Springs Branch
Established Member
This is a report of a jaunt around London with a Day Travelcard one weekday during autumn last year. The write-up has been prompted by a New Year clean-up of the notepad on my smartphone.
My wife and I were on holiday, staying with her relatives in south-west London. Most of our stay was taken up with family activities, but I did manage to negotiate one day off for myself. I had planned to set off on the dot of 09:30 (as soon as the Off-Peak Travelcard validity starts) to cover some bits of required track and take a look at new developments around Thameslink and Crossrail.
Unfortunately when the designated day arrived, it transpired my wife was not confident negotiating the mean streets of Kingston upon Thames by herself, so a couple of hours were wasted with me hanging around outside various clothes shops and drinking a seriously overpriced coffee with her before I could make my escape.
Once I had been granted time off for good behaviour, it was a dash to Kingston station to buy a Z1-6 Day Travelcard, then up to the platform just in time for the 11:03 to Waterloo. Here the second annoyance of the day reared its head. On these bashing trips, I normally like to grab the odd photo along the way, just for the record. Today, as I clicked to snap the 455/7 rolling in with the 10:40 ex Shepperton, the camera on my android decided to freeze up the phone. This fault continued throughout the day – every time I tried to use the camera the phone would freeze. The only solution seemed to be “switch it off and switch it on again”, but of course it hadn’t recorded an image. So, sorry, there are no photos to illustrate this report.
From Kingston, it was a quiet, all-stations ride up the South Western main line towards London. This was just after the switch from South West Trains to the South Western Railway franchise and rebranding had only extended to the easy stuff like posters at the stations. As we called at Wimbledon, I did see one unit travelling in the opposite direction deployed in new SWR vinyls, but my attempt to photograph it through the train window resulted in – a frozen phone.
The original itinerary for the day had been firstly to travel out to Stratford and the GEML to see if I could bag one of the new Class 345s which had started to appear in service at that time. Failing that, I would have been satisfied with a “last ride” on the old-school Shenfield Metro out to Zone 6 on a TfL Rail Class 315. With my late start from Kingston, and the suggestion that this might be turning into one of those bad luck days, I cancelled my East London excursion and jumped off the 455 at Clapham Junction. I was heading for the West London line, then West Hampstead, to execute the second part of the plan.
At the time of our visit, industrial action was well underway on Southern. Luckily we hadn’t needed to use that TOC so far, but I was now intending to chance my arm on Southern’s East Croydon–Milton Keynes train. I was aware these are frequently cancelled, even without striking crews, but was pleased to see my luck was improving and the 11:39 service to Milton Keynes Central was on the departure board at Clapham Junction.
So it was across to the curvaceous Platform 16 and a short wait for the arrival of 377 703 with 2M29 the 11:10 ex East Croydon. There was a substantial crowd on the platform waiting for this train, but most of the passengers already on board seemed to get off at Clapham Junction and it was not excessively busy in the front coach of the 5-car unit when we left.
I must look like an unusually knowledgeable or approachable chap, because I often seem to get asked for help with directions, even in foreign parts like the New York Subway or San Diego Trolley. Today was no different. A few rows behind me on the 377 was a wizened, old guy who had been speaking excitedly in Spanish on his mobile phone when I boarded and didn’t look much like a typical Sarf Landon geezer.
We hadn’t even got as far as Latchmere Junction when he came up to ask me, in a heavy accent “Excuse me sir, does this train stop at North Wembley?” I explained no, it didn’t stop there - but he was on the right train and needed to change at Wembley Central. He looked a little confused and concerned, and sat down again.
Then, all the way along the West London Line, he got up at intervals, and came forward to ask me a string of different questions, each time returning promptly to his seat.
Q2: “The man sold me this ticket.” He showed me his Day Travelcard issued at East Croydon. “Is it alright for North Wembley?” “Yes, the ticket’s fine” I replied (but not sure if they’d sold him the cheapest ticket for the journey if he was only travelling East Croydon to North Wembley by rail)
Q3: “Do I change to Bakerloo or Jubilee?” “Bakerloo” (let’s not confuse things with the Overground)
Q4: “Is it same platform when I change?” “No, different platform – there’ll be someone at Wembley Central who can help you”
Q5: “Is there a Wembley South?” “No, only Wembley Central and North” (well, true as far as it applied here)
By this time we’d called at the WLL stations, stopped near the Westway overpasses to put the panto up and were stopped again waiting to get a path onto the WCML slow lines near Wembley.
As we arrived into Wembley Central and I got up to alight, I noticed the old guy was now settled in his seat with no apparent intention of leaving. I hurried him and his bag off the train, nearly having the doors close on us and a bonus, unplanned visit to Harrow & Wealdstone. I took him up the stairs to the concourse and pointed him to the northbound DC line platform yelling “Next stop! Next stop!” Good deed for the day done (although ending up maybe in too much of a Basil Fawlty and Manuel style), I went down to the southbound DC platform, my next destination Willesden Junction.
I just missed a Euston-bound Overground and was faced with what seemed like, on a Tube line, an interminable ten minute wait until the next train on the departure display. I headed for the open air section at the southern end of platform 2 and spent the time watching a frequent procession of Pendolinos and Virgin Voyagers thundering through the station at high speed. Substantial palisade fencing between the DC platform and the fast lines, plus ample CCTV coverage here suggested this might be attractive as a suicide spot, and I half expected a staff member to arrive to find out why I was hanging about down there. He or she could also have had a word with the two blokes enjoying a crafty smoke, but no-one appeared.
Next move was on the Bakerloo Line. The well-worn 1972 Stock was a contrast with the Class 377 I’d just got off and my carriage’s handful of clientele added a gritty inner-city edge. It felt a bit like a step back in time to the run-down and sometimes threatening Underground of the 1980s, as the traction motors whined and we swayed and rattled through Stonebridge Park and Harlesden.
My train was 2A07, the 12:12 Harrow & Wealdstone to Elephant & Castle. Is this part of the Bakerloo the only section where Tube trains are assigned Network Rail headcodes? At Willesden Junction I alighted – as it happened, still heading for Elephant & Castle but via a more circuitous route.
378 206 took me from the high level platforms at Willesden Junction to West Hampstead on its Overground journey from Clapham Junction to Stratford. At West Hampstead I exited the NLL station to grab provisions from the Tesco on West End Lane, then straight back through the barriers at West Hampstead Thameslink to eat lunch on the central island platform there.
It was a pleasant autumn afternoon and very enjoyable to bask in the sunshine, watching the passage of fast EMT Meridians and HSTs, interspersed with regular Thameslink Class 700s. Unfortunately my phone camera was still persistently refusing to let me record any of this. The two cranks positioned just up the platform from me were having much better luck with their impressive looking DSLRs.
In due course it was time for the next move from West Hampstead Thameslink, to cross off some required track between Kentish Town and St Pancras LL, then on through the Thameslink core.
12-car 700 116 did the honours working the 12:40 Bedford to Brighton. Being Friday afternoon and the sun over the yardarm, my carriage (and the one in front and the one behind) enjoyed the spectacle of a boisterous Hens’ Party heading south. Their luggage suggesting a long weekend of noisy festivities ahead – I guessed either Brighton or somewhere more exotic via Gatwick Airport and a low-cost airline. I suppose one benefit of the cross-London journey opportunities on Thameslink is you don’t need to interrupt your drinking by having to change trains.
At Farringdon I got out for a look at the platform extensions and station refurbishments there. By now, my bladder was beginning to tell me it was time for a pit stop. There are toilets on the Class 700s, and an illuminated diagram showing you where they are, but I chose the option of back-tracking a little to enjoy the 5-star lavatorial experience available free-of-charge on the concourse at St Pancras International. A quick step or two up to the Underground platform and I was immediately aboard Metropolitan Line S8 Stock bound for Uxbridge for the short ride from Farringdon to Kings Cross St Pancras Underground.
My mastery of navigating the underground maze at Kings Cross St Pancras station only extends to the Hammersmith & Circle platforms, but luckily this was where I got off, so I took the easy exit via the Western Ticket Hall.
Britain’s railways do many things badly and on the cheap, especially outside London it seems. But sometimes they do things spectacularly well, and I consider the entry from the Underground into St Pancras International shows off one of the really impressive examples.
Clean toilets having been visited, it was back towards the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras Low Level. Luckily I had an idea where to go, because signposting to the three different domestic train operators at St Pancras International is not the best. Anyhow, mustn’t grumble, I was soon down the escalators and boarding 700 106 with another Bedford – Brighton service. I took this as far as Blackfriars, where I spent a good few minutes on Platform 1 enjoying the view of the Thames, St Paul’s Cathedral and the City skyline in the afternoon sunshine.
From Blackfriars, I was intending to get myself to the LO South London line via Thameslink. There were a couple of other departures before the next suitable train was due, so I took the next southbound - 700 034 with the 14:30 to Sutton – as far as Elephant & Castle.
Despite complaints on various forums about the Class 700s and their ironing board seats, antiseptic decor etc., I found the new stock perfectly fine for short trips in the central area, for which it’s presumably designed. However I can understand some whinging if you need to travel on them every day all the way from Brighton or Bedford, or if you’ve shelled out for a First Class season ticket. Maybe my favourable impression of the Class 700s was coloured by having recently come to London after a week in Northern Pacerland.
Elephant & Castle is just one stop and a couple of minutes from Blackfriars, but there’s a stark contrast in the surroundings and outlook from the station. Waiting for my train at Blackfriars, nearby groups of passengers had been speaking Italian and French, all very well dressed and carrying expensive-looking accessories. At Elephant, other languages could also be heard, but not apparently from the Romance Group, the dress code was much less sophisticated and accessories were likely to include a Bag for Life.
700 017 arrived with the 14:46 to Sevenoaks, which I took to Peckham Rye – a bit of a mistake, since I hadn’t realized how long and congested the transfer is between the two pairs of platforms there. On the narrow stairs down from platform 4, I had to negotiate my way through a minor altercation kicking off between two middle-aged women, who were trying to struggle down the steps with a sizeable suitcase each, and a young woman standing half way down the stairs. The stationary woman was totally engrossed in an animated mobile phone conversation, apparently oblivious that she was in the way of a couple of dozen people getting off the train, then was not too happy at being told to shift when the two grumpy women with luggage appeared. Probably I would have been better off changing at Denmark Hill – much less ghetto there!
From Peckham Rye, it was 378 202 with the 15:02 London Overground to its terminus at Clapham Junction. Then straight across to the Windsor Line platforms for the next available service towards Waterloo. This turned out to be 458 521 with the 15:22 from the Hounslow loop, taken as far as Vauxhall.
From Vauxhall, I was aiming to cross off more required traction for my London visit – this time in the form of a Borismaster bus. I had already had a couple of trips into central London with Mrs S.B. where we’d used buses, but none of our journeys so far had been on a NBfL. In fact I’d not been on a New Routemaster at all, so to correct this deficiency I caught an 88 from Vauxhall Bus Station via Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Nothing much to note about this, except the novelty (in the 21st Century) of getting off a bus at the back door!
The schedule for the day required me to be back at Hampton Wick station around 17:30 for a family commitment in the evening. I had alighted from the bus in Trafalgar Square and the weather was still pleasant, so I had in mind a walk across the Hungerford Footbridge to Waterloo. But at this point I got some good news in a phone call from the wife – our required rendezvous time was delayed by at least half an hour. So I had time to fit in some sort of extra side trip. Rather than walking across the footbridge, I chose a ride on Southeastern from Charing Cross to take a look at the state of the reconstruction project at London Bridge.
465 050 did its duty between Charing Cross and London Bridge with the 16:08 to Gillingham via Woolwich Arsenal.
At this stage, platforms 7 to 9 at London Bridge were back in use, but the Cannon St side was still a serious construction site. Riding down the long escalator on arrival, I was quite impressed with the airy new concourse, but I do wonder how well all those Western Red Cedar slats on the roof will weather over time. Will they start to look shabby and worn after five or ten years? The timber is used for noise suppression, according to a random architectural website which was singing the praises of the new design.
I didn’t linger very long at London Bridge, nor did I exit the gateline, and was soon back up the escalator onto the Charing Cross-direction platforms 8 & 9. 465 037, inbound from Gravesend, formed the 16:23 departure which I took as far as Waterloo East.
At Waterloo, it was across to the main line concourse and a scan of the departure board for the next available train towards Hampton Wick. With some bonus time still in hand, I decided on 455 715 on the 16:50 Woking and a break of journey at Wimbledon to observe the early part of the rush hour there
I spent 20 minutes or thereabouts on the platform at Wimbledon watching a procession of non-stop trains passing through on the Down Fast. It must have been one of the better days for SWR commuters, as everything seemed to be running smoothly. As soon as the signal at the country end had cycled through its sequence back to a green aspect, the headlights of the next unit would appear around the curve from the London direction.
After watching this repeated every three minutes, maybe half a dozen times, it was time to join the local commuters and head back to base. 2H49, the 17:28 to Shepperton, was the final Class 455 workhorse of the day, taken from Wimbledon to Hampton Wick station. It was a short walk from there to the Foresters pub to meet the wife, enjoy a pint or two and have a meal with our relatives.
I suppose Thameslink and jaded London regulars might wonder why I’d bothered, but for an infrequent visitor, it had been a satisfying and reasonably interesting short day out.
My wife and I were on holiday, staying with her relatives in south-west London. Most of our stay was taken up with family activities, but I did manage to negotiate one day off for myself. I had planned to set off on the dot of 09:30 (as soon as the Off-Peak Travelcard validity starts) to cover some bits of required track and take a look at new developments around Thameslink and Crossrail.
Unfortunately when the designated day arrived, it transpired my wife was not confident negotiating the mean streets of Kingston upon Thames by herself, so a couple of hours were wasted with me hanging around outside various clothes shops and drinking a seriously overpriced coffee with her before I could make my escape.
Once I had been granted time off for good behaviour, it was a dash to Kingston station to buy a Z1-6 Day Travelcard, then up to the platform just in time for the 11:03 to Waterloo. Here the second annoyance of the day reared its head. On these bashing trips, I normally like to grab the odd photo along the way, just for the record. Today, as I clicked to snap the 455/7 rolling in with the 10:40 ex Shepperton, the camera on my android decided to freeze up the phone. This fault continued throughout the day – every time I tried to use the camera the phone would freeze. The only solution seemed to be “switch it off and switch it on again”, but of course it hadn’t recorded an image. So, sorry, there are no photos to illustrate this report.
From Kingston, it was a quiet, all-stations ride up the South Western main line towards London. This was just after the switch from South West Trains to the South Western Railway franchise and rebranding had only extended to the easy stuff like posters at the stations. As we called at Wimbledon, I did see one unit travelling in the opposite direction deployed in new SWR vinyls, but my attempt to photograph it through the train window resulted in – a frozen phone.
The original itinerary for the day had been firstly to travel out to Stratford and the GEML to see if I could bag one of the new Class 345s which had started to appear in service at that time. Failing that, I would have been satisfied with a “last ride” on the old-school Shenfield Metro out to Zone 6 on a TfL Rail Class 315. With my late start from Kingston, and the suggestion that this might be turning into one of those bad luck days, I cancelled my East London excursion and jumped off the 455 at Clapham Junction. I was heading for the West London line, then West Hampstead, to execute the second part of the plan.
At the time of our visit, industrial action was well underway on Southern. Luckily we hadn’t needed to use that TOC so far, but I was now intending to chance my arm on Southern’s East Croydon–Milton Keynes train. I was aware these are frequently cancelled, even without striking crews, but was pleased to see my luck was improving and the 11:39 service to Milton Keynes Central was on the departure board at Clapham Junction.
So it was across to the curvaceous Platform 16 and a short wait for the arrival of 377 703 with 2M29 the 11:10 ex East Croydon. There was a substantial crowd on the platform waiting for this train, but most of the passengers already on board seemed to get off at Clapham Junction and it was not excessively busy in the front coach of the 5-car unit when we left.
I must look like an unusually knowledgeable or approachable chap, because I often seem to get asked for help with directions, even in foreign parts like the New York Subway or San Diego Trolley. Today was no different. A few rows behind me on the 377 was a wizened, old guy who had been speaking excitedly in Spanish on his mobile phone when I boarded and didn’t look much like a typical Sarf Landon geezer.
We hadn’t even got as far as Latchmere Junction when he came up to ask me, in a heavy accent “Excuse me sir, does this train stop at North Wembley?” I explained no, it didn’t stop there - but he was on the right train and needed to change at Wembley Central. He looked a little confused and concerned, and sat down again.
Then, all the way along the West London Line, he got up at intervals, and came forward to ask me a string of different questions, each time returning promptly to his seat.
Q2: “The man sold me this ticket.” He showed me his Day Travelcard issued at East Croydon. “Is it alright for North Wembley?” “Yes, the ticket’s fine” I replied (but not sure if they’d sold him the cheapest ticket for the journey if he was only travelling East Croydon to North Wembley by rail)
Q3: “Do I change to Bakerloo or Jubilee?” “Bakerloo” (let’s not confuse things with the Overground)
Q4: “Is it same platform when I change?” “No, different platform – there’ll be someone at Wembley Central who can help you”
Q5: “Is there a Wembley South?” “No, only Wembley Central and North” (well, true as far as it applied here)
By this time we’d called at the WLL stations, stopped near the Westway overpasses to put the panto up and were stopped again waiting to get a path onto the WCML slow lines near Wembley.
As we arrived into Wembley Central and I got up to alight, I noticed the old guy was now settled in his seat with no apparent intention of leaving. I hurried him and his bag off the train, nearly having the doors close on us and a bonus, unplanned visit to Harrow & Wealdstone. I took him up the stairs to the concourse and pointed him to the northbound DC line platform yelling “Next stop! Next stop!” Good deed for the day done (although ending up maybe in too much of a Basil Fawlty and Manuel style), I went down to the southbound DC platform, my next destination Willesden Junction.
I just missed a Euston-bound Overground and was faced with what seemed like, on a Tube line, an interminable ten minute wait until the next train on the departure display. I headed for the open air section at the southern end of platform 2 and spent the time watching a frequent procession of Pendolinos and Virgin Voyagers thundering through the station at high speed. Substantial palisade fencing between the DC platform and the fast lines, plus ample CCTV coverage here suggested this might be attractive as a suicide spot, and I half expected a staff member to arrive to find out why I was hanging about down there. He or she could also have had a word with the two blokes enjoying a crafty smoke, but no-one appeared.
Next move was on the Bakerloo Line. The well-worn 1972 Stock was a contrast with the Class 377 I’d just got off and my carriage’s handful of clientele added a gritty inner-city edge. It felt a bit like a step back in time to the run-down and sometimes threatening Underground of the 1980s, as the traction motors whined and we swayed and rattled through Stonebridge Park and Harlesden.
My train was 2A07, the 12:12 Harrow & Wealdstone to Elephant & Castle. Is this part of the Bakerloo the only section where Tube trains are assigned Network Rail headcodes? At Willesden Junction I alighted – as it happened, still heading for Elephant & Castle but via a more circuitous route.
378 206 took me from the high level platforms at Willesden Junction to West Hampstead on its Overground journey from Clapham Junction to Stratford. At West Hampstead I exited the NLL station to grab provisions from the Tesco on West End Lane, then straight back through the barriers at West Hampstead Thameslink to eat lunch on the central island platform there.
It was a pleasant autumn afternoon and very enjoyable to bask in the sunshine, watching the passage of fast EMT Meridians and HSTs, interspersed with regular Thameslink Class 700s. Unfortunately my phone camera was still persistently refusing to let me record any of this. The two cranks positioned just up the platform from me were having much better luck with their impressive looking DSLRs.
In due course it was time for the next move from West Hampstead Thameslink, to cross off some required track between Kentish Town and St Pancras LL, then on through the Thameslink core.
12-car 700 116 did the honours working the 12:40 Bedford to Brighton. Being Friday afternoon and the sun over the yardarm, my carriage (and the one in front and the one behind) enjoyed the spectacle of a boisterous Hens’ Party heading south. Their luggage suggesting a long weekend of noisy festivities ahead – I guessed either Brighton or somewhere more exotic via Gatwick Airport and a low-cost airline. I suppose one benefit of the cross-London journey opportunities on Thameslink is you don’t need to interrupt your drinking by having to change trains.
At Farringdon I got out for a look at the platform extensions and station refurbishments there. By now, my bladder was beginning to tell me it was time for a pit stop. There are toilets on the Class 700s, and an illuminated diagram showing you where they are, but I chose the option of back-tracking a little to enjoy the 5-star lavatorial experience available free-of-charge on the concourse at St Pancras International. A quick step or two up to the Underground platform and I was immediately aboard Metropolitan Line S8 Stock bound for Uxbridge for the short ride from Farringdon to Kings Cross St Pancras Underground.
My mastery of navigating the underground maze at Kings Cross St Pancras station only extends to the Hammersmith & Circle platforms, but luckily this was where I got off, so I took the easy exit via the Western Ticket Hall.
Britain’s railways do many things badly and on the cheap, especially outside London it seems. But sometimes they do things spectacularly well, and I consider the entry from the Underground into St Pancras International shows off one of the really impressive examples.
Clean toilets having been visited, it was back towards the Thameslink platforms at St Pancras Low Level. Luckily I had an idea where to go, because signposting to the three different domestic train operators at St Pancras International is not the best. Anyhow, mustn’t grumble, I was soon down the escalators and boarding 700 106 with another Bedford – Brighton service. I took this as far as Blackfriars, where I spent a good few minutes on Platform 1 enjoying the view of the Thames, St Paul’s Cathedral and the City skyline in the afternoon sunshine.
From Blackfriars, I was intending to get myself to the LO South London line via Thameslink. There were a couple of other departures before the next suitable train was due, so I took the next southbound - 700 034 with the 14:30 to Sutton – as far as Elephant & Castle.
Despite complaints on various forums about the Class 700s and their ironing board seats, antiseptic decor etc., I found the new stock perfectly fine for short trips in the central area, for which it’s presumably designed. However I can understand some whinging if you need to travel on them every day all the way from Brighton or Bedford, or if you’ve shelled out for a First Class season ticket. Maybe my favourable impression of the Class 700s was coloured by having recently come to London after a week in Northern Pacerland.
Elephant & Castle is just one stop and a couple of minutes from Blackfriars, but there’s a stark contrast in the surroundings and outlook from the station. Waiting for my train at Blackfriars, nearby groups of passengers had been speaking Italian and French, all very well dressed and carrying expensive-looking accessories. At Elephant, other languages could also be heard, but not apparently from the Romance Group, the dress code was much less sophisticated and accessories were likely to include a Bag for Life.
700 017 arrived with the 14:46 to Sevenoaks, which I took to Peckham Rye – a bit of a mistake, since I hadn’t realized how long and congested the transfer is between the two pairs of platforms there. On the narrow stairs down from platform 4, I had to negotiate my way through a minor altercation kicking off between two middle-aged women, who were trying to struggle down the steps with a sizeable suitcase each, and a young woman standing half way down the stairs. The stationary woman was totally engrossed in an animated mobile phone conversation, apparently oblivious that she was in the way of a couple of dozen people getting off the train, then was not too happy at being told to shift when the two grumpy women with luggage appeared. Probably I would have been better off changing at Denmark Hill – much less ghetto there!
From Peckham Rye, it was 378 202 with the 15:02 London Overground to its terminus at Clapham Junction. Then straight across to the Windsor Line platforms for the next available service towards Waterloo. This turned out to be 458 521 with the 15:22 from the Hounslow loop, taken as far as Vauxhall.
From Vauxhall, I was aiming to cross off more required traction for my London visit – this time in the form of a Borismaster bus. I had already had a couple of trips into central London with Mrs S.B. where we’d used buses, but none of our journeys so far had been on a NBfL. In fact I’d not been on a New Routemaster at all, so to correct this deficiency I caught an 88 from Vauxhall Bus Station via Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Nothing much to note about this, except the novelty (in the 21st Century) of getting off a bus at the back door!
The schedule for the day required me to be back at Hampton Wick station around 17:30 for a family commitment in the evening. I had alighted from the bus in Trafalgar Square and the weather was still pleasant, so I had in mind a walk across the Hungerford Footbridge to Waterloo. But at this point I got some good news in a phone call from the wife – our required rendezvous time was delayed by at least half an hour. So I had time to fit in some sort of extra side trip. Rather than walking across the footbridge, I chose a ride on Southeastern from Charing Cross to take a look at the state of the reconstruction project at London Bridge.
465 050 did its duty between Charing Cross and London Bridge with the 16:08 to Gillingham via Woolwich Arsenal.
At this stage, platforms 7 to 9 at London Bridge were back in use, but the Cannon St side was still a serious construction site. Riding down the long escalator on arrival, I was quite impressed with the airy new concourse, but I do wonder how well all those Western Red Cedar slats on the roof will weather over time. Will they start to look shabby and worn after five or ten years? The timber is used for noise suppression, according to a random architectural website which was singing the praises of the new design.
I didn’t linger very long at London Bridge, nor did I exit the gateline, and was soon back up the escalator onto the Charing Cross-direction platforms 8 & 9. 465 037, inbound from Gravesend, formed the 16:23 departure which I took as far as Waterloo East.
At Waterloo, it was across to the main line concourse and a scan of the departure board for the next available train towards Hampton Wick. With some bonus time still in hand, I decided on 455 715 on the 16:50 Woking and a break of journey at Wimbledon to observe the early part of the rush hour there
I spent 20 minutes or thereabouts on the platform at Wimbledon watching a procession of non-stop trains passing through on the Down Fast. It must have been one of the better days for SWR commuters, as everything seemed to be running smoothly. As soon as the signal at the country end had cycled through its sequence back to a green aspect, the headlights of the next unit would appear around the curve from the London direction.
After watching this repeated every three minutes, maybe half a dozen times, it was time to join the local commuters and head back to base. 2H49, the 17:28 to Shepperton, was the final Class 455 workhorse of the day, taken from Wimbledon to Hampton Wick station. It was a short walk from there to the Foresters pub to meet the wife, enjoy a pint or two and have a meal with our relatives.
I suppose Thameslink and jaded London regulars might wonder why I’d bothered, but for an infrequent visitor, it had been a satisfying and reasonably interesting short day out.
