North Downs line complete electrification and pattern change, including fast London-Dorking

[Turtle]

OK. The battery's a bit of extra weight.
As for Uncle Roger my latest Modern Railways is still unread, having only just arrived!

Just read the latest Modern Railways. You're right. Roger Ford has certainly swung to bimode in certain circumstances!

 

[Bikeman78]

Does seem one of the dogmas of the current era (when you consider it was normal practice from, I don't know, the 50s through to the 90s), though AFAIK it's still done at both Haywards Heath and Horsham every half-hour, albeit with a very lengthy time-penalty compared to the past.

In the 80s you often had: Southern EMU service arrive at T, divide, front portion out at T+2, rear portion out T+4. No messing around, and, for the front portion, a time penalty of perhaps just one minute! (given it might have stopped for one minute anyway).

It rarely caused a problem at Barnham back in the day, or Faversham for that matter. The peak class 317 trains used to split at Letchworth in about 90 seconds if they were running slightly late.