews and the trains usually berthed there.  Owing to capacity restrictions some ran from / to Lovers Walk at Brighton but would have been taken by Brighton crew.  Long-distance ferrying of train crew did occur but was probably much less common back then. And a train was a train with any main-line unit berthed at Littlehampton able to form any London service the next day.  Which is not the case now.  And is not the case in a good many other locations as well.

[Northmoor]

I suspect the building of the two stabling sidings at Woking this year has been precisely to reduce the costs you describe.  Even sending a unit from Basingstoke or Farnham to start a morning stopper from Woking will use over half an hour of a driver's shift for no return, plus 30 miles of track access charges for an empty train.  It seems to have been a simple job, a few short platforms for cab access, a walking route and some lighting, in an area already used by Balfour Beatty so no additional security considerations.  In terms of crew knowledge and gauging, it is so much easier when you have an almost uniform fleet, which beyond Woking, SWR does, pretty much.

[Southernman46]

Wonder what they will do West of Salisbury where there are some HUGE ECS runs just to get stock in the right place for the AM and at the EOS from Yeovil Junction seeing as the idea to run the 21:20 through to ESD daily has foundered.

[Gwiwer]

4 hours ago, Southernman46 said:

Wonder what they will do West of Salisbury where there are some HUGE ECS runs just to get stock in the right place for the AM and at the EOS from Yeovil Junction seeing as the idea to run the 21:20 through to ESD daily has foundered.

SWR are recruiting train crew for a Yeovil Junction base. Which might offer at least a partial answer. 

[grahame]

On the way home from the Uckfield exhibition earlier today I managed to snap a few trains at Clapham Junction while changing trains:

 

 

 

I understand that the 455s only have about another year of use before they are retired and replaced by 701 Aventra units. The 455s are no more than 35 years old and have had various refurbishments and engineering upgrades.

 

 

[Darius43]

 

West Worthing on a wet November morning.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[royaloak]

On 20/10/2019 at 19:29, grahame said:

On the way home from the Uckfield exhibition earlier today I managed to snap a few trains at Clapham Junction while changing trains:

 

 

 

I understand that the 455s only have about another year of use before they are retired and replaced by 701 Aventra units. The 455s are no more than 35 years old and have had various refurbishments and engineering upgrades.

 

 

Just another example of 'newtrainitis' so prevalent these days even when there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the old fleet.

[zarniwhoop]

18 hours ago, Darius43 said:

 

West Worthing on a wet November morning.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

A nice picture of the platform front there - it "feels" very LBSCR-ish with the proud upper brick courses, but I don't think I've seen one before with so many proud courses. And usually those pics had white-painted bricks end-on for the top, whereas the white part looks a bit deeper and longer than bricks.

 

Must be modern! ;-)

[Darius43]

4 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

A nice picture of the platform front there - it "feels" very LBSCR-ish with the proud upper brick courses, but I don't think I've seen one before with so many proud courses. And usually those pics had white-painted bricks end-on for the top, whereas the white part looks a bit deeper and longer than bricks.

 

Must be modern! ;-)

 

If you do a Google image search of “West Worthing Station” you will find several old B&W images that show the same proud courses so they are most likely original.  The same images show precast concrete platform edge slabs that are similar to those used today.  As the Southern Railway was a prolific user of precast concrete construction this presumably extended to platform edge slabs.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Darius43]

West Worthing on a sunny November morning.

 

 

 

 

 

The 10.02 to London Victoria started from West Worthing today, which is unusual - it usually starts from Littlehampton.  That probably explains the hoards of pax that got on at Worthing.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Arun Sharma]

On 20/10/2019 at 19:29, grahame said:

On the way home from the Uckfield exhibition earlier today I managed to snap a few trains at Clapham Junction while changing trains:

 

 

 

I understand that the 455s only have about another year of use before they are retired and replaced by 701 Aventra units. The 455s are no more than 35 years old and have had various refurbishments and engineering upgrades.

 

 

Platform 10 at Clapham Junction still has evidence of its LSWR ancestry:

 

 

[John M Upton]

Arty night time shot of 450111 in battleship grey...

 

[Darius43]

Sunset at West Worthing 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited November 8, 2019 by Darius43

[eastwestdivide]

Had a few hours to kill down by the Thames a few days ago.

E of Dartford. 2 Networkers passing on Gravesend services:

 

And another approaching Dartford from the East. Dartford bridge on the left and one of those huge pylons that cross the Thames on the right:

 

Then to Stone Crossing, where the crossing is now a ramped footbridge:

 

and the crossing-keeper's hut (bottom of pic) acts as a ticket office, also with a machine outside. South ramp of Dartford bridge visible on the right:

 

And the following day, a Javelin at Rochester:

 

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by eastwestdivide

[eastwestdivide]

One more from my trip to the deep south.

Some of the Javelins are running round with the logo "southeastern highspeed 10 Years".

Hard to believe there's been pointy-nosed things trundling through the Medway Towns for that long.

 

[KeithHC]

Just a quick one to get into the act. Taken from Dean Farm/Copsleigh Avenue foot bridge in Salfords. Was showing my Granddaughter where Grampy use to live and watch trains long before the footbridge. Pity it is not a 4CIG/BIG formation and a thumper.

 

[John M Upton]

If anyone is about on the Coastway West today, Gatwick Express 387202 is spending the day shuttling between Brighton and Portsmouth pretending to be a 313....

[EmporiaSub]

1 hour ago, John M Upton said:

If anyone is about on the Coastway West today, Gatwick Express 387202 is spending the day shuttling between Brighton and Portsmouth pretending to be a 313....

Probably due to a 313 disgracing itself at Lancing yesterday evening, had to be assisted away, from the front.

Spent the best part of 90 minutes there, initially unable to release the brakes.

Similar to incidents last week on the Seaford branch with the same type of unit!

[John M Upton]

The second half of my job, West Worthing's got CAPED last night as my 313 was purloined to rescue the broken one.

 

Still didn't get home early, the line was blocked!

[colin penfold]

Here's a few from my collection

 

07/09/79   clapham jct br          4622      4-sub stencil h/code

 

 

10/02/80   clapham jct br          7710      4-vep

 

 

12/02/80   raynes park br         5263      4-epb

 

 

20/04/80   tonbridge br             7193      4cep

 

 

14/09/82   selling br                 6113     

 

 

28/07/86   sevington br nr         1515      refurbished cep

 

 

03/06/91   collier street br         1597      refurbished cep

 

 

11/03/94   polhill tunnel br nr     932054  voltage test unit

 

 

[Mike Storey]

I forgot there were still a few 4 SUBS still running in the late 70's and early 80's! Great pics!!

[phil_sutters]

An odd one from a few years ago - odd as in not part of a group - although I do find their front ends a bit un-photogenic.

[75B]

On 18/11/2019 at 08:27, KeithHC said:

Just a quick one to get into the act. Taken from Dean Farm/Copsleigh Avenue foot bridge in Salfords. Was showing my Granddaughter where Grampy use to live and watch trains long before the footbridge. Pity it is not a 4CIG/BIG formation and a thumper.

 

 

KeithHC,

Sorry I can't manage a CIG/BIG formation - only 700101, but I can supply a thumper!  Taken from the same place on the 14th September 2018.

 

Keith