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Freight, departmentals and specials in Sussex


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I’m not familiar with the detail of the current layout at Brighton, but it always used to be more trouble than it was worth to get from the eastern platforms to the western, which was why I mentally discounted that possibility, and turning via the Polegate triangle would be a bit crunchy these days.

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1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

How do they turn the loco? Does it have to go backwards to Brighton, then go round via Hayward’s Heath?

 
In short they don’t turn the loco itself- they turn the entires train!

 

Drag the train back from Eastbourne to either Brighton or Hastings via the diesel which was on the back for the outward run and the steam loco is then automatically on the front for subsistent departure back to London. Simples!

 

Edited by phil-b259
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Running to Brighton or via Brighton wasn't quite what I meant. So there is no need to turn.

 

Virtually all the steam tours to Eastbourne from London have run down via ECR and then via Keymer Junction via Lewes to Eastbourne. Then it is a diesel dragging the train to Hastings, with the steam loco facing backwards on the rear. Once at Hastings the steam loco is facing the right direction to back up to London via Tonbridge via Bopeep Jcn and West St Leonards.

 

What I meant was I would be great, if just for a change, they could be run in the down direction  - London to Hastings via Tonbridge. Then diesel drag to Eastbourne. Then the steam loco would be facing forwards for the run back UP to London via Lewes and Keymer Junction. 

 

On a week day most PM Peak traffic is heading the down direction from London so pathing shouldn't be an issue, just the same as it isn't via Tonbridge UP to London. 

 

To my knowledge there have been only a handful of steam hauled rail tours on the 'UP' via Lewes. I remember the first one was a Standard 4 4-6-0 with a 37 on the rear, which I filmed it at Hamsey cutting.

My friend, Colin Packham, was the Lewes Signalman that day and he called me with the details, confidently stating that it was the first steam loco UP through Lewes since the end of steam at the end of the 1960's. I think that he probably witnessed that working too. 

 

I was lucky enough to go on the 2013 Tornado rail tour from Lewes to Salisbury, which was obviously booked via Keymer Jcn on the UP.. 

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4 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m not familiar with the detail of the current layout at Brighton, but it always used to be more trouble than it was worth to get from the eastern platforms to the western, which was why I mentally discounted that possibility, and turning via the Polegate triangle would be a bit crunchy these days.

 

Yes getting to or from the east coastway to the west coastway at Brighton needs a shunt towards Preston Park, before accessing the other line as there are no directly accessed platforms.

 

 

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You can go via Brighton from the East Coastway to the West Coastway or vice versa but you are limited to the length of a four car EMU as that is all that fits between the buffer stops of platform three and West Coastway Junction part way along its length.

 

There used to be an all stops from Portsmouth to Hastings service that used to do just that and at one time the Seaford's and West Worthing's worked through as well.  Too many conflicting movements and just the one platform soon put paid to that Connex originated nonsense.

Edited by John M Upton
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17 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

At this point I would usually upload my photos of Seaford 150 and other steam specials on the East Coastway, but as this thread is Freight in Sussex, I will resist the temptation.

 

If one wanted to be pedantic, since the thread refers to "Sussex" anything after 1974 is not allowed as that is when the single council was split into East and West Sussex local authorities following the Local Government Act 1972.

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When I was a kid, mid 50s onwards Sussex was always East and West, you could tell the difference, as to which bit you were in, if the town/village had the county crest on the name plate, by the background colour, behind the martlets, red for east and blue for west and I think that east also had a crown.

 

 

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On 13/07/2021 at 16:43, brushman47544 said:

 

If one wanted to be pedantic, since the thread refers to "Sussex" anything after 1974 is not allowed as that is when the single council was split into East and West Sussex local authorities following the Local Government Act 1972.

Tell the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that, if you are on speaking terms with them. HM obviously thinks it is still an entity.  The division is an administrative one and doubtless a legal one, but do Yorkshiremen say I am a West, East or North Yorkshireman? History and culture run through an area and can last longer than an arbitry division, made to make the area's administration more manageable.  I would say that Sussex is the collective term for the two parts.

Threads in RMweb so often get hijacked and, if you want to refer to one for information on a specialist subject, you have to wade through all the irrelevant posts as well. I can be as bad as anyone for diverging from the main subject of a thread, so I am not getting heavy about this. There is always the option of starting a thread on steam specials in the South-east.

I am pleased how much relevant material has been added to this one.

Edited by phil_sutters
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Mid Sussex is best of both, although I don’t think we have any castles, can think of 5 castles in East Sussex (Lewes, Bodium, Rye, Hasting and Pevensy) and 2 castles in West Sussex (Arundel and Bramber) - but I suspect there are more.

 

 

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One bit of Sussex is not technically Sussex anymore. Brighton and Hove is now a city unitary authority much to the delight of the citizens of Brighton and the horror of the citizens of Hove.

 

I count at least three castles, Arundel, Amberley and Lewes.

 

Getting back on topic, there is a sort of weekly aggregates flow to Chichester. Usually a 59 is used.

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8 hours ago, StuAllen said:

Mid Sussex is best of both, although I don’t think we have any castles, can think of 5 castles in East Sussex (Lewes, Bodium, Rye, Hasting and Pevensy) and 2 castles in West Sussex (Arundel and Bramber) - but I suspect there are more.

 

 

Hurstmonceaux? Camber? Chichester?

Is Rye not a fortified town, rather than a castle?

And do you mean that administration in the county is not based on the Rapes any more?

Best wishes 

Eric

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Ex DB liveried 59/2 59205 on the Acton T.C. to Day Aggregates this morning. A real mix and match rake of JNA wagons today. 
 

Hopefully the lunchtime Down working will run. The late afternoon working hasn’t run for a while, which is a shame as it has produced DB HRA hopper wagons, like this. Up until now definitely considered exotic in this part of the Deep South….
 

90AA0F95-5570-4042-99C0-F987A3D94B86.jpeg.b5217a16a9694aa58914210c5848cf7e.jpeg

 

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9 hours ago, burgundy said:

Hurstmonceaux? Camber? Chichester?

Is Rye not a fortified town, rather than a castle?

And do you mean that administration in the county is not based on the Rapes any more?

Best wishes 

Eric

TBH - I was think of Camber Castle when I said Rye. You can just about see the railway while walking to it so trying to stay on topic there is a scheduled freight service that goes through Rye https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C04453/2021-07-15/detailed. Is there any way to find out more about what the service is?

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2 hours ago, StuAllen said:

trying to stay on topic there is a scheduled freight service that goes through Rye https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C04453/2021-07-15/detailed. Is there any way to find out more about what the service is?


This Gen is from the excellent Railrecord site…..

 

BDA072D9-E2BA-471A-B648-D96A635C89EF.jpeg.0fdfce4dc38cf8c03db8de1379854022.jpeg
 

E5FC2464-8962-4197-9043-5789CBF1AF41.jpeg.9bfbac23d2ef721446026643287c47df.jpeg

 

It shows a Balfour Beatty operated Network Rail MPV RHTT rail head treatment train. The second image above shows the Run Status as not activated. This may not get done at all as this may only be a path, especially this time of the year. 
 

It may get activated but this could be at short notice. My guess would be that it is unlikely to run. Hope this helps.

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