A website about the Bromley North Branch Line
 
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This website started up about a year ago (see archives) and regular news started about half a year ago but in that time I have noticed that the content has been mainly based around Bromley North. Perhaps this is justified- Bromley North takes three times the amount of passengers as Sundridge Park hence the name 'Bromley North Branch Line.' However there is a lot going on at Sundridge Park such as the refurbishment of the waiting room and surrounding facilities plus the general up-keep of the station (done extraordinarily well be the staff) and it's a shame that this news column- which is meant to represent the whole branch, misses out on this news.
Therefor I Issue a request for anybody out there who goes through Sundridge Park regularly to email [email protected] and volunteer themselves to provide news (and possibly photographs) from Sundridge Park.
A Grove Park source would be equally welcome aswell!

 
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466
At the start of the week the thing which we all knew was inevitably going to happen inevitably happened- the 4 Carriage (class 465) was replaced by the 2 carriage (Class 466). Was it foolish this time to think that the 465 would remain forever? Probably. These bouts of 465 usage are a yearly thing, usually in winter to avoid breaking down (more pick-ups) but they seem to go on unnecessarily far into spring like this year. It would interest me greatly to know why they use the 465s every now and again.
465s mean
- Much needed space in the peaks is provided
- Unnecessary fuel consumption and space in the off peak.
This is the problem with introducing 465s in the Popper. The peaks need 3-4 carriages but quite a few of the off-peak running s only need 1 carriage so even the 466 seems uneconomical at these times. This has been further exacerbated by the increase in off-peak trains although hopefully the increase in passenger numbers by the improved freqency will balance this out.

 
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The usual tranquil-for-suburbia scene at Bromley North was disrupted when a man had a knife held to his neck in the 0925 train waiting to depart. The villain demanded to receive the man's blackberry and as a result of the circumstances the man gave it to him. Fortunately the victim escaped with no injuries except shock.
The local newspapers made a big deal of this which is why I have found out (I have no sources from within the industry) however they made it clear that the railway is a very safe environment. Indeed if one were to change modes to his car for commuting the risk of death would dramatically increase, in 2009- 922 people died in a UK car crash* compared to UK Rail Passenger Mortality total of guess what? - zero.
So in terms of safety Railways are king, most people will hopefully not be repelled from using the branch.

Another note, I have seen 465s (4 carriage version of the 466) operating the branch every week day (I haven't checked Saturdays). This is good for peak overcrowding, I am skeptical as to whether this is permanent as it did happen last year or the year before that but soon ceased. However it has been going on for a while now.
*http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/14/mortality-statistics-causes-death-england-wales-2009#zoomed-picture



 
"Amongst my very earliest memories is myself sitting in my pushchair and watching “Edward” as mum used to call the 0-6-0 shunting the coal sidings at Bromley North. Our vantage point was the footbridge at the Grove Park end of the station and sidings. That must have been from very early in the 1950s. And I must have watched the same shunting operations later on as I walked down from home, over that footbridge on my way down to watching the trains at Bromley South. An altogether much more interesting place to me in the late 1950s!"
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A C Class at Sheffield Park Station, the type which shunted at Bromley North in the 50s. Displayed with Kind Permission from S.Lofting.
The above passage comes from Bryan Benn, whom I have been in contact with recently. Although the C Class was no longer there when he got his first camera, the memory serves well as a reminder of what used to be, at Bromley North and many other locations. Thanks go to him.

Website about the Bromley North Branch Line which runs between Bromley North and Grove Park with a intermediate stop at Sundridge Park