sem34090 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 I've seen what looks like some track renewal going on here over the past week or so, and was wondering whether this meant possible re-opening. The pointwork at the entrance appears to have possibly been renewed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted March 23, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 23, 2018 According to rumours, they are being reactivated for stabling Thameslink Class 700's on the Littlehampton services as spare stabling space is at a premium. Currently the three up trains in the morning and the three down trains in the evening, two have to run empty to/from Three Bridges or Preston Park whilst the third stables like a cuckoo in the nest in Southern's shed at Littlehampton overnight. However there will need to be some sort of alteration to the pointwork on the main line as otherwise a complicated reversal via Worthing will be needed for stock going from the sidings to Littlehampton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Interesting- thanks to both of you. I hope they make a good job of it. That was the site of one of only three derailments I ever had to deal with in my career in operations - it turned out to be track spread on the points (c.1987). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 According to rumours, they are being reactivated for stabling Thameslink Class 700's on the Littlehampton services as spare stabling space is at a premium. Currently the three up trains in the morning and the three down trains in the evening, two have to run empty to/from Three Bridges or Preston Park whilst the third stables like a cuckoo in the nest in Southern's shed at Littlehampton overnight. However there will need to be some sort of alteration to the pointwork on the main line as otherwise a complicated reversal via Worthing will be needed for stock going from the sidings to Littlehampton. How will they get them in the sidings if DOO? Walk through the train whilst it's sat over the crossing? The neighbours are going to love the additional noise from the sidings, especially the new houses on the south side that were built after the depot closure. No doubt the some of the locals will also show their displeasure and the units won't remain white for much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem34090 Posted March 23, 2018 Author Share Posted March 23, 2018 Thanks! I had noted about six months to a year ago that the sidings were cleared of vegetation, but commuting in a few weeks ago I noticed a rail-roader excavator sat on the pointwork at the approach into where the shed used to be. This week has seen track workers lifting out old rail and replacing it, no doubt the salty air had affected the old ones, and also removing the remains of the third rail. The pointwork at the approach looks to be all-new with third rail installed, but is yet to be ballasted. Some chairs (the trackwork appears to be entirely bullhead on wooden sleepers, interestingly) have also got fresh bolts. I was wondering whether it had something to do with the 700's, but was thinking along the lines of some terminating at West Worthing, which made little sense to me, but I couldn't see the yard being used for Littlehampton Thameslink services due to the orientation of the former depot and its connection to the mainline, being sited to face towards London, as the original terminus for electric services. If they are for Littlehampton services, then is there a possibility of the buffers being demolished and the trackwork extended to form a new, West, mainline connection. Not really any room for a 12-car long headshunt at the East end due to the aforementioned new housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted March 31, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 31, 2018 The other possibility is that West Worthing will be used for some of the 313s that currently stable at Brighton. This then potentially frees up siding space for the Thameslink units. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted March 31, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 31, 2018 There is also the possibility that some 455's will be looking for a temporary warm store home as their use in the Metro area is to be considerably reduced in the May timetable change as 377's are concentrated on London work. They are not being disposed of, they have just started to go through a program of visits to Wolverton for modifications to allow them to work past 2020 like the 313's have just received with several rumours doing the rounds that they are destined to join the 313's along the coast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted June 1, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1, 2018 The sidings are now in use. There is currently 700127 in there which overnight has had at least two carriages completely wrecked by graffiti idiots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted June 1, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 1, 2018 The sidings are now in use. There is currently 700127 in there which overnight has had at least two carriages completely wrecked by graffiti idiots... Nothing new under the sun. Only the mode of disabling the train has changed. In the early ‘70s trains were cancelled because metal thieves had nicked all the brass commode handles off the side, leaving nasty bolts sticking out. There never was a shortage of scrotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 No doubt the some of the locals will also show their displeasure and the units won't remain white for much longer. Well, that didn't take long... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted June 1, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 1, 2018 How on Earth did he/she/they manage to do all that without anyone noticing? Also, are graffiti vandals twelve feet tall or do they bring their own ladders these days? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) How on Earth did he/she/they manage to do all that without anyone noticing? Also, are graffiti vandals twelve feet tall or do they bring their own ladders these days? You would be amazed. When at Kings Cross in the late 80's, I used to help fund a graffiti task group (to hunt them down, not do it....although some funding experiments elsewhere to allow them to do it legally has had a good measure of success) and BTP had a great deal of info about the main tags. They caught at least a dozen of them over a 12 month - who they worked out were responsible for the vast majority of their "work" between Finsbury Park and Stevenage, including attacks on Hornsey, Ferme Park and even Bounds Green. I vividly remember that three of them held quite responsible jobs, two with banks and one with a solicitors! These were not penniless teens, but very well off men in their late twenties/early thirties, who did it for the thrill. The BTP discovered expensive telescopic ladders, short wave radios, even a night sight (very expensive and hard to obtain in those days) at one address, as well as all the usual spray cans, templates (a la Banksy) and photographs of their own work, some of which even showed their faces. They did it for the thrills, and thought they would never be caught. Not banged up but very heavily fined plus community service,and all lost their jobs. Whilst tagging when down by over 75% for a year or so afterwards, it then came back with a vengeance. The key issues were lapses in fencing and secure gates (they had worked out how to split open the pallisade fencing which lined most of the route), and a lack of high intensity and motion sensitive lighting at high risk locations. I would guess West Worthing has had suitable security installed, but they will always find a way around it, especially by walking down the track from a less secure location or level crossing. But quite how not one person in that row of houses did not hear or see anything is beyond belief. That work must have taken at least an hour (although they are amazingly quick). However, I suspect that many people will not report these things now, for fear of reprisals. CCTV does not put them off. The only methods anyone has found effective, is regular human+dog patrolling, increasing their risk of being caught, and eradicating their work asap - their joy is in many other people seeing their "artistry" with their unique tags. But that is, of course, expensive, across a whole network. Edited June 1, 2018 by Mike Storey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clachnaharry Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 I have seen worse liveries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted June 4, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 4, 2018 Apparently it's still there and six coaches have now been done!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Apparently it's still there and six coaches have now been done!!! That's ridiculous. They should have been cleaned immediately, if they are to deter them. It will cost them far more in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sem34090 Posted June 5, 2018 Author Share Posted June 5, 2018 I saw this Yesterday evening... Can't say the West Worthing site is overly secure, basic fencing is about the sum of it. Still, can't do much to wreck the 700's... but it was completely covered! I love the incompetence of GTR here that they couldn't even be asked to move it and get it through a carriage wash before they get to work on the driving coaches and render it unable to be moved under its own power... Actually, knowing GTR, they'll just clean off the windows and leave it like that as a 'rail community art' thing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted June 7, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 7, 2018 There is a video on YouTube now showing the West Worthing 700 on its way back to Three Bridges to get the new paint job off. Nine carriages were done in the end and apparently nothing is to use the sidings until further notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 There is a video on YouTube now showing the West Worthing 700 on its way back to Three Bridges to get the new paint job off. Nine carriages were done in the end and apparently nothing is to use the sidings until further notice. There’s an EMT HST which was running in service on Tuesday with two coaches in a tasteless new scheme, I believe the result of an overnight stay at Cricklewood. Hadn’t seen it since but it may still be out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 There’s an EMT HST which was running in service on Tuesday with two coaches in a tasteless new scheme, I believe the result of an overnight stay at Cricklewood. Hadn’t seen it since but it may still be out there. There are plenty of trains running around with tasteless new schemes, but most of them are vinyls...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manna Posted June 7, 2018 Share Posted June 7, 2018 G'Day Folks As someone who had to clean this carp, I know what I'd do to the little B*******. Paint stripper on there tongues, then lick it off, and when it's all nice and clean, Cut there Bl**** hands off. That'll stop the little S****. manna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The graffitied vandalised unit has now made it to Bedford, presumably for cleaning/repair. https://www.facebook.com/helen.patterson.756/videos/10160378716830263/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crompton 33 Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Unit 700127 .This is a link to a BBC report today. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-44411024 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The graffitied vandalised unit has now made it to Bedford, presumably for cleaning/repair. https://www.facebook.com/helen.patterson.756/videos/10160378716830263/ I do not understand this. Lovers Walk at Brighton, or even Selhurst, should be capable of dealing with this - they certainly used to be able to do so. GTR really need to re-think this strategy - it is going to happen again, unless they have a cunning plan for Worthing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 8, 2018 As I understand it West Worthing has ben prepared for use as John Upton states to accommodate the units used on the Littlehampton - Thameslink - Bedford service which has replaced Southern's Littlehampton - London Bridge peak trains. I further understand that the one-time move which was required to access the shed - which is now just three open sidings - is no longer possible namely that an up train drew forward over the level crossing and was stopped by the section signal from proceeding farther than necessary. The driver changed ends and when the doll was cleared the train moved back to the shed. The route has been resignalled since then and West Worthing 'box, which used to supervise the move and the level crossing, abolished. CCTV for the crossing (currently controlled from Lancing) is one thing but cannot replace the bobby's eyes when a shunt move is taking place. Entry would need to be from a revised track layout at the west end for daily use. Thameslink effectively evicted Gatwick Express from the electrified sidings at Hove and began berthing 12-car 700s there. One was vandalised in a similar manner and style to that at West Worthing and the location was swiftly abandoned - at least for now - as a stabling point. Instead it was intended to berth the unit at West Worthing and the result is as we have seen. It is of note in this context that the former Hove coal merchant's siding, which was always electrified, has very recently been relaid with new wooden sleepers as well. This suggests both the need to find even more overnight berthing for Thameslink and, perhaps, that it is felt this might be more secure and - since it is adjacent to a running line and right off the platform end - that such gross acts of vandalism might be harder to perpetrate. Quite why the unit has had to go to Bedford is a valid question. Suffice to say these paints do not just wash off. They take a fair amount of specialist effort to remove and it might even be quicker, once the windows are clean, to re-vinyl the entire unit. I would have though Three Bridges might be equipped to do such things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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