Network Southeast branding strength/history

[Sad Sprinter]

What did you guys do on Network Day 1996?

 

[Djgr]

Network Days are a great example of what we have all been missing post privatisation.

 

[yorksrob]

Good grief. Ungrateful ***s.

A cheap day out, and they whinge about having to travel on an EPB which is an extra to the normal service. If anything, this demonstrates the impressive flexibility of the "old" railway.

As stated above, I had a half-empty HAP formation on an extra. Did I complain? No, though with my enthusiast hat on there was something quite interesting about travelling on a HAP-operated fast, I will admit.

(As a point of order the first Network Day, and the second, were Saturdays so there would be no full commuter service the following day).

To be fair, the HAP's had the benefit of plenty of toilets. I can imagine there were some uncomfortably crossed legs on the coastal EPB's !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2025 ==

Network Days are a great example of what we have all been missing post privatisation.

Yes, I was just getting used to the Network days then Johnny Major put the kybosh on them.

 

[Dr Hoo]

(As a point of order the first Network Day, and the second, were Saturdays so there would be no full commuter service the following day).

Thanks for that fair reminder. Oops.

What did you guys do on Network Day 1996?

Worked our socks off in attempts to make it a success. As we had on the earlier launch day and various other initiatives like Operation Pride (which was about smartening and tidying things up, not about diversity).

 

[nw1]

To be fair, the HAP's had the benefit of plenty of toilets. I can imagine there were some uncomfortably crossed legs on the coastal EPB's !

True but if they were desperate they just wait for the next VEP/CEP formation - or use the station toilets.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2025 ==

Yes, I was just getting used to the Network days then Johnny Major put the kybosh on them.

Politics is probably out of place here but while I generally considered that government the reasonable face of Toryism, privatisation was a clear violation of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" principle. Actually to be fair there were issues with the network circa 1992/93, but these were down to service cuts as a result of the recession.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

.

 

[Taunton]

A 10-EPB arrived at a packed platform and was announced as the next train to London. I was assailed by the biggest wave of Anglo-Saxon expletives since the Saxons originally invaded Kent in the Fifth Century. "This is the biggest ****ing **** show ever. I'm never going to use ****ing British Rail ever again. You're the biggest load of *****, ****ers and ****ers I've ever come across.", etc, etc..

I just wish to point out that in the spectacular 1978 event I described above, of 1/4 million attendees at Bob Dylan's Blackbushe music festival, and the resulting post-midnight, immaculately handled, continuous 12-EPB return service from Fleet to Waterloo, none of us musicheads, at least in my carriage, made the slightest whinge about what was provided, and as speed rose on the Fast line, on about the hottest night of the year, with all the droplights open, and with the suburban-geared English Electric 507s under our floor running flat out (70 mph?) for mile after mile, the conversational hubbub notably died away, as if even all on board were impressed by the performance. Despite our reputation of "Yon long-haired studenty types", we were ultimately a polite lot (still am, apart from the hair ). What a slammer that was through the Fast line platform at Woking! And what a race for the loos at Waterloo!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The London to Brighton bike rides had a special service of 12 EPB's to bring the riders back to London Bridge - half the sets would have the seat bases turned over for the bikes , with plenty of voluneers to help the loadings.

Some spirited running to quote the late Cecil J Allan* , the one I came back on had a signal stop at Redhill , cue for a stampede for the station toilets.

Again an example of excellent railway organisation.

(* a fairly famous railway writer - ex railwayman - him and Oswald Nock were about the most prolific writers of the time !)

 

[Dr Hoo]

Some great reminiscences there. I have to say that the Margate crowd, many of whom had clearly been drinking heavily for hours, were unusually rude compared to Chatham Tall Ships and Rochester Dickens festival at other locations

At least the experience was handy for me when in 1990 around 250,000 turned up to the ‘Biggest Street Party in Europe’ as part of the City of Culture, held on Glasgow Green. With no need for tickets only 100,000 had been expected. It was an anxious time until well after 0200 getting a large share of them home on 6-car EMUs and 4-car DMUs, mostly resourced ad hoc but the atmosphere on Glasgow Central (and other stations) was fantastic and remarkably patient.

 

[Bald Rick]

I think it was £3 for a day , tremendous value for the public. ! - went with some neighbours and we had a grand day indeed.

I still have my ticket somewhere…

Went with my Dad, the only thing I remember doing was Clapham J to MK via the WLL.

 

[Dr Hoo]

I still have my ticket somewhere…

Went with my Dad, the only thing I remember doing was Clapham J to MK via the WLL.

What a sensible trip. It was the people who surged to the seaside honeypots and left it late heading for home who had the most stressful journeys.

Sheerness would have been a great alternative .

 

[Bald Rick]

Sheerness would have been a great alternative .

I understood that trains only departed Sheerness, as no-one ever wants to go there…

 

[JonathanH]

Network Days are a great example of what we have all been missing post privatisation.

They were missing pre privatisation as well. When was the last one? I seem to recall that Network Card holders were able to select a Network Day of their own choosing in the autumn of 1990, rather than there being a specific one off date.

Northern's newspaper offer, and EMT red dot days in the early 2010s are perhaps the closest such offers in recent times.

 

[nw1]

They were missing pre privatisation as well. When was the last one? I seem to recall that Network Card holders were able to select a Network Day of their own choosing in the autumn of 1990, rather than there being a specific one off date.

Northern's newspaper offer, and EMT red dot days in the early 2010s are perhaps the closest such offers in recent times.

I remember the Network Card Network Days but being within the Young Persons Railcard age bracket in 1990, I didn't have any need for one hence couldn't take advantage...