Who remembers The Brighton Belle ?

[Vegas Seagull]

I do, marvellous place!
Seedy all hours basement niteclub in Oriental Place with all sorts of ladies, some of them not needing payment?

 

[Bladders]

At Eastbourne's now disused Platform 4.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Was always surprised that the coffee was quite good, even though it did sometimes jump out of the cup.

 

[greyseagull]

Brighton Belles?

They're still going aren't they...?

 

[el punal]

Oh yes please! Fantastic memories of going on the Brighton Belle in the late 60s/early70s. I remember splashing out and having a cracking breakfast (not the legendary kippers of Lord Olivier fame) en route to Victoria. Then, having a cream tea on the way back to Brighton.

Can you imagine using it as a football special for an Albion away game in London. Now that would be pure decadence!

 

[Ernest]

How brilliant would it be to see this iconic train running on the Brighton line once again.
And maybe ride on board.

It could happen:


http://www.brightonbelle.com

Not a hope in hell of happening, the Brighton mainline is the most heavily congested line in the country and there are no spare pathways for anything else

 

[severnside gull]

When I was a child (up to the age of about 10) my mother would put me on the Brighton Belle every July to travel down to my Nan in Brighton for the summer. She would tip the steward in the buffet car to keep an eye on me until I got off at Brighton station and hopped on the trolley bus to Lewes Road (three farthings to St Paul's Street). I can still recall the luxury of enjoying a glass of orange squash, sitting in those lovely musty padded seats, with the warm sun flooding through the train window and reading the old posters advertising "exotic" places like Bognor and Cuckmere. Happy memories

 

[Cosmic Joker]

Not a hope in hell of happening, the Brighton mainline is the most heavily congested line in the country and there are no spare pathways for anything else

Well steam specials run on the Brighton mainline and other southern lines on some weekends, so I don't see why this should be any different? I think this is the idea, to have a preserved train for mainline excursions with dining, not to put a refurbished 1930's train back into regular weekday service.

 

[Ernest]

Well steam specials run on the Brighton mainline and other southern lines on some weekends, so I don't see why this should be any different? I think this is the idea, to have a preserved train for mainline excursions with dining, not to put a refurbished 1930's train back into regular weekday service.

I won't hold my breath waiting for that

 

[Gary Leeds]

Essentially the units would have to be remotored, as the current is higher now than it was when they were withdrawn in 1972. I travelled on one of the last "specials" which did a railtour.

Amazingly of the 15 carriages (3x 5coach) built, only one has been scrapped so there are a few spares, but the units were "refurbished" about 1968 and a lot of the original decor was taken out. They looked rather ugly in blue and grey, would be great to se the old umber and cream livery back.

Think they are using the power units off the scrapped slam door EMU units. Most of the carriages ended up on the Orient Express (or back up stock) so they will have been reasonably looked after

 

[Norman Potting]

I eagerly await the "I have just seen the Brighton Belle at Preston Park Station" threads from a certain poster.