Southern Slam-door units: the last of the Slammers
I've created this page to hold some photos recording the last days of mainline slam-door operation with South West Trains. There are still a few diagrams left with Southern too, but I rarely get much chance to film these. With more "plastic" units coming onstream weekly it won't be long before the sight and sound of a Mk.1 set at 90mph is but a memory ...
On South West Trains (SWT), the Portsmouth Direct leaves the main south westerly Basingstoke line at Woking, running through Guildford and then many pretty towns such as Godalming Witley and Haslemere south of Guildford. There is a healthy mixture of stopping and fast services. Many of my photos are on this line. As of March 2005 when I started this page there were still some 12-car slammers to be seen particularly at peak times.
Most of these photos are captured from my digi-cam using a TV card, hence rather low quality. [Home page]
| With Spring drawing on the evenings now have quite a bit of light in them. Here, at 17:50, is the 18:05 Poole service at London Waterloo, one of the few 12-car slam door diagrams left. March 16, 2005 |  |
 | On a glorious Thursday lunchtime, a 12-VEP formed 3576+3481+3539 sets forth from Farncombe with the 13:00 to Portsmouth Harbour. This service is advertised over the tannoy as a five coach train! March 17, 2005 |
 | Rounding the curve towards Godalming. The sound will be heard long after the units have passed out of sight. March 17, 2005 |
| Two 12-car slammers passing! This is a truly rare sight nowadays. The down delayed 17:15 Waterloo--Fratton service passes an up non-stop train storming through Farncombe. As far as EMU bashing goes, this is the best you get! March 18, 2005 |  |
 | Enjoy it! a 12-VEP rake departs for Portsmouth, with the guard in the central van taking a bit of fresh air. March 22, 2005 |
| This peak hour slam door service is due to go to plastic soon, sadly. Here BR blue celebrity VEP 3417 `Gordon Pettit' leads 3539 with the 18:00 F'combe--Fratton. The station is currently being repainted into SWT house colours. March 22, 2005 |   |
| On March 30th I had to go to Guildford, and timed my journey carefully to catch a slam door service! Here 3811/1881/3407 arrive on time with the 17:54 at Farncombe, with 3811 still in Network Southeast colours. The lower photo shows the somewhat dated interior of the guards van in 4VEP 3407. Although supposedly unacceptable in these modern times such accommodation would seem quite appropriate for certain elements of society commonly found travelling late at night from Guildford. March 30, 2005 |   |
| Friday April 1st, 2005. This was in fact the last weekday on which there were a reasonable number of slam-door units still diagrammed. A new working timetable began the following Monday. Here are 3458/3402/1881 with the 16:45 from Portsmouth Harbour. April 1, 2005 |   |
| Two more Mk.1 workings: at about 18:15 3401/3417 storm through in superb style, followed by 3536/1398 calling with the 18:27. April 1, 2005 |   |
   | On Saturday 2 April I had to go up to London. As it turned out, the day was something of a slam-door sendoff gala, without being advertised as such. Due to engineering works and restrictions at London Waterloo, several slammers were operating on the Portsmouth main line services. This operation was repeated on the Sunday, before a new working timetable on Monday brought the end of all but one or two slam-door operated services. Here is the last of the day; the 2345 from Waterloo. I was pleased to see 1302/1312 arrive with my train home! Note that this is platform 1 at Waterloo, itself something of a rarity for a long distance service! April 2, 2005 |
  | There was plenty of time before departure so here are a few interesting photos ... the pleasant, comfy interior of 1302, and a closeup of those nice shiny handles we have taken for granted all these years. Soon to be no more... April 2, 2005 |
  | Departure nearing; more people boarding. Slam! The service schedule was Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Guildford (via Epsom) and stations to Haslemere for onward replacement bus. The final photo shows the units leaving Farncombe. Was this my last mainline Mk.1 journey with SWT? April 2, 2005 |