"MIG" wrote in message
oups.com...
I remember direct trains from Charing Cross to Bromley North in the
morning peaks in the early 1990s, but that's against the rush hour
flow.

So they were effectively empty stock workings anyway, like some of the
current runs to Hither Green or Beckenham via Catford Bridge. The
reason why these call at a couple of stations rather than just running
empty may be to cover the other rush hour flow from Waterloo to London
Bridge.

I've just had another delve in the timetable archive - in 1988 there were
three peak and one or two contra-peak through workings each way, the peak
workings at about 40 minute intervals. As well as these, there were branch
shuttles at about 10 minute intervals in the peaks. By 1991 the through
trains had disappeared, but the shuttles were still at about 10 minute
intervals, so there were two trains on the branch at a time.

IIRC the through peak trains were reduced from 20 to 40 minute headways at
the time when the Hastings line was electrified, half the paths being given
up for through Charing Cross to Hastings trains.

Peter