Strangely the 1993 timetable was planned so that there were long turn-arounds at both ends for the '81' Portsmouth Direct fasts (mostly 442s by this stage, IIRC), meaning 5 diagrams were required off-peak compared to the 4 that had been traditionally the case. Basically the timings of the down '81' fast and '82' stopper were swapped while the up services remained the same.
Anyone know why this was done?
First off, forgive me if someone else has commented already, just catching up with the thread!
I can't now remember tbh, but suspect it was to do with keeping 442 diagrams self contained on the 1Pxx's (ie; no involvement with 2Pxx), and hence dictated the general pattern of longer turn rounds at that time? Long turn rounds could be/were in the general sense a pain in the behind both at Portsmouth Harbour and Waterloo at times in relation to the overall service.
Pictures show a class 50 and train in NSE livery - the first is at, I think, Woking. The other I'm not sure - Salisbury?
1- Woking Up Fast p2, 2 - Salisbury p4, with a Crompton in No 5 Bay.
Do you mean leaving London in the evening, or heading to London in the evening? 'Commute' usually refers to workers catching the same train day in, day out; few would travel (commute) to work in the evening, unless maybe they were in the newspaper business, but Fleet Street was beginning to cease being the centre for producing newspapers by 1993.
The other comment about commuting is that some people would fall asleep, and miraculously would wake up just in time to alight at their home station.
Point one: I also read/misread(?) that up thread somewhere and wondered if the theme was someone travelling TO London in the evening?
Point two: for most of my career commuting (1970's on) up the SWML there was a very real feeling of mutual respect/understanding amongst the regulars (ie: most of those on the peak train(s)) that everyone kept quiet for the most part, reading a book/paper, catching up on lost sleep, the only conversions had being perhaps between a few regular travelling companions, but even that undertaken mostly at very low level, barely audible to anyone else in the carriage.
That was something I came to miss in my later career commuting days, especially with the advent of walkmans and more recent devices - not a complaint about the devices, but about 'some' users of same, who seemed to think everyone in the carriage wanted to hear their choice of music etc, but this subject has been done on another thread I believe, so will say no more!
There was of course the famous 0105 Waterloo-Southampton. Definitely existed in May 1994, as the WTT for that date is available from Network Rail. This called at Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Surbiton and Woking.
You also had the 0005 to Guildford (all stations from Surbiton) and the 0030 to Portsmouth Harbour.
1B01 (0105), 'named' by some of us (unofficially of course) as 'The Vomit Comet'.
1P01 (0030) which was early Monday morning only, was designed as a Navy train originally, to get sailors back to base after leave etc., although with all such things once joe public got wind of it, anyone/everyone used it.
Maybe a bit OT but does anyone remember when the 0105 started? I'm sure I remember seeing it in timetables in the 80s, though it didn't exist in 1982.
Off hand no? But if I remember I'll ask some of my fellow ex inmates from those days and see if any have a better memory than I - but don't hold your breath!
Just seen this and it got me thinking back to a specific commuter gaggle I witnessed back in the early 90s. They occupied a snug on an evening 10-WES from Waterloo to Bournemouth. IIRC they called themselves 'The 18.32 Club' (which tallies with what's in my late 1991 timetable) and were even handing out printed media around the train advertising their presence. Quite the exclusive membership from what I could tell. Sadly I can't find any proof of their existence online whatsoever
That sort of thing was all part of the regular commuting group thing that existed amongst many who were regulars on the same train, same time, day in day out, all very of the moment/time, and of course long before the advent of something called 'the internet', so don't be surprised you can not find anything on line in the here and now. There's nothing underhand in that, it's just that it was a part of life at the time, and things come and go.
