I delayed one of those old slam doors on the way to school once when I accidently closed it on my foot and lost my shoe on the tracks. The guys working at the station were nice enough to hold up the train and retrieve my shoe with a long stick.
The centre trailer was knocked out of a few CEPs so that they could maintain 375 timings. They didn't half fly without that extra 30-odd tons in the formation.
Funny with the train at 1:10, the CEP on the front, despite being around 20 years older, and still in old Network South East colours, looks much better and cleaner than the Connex Livery VEP at the back.
Fantastic reminder of that period and very good quality sound that is so important. Always impressed with the Thumpers lack of smoke - guess they weren't `over fueled' to get more power. Not bad for an engine design with origins going back to the 1930s (I believe).
Look at the size of that nameplate at 5:13 on 207202. Jeezers creepers!!! Bringing back great memories of standing on Ashford station in 1983 aged 11 seeing the CEPs VEPS MLVs HAPs CAPs EPBs 33s 73s 47s 205s 207s 12-CEP & MLV on the boat trains screaming past on the through roads and 50050 in 1985 on the Dungeness Pebbledasher. Wonderful!!
Tonbridge, where i used to see-off my loco-driving girlfriend some years ago. A unique experience i tell ya! And where i took 100's of phots years before that.
