2002 - 2003

The end of the 'Sussex Scot'.

Operation Princess ... Nice try.

Page last updated 10/12/2008

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INTRODUCTION:

The summer timetable was the last time "The Sussex Scot" ran, the train was normally formed of 2 class 220 Voyagers, which meant double the crew.

 

The 30th of September 2002 saw the start of Operation Princess, you can't fault Virgin for blowing their own trumpet even if its often out of tune.  With a mass of publicity the new improved Cross Country timetable came into being.

The Brighton line gained 4 trains, northbound only two started from Brighton both going to Manchester. Gatwick gained an early morning train to Liverpool via Olympia along with a lunchtime train to Manchester via Guildford. There was also an afternoon train from Redhill to Manchester via Guildford and an evening train from Gatwick to Birmingham New Street via Guildford. Quite a reasonable spread of services.

Southbound was badly imbalanced to the afternoon and evening. Five services departed Manchester, three ran via Guildford and two via Kensington Olympia. There was also an evening service from Liverpool to Brighton via Olympia. Four services ran through to Brighton, one terminated at Redhill and one at Gatwick. Not sure why the Redhill service terminated where it did as there was more than enough time to reach Gatwick for the 1627 departure.

Summer Sundays saw an almost hourly service between Redhill and Birmingham with just the lunchtime train through from Brighton, this didn't continue with the winter Timetable

Operation Princess soon started to unravel, the timetable appears not robust enough and any delays soon spiralled, trains were often terminated short of destination. I don't know why this so as certainly the Brighton line trains were no quicker than back in 1979.

As the Voyagers were based overnight at the EWS Depot at Three Bridges there was a lot of ECS working. All the Brighton services ran ECS to Three Bridges with a fresh unit providing the next departure.

 


TIMETABLE and ROUTE:

The Northbound service is now loaded. Due to the huge number of changes I have had to split it it into M-F, SO and SUN tables. I will upload the southbound services as soon as I have typed them up.

In the Birmingham area all the services now ran via and called at Solihull.....back to future, as this was their route back in 1979 although the trains did not stop at Solihull then. A stop at Congleton was also added to most of the Manchester services.

The Sunday Sussex Scot had an interesting route around the West Midlands as it had a booked call at Nuneaton on certain dates.

 

2nd June  2002 to 17th May 2003

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

M-F

Headcode

1M02

?

1S76

1M11

1M14

1M18

1M50

1M23

?

1M37

?

Notes

BC

ABC

ABS

BC

BC

BC

AB

BC

AB

BC

AB

Brighton

 

 

0920

0920

 

1318D

1418

 

 

 

2023

Haywards Heath

 

 

0933

0934

 

1333D

1433

 

 

 

2049

Gatwick Airport

0515

0544

0945

0946

1215

1346

1445

 

1646

2018

2101

Redhill

 

0603

 

 

1226

 

 

1627

1701

2035

2101

Guildford

 

0627

 

 

1305

 

 

1705

1731

2105

2137

East Croydon

0531

 

1001

1002

 

1402

1502

 

 

 

 

Kensington Olympia

0549

 

1021

1037

 

1440

1527

 

 

 

 

Reading

0634

0704

1113

1135

1335

1535

1630

1735

1807

2135

2206

Didcot

 

0721

1140

 

 

 

1647

 

 

 

2230

Oxford

0704

0735

1153

1202

1402

1602

1701

1800

1831

2204

2249

Banbury

0726

0755

1215

1226

1427

1623

1733

1826

1849

2227

2309

Leamington Spa

0744

0814

1239

1245

1445

1641

1744

1845

1908

2245

 

Coventry

 

 

1255

 

 

 

1802

 

 

 

 

Birmingham International

 

 

1306

 

 

 

1815

 

 

 

 

Solihull

0758

0840

 

1259

1459

1658

 

1900

1927

2300

2331

Birmingham New Street arr

0814

0857

1318

1314

1514

1714

1827

1915

1942

2314

2345

Birmingham New Street dep

0818

 

1334

1318

1518

1718

1837

1918

 

 

 

Wolverhampton

0837

 

1350

1337

1537

1737

1853

1937

 

 

 

Stafford

0849

 

1407

1349

1549

1751

1910

1952

 

 

 

Stoke on Trent

 

 

 

1407

1607

1810

1931

2009

 

 

 

Congleton

 

 

 

1418

 

1821

 

2020

 

 

 

Macclesfield

 

 

 

1427

1625

1830

1951

2029

 

 

 

Crewe

0911

 

1432

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wilmslow

 

 

1455