The Caterham Branch

[Geoff Endacott]

I am hoping that there might be a few people on here who could please help with details of what ran on the Caterham branch in the mid to late 1960s.

 

Bentley MRG's new EM gauge layout, Burntwood Lane, is set on the Caterham branch. You may be able to read about it next year as yours truly is working on an article for Railway Modeller.

 

The passenger stock is relatively easy (Southern EMUs) and we have examples of classes 33 and 73 to work the freights. The question is, what else ran on the branch? Did members of classes 71 and 74 ever venture along the line? Also, what about diesels other than the 33s?

 

I know it's our railway and we can run what we like, but I would like to have a certain prototypical justification for anything out of the ordinary.

 

With thanks in advance of your help.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Gwiwer]

Caterham was served by 2EPB units of the SR type with some duties being covered by 4EPB units also of SR type in the main. BR standard units were uncommon down there as were 4Sub units.

 

Off-peak trains might be 2EPB alone, sometimes 2x2 coupled, and often with a Tattenham Corner portion split / combined at Purley and often just 2EPB. Peak trains would be 6 or 8 cars. 8-car Caterham trains would not have conveyed a Tattenham Corner portion as 8 was the platform limit; a 6-car train could have detached a 2EPB at Purley though more commonly the peak service was 4 cars each way.

[Geoff Endacott]

Thanks for that. Burntwood Lane will be served by 2-car or 4-car units because anything longer will not fit in the fiddle yard!

 

The mainstay will have to be the Bachmann 2EPB because that's what is available.

 

Geoff Endacott

[roundhouse]

The Caterham line used to be on of my local lines when I was younger. I remember waiting at the level crossing gates next to the gate keepers hut at Whyteleafe after school when going to visit a friend.

 

That was in the mid to late 1970's.

 

I remember travelling on the EPB stock including non gangwayed corridor stock which I think were EPB's aswell.

 

Ian

[Oldddudders]

Forget 71 and 74. The former were mainly South Eastern Division locos, with necessary pantograph, the latter - not a very successful class, I believe - were mainly South Western. Despite being built, or at least owned by, the South Eastern Railway, the Caterham branch in BR days was firmly in the Central Division!

 

Rick has pointed out that EPBs were the standard unit, so that's fine. My recollection is that the EPB fleets were pretty much mixed and matched by this time, so the BR Standard version was common there by 1968.

[Gwiwer]

Class 33 went to Caterham with engineers trains and class 73 also in more recent years though probably not back in the 60s when they were busier with parcels and other duties. Classes 71 and 74 have not been recorded on the branch and as Ian says were almost exclusively worked on the SED and SWD respectively.