This is my first attempt at a trip report, but Ive really enjoyed reading everybody else's accounts so I thought Id give it a go, possibly as practice for an ALR I'm doing in September.
So due to events at work recently Ive suddenly found myself with much more time on my hands than I expected so I thought as I normally head north from London it was about time to go the other way and Id have a go at a Southern Daysave.
The aim of the day was to cover as much of the coastway route as possible, and hopefully get my last 2 313s for sight.
So leave the house around 8 for the bus/tram ride via Beckenham Junction into East Croydon, my start point for the day. Despite there being no tram between Sandilands and East Croydon, I still manage to arrive at East Croydon with plenty of time for a latte in costa before heading down to the platform in plenty of time for the 10:03 to Ore.
Whilst I was making a few obs for the trains youve seen working thread, a Milton Keynes service rolls in with 377708, a winner for sight, and only 2 377s left to see now.
At 1002 377135 & 377161 pull into platform 3 at East Croydon for the run down to Haywards heath where we divide and our front portion heads off to Ore. The Fantastic weather really shows off the South Downs as we head through Plumpton and past the empty racecourse before arriving RT at Lewes. A six minute connection here for me to head over to platform 3 and the 10:58 to Seaford pulls in just as the Lewes-Brighton shuttle pulls out 313211 thatll do nicely, my penultimate 313 for sight.
313204 is my chariot for the run out to Seaford. Passing Newhaven, the once bustling Newhaven Marine Station is now but a rusting shell, we head along the single track section to Seaford. Not much at Seaford station except some long queues for tickets out of there, so I grab a diet coke from the shop next the station to enjoy on the trip back along the coast to Lewes. Approaching from the East Marine station looks even worse - surely they should do something about it after all this time.
Arrival into Lewes was 1 min early, and Id kind of hoped that Id be able to get across and catch the 11:44 Marshlink in the hands of 171728, but being in the wrong carriage of the 313 and lots of people on the stairs there was no way I was making that, so I changed plan, grabbed a coffee and hopped onto 313211 on the 11:58 to Brighton. (171728 would have been a dud anyway!)
Fortunately I had a plan B (and C,D,E etc) so arrival into plat 8 at Brighton and walk the length of the station to plat 1 for the 12:23 to West Worthing, a winner with 313215. Changed at Worthing onto 377104 for the next leg along to Barnham where Ill change to do the spur to Bognor. 313202 pulls into Platform 3 on the Lit-Bog service, and makes fairly good time down the 3.5 mile stretch, there is a 2 min connection here to get back to Barnham, otherwise I will need plan C, but better than expected we pull in a minute early and there is a comfortable walk around the buffer stops onto 377117 back to Barnham into P1, thats all 3 platforms covered in 20 mins.
313213 is next up to continue on the West Coastway as far as Havant. Got an option here, I need the other side of the triangle at Littlehampton (the LIT-Ford) bit and theres a Littlehampton train after the next Brighton. As it happens 377436 pulls in on the Brighton and I need that for haulage so Ill ride that to Chichester and change there onto the following coastway. As the Brighton has less stops I had 14 minute wait at Chichester so it gives me a chance to have a look around the station area, and to be fair nothing seems to have changed in the 20 odd years since I lived down this way, except there are no Iveco minibuses in the bus station anymore, just full size buses, although probably far fewer of them.
313208 pulls in to take me to Littlehampton where if Im lucky theres a 1 min connection back to barnham to complete that triangle. Its still there in P1 as we pull in but just as the doors open away it goes oh well, cant have it all ways I suppose. A 17 minute wait now for the same unit back to Barnham and there's nothing open around the station area.
After getting into Barnham it was over to P1 for the Brighton train which was 377104 again, second time today and it wasnt needed in the book then!
Arrival into Brighton a minute or so down and the place was heaving Brighton are at home tonight apparently, well lucky I managed to get out before they started the queuing system and onto 171724 in charge of the Ashford Train and get a seat for the trip along to Eastbourne. Half an hour here gives me chance to grab some food and a chippy opposite the station looks a good opportunity. Unfortunately the chips were rank, although the seagull that followed me to heel around the station seemed to like them.
1731 arrives and 377406 is ready to take me northwards to Haywards Heath where we join up with 377457 for the run up the mainline to East Croydon, where I see 377707 on the Milton Keynes service, 1 more 377 (704) left for sight now.
My plan from ECR was to dive down the line to Uckfield, however Id not realised until now that that the daysave is banned on trains leaving East Croydon until 19:30, so I though rather than wasting an hour I thought Id hot-foot it over to West Croydon and do the branch down to Epsom Downs which Ive not had the pleasure of yet. 377322, 377317 and another 377/4 which I mustve not recorded because I cant find it in my notes were on the trip there and back.
Back over to ECR and my final Southern train for the day rolls in, 2034 to London Bridge, with 171806 on the front and to my delight 171802 on the rear completing that small sub-class for haulage
A reasonably successful day out with three winners for sight, all of the coastway route between Eastbourne and Portsmouth now in the book and 275 miles 75 chains for the cost of a £15 rover.
So due to events at work recently Ive suddenly found myself with much more time on my hands than I expected so I thought as I normally head north from London it was about time to go the other way and Id have a go at a Southern Daysave.
The aim of the day was to cover as much of the coastway route as possible, and hopefully get my last 2 313s for sight.
So leave the house around 8 for the bus/tram ride via Beckenham Junction into East Croydon, my start point for the day. Despite there being no tram between Sandilands and East Croydon, I still manage to arrive at East Croydon with plenty of time for a latte in costa before heading down to the platform in plenty of time for the 10:03 to Ore.
Whilst I was making a few obs for the trains youve seen working thread, a Milton Keynes service rolls in with 377708, a winner for sight, and only 2 377s left to see now.
At 1002 377135 & 377161 pull into platform 3 at East Croydon for the run down to Haywards heath where we divide and our front portion heads off to Ore. The Fantastic weather really shows off the South Downs as we head through Plumpton and past the empty racecourse before arriving RT at Lewes. A six minute connection here for me to head over to platform 3 and the 10:58 to Seaford pulls in just as the Lewes-Brighton shuttle pulls out 313211 thatll do nicely, my penultimate 313 for sight.
313204 is my chariot for the run out to Seaford. Passing Newhaven, the once bustling Newhaven Marine Station is now but a rusting shell, we head along the single track section to Seaford. Not much at Seaford station except some long queues for tickets out of there, so I grab a diet coke from the shop next the station to enjoy on the trip back along the coast to Lewes. Approaching from the East Marine station looks even worse - surely they should do something about it after all this time.
Arrival into Lewes was 1 min early, and Id kind of hoped that Id be able to get across and catch the 11:44 Marshlink in the hands of 171728, but being in the wrong carriage of the 313 and lots of people on the stairs there was no way I was making that, so I changed plan, grabbed a coffee and hopped onto 313211 on the 11:58 to Brighton. (171728 would have been a dud anyway!)
Fortunately I had a plan B (and C,D,E etc) so arrival into plat 8 at Brighton and walk the length of the station to plat 1 for the 12:23 to West Worthing, a winner with 313215. Changed at Worthing onto 377104 for the next leg along to Barnham where Ill change to do the spur to Bognor. 313202 pulls into Platform 3 on the Lit-Bog service, and makes fairly good time down the 3.5 mile stretch, there is a 2 min connection here to get back to Barnham, otherwise I will need plan C, but better than expected we pull in a minute early and there is a comfortable walk around the buffer stops onto 377117 back to Barnham into P1, thats all 3 platforms covered in 20 mins.
313213 is next up to continue on the West Coastway as far as Havant. Got an option here, I need the other side of the triangle at Littlehampton (the LIT-Ford) bit and theres a Littlehampton train after the next Brighton. As it happens 377436 pulls in on the Brighton and I need that for haulage so Ill ride that to Chichester and change there onto the following coastway. As the Brighton has less stops I had 14 minute wait at Chichester so it gives me a chance to have a look around the station area, and to be fair nothing seems to have changed in the 20 odd years since I lived down this way, except there are no Iveco minibuses in the bus station anymore, just full size buses, although probably far fewer of them.
313208 pulls in to take me to Littlehampton where if Im lucky theres a 1 min connection back to barnham to complete that triangle. Its still there in P1 as we pull in but just as the doors open away it goes oh well, cant have it all ways I suppose. A 17 minute wait now for the same unit back to Barnham and there's nothing open around the station area.
After getting into Barnham it was over to P1 for the Brighton train which was 377104 again, second time today and it wasnt needed in the book then!
Arrival into Brighton a minute or so down and the place was heaving Brighton are at home tonight apparently, well lucky I managed to get out before they started the queuing system and onto 171724 in charge of the Ashford Train and get a seat for the trip along to Eastbourne. Half an hour here gives me chance to grab some food and a chippy opposite the station looks a good opportunity. Unfortunately the chips were rank, although the seagull that followed me to heel around the station seemed to like them.
1731 arrives and 377406 is ready to take me northwards to Haywards Heath where we join up with 377457 for the run up the mainline to East Croydon, where I see 377707 on the Milton Keynes service, 1 more 377 (704) left for sight now.
My plan from ECR was to dive down the line to Uckfield, however Id not realised until now that that the daysave is banned on trains leaving East Croydon until 19:30, so I though rather than wasting an hour I thought Id hot-foot it over to West Croydon and do the branch down to Epsom Downs which Ive not had the pleasure of yet. 377322, 377317 and another 377/4 which I mustve not recorded because I cant find it in my notes were on the trip there and back.
Back over to ECR and my final Southern train for the day rolls in, 2034 to London Bridge, with 171806 on the front and to my delight 171802 on the rear completing that small sub-class for haulage
A reasonably successful day out with three winners for sight, all of the coastway route between Eastbourne and Portsmouth now in the book and 275 miles 75 chains for the cost of a £15 rover.
