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Cool, i must take a day off work and do that journey again soon, it may sound sad or odd but its one of my favorites!!!  :bye:

 

This might no longer be possible. As far as I'm aware the Walton/Thorpe-le-soken run is now mainly a shuttle service with just the occasional service going onwards either way at Thorpe as a local all-stations Cochester North via St Boltophs to Walton with the odd direct Walton/LS service at peak time. No split/join at either Colchester North or Thorpe for direct services any longer.

 

Izzy

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This might no longer be possible. As far as I'm aware the Walton/Thorpe-le-soken run is now mainly a shuttle service with just the occasional service going onwards either way at Thorpe as a local all-stations Cochester North via St Boltophs to Walton with the odd direct Walton/LS service at peak time. No split/join at either Colchester North or Thorpe for direct services any longer.

 

Izzy

oh pants!!!  :this:  0oh well thanks for letting us know!  :)

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Thanks BBM.
 
Some from back in the 80s, apologies in advance for the quality. My film scanner has refused to work so I had to scan the prints using my flatbed scanner.
 
Colchester open day
 
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A few others
 
Witham Station
 
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Colchester Station
 
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Ipswich Station
 
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Cressing Station
 
3731_zps905d76ff.jpg
 

 

 

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Cool, i must take a day off work and do that journey again soon, it may sound sad or odd but its one of my favorites!!!  :bye:

There are some splits, but not as they used to be!

 

Weekdays, the 0746 from Liverpool St splits at Chelmsford, to go to Braintree and Walton. The 1644 splits at Colchester to go to Clacton and Manningtree (Manningtree?). The 1708 splits at Colchester to Clacton/Colchester Town. 1832 splits at Colchester for Walton and Colchester Town. 

 

I guess the privatised railway splits trains only as a last resort. The first split I mention seems very odd, I only guess there are spare staff at Chelmsford and not at Witham.

 

- Richard.

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I guess the privatised railway splits trains only as a last resort.

 

 

Not if South Eastern, Southern and South West Trains are anything to go by where splitting and joining of portions is still going strong.

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Guest maxthemapman

Splitting trains is easy, it's putting them back together again that is harder. The reluctance to split trains has to be because once they split in service, they tend to stay split.

 

Not much fun being at Colchester and finding out that the high-tech auto-couplers are on the blink again, so please could everybody make their way to the front four coaches, where they will find some standing room available on the roof.

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Hi Glenn, if you follow the link below there are a few video clips of the Braintree branch. 
 
 
Also some other clips taken at various locations around Anglia which may be of interest. Enjoy the Nostalgia!

 

Woooooow !! thats excellent mate, cheers for the heads up on that , nice one  :declare:  :locomotive:  :locomotive:  :locomotive:  :locomotive:  :locomotive:  :locomotive:  :sungum:

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There are some splits, but not as they used to be!

 

Weekdays, the 0746 from Liverpool St splits at Chelmsford, to go to Braintree and Walton. The 1644 splits at Colchester to go to Clacton and Manningtree (Manningtree?). The 1708 splits at Colchester to Clacton/Colchester Town. 1832 splits at Colchester for Walton and Colchester Town. 

 

I guess the privatised railway splits trains only as a last resort. The first split I mention seems very odd, I only guess there are spare staff at Chelmsford and not at Witham.

 

- Richard.

Thanks Richard, thats good of ya, i used to used to live in Manningtree could never work out the trains all the times i lived there lol!

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I never saw a 309 or travelled on one - I arrived in Essex in 1995. But I stumbled upon the details of the Electric Railway Museum in Coventry who say they have two:

http://www.electricrailwaymuseum.co.uk/index.php/our-collection

They also have parts of a 307, 308 and (my own favourite) the 312.

Somewhat annoyed to find when I drove round the A45 Coventry bypass last Monday I was within 1/4 mile of their premises ...

 

- Richard.

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I only travelled on a 309 once, to my regret. I turned up at Liverpool Street one Sunday evening for the Norwich service, but instead of the usual 86+push/pull a 309 set was in the platform. This took us to Ipswich, where we detrained for a waiting 86 set. I remember thinking the 309 was like a cross between a refurbished CEP and a CIG. I recall it was very yellow inside, and seemed curiously open plan, almost spartan. The 309 certainly motored along nicely, although it was nowhere near as good a ride as the usual Mk2s. Probably on a par with a CEP.

 

Those Coventry guys are to be admired for all they've achieved so far. It seems a shame that so few EMUs, especially overhead EMUs, will be around for future generations to experience. I feel fortunate that I'm close to the East Kent Railway, where you can ride on a CEP, EPB or COR. Will Hornby be measuring up the latter soon? I wish the Chart Leacon VOPs had gone there instead of into the voracious Belle machine, but that would have required money, more siding space at the EKR, money, the will to restore them, and money.

 

Regarding splitting, they most certainly still do it on the old Southern. At Faversham, for example. Electrostars don't seem to part with such a bang as the old Mk1 stock, though!

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