(HD) Clapham Junction to Reading - Southwest Trains Class 458 22/03/13

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• published: 24 Mar 2013
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Now available in 1080p HD! We start our journey at what continues to be possibly the busiest station in the world in terms of train movements, Clapham Junction. Situated on the confluence of the Southern Region Mainlines from London Waterloo and London Victoria, the station sees 180 trains per hour with 117 stopping services. The station is served primarily by Southwest Trains and Southern, although London Overground is present working the West and South London Lines. Today's journey is taken aboard a pair of Southwest Trains' Class 458 Juniper Units, numbers 458023 and 458011. The Class 458's were built by Alstom at the now closed Washwood Heath Metro Cammel factory between 1998 and 2002. The 30 units are part of the same family as the Class 334 units that work for SPT in Glasgow and the Class 460 units that formerly worked with Gatwick Express and are scheduled to be converted into Class 458's to help add extra capacity. Initially these units proved troublesome with electrical faults and leaking roofs. Fortunately the company was able to amend these faults over time and now the fleet is wholly assigned to the Reading - Waterloo services. They have also made a name for themselves as one of the most reliable units in the country, winning a Golden Spanner award in 2012 for Best New Generation EMU. 1. Following departure from Clapham Junction, the train passes under the remains of Point Pleasant Viaduct which connected to the District Line and was infrequently used for diversions. 2. After overtaking a Class 450 Desiro unit outside Barnes station, the line diverges west whilst the line to the east eventually leads to Hounslow. 3. At Richmond the terminus station for the North London Line and the District Line can be seen on the adjacent platforms, where a London Overground Class 378 can be seen alongside a pair of D78 Stock units. 4. Leaving Richmond, the train crosses the River Thames at Richmond Bridge, running alongside the Twickenham Road bridge. 5. Departing from Twickenham, the Kingston Loop Line can be seen diverging and then passing overhead on a flyover before running Shepperton and New Malden on the South West Mainline 6. At Staines, the lines to Windsor and Eton diverge to the right. Just prior to the station the small stabling complex can be seen for the storage of spare units during off-peak times. 7. After Staines, the train crosses the Thames again at Staines Bridge just west of Heathrow Airport 8. At Virginia Water, the 19 mile long Chertsey Branch to Weybridge can be seen diverging to the left, this eventually reconnecting at the South West Mainline. 9. Just before arrival at Sunningdale, the train crosses the A30, one of the longest roads in the United Kingdom, stretching from London to Lands End in one form or another. 10. At Ascot, the line to Guildford diverges to the south, passing underneath the South Western Mainline at Ash Vale before joining the Portsmouth Direct Line at Guildford. 11. With the ever promising sign of electrification underway, Reading is reached. This major interchange originally began operation as two stations, with both the Great Western Railway and Southern Railway stations stood directly next to each other. The two stations were eventually amalgamated in 1965 into one large station, resulting in its current incarnation. Currently the station is under major redevelopment as part of increasing capacity for the introduction of Crossrail and to remove the prominent bottleneck the station features, with many trains being held outside due to the lack of available platforms resulting in delays. Enjoy!