Thameslink charter raises £9,000

A train chartered by Thameslink for rail enthusiasts has raised £9,000 for charity.

The Royal Marsden Hospital, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital and childhood illness support organisation Max Appeal were each given £3,000, at a ceremony organised by Thameslink timetable planner Matthew Dodd.

The ‘Thameslink Tracker’ on August 14 ran between Bedford and Blackfriars via Bedford Cauldwell Depot, Bedford Jowett Sidings, Luton Crescent Road and Herne Hill Sidings, using a Class 319. A raffle raised a further £1,000, while the privilege of riding back in the cab was ‘sold’ for £319.

• For more on the story, read RAIL 782, published on September 2.