British Railways Rebuilt Merchant Navy Class No: 35028 Clan Line, in BR Green livery, chuffs past Norwood Junction (NWD) on a cold, grey, damp mid-Winter afternoon as it heads the Up Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) Luncheon Special from Guildford to London-Victoria on the Up-Main of the Southern Main-Line (SML) between East Croydon and London Bridge. It's Saturday 9th February 2013 and the time was 15:34.
Clan Line was running slowly as the Up Main Starter was red. This was to allow the very delayed 15:28 London Overground Metro service to Dalston Junction to clear the section as Clan Line had to swing behind it to take the Gipsy Hill line. When the film gets to 00:30 Clan Line gets the road and makes a wonderful chuffing sound. Clan Line ran just in front of the 14:37 First Capital Connect (FC) Main-Line service from Brighton to Bedford. NWD was much busier than usual as there was a lot of Network Rail engineering work going on in South-East England. Hence why Clan Line ran through NWD along with Main-Line SN trains from Brighton and Gatwick Express trains. Also, most unusually you can see, passing Clan Line, a Down South Eastern main-line train running to Hastings as the South Eastern line through Sevenoaks was shut. You can also see in the film, arriving, the Down 15:35 London Overground train to West Croydon.

This was my 2nd visit to NWD. However, my 1st visit was a waste of time. I went to film Clan Line, in the snow, but it never showed up. Because of operating difficulties it went the normal main-line route via Balham. Hey-ho! So today was my first main line film since 23-Dec-2012.

Trivia time. This was the 2nd Up main-line steam excursion of 2012 in the London area. By this stage last year (07-Feb-2012) 35028 had run the 2nd. This was the 2nd Up main-line run of 2013 by Clan Line in London. Last year, on 20-Jan-2012, 35028 made its 2nd Up run of 2012 on the VSOE Luncheon Special. It's the 2nd Up VSOE steam special in the London area in 2013. On 20-Jan-2012 VSOE put on its 2nd Up special of 2013 from Guildford to Victoria. Today's train was the 1st Up steam special to pass NWD in 2013. In fact this was the 1st steam special to pass NWD since Sep-2011.

NWD is a 5-track, 7-platform station. Platform 1 is the Up Relief and is used by London Overground (LO) and Southern (SN) Metro trains heading North. Platform 2 also faces the Up Relief but isn't used. Platform 3 faces the Up-Main and is passed by northbound SN, First Capital Connect main line trains and some SN Metro stopping trains. Most unusually, Platform 3 was also passed by northbound Gatwick Express and South Eastern trains. Platform 4 serves the Down Main. Platform 5 serves Down LO and SN Metro trains and Platform 6 serves southbound SN Metro trains. Platform 7 is an empty stock line so the Platform isn't used.

There has been a railway at Norwood Junction since June 1839, 174 years ago. The station and line was opened to run from Southwark Park to Croydon Town by the London & Croydon Railway. When the station was opened it was called Jolly Sailor. What a great name for a station.

Hope you enjoy and please comment.

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