2. Victoria & Charing Cross Bridge-07.08.15

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2015 > 48. Trip to London-06-08.08.15 > 2. Victoria & Charing Cross Bridge-07.08.15

A brief stop at Victoria and then whilst crossing Hungerford bridge....

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Images 1-6 of 6 displayed.

465047, SE 11.36 Orpington-London Victoria (2D56), London Victoria station
A South Eastern Networker arrives at Victoria station. 465047 works into platform three with the 11.36 2D56 from Orpington. I was not permitted access to the platforms at Victoria but the gateline for the short platform one is a fair way along platform two. The ticket inspector was more than happy for me to take pictures from her gateline as long as I did not take any of the staff or security equipment. However, with regard to the latter, I should think that it would be pretty impossible to take a picture at Victoria that would not have a security camera in it, note just the three pointing in my general direction for starters! Also, notice the Network SouthEast click-clack clock still in operation on platform two showing the correct time.
Keywords: 465047 11.36 Orpington-London Victoria 2D56 London Victoria station Networker

375616, SE 10.22 Dover Priory-London Victoria (1P28) & 465047, SE 11.36 Orpington-London Victoria (2D56), London Victoria station
From my permitted spot at the gateline of platform two of Victoria station 375616 arrives with the 10.22 from Dover Priory. Next to it, 465047 has arrived a little earlier with the 11.36 from Orpington.
Keywords: 375616 10.22 Dover Priory-London Victoria 1P28 465047 11.36 Orpington-London Victoria 2D56 London Victoria station Networker SouthEast Trains

455814, SN 12.23 London Victoria-Epson Downs (2R52), London Victoria station
The Class 455s must rank amongst the ugliest and most utilitarian designs to come off the BREL drawing boards in the early 1980s. In its latest incarnation carrying a Southern livery 455814 stands at Victoria waiting to leave with the 12.23 to Epson Downs. Notice the rubbish laying about on the trackbed by the buffers. It really would not take much to get a cleaning team down during the quieter hours late at night with the third rail switched off and for them to do a quick sweep but I suppose the H & S brigade would preclude this from taking place.
Keywords: 455814 12.23 London Victoria-Epson Downs 2R52 London Victoria station Southern

442404, GX 12.59 London Victoria-Gatwick Airport (1D74), London Victoria station
After a class-wide sojourn at various depots around the third-rail network, some of the 442 'Wessex' electrics are back in use again but this time with a new operator Gatwick Express. However, their fancy new paint job cannot disguise the fact that these units are not really suitable for the airport shuttles. Their doors are far too narrow and there is no substantial space for the storage of passengers' luggage. I suspect that with these factors are combined with their iffy reliability that they will not be in use on these services for very long. 442404 waits on the blocks at platform thirteen with the 1D74 12.59 to Gatwick Airport with a Southern Electrostar on the adjacent platform.
Keywords: 442404 12.59 London Victoria-Gatwick Airport 1D74 London Victoria station Class 442 Wessex unit Electostar Southern

465160, SN 12.55 London Victoria-Orpington (2M60) & 466036, SN 12.52 London Victoria-Ashford International (2N36), London Victoria station
The front-end design of the Networkers is not the most attractive with their somewhat incongruous glass-fibre nose cones. However, their large curved windscreens should ensure the excellent forward vision for the driver. At the stops at Victoria, two units wait having arrived with services from the south-east. To the left, is 465160 that has worked the 12.55 from Orpington and to the right is two-car 466036 that worked the 12.52 from Ashford International.
Keywords: 465160 12.55 London Victoria-Orpington 2M60 466036 12.52 London Victoria-Ashford International 2N36 London Victoria station Networker South East

Class 465 & 465156, unidentified workings, Hungerford bridge (Charing Cross station)
When I first went train spotting with my Ian Allen Combined book on Charing Cross it was 1976. Then, the station was a very different place to today but I still remember being out on the open platform end over the River Thames. Then I would have been collecting the numbers of all manner of third rail first-generation electric units. Today, crossing the adjacent Hungerford footbridge, two Networkers are seen one of which can be identified as 465156. The 'new' Hungerford bridge was opened in 2002 following the older Brunel 1864 structure being condemned as unsafe. Needless to say, the private company that owned the bridge, Railtrack, refused to rebuild it due to costs so a public company stepped in after the intervention of Ken Livingstone with no cost to the owner; so much for private enterprise!
Keywords: Class 465 465156 Hungerford bridge Charing Cross station South Eastern

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