Coupled 395s on a Saturday!

[TheJRB]

I was at Ashford on Saturday afternoon and happened to see a two coupled 395s (units were 395007 and 395005) enter platform 5 at ~13:43 working 1J37 12:53 Margate - St Pancras International. Photographic proof here!

Now I know it's pretty rare to see them coupled off peak in general, never mind on a Saturday so I assume there must have been an event at Canterbury or somewhere on that line. Anybody know any more?

 

[Mike C]

Did both units have pans raised or shoes down? Is it possible one unit was rescuing the other? If not it is possible they were just moving sets around to get them in the right place after an earlier disruption or problem with one.

 

[John55]

I presume the good folk of Kent go Christmas shopping like everyone else.

 

[TheJRB]

Did both units have pans raised or shoes down? Is it possible one unit was rescuing the other? If not it is possible they were just moving sets around to get them in the right place after an earlier disruption or problem with one.

The rear pantograph of the rear unit was definitely raised (as can be seen in my video here.) Unfortunately I didn't see the front pantograph of the front unit so I don't know about that one.

I presume the good folk of Kent go Christmas shopping like everyone else.

I thought that but the previous down train to Margate was just one unit.

 

[Hydro]

I thought that but the previous down train to Margate was just one unit.

More folk want to get out of Margate, never to return, than go to it. Sounds plausible to me.

 

[TheJRB]

I forgot to add that the full train appeared pretty busy too which prompted my thought regarding an event going on.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Not exactly on the same route, but wasn't it the Rochester Christmas Fayre yeserday?

 

[gavinjustice]

I saw two joined together on a Saturday back in June.

 

[craigwilson]

I was at Ashford on Saturday afternoon and happened to see a two coupled 395s (units were 395007 and 395005) enter platform 5 at ~13:43 working 1J37 12:53 Margate - St Pancras International. Photographic proof here!

Now I know it's pretty rare to see them coupled off peak in general, never mind on a Saturday so I assume there must have been an event at Canterbury or somewhere on that line. Anybody know any more?

The 20:42 St Pancras - Margate (which I joined at Ashford International) was also 12-car yesterday.

 

[Southern]

There are a couple of booked weekend workings as well:

1J72 2242 St Pancras - Margate (Saturday/Sunday Evening)
1F17 0758 Faversham - St Pancras (Sunday Morning)

 

[dk1]

Not sure how muck SET at International have been affected by Westfield Stratford City but the amount of passengers now using Stratford Regional at weekends is quite astonishing. NXEA are pushing it as much as London this Christmas & the early evening service i worked from Liverpool St-Norwich last saturday picked up around 80 passengers here.

 

[chuffchuff]

Westfield Stratford City and Bluewater, been like it for a while now.
a lot of the other trains are packed going up in the day

 

[TheJRB]

There were a number of doubled up workings today including the 10:43 departure from Ashford to St Pancras which I travelled on and I saw another at Ashford and Ebbsfleet. The 18:12 St Pancras - Dover was one unit so it seems the coupled units are all going to Margate.

 

[466.networkers]

There are some diagrammed 12 car 395s, I'll have a look and see if it was meant to be 6 or 12 cars.

1J37 1253 Margate - St Pancras is booked a 6 car Class 395.

 

[Southern]

There were a number of doubled up workings today including the 10:43 departure from Ashford to St Pancras which I travelled on and I saw another at Ashford and Ebbsfleet. The 18:12 St Pancras - Dover was one unit so it seems the coupled units are all going to Margate.

For Christmas shoppers heading into Canterbury probably, they have that Christmas market in Whitefriars at the moment...those things seem to pop up everywhere! Was the 10:43 quite busy? It's been a while since I travelled into London at the weekend.

As a side note, the last train from St Pancras (0012) is being doubled from 6 to 12 carriages weekdays only, starting Monday.

 

[mole90]

There were a number of doubled up workings today including the 10:43 departure from Ashford to St Pancras which I travelled on and I saw another at Ashford and Ebbsfleet. The 18:12 St Pancras - Dover was one unit so it seems the coupled units are all going to Margate.

On Friday afternoon, I was on the 14:25 St Pancras to Faversham which was a 12 car rather than the usual 6. I usually travel in the peaks so I'm unsure if that's normal for that particular service. Making use of the SDO for Gravesend, Strood and Rochester anyway.

Have SE have suddenly decided to start lengthening HS services when they seem to be short-forming the normal services....? Conspiracy haha.

 

[TheJRB]

On Friday afternoon, I was on the 14:25 St Pancras to Faversham which was a 12 car rather than the usual 6. I usually travel in the peaks so I'm unsure if that's normal for that particular service. Making use of the SDO for Gravesend, Strood and Rochester anyway.

I'm pretty sure it's always mostly been six on off peak services. There's always a fair few 395s tucked away off peak at Ashford Hitachi depot so I'm sure finding the stock isn't too difficult.

Have SE have suddenly decided to start lengthening HS services when they seem to be short-forming the normal services....? Conspiracy haha.

 

[Southern]

On Friday afternoon, I was on the 14:25 St Pancras to Faversham which was a 12 car rather than the usual 6. I usually travel in the peaks so I'm unsure if that's normal for that particular service. Making use of the SDO for Gravesend, Strood and Rochester anyway.

Have SE have suddenly decided to start lengthening HS services when they seem to be short-forming the normal services....? Conspiracy haha.

14:25 has been 12 since the start of the full HS1 timetable. It did go back to 6 for a while as the diagram the units work also includes a Broadstairs turn, which I believe were shortened after low passenger usage.