2002 - 2003

The end of the 'Sussex Scot'.

Operation Princess ... Nice try.

Page last updated 10/12/2008

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.