Third-Rail EMU Photos

[Mike Storey]

Agreed .......... blue & grey looked very good - until they threw Exmover at it !

 

OI!!! We then were given DP products. They may not have got all the brake dust off, but they did not strip the paint work.

 

Anyways, once some genius worked out the right Ph value for the Exmover mix in the CWM's, and after that, once some other genius told us how to monitor it, we tended to let fewer units out in their birthday suits. It was handbashing that did for 'er - the Sunday overtime team tended to get a bit previous with the strength at Lovers Walk (other well known depots are also available for criticism.)

[Peter Kazmierczak]

If you saw someone standing in the middle of one of roundabouts at Purley on Saturday morning, it was probably me......

 

 

The 1000 Gatwick - Victoria passing Purley.

 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Later I was near South Croydon, where we see two Thameslink services passing; the 1304 Luton - Brighton (on the left) and the 1325 Brighton - Luton.

South Croydon station is in the background.

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by Peter Kazmierczak

[John M Upton]

Sunrise in Littlehampton this morning:

Southern Class 313/2 313201 Littlehampton 1/5/18 by John Upton, on Flickr

GTR Thameslink Class 700 700105 Littlehampton 1/5/18 by John Upton, on Flickr

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Stoats Nest Junction, on a beautiful May Spring evening.

The 1850 Gatwick - Victoria passes on the Up Fast; I feel this red Gatex livery is the best of any applied to the Electrostar family of units.

 

 

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Late evening at Waterloo, as the 21.27 "Roundabout" service to Waterloo via Kingston and Richmond leaves platform 4 some 10 minutes late, formed of x2 Cl.707s. Alongside, in platform 5 is the even later 21.12 to Shepperton, formed of x2 Cl.455s.

 

[roundhouse]

Whyteleafe Station this evening awaiting my other half to arrive.

 

Luckily she isn't on the 13.40!!

[phil gollin]

Whyteleafe Station this evening awaiting my other half to arrive.

 

Luckily she isn't on the 13.40!!

 .

 

Being a previous user of the other "half" of the branch (Reedham) - why only the first four coaches for Caterham ?????

 

Were they taking any others somewhere else ?

 

I remember in the 60's and 70's rather a lot of oddities in the splitting and connection of services at Purley  -  I only ended up on the Caterham branch once, but I had to change to the other ( "wrong" ) portion quite a few times.

 

One of the more idiosyncratic branches.   (You always needed to be at Reedham at least two, or three, minutes early as the trains tended to run early into Purley [ PRESUMABLY so as not to delay the Caterham portion arriving for main line connections ] ).

 

.

[roundhouse]

They do sometimes run two units but often lock one unit out. However I suspect that delayed service was actually cancelled.

[Gwiwer]

Two units running coupled on a Caterham / Tattenham splitter usually means a fault in the uncoupling process or a missing driver for the other portion.  Caterham - Victoria trains, not attaching at Purley, are now booked 10-car 377/6 or 377/7 as the latter are no longer required for the Milton Keynes service and the former are released from other suburban duties which have been taken over by Thameslink 700s.

 

One of the few positive things to emerge from the May timetable change has been the Caterhams running through from East Croydon - Clapham Junction on the fast lines and offering significant extra capacity where it is needed.  A half-full 10-car train arriving at East Croydon at around 8am will clear the platform of those unable to board main line trains from Sussex.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Gwiwer

[John M Upton]

Sunset this evening over Littlehampton

Southern Class 313/2 313219 Littlehampton 23/6/18 by John Upton, on Flickr

[SR Chris]

 

Wealden Networkers 465919 and 465932 approach Birchington-On-Sea working 1Z61 0832 London Cannon Street to Ramsgate 10:43 Saturday 30 June 2018

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Sorry about the train spoiling the shot of the signal.....

 

A pair of Class 442s approach Branksome last week, on driver training between Poole and Southampton.

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

The tide's in at Holes Bay, as 444039 heads a Waterloo - Weymouth train yesterday, early afternoon.

 

[John M Upton]

This morning in Littlehampton:

GTR Thameslink Class 700 700116 and Southern Class 313/2 313219 Littlehampton 10/7/18 by John Upton, on Flickr

Edited July 10, 2018 by John M Upton

[roundhouse]

A Victoria service at Reigate this morning. A very quick turn round as it was 8 late off Redhill due to trespassers enroute from Victoria

[Mike Storey]

This morning in Littlehampton:

GTR Thameslink Class 700 700116 and Southern Class 313/2 313219 Littlehampton 10/7/18 by John Upton, on Flickr

 

Jeesus. Now I know I am getting old. Class 313's used to look modern to me.......and I remember the very first Star Wars film with awe. Did not think we would be riding Stormtroopers to work though......

[John M Upton]

Yep, one is probably one of the most unpopular designs of train in passenger use today, the other is a 313...

[roundhouse]

Yep, one is probably one of the most unpopular designs of train in passenger use today, the other is a 313...

Great White Worms are what we call them

[Gwiwer]

Speaking of unloved Great White Worms here's a couple of their South Western cousins which are attracting just as much criticism.  They are basically a 5-car 700 painted in a more attractive livery.  

 

Firstly in last winter's snow one of the first units to be seen in traffic on the Kingston Roundabout (but whose number I failed to note in the biting cold) working 2Oxx Waterloo - Richmond - Strawberry Hill - Wimbledon - Waterloo calling at Strawberry Hill

 

 

And in altogether better weather 707004 emerges from a summer's sunrise at Strawberry Hill depot as 5R03, the 06.01 e.c.s. to Twickenham from where it enters service as 2R03 to Waterloo via Hounslow.

 

 

Another summer view this time of Barnes with 707026 trailing another unit while working a Waterloo - Windsor & Eton Riverside service.  Despite having no toilets and no first class there are several rostered 707 turns on the Windsor line.  While they are mostly used on Hounslow and Kingston Roundabout services they also appear once or twice a day at Hampton Court and on Guildford via Epsom services.

 

 

The rather more comfortable hardware which is about to be replaced is represented by the unusual appearance of a pair of 455 units at Reading, trailed by 455869, bound for Waterloo.  This was an unscheduled substitution for a pair of 450 or 458 units; class 455 has no booked work to Reading.

 

 

And the 455's baby sister the 456, inherited from Southern where they were unloved and finding not much more love with SWR but proving extremely useful as crowd-shifters. 456008 leads a pair of 455s on an up Waterloo service pausing at Clapham Junction alongside 66768 and a class 378 unit on West / North London Line duty bound for Stratford

 

 

 

[roundhouse]

Much more comfortable are these Electrostar units.

 

SInce the May timetable change a three car unit is now normally used on the Redhill to Tonbridge shuttles. No more through trains to London either unless they are weekend South Eastern diversions via Redhill.

 

Seen at Nutfield station yesterday morning.

Edited July 22, 2018 by roundhouse

[johnlambert]

Here's a 3CIG from the Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells West.  I didn't I'd ever think I'd get the chance to photograph a blue/grey EMU like the ones I remember seeing as a small child.

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Much more comfortable are these Electrostar units.

 

SInce the may timetable change a three car unit is now normally used on the redhill to Tonbridge shuttles. No more through trains to London either unless they are weekend South Eastern diversions via Redhill.

 

Seen at Nutfield station yesterday morning.

IMG_8367.JPG

And the 377/3s are particularly comfortable.2x2 seating throughout, and I am sure the seats are better sprung. Right up there with 377101-377119 (same 2x2 seats throughout also).

[Talltim]

My only ever pic of a 3rd rail unit

19:57 to Lymington Pier by Tim David, on Flickr

[Gwiwer]

The 377/3s are all 2+2 seating so there is no scramble for the good seats.

 

The 377/2, 377/4 and 377/5 types have 2+2 in the end (driving trailer) coaches while the 377/1s are a real mixed bag. The first 20 have 2+2 in just one driving trailer, the next 20 are all 3+2 while the remainder are almost the same as a 377/4. All units have a small number of 2+2 seats at the inner ends of both driving trailers.

 

The first class configuration varies too. Always with a bay of four seats around a table each side of the gangway but some units have a face-to-back (airline) pair in addition while others have single inward-facing sets in that space.

 

If your travels take you onto a 377/6 or 377/7 these have the dreaded ironing-board seats.

 

Knowing commuters can be seen sprinting along station platforms to locate a 2+2 seated coach once they see the unit number.

 

Standardisation? Ceratinly not. The early 377/1s have different light clusters as well with small red lights rather than the large ones, same size as the whites, on later units.