London to Brighton fast runs.

[Carlisle]

I’m not sure about that either. Interesting origin though: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGV_(composition)

Sounds slightly more appropriate for a high speed steam run .

 

[Bikeman78]

The trackbed through the Horsham station area has recently had a lot of geological and “wet bed” issues. This may well account for any changes to lower speeds. The junctions also get a hammering with very diverse movements being accommodated, although marginally less now that TL run fixed formations which do not have different portions working in and out of sidings. (When it was the centre of Southern’s universe, a couple of years ago, the stock workings really were a sight to behold!) It’s not just the bits north of the station, even though those have caused a lot of the headaches.

It sound like the points south of Horsham need renewing. They ought to get used less now that the hourly Dorking train doesn't have to shunt. Thinking about it i've not observed up trains recently, they used to come hammering into platform 2. Given that most are portion workings they'll probably come in slowly now. The front portion will arrive with a red signal at the end of the platform and the second will come in behind at caution.

Talking of Dorking, that's another example of things slowing down. In years gone by the down trains would fly round the curve then brake for the 20 over the junction and terminate in platform 3. Now they slow right down for the facing cross over all the way out at Wimblehurst road then totter all the way to platform 1. So a potential conflict (rare in my personal experience) has been exchanged for a guaranteed slow approach. The worst thing is that the most likely conflict is with the up Portsmouth/Bognor train and that still exists. You can't go into 1 from Dorking at the same time as an up trains departs from 2. In fact I've not even convinced that you can arrive into 1 from the north and 2 from the south simultaneously.