The following year. By 1995 it was 4tph Bedford-Brighton.Browsing through a 1991 timetable, I see that at that time, Thameslink only operated hourly from Bedford through to Brighton, trains on the alternate half hours terminating at Gatwick Airport. Can anyone tell me when the service became half-hourly all the way through to Brighton?
Grateful for any info.
Colin
The following year. By 1995 it was 4tph Bedford-Brighton.
By splitting 8 coach trains into 4 coach ones at Brighton and Bedford for the off-peak.How did they achieve the 4tph without extra stock, incidentally? Did one of the other routes (Sevenoaks via Bat and Ball, and Wimbledon/Sutton loop, IIRC) come to an end?
Thameslink through to both Sevenoaks and Guildford finished in May 1994. 4tph at the Bedford end started in 1994, but with only 2tph going through to/from Brighton.How did they achieve the 4tph without extra stock, incidentally? Did one of the other routes (Sevenoaks via Bat and Ball, and Wimbledon/Sutton loop, IIRC) come to an end?
Which route did they use for Guildford? The same as Southern peak extras pre-Covid?Thameslink through to both Sevenoaks and Guildford finished in May 1994. 4tph at the Bedford end started in 1994, but with only 2tph going through to/from Brighton.
Yes, via Tulse Hill and West Croydon, then as the peak extras through Sutton, Epsom and Bookham.Which route did they use for Guildford? The same as Southern peak extras pre-Covid?
The original service was started using a batch of 60 319/0 stock delivered by 1988. A second betcha of the class 319 was introduced from 1990, that was configured for the longer journeys from Bedford to Brighton with 1st class seating and Brecknell Willis pantographs. This enabled a fuller service after 1992.How did they achieve the 4tph without extra stock, incidentally? Did one of the other routes (Sevenoaks via Bat and Ball, and Wimbledon/Sutton loop, IIRC) come to an end?
Six (?) units from this batch were notionally for Southern as replacements for units written off in the Clapham and Purley accidents.The second batch (technically third) of 319/1s released some earlier 319/0s to work South Central services. Thameslink didn't have all 86 units.
Yes, that is what I have always understood, but it is all a little complicated as to how that translates to service frequencies.Six (?) units from this batch were notionally for Southern as replacements for units written off in the Clapham and Purley accidents.
The original service was started using a batch of 60 319/0 stock delivered by 1988. A second betcha of the class 319 was introduced from 1990, that was configured for the longer journeys from Bedford to Brighton with 1st class seating and Brecknell Willis pantographs. This enabled a fuller service after 1992.
Yes, via Tulse Hill and West Croydon, then as the peak extras through Sutton, Epsom and Bookham.
Before Thameslink, the Sutton loop was covered by a strange service that ran London Victoria - Balham - Mitcham Junction - Sutton - Wimbledon - Tulse Hill - Peckham Rye - London Bridge
Certainly post-1987 when I started getting the train a lot all the Wimbledon loop services off peak went from Victoria via Norbury, West Croydon, Sutton Wimbledon, Streatham, Peckham Rye, London Bridge and this went on for years. Morning peak services went via Mitcham Junction so if I wanted to get to Sutton Common (from Carshalton Beeches) for school, I had to change at Sutton. IIRC the afternoon peak retained the off-peak service pattern on this route until Thameslink appeared.I remember this varied by year. In 1985 for example the Wimbledon Loop went Victoria - Norbury - West Croydon - Sutton - Wimbledon - direct route, presumably - Holborn Viaduct.
Alternate services must have waited somewhere though, because the pattern out of Holborn was half-hourly (on the hour and half hour, IIRC) but at Victoria was 20/40 (xx02 and xx42, part of a 20-min interval stopping service via Norbury with the xx22 to Epsom Downs). The timetable made it look as if the ex-Victoria services terminated at West Sutton as there was no "To Holborn Viaduct via Wimbledon" note.
(I remember this as I attempted to memorise the timetable prior to my first visit to Clapham for rail enthusiast purposes on 31/12/85 !)
Certainly post-1987 when I started getting the train a lot all the Wimbledon loop services off peak went from Victoria via Norbury, West Croydon, Sutton Wimbledon, Streatham, Peckham Rye, London Bridge and this went on for years. Morning peak services went via Mitcham Junction so if I wanted to get to Sutton Common (from Carshalton Beeches) for school, I had to change at Sutton. IIRC the afternoon peak retained the off-peak service pattern on this route until Thameslink appeared.
In the original Thameslink timetable two trains an hour terminated at Purley!