There's No Business Like Snow Business!

Extremely heavy snow - which was forecast several days earlier - fell on the south east of England overnight Sunday 1st February into Monday 2nd. The result was the worst white-out in this part of the country for 18 years causing exceptional disruption. Further snow in some places and very low temperatures occurred over the following night compounding the situation. There is no doubt the transportation system did not cope as well as in days of old and debates are raging long and hard over whether it is viable to plan and equip for such an infrequent exceptional event, whether modern trains and management processes are robust enough, etc. It is tempting to call this feature there's no business because of the snow business! However, this website will refrain from entering this fray because we'd like to recognise the dedicated hard work and professionalism of railwaymen who strove to keep services running within, some might say despite of, current strictures.

The following is an indicative summary of services running on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd, although it is certain that this is not a complete picture as information systems on these days were overloaded and thus data difficult to obtain. Nor will it be accurate if services ran differently to plans or following reports services were subsequently changed.

Monday - First Capital Connect (3rd rail network)
Special timetable - No trains through the central London core between Blackfriars and Farringdon. No trains running on the Brighton Line other than between Gatwick Airport and Brighton (though these is photographic and observation evidence to contradict this). No service on the Wimbledon - Sutton loop.

Monday - Southeastern
Half hourly shuttles on the following routes :
Tonbridge - Ashford
Tonbridge - Hastings
Ashford - Maidstone East
Ashford - Ramsgate via Canterbury West
Ashford - Ramsgate via Dover
Gillingham - Ramsgate
Faversham - Dover

Monday - Southern
Gatwick Express reported hourly. Half-hourly all stations Eastbourne to Brighton, hourly all stations Eastbourne to Hastings , hourly Eastbourne to Ashford with an additional stop at Ore. Also Brighton to Portsmouth via Littlehampton, having tried but abandoned workings to Southampton. Three Bridges to Bognor via the Arun Valley and a Three Bridges to East Croydon service later in the day.

Monday - South West Trains
Only the following routes were open, all stations on these routes had a limited service.
Waterloo to Weymouth
Waterloo to Waterloo via Kingston
Waterloo to Windsor via Hounslow
Waterloo to Reading via Richmond
Eastleigh to Portsmouth Harbour
Basingstoke to Exeter
Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier
Surbiton to Hampton Court
Portsmouth to Guildford

Tuesday - First Capital Connect (3rd rail network)
Special timetable - Two trains an hour between Brighton and Bedford, calling at all stations to Gatwick Airport, then East Croydon and then all stations from London Blackfriars to Bedford.

Tuesday - Southeastern
Half hourly service on:
Charing Cross - Ashford via Tonbridge
Charing Cross - Hastings
Charing Cross - Orpington
Charing Cross - Dartford via Sidcup
Charing Cross - Dartford via Bexleyheath
Charing Cross - Gillingham via Greenwich
Charing Cross - Hayes
Victoria - Bromley South via Herne Hill
Victoria - Ramsgate via Chatham
Victoria - Ashford via Maidstone East
Victoria - Swanley via Catford
Faversham - Dover
Ramsgate - Ashford via Canterbury West
Ramsgate - Ashford via Dover
The Bexleyheath and Hayes lines did not open until mid morning and lunchtime respectively

Tuesday - Southern
Special Timetable
Half hourly Gatwick Express???
Half hourly service between Brighton and London Victoria
Half hourly service between Purley and London Victoria via Selhurst
Half hourly service between Purley and London Bridge
Half hourly service between East Croydon and London Victoria via Crystal Palace
Half hourly service between Brighton and Seaford
Half hourly service between Bognor Regis and Gatwick Airport via the Arun Valley Line
Half hourly service between Brighton and Southampton
Half hourly service between Brighton and Portsmouth via Littlehampton
Half hourly service between Brighton and Eastbourne
Hourly service between Eastbourne and Ashford International
Hourly service between Eastbourne and Hastings

Tuesday - South West Trains
Two per hour in each direction Waterloo to Woking calling at all stations
Four per hour Waterloo to Waterloo via Wimbledon, Kingston, Twickenham
Four per hour Waterloo to Waterloo via Twickenham, Kingston, Wimbledon
Two per in each direction Waterloo to Windsor calling all stations and running via the Hounslow Loop
Two per hour in each direction Waterloo to Reading calling all stations to and from Twickenham
Two per hour in each direction Waterloo to Bournemouth
Shuttle service Bournemouth to Weymouth - calling at all stations
West of England services booked to run as normal
Two per hour in each direction Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo - one stopping service and one semi-fast service
One per hour in each direction Portsmouth & Southsea to Southampton
Two per hour in each direction Portsmouth Harbour to Basingstoke
Two per hour in each direction Waterloo to Basingstoke - calling at Clapham, Wimbledon, Surbiton then as booked in both directions

Before the weather became a problem! 5808 at Crystal Palace during the evening of 1st February.

photograph by Southern Driver

The snow is beginning to settle at Waterloo on a very bleak night, portending what was to come over the follwing two days. The Class 444 seen in this picture, due to depart with a Weymouth service, will put up a spactacular show of arching whilst going through Wimbledon.

photograph by "Driver Potter" http://wimbledonparkdepot.spaces.live.com/

Keeping the tracks clear into the night. (above left) The view through the secondman's window from the cab of 5914 at a bleak Ewell West. Compare this with photographs of the station on Monday [page 3] and Tuesday [page 4]. (above right) 5914 battling the elements on its way to Woking.

photographs by "Driver Potter" http://wimbledonparkdepot.spaces.live.com/