1987 - 1988

Au revoir Newhaven

Page last updated 01/01/2009

INTRODUCTION:

As expected the train from Newhaven didn't make the 1987 timetable, loading had been a best very low. I had travelled on the last working with a friend and we were the only people who got off at the Marine station and we were both staff. The miserable conductor wouldn't even let us travel back on the ECS to Brighton!

The train now started from Brighton 10 minutes later which was a bonus for me. By this date I was working at Haywards Heath Travel Centre ( its now the florists ) and a 0700 start gave you loco haulage to work. The Buffet car was usually open on departure and if I was late a "ding" breakfast was available to scoff prior to alighting just 15 minutes later. On Sundays the early departure was withdrawn completely.

TIMETABLE and ROUTE:

The 0635 departure lost its Stafford stop but gained Milton Keynes. The mid morning departure from Brighton was retimed about 25 minutes earlier and did not run via Birmingham. The afternoon departure was retimed an hour or so later. The evening departure was now via Birmingham to Manchester.   The Sunday morning departure was accelerated by around 30 minutes with the afternoon departure balancing that by being approx 20 minutes slower and diverted to Manchester.

Southbound the first service of the day was now a rather bizarre 0305 from Manchester to Brighton via Birmingham this picked up the path of the previous years 0520 departure from Wolverhampton, south of Birmingham. The early morning departure from Manchester now started from Liverpool and was routed via Birmingham arriving in Brighton about 90 minutes later. The midday departure from Manchester was now about 20 minutes earlier throughout and included at stop at Haywards Heath at going home time! The afternoon departure from Piccadilly was retimed 20 minutes later.

The Dover trains were also retimed to give a better spread of departures with one service running via the Medway towns. The morning service started from Canterbury East at 0904 after acquiring a Section CB WTT, I found that the stock for this  originated as 5M02: 06+15 Euston Down Carriage sidings to Canterbury East.

There was still an odd Reading to Olympia service, now just on a Saturday, the WTT confirms this was formed of a DMU.