Inter regional loco hauled services from Brighton 1980

1980 - 1981

Much the same for 1980.

Page last updated 30/04/2013

INTRODUCTION:

Little change to the timetable in the 1980 just some minor re-timings at intermediate stations.

TIMETABLE and ROUTE:

Both trains were routed via East Croydon, Kensington Olympia (crew change only ), North Pole Junction, Old Oak East Junction then Reading and the Thames Valley. The morning service from Brighton ran via Solihull, Bordesley Junction and St Andrews Junction. The afternoon service ran via Coventry but strangely didn't call at Banbury or Leamington. The loco changes were at Birmingham New Street for all except the Saturday night service from Manchester which was at Mitre Bridge Jct. The Saturday night Manchester to Brighton / Gatwick also ran via the WCML.

12^th May 1980 to 10^th May 1981	M-S	M-S	SUN	SUN
Headcode	1M50	1M64	1M00	1M05
Notes		B
Timing Load	D315/ E315	D315/ E315	D315/ E315	D315/ E315
Brighton	0920	1520	0925A	1638A
Gatwick	09u47	15u47	0955	1704
East Croydon	10u08	16u07	10u17	17u25
Kensington Olympia	10c32	16c31	10c55	18c18
Reading	1105	1704	1141	1856
Oxford	1138	1736	1213	1926
Banbury	1206		1241	1952
Leamington Spa	1226		1301	2012
Coventry		1830
Birmingham International		1842
Birmingham New Street arr	1302	1858	1340	2045
Birmingham New Street dep	1312	1908	1405	2055
Wolverhampton	1327	1923	1423	2110
Stafford			1457	2127
Stoke				2149
Macclesfield				2211
Crewe	1406	1959	1531
Wilmslow			15s56
Stockport	14s35	20s26	16s20	22s29
Manchester Piccadilly	1443	2034	1630	2237
A = starts Gatwick from 12/10/80 onwards, stock runs ECS from Brighton. B = Buffet c = Stops for crew change purposes only.

12^th May 1980 to 10^th May 1981	M-S	Sun to Fri	SO	SUN
Headcode	1O74	1O52	1O52	1O74
Notes	B
Timing Load	E315/ D315	E315/ D315	E315/ ???	D455/ D315
Manchester Piccadilly	0744	2330	2330	0715
Stockport	07u52	2338	2338	0725
Wilmslow		23u45	23u45
Crewe		0008	0016	08u09
Stafford		0030	0040
Wolverhampton	0851	0046	0106	0903
Birmingham New Street arr	0910	0104r	0131r	0930
Birmingham New Street dep	0921	0142r	0203r	0940
Birmingham International		0153	02u14
Coventry		0206	02u23
Leamington Spa		0222		1008
Banbury		0253		1029
Oxford	1028	0321		1102
Reading	1058	0349		1139
Kensington Olympia	11c34	04c39
East Croydon	11s58	05s02	05s06	13s01
Gatwick	12s20	05s21	0527	1320
Brighton	1250	0550	0601C	1358C
B = Buffet C = terminates Gatwick from 12/10/80 onwards, stock runs ECS to Brighton. r = refreshment stop c = Stops for crew change purposes only.

LOCOMOTIVES:

The diet of class 47's continued. The train was booked for class 47/4's but as both sets of coaches were dual heat the odd steam heat loco would appear. Any suitable ac electric could haul the train north of Birmingham New Street. Engineering work diversions could see some rare traction, see the photos below. Occasional failures would see class 33's or class 73's substitute on the Southern.

STOCK:

Two rakes of Mk1 vacuum braked dual heat stock were utilised, based at Longsight?

The overnight train from Manchester and morning return from Brighton were normally formed

TSO TSO SK FK SK TSO BG. The daytime set was formed BG TSO TSO FK RMB TSO TSO.

Occasionally a Mk2z TSO or FK would substitute in the daytime set as would Mk1 SK’s for the TSO’s.

PHOTOS:

	Pocket timetable Brighton to Manchester 1980-1981 Complete with Travellers Fare tea stain. Authors collection.
	Service details from the 1980-1981 Central Division Timetable. Authors collection.
	London Midland issued leaflet giving details of the through services to Gatwick and other connections to the North west via Reading. Published June 1980. Authors collection.
	Approaching Copyhold Junction, Haywards Heath 47432 heads 1O74 the 0744 Manchester to Brighton service. Photo taken 22nd May 1980 by the author.
	Another Sunday and more engineering works forces the diversion of 1M00 the 0925 Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly. 40120 is seen here chirping away at Wolverhampton with the train. Photo taken 8th June 1980 Photographer Mike Hodge. Used with permission. .
	An unidentified class 47 accelerates past Lovers Walk Depot Brighton with 1M50 the 0920 Brighton to Manchester service. A few CCT's and GUV's plus the local class 09 can be seen on left hand side of the mainline in Top Yard along with VEG, VEP, CIG and HAP units in the depot. Top Yard signal box was later removed to the Bluebell Railway. Photo taken autumn 1980 by the author.
	47234 at Mill Road Patcham with 1M64 the 1520 Brighton to Manchester, a MkII TSO was a rarity in the formation. Photo taken summer 1980 by the author.
	This recently purchased slide shows that things aren't always what they appear. Sold as a class 47 at Barnham the thumbnail was the opposite way round to this image. When I scanned it I found the image was the wrong way round and Barnham was in fact Balham. The class 47 appears to be on afternoon Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly and is on the up slow line as a 4SUB or 4EPB departs on the down slow line. Photo taken September 1980 Photographer unknown / authors collection.
	47451 rolls through Clapham Jct with 1O74 the 0744 Manchester to Brighton service. Photo taken autumn 1980 by the author.
	40034 is seen here at Wolverhampton with 1M00 the 0955 Gatwick Airport to Manchester Piccadilly. Sunday engineering work diversion once again means the Whistler replaced the booked electric locomotive from Birmingham New Street. Photo taken 30th November 1980. Photographer Mike Hodge. Used with permission.
	47412 passes Tilehurst with 1M50 the 0920 Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly. Photo taken 4th March 1981. Photographer Graham Walker. Used with permission.
	47165 arrives at Kensington Olympia with 1O74 the 0744 Manchester to Brighton service. There was a Railfreight exhibition at the station that day hence the wagons in the bay platforms. The scene here has changed hugely in the intervening 30 years! Photo taken 7th March 1981 by the author.
	Prior to the Brighton line resignalling scheme 47440 waits in platform 3 at East Croydon with the 0920 Brighton to Manchester Piccadilly service. Photo taken 14th March 1981 Photographer unknown./ Authors collection.