The last slam-door train will make its final scheduled journey from Victoria to Eastbourne next week.

The old-fashioned carriages which have been used in Sussex and on the Brighton Line since the Fifties have been phased out to make way for modern Electrostars.

The final service will be the 5.17pm Victoria to Eastbourne service a week on Friday.

Lewes MP Norman Baker will join rail enthusiasts on board to mark the occasion.

The Health and Safety Executive has ordered no slam-door trains should run after November.

The August 19 trip is the last scheduled service but Southern still has the option to run them until the end of November.

Spokesman Marsid Greenidge said: "They may make the occasional appearance on some services due to operational requirements."

The slam-door trains, which replaced the green electric trains of the old Southern Region, have for the past three years been gradually replaced by Southern's new Electrostars.

There were once around 1,600 Mark 1 slam-door trains operating on lines in South London and to and from the Sussex coast.

There have been several deaths at Sussex stations as people jumped on or off moving slam-door trains.

People have also died through opening the doors on the wrong side and falling on to the track.

Safety measures introduced included putting luminous strips down the doors so station staff could easily see if they were not properly closed.

The slam-door rolling stock was also criticised for crumbling too easily at the Clapham Junction rail disaster in December 1988 when 35 people died.

Mr Greenidge said: "The Mark 1 stock has served passengers well over the years. But people require newer, modern trains and the Electrostars are far safer. We believe they will serve our rail network for the next 20 years."

Shelley Atlas, of Brighton Line Commuters, said: "The Mark 1 stock has served rail travellers in Sussex well but slam doors are dangerous and many passengers will want to see the back of them."

Rail enthusiasts will say a final goodbye on Saturday, November 19, when a train made up of slam door stock will tour the Southern network, including stations in Sussex.