[Brighton] Brighton Station memories

[DataPoint]

Aye, but I'm pretty sure you could only get the kipper if you were on The Belle!

I travelled quite a few times on the 'Brighton Belle'. It was so violently shaky it was almost impossible not to fill your saucer with coffee.

 

[GT49er]

I travelled quite a few times on the 'Brighton Belle'. It was so violently shaky it was almost impossible not to fill your saucer with coffee.

Yes, but what a stunningly beautiful train it was!

 

[Man of Harveys]

It is a real shame IMHO that in the entirely understandable emphasis on increasing capacity and improving reliability that the modern trains on the Brighton line are just so damn dowdy these days: no bars, no food, no trolleys and with seating only one step up from some drab metro system somewhere and about as comfortable. Even Connex did those lounges on the old 319s which had a touch of the old buffet cars about them. With Brighton more affluent then ever I’d have thought there’d be scope for just a little touch of luxury somewhere, even just a trolley with flapjacks and coffee. They’re missing a trick.

 

[GT49er]

It is a real shame IMHO that in the entirely understandable emphasis on increasing capacity and improving reliability that the modern trains on the Brighton line are just so damn dowdy these days: no bars, no food, no trolleys and with seating only one step up from some drab metro system somewhere and about as comfortable. Even Connex did those lounges on the old 319s which had a touch of the old buffet cars about them. With Brighton more affluent then ever I’d have thought there’d be scope for just a little touch of luxury somewhere, even just a trolley with flapjacks and coffee. They’re missing a trick.

The railways are run by bean-counters now, not railwaymen - they miss loads of tricks!

 

[A1X]

I travelled quite a few times on the 'Brighton Belle'. It was so violently shaky it was almost impossible not to fill your saucer with coffee.

Yes, but what a stunningly beautiful train it was!

And on the way back…

 

[rippleman]

And then there was “the guard’s van” where Harry Clipper lived, looking after a random’s bike and three packages wrapped in brown paper.

Aye. "Harry" had his own song!

One of my very earliest memories was seeing the Brighton Belle and those lovely pulman coaches. Couldn't afford to go on it but we could stretch to a platform ticket! Loved the noise and the smell which I was able to relive with my 3 year old grandson on a trip to the Bluebell last year.

For those who yearn for the railways of yesteryear, a reminder that Stephen Cranford's excellent "Tracing the Rails" is available.

Tracing The Rails - A Journey Through Britain’s Lost Railways | Series 1… | Stephen Cranford

Hello everyone! I have been presenting a new TV series called "Tracing the Rails", which investigates lost railway lines. Series 1 features the old Steyning…

www.linkedin.com

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

The big f***ing poster advertising free coach travel to the Valley for Premier League football when we were at Gillingham.

F**k off fan stealing Charlton Im so glad you are where you are. May you NEVER recover.

 

[Gwylan]

Who remembers the old milk vending machine they had at the station? In the days when shops closed early, you could always pick up a carton from the machines

 

[Jack Straw]

Once upon a time, going up to London you could get a beautiful freshly cooked kipper for breakfast on the train!

Now, due to the cost of train travel, you just get stitched up like one.

 

[fork me]

Wasn‘t there a pub, where M&S is now called Bonepartes or something?

I miss pubs inside stations, even if most were absolute dives…

I'm with you on this. Always used to get a pint or two in there while waiting for a train. I went to Uni in the North East, Newcastle Station used to have a good pub in it. Don't know if it's still there or not, 1988 was the last time I was there!

 

[jackalbion]

I'm with you on this. Always used to get a pint or two in there while waiting for a train. I went to Uni in the North East, Newcastle Station used to have a good pub in it. Don't know if it's still there or not, 1988 was the last time I was there!

Yes it does!

 

[rippleman]

Who remembers the old milk vending machine they had at the station? In the days when shops closed early, you could always pick up a carton from the machines

Yup! The strawberry was lovely. There was one along Upper Lewes Road (Martha Gunn end) when I was a lad.

 

[GT49er]

Now, due to the cost of train travel, you just get stitched up like one.

That's probably how the kipper felt!

 

[Hovegull]

How Brighton railway station has transformed over the last 40 years

Brighton station is known for its beautiful Victorian architecture, including its clock tower, large glass canopy, and detailed brickwork

www.theargus.co.uk

The Argus seem to have run this as a story today with the original pic I posted.

 

[BN9 BHA]

How Brighton railway station has transformed over the last 40 years

Brighton station is known for its beautiful Victorian architecture, including its clock tower, large glass canopy, and detailed brickwork

www.theargus.co.uk

The Argus seem to have run this as a story today with the original pic I posted.

Getting their stories from NSC now

 

[Hovegull]

Brighton station memory today - the Sunday market out the back in the old car park. Great market that was. Anyone remember it?

 

[BN9 BHA]

Brighton station memory today - the Sunday market out the back in the old car park. Great market that was. Anyone remember it?

Yes proper car boot sale, lots of tables full of old items and junk to sort through.
I have seen many posts on social media of boot sales in London where there are hundreds of good quality second hand (stolen from vans) power tools

 

[Hovegull]

Yes proper car boot sale, lots of tables full of old items and junk to sort through.
I have seen many posts on social media of boot sales in London where there are hundreds of good quality second hand (stolen from vans) power tools

I remember we got some great stuff from that market. We had our “Chinese” rug for years.

 

[GJN1]

I remember if you'd been for a big night out on a Saturday you could walk through the station concourse and help yourself to one of the Sunday papers stacked up outside WH Smith before it opened. Not that I ever did that. That would be theft.