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HST carriages on the Cotswold line seem to have a mismatch of labeling, the train manager will state 'please note that only carriages A,B,C and D will be platformed. I noted that I was getting on in coach D which was the third coach but has C1..... for the seat numbers, on checking when I get off the train it has two carriage D's.

Are the seat numbers meant to indicate the carriage letter as well, this can cause panic to travellers unused to short platforms as they think they are safely in a coach that will allow them to exit onto a platform (from the seat numbers) then find that they cannot.

Even seen different carriage letters at the two ends of the same carriage (one having been stuck over another letter).

is this just a consequence of the incomplete state of refurbishment, will the carriage sets settle down eventually or are they continually moved between trains?

the reference to the markings C1 you will find on all coaches in an HST set. The coach lettering you require can be found next to the door.

Alot of the HST formations are all over the place at present due to the ongoing refurbishment, as coaches come back from works they are being pressed into service as soon as all the acceptance checks are carried out. I can think of a few HST's in recent weeks that have multiple coaches in of the same character, worst of all was a set with 3 coach E's, which is frustating as these have the disabled toilet and we've had numerous sets running around without disabled toilet facilities. Problem is, it's going to take an awful lot of work and time to get the HST's back to the normal A to H formation.

There was one running round with 4 TSDs  :D

I was in an actual coach E the other day with disabled toilet (I THINK!) and it has Dxx next to the seat number  ???

Before the refurbishment there wasn't a TSD to every HST set so FGW made some. They placed a disabled toilet at one end. Removed the window from one side and stuck it on the other. It looks like a TGS on one side and a double toilet on the other.

wots TSD

Trailer Standard Disabled.
A standard class coach with a Disabled toilet and disabled space.

I know that  :P

LOL. It looks really weird though, don't you think?

C1 is the National route restriction

I've had great fun putting some acronyms toghether ... see

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/acronyms.html (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/acronyms.html)

No, the C1......I was talking about are on the luggage shelf above the seats, the coach was labelled D outside by the doors, but the seats were numbered C1,C2....C40,C41 etc, the dots meaning continuingas I cant be bothered to type them all.

Sometimes the seat numbers match the carriage letter, but mostly they do not.

I know just what IanL means - quite often, as HST carriages have been inserted in the train slightly out of sequence, there are temporary 'Carriage D' labels stuck on the outside of the carriage, but inexperienced passengers then get on and are completely confused when their seat reservation for 'D40', for example, doesn't exist and someone is already sitting in 'C40' and they're not sure whether to challenge them or not ... !   ;)

You see I use the survival of the fittest - if they cant apply brain or are so backward they wont challenge.....they are not going to survive in the dog eat dog world of 2008

 ::)

What if somebody had NEVER travelled on a train before???

Thinking about it, even NOT travelling on a train in FGW territory is a nightmare.

Well if there first train journey is with FGW between Bristol and Southampton, can't see them EVER coming back for a second dose of expensive standing on a crowded train!!!!!!

Steep learning curve

I think thats a little hard.....what about the coach with a different letter at each entry door and different latters above the seat.....yes it does happen!

P1 "this is my seat I am in coach D and this is seat 50"
P2 "no, it is coach B"
P3 (seated) well hardluck cos I'm sitting in C50 (checks seat label)"

I know it is only a detail compared to the usual level of incompetence but details do matter.

FGW made the mistake of placing the carrige letter next to the seat number on the overhead racks, which is quite a flaw! As half the time the carriges are swapped, so if a B is pretending to be a C, it may have C on the outside, but inside, the seats will all be labled B!!!!!

I witnessed a problem even with the carriages in correct formation due to seat letters. One person had seat BxxA(Airline) But they got soooooo confused as they supposedly had two carriage letters. ven though their reservation label was in the seat they didn't sit their.

Do they need help tying their shoe laces then?

Probably.

Sorry, but having CxxA or BxxA does get quite confusing, rather than B or F which there was before the units came into play on the NRS.

Well, it is all very confusing to infrequent FGW passengers of which there are many on a typical friday, joined train tonight at Oxford, coach C (both carriage doors) but seats labeled E inside.

Just before Hanborough, the first short platform guard makes usual announcement reminding disembarking passengers to exit form coaches A,B or C. Several passengers look up, check the seat labels and panic, gathering bags, coats to rush another two carriages up the train. Had to reassure a less mobile lady that she didnt need to move and that this coach would in fact be on the platform.

After 7 years of this journey I am happy to ignore announcements, labeling etc but to unsure passengers, incorrect information is worse than no information at all.

youre happy to ignore announcements then? ....what happens then if the train is involved in a safety situation and the announcements are relevant to passenger safety??

Same with me, IanL: when I catch the HST 1822 BTM to Nailsea, I often find myself having to reassure slightly panicking less seasoned travellers that the carriage we are in will certainly be 'platformed' at Nailsea - despite the TM's announcement implying that it won't, because the seat letters don't match the carriage letters ...   ::)

In all fairness most tickets should show:

Coach:            Seat:
   B                  23A

I agree inside the carriages they should have just put a number.

IMHO with the advent of the new seating layouts, with each seat having a unique identifiable number (except for the 175s, I seem to remember having a reservation for B/F on those...) they should just remove the A.

I agree: why not remove the coach letter prefix from all the seats, allowing more flexibility if coaches are out of alphabetical order for whatever reason, and also remove the A suffix, on the basis that most of the seats are Airline style anyway.

That way you get into, say, Coach B and know that there will be one seat, clearly marked '23', for example, which matches your ticket reservation!

I had a reservation not long ago. E34A on the 17:35 PNZ-PAD. And I had a table seat reserved for me despite my ticket saying it would be Airline.

Well, perhaps ignore announcements is a little strong, lets say that I filter out the incorrect and un-necessary announcements......when they are audible.

I agree with IanL, again!  I tend to filter out announcements that 'only the front five carriages will be platformed at Nailsea' because I know full well that I'm already in one of them!  However, I do sympathise with less experienced travellers, who don't know whether the carriage they're in is necessarily one of 'the front five carriages' - yes, it may well be 'A, B, C, D or E' in normal formation, but especially when the train is 'in reverse formation', it's not that obvious to the novice traveller?

Surely you would notice where on the train you got on?

Whether it be front middle or back?

Yes, you and I would, Ollie - but the less seasoned travellers that I'm referring to, having almost lost the will to live while trudging backwards and forwards along the train trying to find an empty seat, are understandably confused!   ;)

I suppose so Chris, you right again :P

But then personally when I'm on a train I'll sort of count mentally as to how many coaches I walk through, and whether I go back or forth. That's just me though, I'm strange :)

Trainspotting hat on

At BPW this morning an HST on the way to SWA (09.08) with standard class carriages labelled A, X, B, D, B!!!!

1. Is the X carriage on loan from X Country?  ;D
2. I suppose a train is better than no train.

Hi, BPWuser - welcome to the forum!

Just an observation, but those letters would also be absolutely useless in a game of Scrabble!

As you say, though, any train is better than no train.  ::)

Well after a summer when carriage labeling seemed to make sense again it has recently started going to pot again, last night I had a coach with three different designations, C on the outside beside the door, D on the glass panel by the luggage rack and B above the seats. (it was the 3rd coach in the set).

Also started noticing more frequently sets that have been jumbled up, missing coaches etc. Now the refurbs are complete is this for repair work or buffet modifications?

Some sense seems to be making its way to the top at FGW towers, well almost...

HST set this morning, 1st class at front led not by coach H but by a standard HD carriage labelled C, then G,F,E,CD,C,B,A, note that G and F are extremely busy but replacement for H is virtually empty.

Standard class is all seats full and passengers standing in the aisle and vestibules by Charlbury, but while standing I make the following observation, the seat labeling in this coach (C) has only the seat numbers, the carriage designation has been removed and the coaches are labelled outside the entrance door and on the glass luggage partition. Hooray for common sense.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think some of this might have something to do with the standard wheelchair coach being moved from coach E due to Selective Door Opening.

They are planning on moving E to C I believe (and vice versa).