Eagle
Established Member
I can remember being on the FO Waterloo–Penzance circa 2004. Now that was one long list of stations (it was all stops past Salisbury).
If they ran Birmingham - Shepherd's Bush - Brighton this way then you wouldn't need to worry about XC running to Brighton...
(even if only a few trains a day, more at weekends)
If they ran Birmingham - Shepherd's Bush - Brighton this way then you wouldn't need to worry about XC running to Brighton...
(even if only a few trains a day, more at weekends)
From the recesses of my mind from Rail enquiries days as privatisation was occurring.
Wales and West had Pontypridd to Birmingham with the return working going to Barry Island.
The Waterloo services as already mentioned. Did anyone ever go all the way from Manchester.
Portsmouth Harbour to Penzance and Liverpool with detaching a set at Westbury.
When the MOD place at Filton Abbey Wood opened in order to try and spread loadings for a time there was a service about 0720 starting at Highbridge and Burnham, took the main line non stop to Worle then all stations to Bristol Parkway.
There was a daily Great Western service to and from Waterloo but I cannot recall the other end of it's journey. More recently
there was the loco hauled Rhymney to Fishguard Harbour.
Virgin Cross Country services reversing at Gloucester.
The loss of main line services via Horsham and Sutton was following the Three Bridges resignalling in around 1987 or so - major Southern Central Division re-cast - particularly on giving more services via Gatwick and East Croydon. Excellent article in old "Modern Railways" if you can find it.
As ever , there were winners and losers.Sutton lost its "fast" main line trains which had buffet cars.
That train used to be almost famous as a daily cancellation , to the extent that T shirts were made "I travelled on the 0814 Barneshurst to Blackfriars" - made Radio 1.
Reason was something to do with the crewing and so on. Struck a chord that did ! (circa 1981)
In the 1980s the Manchester - Brighton services did run via this route, changing from electric to diesel traction at Mitre Bridge junction
Which was the orignal Connex Plan !
Found something similar in an old edition of Rail Enthusiast (Feb 1985). The removal of through services West of Horsham was apparently forecast as early as 1904. The introduction of the summer timetable of 1984-85 saw the few remaining services switched to the Three Bridges route, bar a seasonal London Bridge - Bognor/Littlehampton service that ran Monday-Friday. This ran via Peckham Rye and Hackbridge to reach Sutton, although during the Summer of 1984 is reported as having run via Norwood Junction and West Croydon. Oddly enough, the Southern Journey Planner for next year is showing an hourly London Bridge Bognor, calling at Norwood Junction, West Croydon, Sutton, Epsom, Dorking, Horsham and then down the Arun Valley, as usual. Shown as running Sunday 29th January.
Heard about this from my mum, including the rather amusing song as well!
It'd be interesting to see whether that kind of route would work today, especially with the Westfield at Shephard's Bush being an increasingly popular "destination".
Maybe after HS2 there'll be more paths on the WCML to allow that kind of service?
Oddly enough, the Southern Journey Planner for next year is showing an hourly London Bridge Bognor, calling at Norwood Junction, West Croydon, Sutton, Epsom, Dorking, Horsham and then down the Arun Valley, as usual. Shown as running Sunday 29th January.
Southeastern i believe used to run to Horsham although i cant remember where they went to, possibly Tonbridge when Southeastern operated the services between there and Redhill.
The current Strood to Paddock Wood service was a part-time through route along with the Tonbridge to Horsham route. In addition, services used to run between London Bridge and Horsham, with the first stop at Norwood Junction.
The Horsham services started from Tunbridge Wells, to give Tonbridge to TW 4tph
:it was 1tph TW to Horsham, and 1tph TW to London Bridge, both via Redhill of course.
Appears to be engineering work between Horsham and Three Bridges, so that would explain a service running via Sutton, no idea why its running via Norwood to London Bridge though.