Great Western Coffee Shop

Usually HSTS's at Penzance go in to Platform 4, outside but today all of the HST's were going into Platform 1.
Does anybody know why?
I was just curious as to this change and whether it will be permanent.

News is from this week on, all HSTs will depart/arrive from plats 1 and 2 only, something to do with doors opening onto the car park side from plat 4 and then being left open or 'on the catch'

 :o :o

I have seen that before, why are they opened?
HST's used to go from Platform 1/2 but moved mainly to Platform 4 with a few on Platform 1. Why did the HST's use Platform 4 as Platform 1 is nicer to arrive in even though HST's stop out of the shed (now front p/c has to be in shed for SDO)? And why do HST's have to stop so far down the Platform when units come all the way down.
On a lovely summer saturday last year I can remeber HST's being on Platforms 1,2 and 4. I looked down between the HST's pn Platform 1 and 2. The view was amazing the colours of the refurbished HST's and the brilliant sunlight would have made an excellent picture, shame I didn't have a camera hopefully I will see it again.

HST power cars are banned from the train shed if the engines are running as there is no ventilation, HOWEVER, HST's used to be put in platform 4 because of the noise they made, but with the new quieter MTU engines they can now use 1 and 2 all day, for those of you that are not familiar with Penzance, 1 and 2 are right underneath a load of hotels and B&B's and residents used to complain.

Not following there, but don't MTUs run at a higher RPM when idling and are hence much louder than their Valenta counterparts!?

Doors open on the car park side of platform 4 is not a problem due to the central door locking, the doors are only unlocked on the platform side.

It is a problem when they are left on the catch! as the TM is responsible!

Don't tell ilovetrains!

why not. doors being closed is part of the tm's responsibilities. if the door is on the catch in a part of the train where the tm could have observed the door not being closed properly then it should have been noticed by the tm.

If a door is on the catch on the off side then it may not be noticed until Paddington as all of the platforms are on the left hand side going up, this happend a few months ago, well, almost, it was noticed at Reading!

Once, I have seen them unlocked on car-park side. No idea why though.
They have to come just inside now, front power car so the rear power car is platformed.
Does anybody know which platforms AXC, DMU and Sleeper services are now allocated to?

DMU's usually platform 3 (as always!) and I presume Arriva now use 4.

depends on platforms used at Plymouth/Newton Abbot/Exeter/Taunton aswell.

If the doors are not released at Penzance on the car park side they shouldnt even be on the catch as the lock should hold them firmly shut.
I cant figure out why they should even be unlocked on the car park side anyway.

A door can still be put onto the catch if the CDL is engaged, but it cannot be opened. The cause of the majority of door on the catch incidents is when late arriving customers attempt to open doors after the CDL is engaged and the train is being dispatched. As for the CDL not working on the car park side, I would think that is when the HST has been at Penzance a while with the power cars shut down, the air in the brake system would leak off and the CDL will disengage as it's fed off the same system. When the power cars are started up, the air builds up again and the CDL can then be engaged again.

Thanks redskin that helps explain it a bit more ;)

HST's were banned from entering Penzance Train Shed because of a cock up when the roof was replaced about 20 years ago, due to the "Vortex" design in the roof being sealed on 1 side.
This meant the "Vortex"  NO longer worked.

Ok so all FGW HST's have new engines that produce less exhaust gases, BUT either HST's CAN OR CAN NOT enter the Penzance Train shed, so they should STILL be outside the Train Shed OR now enter the Train Shed and pull up at the buffers.

Well they are allowed in as little as possible to get rear p/c on the platform.