Third-Rail EMU Photos

[Darius43]

Trains at West Worthing this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Don’t often see GX branded units down this way.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[John M Upton]

Put to bed for the night after a trip through the Littlehampton Carriage Washer:

Random code put in for the return trip hence the Tattenham Corner destination!

[Siberian Snooper]

Will that code and destination confuse the next driver, when they take it on?

 

 

[John M Upton]

41 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Will that code and destination confuse the next driver, when they take it on?

 

It will have reset itself with no key on after about an hour I think and the driver in the morning will have auxed it on and off (a.k.a. turn it off and on again!) as part of the prep anyway.

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

With Horley station visible in the background, 460007 starts to cross over for Gatwick on 07/04/01 (my photo)

[Claude_Dreyfus]

377203 heads the 1C38 14:35 Victoria - Bognor/Portsmouth service past the site of the old Hardham Junction - 28 May 2023.

[Oldddudders]

8 hours ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

377203 heads the 1C38 14:35 Victoria - Bognor/Portsmouth service past the site of the old Hardham Junction - 28 May 2023.

The curve reminding us that the original alignment was to Petworth and Midhurst, and the line to Arundel was a later addition. 

 

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Oldddudders

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

Class 421 4-CIG EMU 1750 Salfords 07/04/01 (my photo)

Edited May 29, 2023 by franciswilliamwebb
...wrong caption

[John M Upton]

36 minutes ago, franciswilliamwebb said:

 

Class 421 4-CIG EMU 1750 Salfords 07/04/01 (my photo)

 

Headcode 16 - Bognor Regis/Portsmouth to London Victoria via Horsham and Redhill (attaching at Barnham in those days).

[Gwiwer]

6 hours ago, John M Upton said:

Headcode 16 - Bognor Regis/Portsmouth to London Victoria via Horsham and Redhill

Having been reassigned in the Great Headcode Change (when only two of all those used on the Brighton main line remained unchanged) of 1978.  
 

Before then it had, since the 1930s electrifications, indicated Victoria - Littlehampton via the Quarry Line and Hove. 

 

I’m sure there was a good reason for such a sweeping change but it certainly required a lot of re-learning by staff across the railway. 
 

The old 16 became 2. 

[EmporiaSub]

Meanwhile, over the water….

484005 works the 14.59 Ryde Esplanade to Shanklin service yesterday afternoon.

It’s still not confirmed what service will be operating from June 10th though….

[Oldddudders]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Having been reassigned in the Great Headcode Change (when only two of all those used on the Brighton main line remained unchanged) of 1978.  
 

Before then it had, since the 1930s electrifications, indicated Victoria - Littlehampton via the Quarry Line and Hove. 

 

I’m sure there was a good reason for such a sweeping change but it certainly required a lot of re-learning by staff across the railway. 
 

The old 16 became 2. 

Central '78 was a major recast, as you obviously recall. The Great God of Gatwick needed to be worshipped, and that was that. Chopping and changing headcodes at the same time was a bit cruel. I think Bob Mackmurdie was DM at the time, Frank Paterson having moved to be DGM at Waterloo, but it might have been the latter who had put change in motion. After all, the service pattern hadn't changed since electrification in the '30s, when Gatwick was a little different. 

[iands]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Central '78 was a major recast, as you obviously recall. The Great God of Gatwick needed to be worshipped, and that was that. Chopping and changing headcodes at the same time was a bit cruel. I think Bob Mackmurdie was DM at the time, Frank Paterson having moved to be DGM at Waterloo, but it might have been the latter who had put change in motion. After all, the service pattern hadn't changed since electrification in the '30s, when Gatwick was a little different. 

Would that be the same Frank Paterson that became the Eastern Region General Manager?

[phil_sutters]

On 27/05/2023 at 14:39, Darius43 said:

Trains at West Worthing this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Don’t often see GX branded units down this way.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

They have appeared on Brighton to Eastbourne and Ore services from time to time. One appeared on a Seaford run last week, but I was on a bus passing Seaford station and not in a position to snap it. I think they have also been used on the eight coach trains serving Falmer on home match days on the odd occasion.

Here are a few snaps of them on the East Coastway services

Edited May 29, 2023 by phil_sutters

[Oldddudders]

24 minutes ago, iands said:

Would that be the same Frank Paterson that became the Eastern Region General Manager?

Definitely! 

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

Class 421 4-CIG EMU 1855 at Horley on 07/04/01 (my photo)

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

Another of those sleek beasties, 460005 at Gatwick Airport on 07/04/01 this time (my photo)

[John M Upton]

Lovely sunny morning earlier with 377411 framed by Chichester's footbridge on its way to London Victoria via Horsham:

 

[Gwiwer]

Here's a radical idea.  

 

There are surplus 387/2s at present and have been since the 15-minute headway Gatwick Express was abandoned at the onset of Covid.  The current 30-minute service (which continues to Brighton) is more than adequate.  

 

So instead of them trundling up and down the Sussex coast why not use them on some of the Victoria - Sussex Coast services which are currently formed of pairs of 377s?  Those overload badly to and from Gatwick because the Express doesn't serve Clapham or Croydon.  As it seems beyond the wit and wisdom of everyone at GTR Towers to include those very desirable stops (albeit at a time penalty which would mean a 35-minute Victoria - Gatwick timing not the "sacred" even half-hour*) then why not use the luggage-rack fitted units on those services where suitcases, bags and buggies currently occupy the gangways and doorways often to the exclusion of passengers making legitimate use of same.  

 

Aside from the issue of blocking doorways and gangways being a risk in the event of emergency it also blows out statin dwell time.  If luggage racks were available then most of this nuisance could be abated.  

 

* The 30-minute "Gatwick Express" is a thing of the past anyway.  Most trips are timetabled 31 - 33 minutes non-stop as it is.  

[franciswilliamwebb]

 

Class 421/5 4-CIG 1304 at Eastleigh on 01/09/01 (my photo)

[decauville1126]

This morning's 5703 ScrapEx Hove - Eastleigh hurriedly grabbed at Lyminster (from video). Really moving on their last hurrah.

 

 

 

[phil_sutters]

A very short railway trip yesterday - Hampden Park to Eastbourne!

[Rich_F]

Seeing the GatEx stock in regular services still feels weird (even if they've been doing it for a fair few months). Still surprised at this point Southern haven't just repainted the 387s into green. 

[phil_sutters]

I wonder how confused visitors are when, heading to Gatwick from Eastbourne, they find that the 'Gatwick Express' train standing in the station is going to Brighton or, even worse, Ore. They could get on the GE, then find they have to change at Lewes. Similarly at Brighton they might be told to use a Thameslink train to go to Gatwick, when there is a Gatwick Express train sitting there.

Edited June 20, 2023 by phil_sutters

[John M Upton]

There is a morning peak Littlehampton to London Bridge and evening return trip which is 8 x 387 now too (replaces the Thameslink service that rarely ran and was finally binned at the last timetable change).

 

Needless to say it is not an express and doesn't stop at Gatwick!!!