Platform 4 at Preston Park station.

[stadler]

When exactly did they remove the track on Platform 4 at Preston Park and take the platform out of use?

Back when i was a guard the platform was definitely still in use. I used to work trains on that line and Platform 4 was definitely usable back then. But i seem to remember it taken out of use some time towards the end of my railway career. I started on the railways in late January 1976 and left the railways in late April 1996 about a month before Connex took over. So i am thinking possibly either the late 80s or the early 90s was when it got taken out of use and had the track removed.

Does anyone know a more exact year when Platform 4 got taken out of use and had the track removed?

Also what was the purpose of removing Platform 4 there? It seems like such a backwards step. It is a busy station in terms of train traffic. It is right before a junction and trains pass through every few minutes. You would think keeping Platform 4 would add some extra flexibility. It is not like the space has been used for any other purpose. There must be a reason why but i have never been able to find out?

I wonder if the platform will ever be brough back? The track bed and platform is still in amazingly good condition for an out of use platform with no track. The entire trackbed is very clear. It is just gravel and dirt with very little weeds. It is not overgrown or in bad condition like most other disused platforms are. Also the platform edge is in very good condition too. You could probably easily relay the track and put in some tactile paving and reopen the platform without much work. Both the platform edge and the trackbed are in great condition. I wonder if bringing it back has ever been looked in to?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

And to think I thought you were younger than me! (I’m 22!)

 

[stadler]

And to think I thought you were younger than me! (I’m 22!)

Haha i wish i was that age again. I am 67 now. I started on the railways at 18 as my first proper job.

 

[William3000]

It seems strange to see a platform taken out on such a major but not long distance line. It’s understandable at places like Spalding and March where former large junctions have lost lines or places like Skegness, Great Yarmouth, or Lowestoft, where free platforms are required, but Preston Park is a busy surburban commuter station.

 

[zwk500]

It seems strange to see a platform taken out on such a major but not long distance line. It’s understandable at places like Spalding and March where former large junctions have lost lines or places like Skegness, Great Yarmouth, or Lowestoft, where free platforms are required, but Preston Park is a busy surburban commuter station.

Was it that busy when the platform was taken out?
As for putting it back in now, tbh it's so close to Brighton that the benefit of letting anything overtake is minimal, you're either turning off to Hove or running into Brighton station anyway. You don't want to be holding a train for 4/5 minutes 1 stop from the end of the line. Maybe if they put a third line down all the way to Brighton it would have some value, although the only realistic way to do that would be to turn the Carriage line into a full passenger line, and that's then on the wrong side so might need a rejig of the junction to allow a looped train to pull back on to the existing down main simultaneously while a non-stop train crosses from Down to Up.

 

[MrJeeves]

Preston Park is one of those stations which is quite helpful just to regulate services. When the West Coastway services are running on time, they'll often be put into Platform 2 so they can depart straight up the mainline, but if they're a couple of minutes late they'll go onto Platform 1 so they don't disrupt the mainline Bedford service leaving Brighton and calling at Preston Park a few minutes after, too.

These days, I'd argue there really isn't much benefit to a Platform 4 other than to run trains through in disruption, or to handle termination and reversal during issues with Brighton's points (if we ignore the fact that Preston Park is not at all suitable for terminating services).

If they wanted to reinstate Platform 4, it'd really need to be alongside a grade separated junction to Hove (yeah, that's never happening) to get much benefit I would have thought, unless the argument is that a delayed West Coastway train won't affect the fast GX running a bit behind it, but any kind of real service disruption would curtail the GX at Gatwick anyway, and that West Coastway service would still affect or be affected by the conflicting northbound services out of Brighton as it traverses over those lines to turn off to Hove.

 

[Controller1701]

I suspect it was part of the scheme plan for the BML (Brighton MainLine) resignalling in the mid 80s and would have come out of use when Brighton, Top Yard, Preston Park and Hassocks boxes were decommisioned and control passed to Three Bridges 'A' box (I know some of the staff there like to refer to themselves as the 'A' box as opposed to the younger imposter). The down relief between Preston Park and Brighton would have gone at the same time.

 

[30907]

If you need to regulate trains towards Hove you have 3 options: Cliftonville Spur, Hove platforms (all bi-di), Preston Pk P2 (sending up trains via P1, definitely the worst option!). You could have used P3, sending Brighton trains via P4, but with two good alternatives I can see why it was thought unnecessary, given that only 2tph use the Spur each way.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Similar question was asked on here a few years ago, albeit with no firm conclusion. Likely it went mid-1980s to early 1990s.

Anyone have old photos of Preston Park Railway Station?

Hi, Does anyone have any photos of Preston Park Railway station (Brighton) when it had four platforms? Also does anyone know when the fourth platform was taken out of use? Finally does anyone have some old photos of Preston Park if no photos of the fourth platform are available. Thanks in...

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[8ace]

I think there was quite a gap between the time it was taken out of use and when the track was lifted. I remember the track being very overgrown and in poor condition late '80s.

 

[IrishDave]

I suspect it was part of the scheme plan for the BML (Brighton MainLine) resignalling in the mid 80s and would have come out of use when Brighton, Top Yard, Preston Park and Hassocks boxes were decommisioned and control passed to Three Bridges 'A' box (I know some of the staff there like to refer to themselves as the 'A' box as opposed to the younger imposter). The down relief between Preston Park and Brighton would have gone at the same time.

This appears to be correct - Preston Park platform 4 was taken out of use between 1982 and 1985 (likely in 1985 at the time of resignalling).

Looking at the Signalling Notices on the SRS (Signalling Record Society) archive, the 1982 notice for resignalling Wivelsfield to Preston Park shows the track for P4 still in situ with the old signalling controlled from Preston Park signal box.

In the 1985 notice for resignalling Preston Park station, which since then has been controlled by Three Bridges ASC (Area Signalling Centre), P4 has been removed and the station just has three platforms.

So my best guess would be that Platform 4 came out of use when the area was resignalled on Sunday 17th March 1985.

Here's the link if you want to peruse the archive of Signalling Notices held by the SRS, it's a fascinating archive!