London to Brighton in four minutes- 2013 [BBC][Video]

[jopsuk]

The BBC have done a new version of the videos done in 1983 and 1953 of Victoria-Brighton non-stop

Hard-pressed commuters would no doubt jump at the prospect of a non-stop train service from London to Brighton - especially if there was a good chance of getting a seat.

But there was a time when passengers - they were not "customers" then - really could enjoy that luxury.

The BBC filmed that journey back in 1953, before the entire rail network was electrified, but when passengers could travel the entire route without stopping.

Thirty years later it repeated the exercise, observing the changes in the intervening time.

Now I've retraced that trip, 60 years on.

Social barometer
Only this time Southern Railway had to lay on a special train for us to compare the three journeys through the magic of time-lapse filming, for there are no longer any non-stop trains between London and the south coast.

And because the railway now is so busy, it could only be done early on a Sunday morning.

The result is a fascinating social barometer, as well as a record of how the railway itself has changed.

Now every train from Victoria to Brighton calls at East Croydon and Gatwick, neither of which was important 60 years ago.

To the casual observer the journeys look remarkably similar when placed side by side.

Most of the bridges, and many of the platforms, remain the same.

 

[asylumxl]

Thank you for posting this. Reasonably interesting, but quite hard to follow 3 pieces of footage at once!

 

[Antman]

I thought fast Brighton services now call at Clapham Junction and East Croydon but not Gatwick Airport?

 

[Geezertronic]

It seems like they are running the three sets of footage so they finish at the same time, it may have been better to run them at the same time lapse speed so the quickest journey of the three actually finishes first etc...

 

[Ebore]

Thank you for posting this. Reasonably interesting, but quite hard to follow 3 pieces of footage at once!

The individual videos are available on youtube: 1953 1983 2013

 

[digitaltoast]

Hmmm, very interesting. Shame it was raining in the 2013 version, but that's what it does these days.
More bridges, as you'd expect. And my word! Not a surprise, but isn't everyone noticeably fatter these days?!?

Agree with Geezertronic's point - some enterprising fellow or chapette could take the youtube footage and make a "real-time timelapse" showing which year "won".

 

[sarahj]

On a Sunday the fasts call 'sometimes' at Gatwick. . A lot more points even back in 1983 compared to today.

Slightly faster than the 04.15 I took up this morning, Gets to Victoria at 05.51. But then we do sit at Three Bridges for 20 mins.

 

[bicbasher]

Was Gatwick Airport station being constructed in the 53 video?

 

[steamybrian]

Was Gatwick Airport station being constructed in the 53 video?

In 1953 there were two stations at Gatwick-
The site of the present Gatwick Airport station was originally Gatwick Racecourse station which with the racecourse closed around 1956.
The first Gatwick Airport station was opened in 1935 about half a mile south of the present station and closed in 1958 on the completion of the renovation of the old Racecourse station which reopened as the new Gatwick Airport station.

 

[Cletus]

When I see these I always think that it should be London - Brighton in 10 minutes, so that you can pick out details better. Also I would like to see some captions with station names.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

When I see these I always think that it should be London - Brighton in 10 minutes, so that you can pick out details better. Also I would like to see some captions with station names.

+1 on that.

The YouTube compression codecs simply can't handle this fast moving footage, even after digitally stabilising the 1953 film. Apart from the track directly in front (which changes the least from frame to frame), most of the detail is obscured in compression artefacts.

Am I the only one who wouldn't actually mind watching these in real time?