Great Western Coffee Shop

Caution "Rumour" level post.

For selective door opening on the HSTs to be used, the following sequence of events is necessary.

1. Train stops with front carriages in station.
2. Conductor opearates a switch at rearmost door on train.
3. Conductor walks forward until he reaches a door that will open and only then can open doors forward from there are let the station work take place.

After station work

4. Conductor closes doors from one of the platformed ones
5. Conductor walks to rearmost door of train to operate the switch he started with in step (2)
6. Conductor indicates to driver that train is ready to leave
7. Train departs

Side effects.

a) No-one bothers to use SDO on stations with grandfather rights
b) Extra stops that had been expected in certain services are NOT provided
c) The Conductor's fitness club closes due to all its members getting much more exercise while on duty.

Can anyone confirm or deny the story?

From what I have seen SDO can be operated from any door. The guard must open the selected doors, either in front of the one s/he's at or behind the one s/he is at and then put the key in the SDO holad position keeping the doors un/locked as they should be and then return to that door to lock the doors again.
But that is only what I read off the SDO equipment.
And grandfather rights do not count when SDO is active.

That would be extremely sensible IMHO and what I (as a layman) would have guessed. The "sting in the tail" of what I heard was that the system has to be enabled from the extreme rear or front door, and disabled from there too, with the train unable to move while it is activated.   

I'm glad it looks like the rumour may be just a rumour then ... judging by how it's labelled up at least!

Trains will stop with the front power car ON the platform. Bicycles will now be stored in this. The guard HAS to be at a specific door at each station, this door being the last one accommodated on the platform, they can then release all doors forward of this position and the ones behind (off the platform) remain locked.

As mentioned elsewhere on here once SDO is fully operational (which was to be the Dec TT change but now delayed) 'grandfather rights' are lost and if SDO fails the train is not able to call at any station that wont take the FULL length of the train.

Thats how I understand it and in Cornwall we don't have many FULL lenngth platforms!

I have been on a HST with SDO in operation and it worked fine, The only thing to watch out for is that the train manager has to get back on at the rear most platformed door, which is the one they get out of.

Which becomes a nightmare at stations with curved platforms, Saltash on the up road, St.Germans and Bodmin Pway on the down Road, if the guard is at the rear most platformed door how on earth are they supposed to see whats going on at the front end???

If SDO fails HSTs will run Penzance to Plymouth non stop (unless shortformed). The only other station in Cornwall able to take the full length train is Newquay :s

If SDO fails HSTs will run Penzance to Plymouth non stop (unless shortformed). The only other station in Cornwall able to take the full length train is Newquay :s
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If and when this happens, i cant wait to be either on the platform as it speeds through or actually on board a stopping service behind!

I believe the guard has the option of opening all doors, in front and behind.

I believe The usual practise will be to open all doors in front, therefore the front 4 or 5 coaches and powercar will be platformed (there are bikes in there now), but if they need to pull forward to remove a bike or platform a different bit of the train then they can lock up, pull forward, and then open all doors behind them.

Obviously they can open all doors at the same time, but SDO would not be operating at that point.

So on trains to London that will be First Class and coach e!

Riot!

Should be no need to pull forward to remove bikes as bikes will now always be stored in the front power car and the front power car will always be platformed. Bikes are currently stored in the TGS which is normally Penzance end of a train.... Unless of course the train is diverted via Honiton :)

3 bikes in p/c only

precisely

I sleep in carriage G for two hours every morning

I just about manage to sleep through first class getting on and walking to H

But if all of standard have to get on in effective G or H and traipse through to the rear - god help use

Especially as once it gets busy, most will congregate in the buffet rather than pushing to A-C so there will be a build up of standing in 1st class!

ludicrous

Can I just say that this whole mish mash of a working is one that wasn't disscussed with the people who do the jobs not even compentecy managers  had a say. The system of work was decided by so called big wigs sat in a office in Swindon!

The result will be more delays and more discontent from passengers!

I think most standard class customers will get on in D where possible or E. That is what happens at the moment.

Interesting related link.
http://www.railchat.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=13110&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a