The Sussex coast between Brighton and Asford has no less than ten level crossings, two branches, a single track section and a maximum speed of 60mph throughout. It is served by Southern Railways and by Southeastern (between Hastings and Battle.) All trains passing from Brighton to Hastings and vice versa have to turn around at Eastbourne. There are sidings and depots at Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings and Ore.
Take time to remind yourself of the rules for crossings: No automatic routes, and penalties apply if the barrier is down for more than 3 minutes. A certain amount of extra skill is needed to negotiate the crossings and keep your trains on time, as they will slow down if the gate is set too late.
Trains turn at Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne, Hastings, Ore and Rye. Watch out at 7.47 for the service coming out of Newhaven Port – it is not protected and will derail if you do not set the points for Newhaven Town. There is a single joining service from Seaford and Hasting at Lewes, and later in the timetable the returning service splits at Lewes.
The timetable is the weekday Southern Railway timetables from December 2017. The Hastings to Battle timetable is the pre-May 2018 timetable.
Download it here