Just in case anyone hasn't done this yet who wants to you've only got until December to do these.
Clapham High Street to Kensington Olympia is
London’s Parliamentary Train service which I've taken and will have to do it in the other direction before it closes. These services exist because of a previous passenger train service that used to run over the sections of track (Manchester to Brighton) that are used now exclusively by this train as the only regular passenger service. Running the service is often cheaper than going though the legal hassle of closing the track sections introduced after Beeching to stop easy closure of lines.
However after doing their sums the
DfT have decided to run a
public consultation aimed at removing these services because they don't represent value for money and might end up in the re-advertised franchise if left running. So basically if you want to do it you have until the 8th of December 2012 and if you want to object to the closure it's the 9th of August.
Basically you turn up for either the service from Kensington (Olympia) at 10:02 (only goes to Wandsworth Road) or the Clapham High Street train at 16:11 and there will be a train advertised on the screen as running at the time I've listed. As the departure time approaches the screen will change to say the next train is not due to stop there and not to stand to close to the platform edge/board it. However this is actually your train, and don't wait as they really don't hang around the doors only stay unlocked (they don't open them) for about 30 seconds and it will leave not long after they are locked again. So having pushed the button you can board your very own train and have a delightful journey that few others have done to sunny Olympia.* The train does stop at Wandsworth Road, Imperial Wharf, West Brompton where the same routine exists and on the times I've done it some confused people have approached the doors and then thought better of it.
On one trip a gentleman raced down the stairs and onto the platform at West Brompton, opened the doors and leapt on. He saw me and said I didn't think I'd make it and then stopped speaking when he looked around and saw the rest of the carriage was empty. I said I didn't think he meant to board that train and after hearing the announcement that we were only going one more stop said "No" and swore a bit
. Then said he was hoping to get an earlier one to Milton Keynes and had hoped this was that service but running late.
The first time I did it was just after the afternoon service was extended (unbeknownst to me) to Clapham High Street and I only discovered this when we arrived at Olympia. I bumped into the train manager and I mentioned that I was his passenger on the train, and we both remarked what a nice service it was. He then had a thought and asked me where I'd boarded, and he then said you'll have to do it again to get the full experience as it now starts at Clapham High Street.
*Although it comes into Platform 2 which is the Northbound platform and this can be confusing for some people, especially all those who board thinking that it will be continuing North not heading back to Clapham Junction.