Great Western Coffee Shop

The great thing about the various forums, blogspots, websites which have sprung up recently, is that it gives an opportunity for war-weary, cynical commuters (like me) to get things off their chest in a relatively harmless way. It is amazing how daily rail commuting (15 years plus in my case) can brainwash one into a generally stoical and tolerant attitude about most things, and yet just occasionally one will get irrationally exasperated about something relatively minor.

For example, I can now tolerate  ;D:

• The automated announcements on Adelantes - in fact I barely notice them
• Passengers who use mobile phones in the quiet carriage - again I just mentally switch off
• Complete closure of the route between Paddington and Reading in the evening peak due to a fatality - I just go for a quiet pint somewhere and come back two hours later - I always get home in the end

However I get in a right temper with  >:(:

• People who stop at the top of escalators to reassemble their roll-along suitcases, oblivious to the pile up behind
• The fug of fag smoke one now has to endure when walking out of Paddington Station
• Passengers who sit by the aisle next to an empty window seat, increasing the boarding time at Newbury and Reading while people who want a seat ask them to move with others queueing to get on (if that makes sense)

In the coffee shop spirit, I invite other regular travellers to "let off steam" and tell us about those annoyances which although trivial in the scheme of things, really get up your nose! Just for entertainment of course, and all in line with forum rules... :)

It's the ones who put there bags and jackets on the seat and are shocked that you would dare ask them to shift it so you can sit down.

1)The people who have to sit on a table even though there is only 1 of them with no luggage despite there being lots of other seats.(Annoing if you're travelling with a family of four)
2)The people who insist that if they're are no tables that there our no seats and then spend the whole journey walking up and down the aisle rantin about how there is no seats and why aren't there more tables? (Paticuarly on Refurb HST's)
3)The people who sit in your reserved seat until you get on, make a mess of it and when you ask them to move they leave there rubbish behind.

People that ask me "does this train stop at............... " then after I say yes it does they then ask the next railway employee the same question

Oh god where do I begin!  Passengers who continue to yap on their mobile phone when i'm trying to serve them,
99% of the poulation of Camborne and Redruth (there are one or two decent people from the two towns, but not many), holiday makers, people who put bags and coats on seats on busy trains and no matter how many times you announce it on the PA they STILL dont bloody move them! I could go on all night but i'll shut up now until next time.

Or, "what time do they come back", "well madame theres a time table over there", "Oh I can't understand any of that it's all full of numbers". Or "why don't YOU put more carriages on?" Arggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Surely you could have put on a bigger train than this!!! Yes!! we knew you were all going to turn up for this train, thats why we purposly put this two coach sardine special on for you!! People who ignore the female member of staff on the platform and walk 100 metres to stop the driver from what hes doing to ask him instead. The annoying phone thing vacman mentions, "Does this stop at?" when they are already on the damn train!!  Yes! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

Customer: Is this the Reading train?
Me: No, it's the Bristol train but it will go to Reading.
*train pulls out of Paddington*
Customer: Does it stop at Maidenhead?

Let me put a slightly different perspective on this.

I travelled on the 0600 Portsmouth - Cardiff service on Saturday morning (13/10/2007.) Although it is timetabled to stop at Dean and Mottisfont & Dunbridge , none of the information boards or station announcements mentioned this fact.

As having a look at Dean station was my reason for catching this train , I was rather concerned that the service might have been "revised" to miss out some stops.

So I asked the guard whether the train stopped at Dean. He said yes and gave me a withering look that suggested he was thinking "of course it does , you moron."

He also asked "where did you get on , I havent seen a ticket for Dean." I must admit that I took great pleasure in showing him my Freedom Of Severn & Solent Rover Ticket , which he had already checked earlier in the journey.

I should point out that all the other FGW staff I encountered during the day were pleasant and professional , before I get accused of FGW employee - bashing.

 :-\    We have some customers like that in our business too ... a very few of them, but some.

Customer: "Can you write a program to display dates of events from our database"
Me: "Yes"
Customer: "Please come to London to do the work"
[Graham travels to London]
Me: "So where in the database do you keep the dates of events"
Customer: "Oh - we don't keep them ...."

Best one was an agitated member of station staff was asked by a little old biddy " Young Man could you help me out" "Certaintly Madam which door did you come in through ;D." Lucky for him she seen the funny side too! ;D

or

Passenger; "is this the St Ives train?"
me; "no madame, take this train to St Erth and change there"
Passenger; "so this train doesn't go to StIves then"

enough said???????

Or:

Passenger at Plymouth: 'Is this the Penzance train?'
Me: 'Yes'
Passenger: 'Oh so where do I get the Truro train from?'

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, why dont they just ask what they actually want to know, ie 'how do I get to Truro'..

You have to wonder how some passengers are allowed out on their own...

Passengers who start a journey with absolutely no bl**??y idea on how to reach their destination, I would not dream of trying to go from one end of the country to the other and not have at least one planned route.
People who do not control their children and let them roam Ferrel throughout the journey.

They get on the train, doors close, start moving then they run up the train and say "does this train stop at Lostwithiel???", "errrrrr.... no", "well that's rediculous,WHY doesn't it stop?".......................... the question i'd like to ask most of them is "how the f**k do you get out of bed in the morning and manage to get to the train station?" fortunately I just think it and don't say it!

or

"what times do the trains return?",
"ten past every hour sir",
"oh ok, whats the one about 5 O'clock?"
well funnily enough........................ ten past five!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, had a day of it today!

- People coughing for the entire journey, especially those who are behind you and don't cover their mouths

- Platform staff who try to get everyone to hurry up getting on the train by blowing their whistle, while people are already trying as fast as they can to cram into carriages

- Pretentious berks who put their bags on the seat next to them, normally the window seat. I've felt the urge several times to lift the bag off the seat myself and sit down :-X (For the record, I never have nor have 'blocked' the seat next to me!)

- Passengers complaining about 5 minute delays and / or slightly dirty windows. I'll never forget that time I was on a Loco-hauled Wessex to Weymouth a couple of summers back and the car was fairly empty except for an old couple. The carriage was clean and nice but the windows were slightly dirty..."Look at the windows!" "It's a disgrace..." Tch!

People who leave doors open on HSTs when it is clear that they are not automatic and hence delaying the train.

It may not be clear to them  ;).   Reminds me of the story (elsewhere) of the young lady unable to get out of slam-door stock, and indeed the "lower the window and reach out" principle isn't necessarily obvious to visitors from overseas.

The biggest annoyance on trains are holidaymakers with wheeled suitcases as big as the owner!

You don't know whether to laugh, cry or offer help as a young lady struggles to pull a large wheeled suitcases on to the train, and the suitcase is probably heavier than she is!

I once made a remark about somebody stepping off an HST from Manchester saying she had brought half of bloody Manchester with her.

Think she overheard me  ;D

God, how did I forget to rant about large luggage items!

At St Erth the other day a little old biddy gets off a down train with a suitcase that I couldn't even lift! and I'm not small! had to leave her there as I phisicly, let alone safely couldn't lift it! These old biddys bring enough luggage to last a lifetime and expect everyone else to carry it for them, anyone with half a brain packs things into two smaller cases, why can't they use their brains!!!!!!!!

Some people really got on my nerves last weekend. In Cornwall, on a 150 which was connecting with a London service due to engeeniring works sat down in an airline style seat complaining about there were no tables for the two of them and there luggage (they meant they wanted a seat each and two seats for there luggage.) They then put there luggage on another two airline seats. Grrr! This does show 150's are incapable for long journey's. Another time during engineering work a whole vestibule, both sides was full of luggage when there was a 150 on the usual HST service.

I know what you mean about 150s and luggage especially during the summer months as they work the Bristol-Weymouth route.

Hmmm, let me see....

1. The fizzy water bottles on the trolley that no matter how slowly you open them insist on drenching you with water
2. Passengers who insist on sitting at your table, which you are utilising, because there is only one person at it when there are other tables which may have more people sitting at them but are not used as the occupants are asleep or reading the paper
3. The slam doors which, if you are short with short arms, are nigh on impossible to open as the handle is too fat away

Web sites which list 27 different single fares for a journey starting at 8 pounds and going up to 90 ... but then only have "available" buttons against the highest six prices for any of the trains that they're offering.

I see that the airlines are in trouble again for misleading web sites - touting prices which never seem to be available ...

Get used to it, that 150 probably had the same number of tables than the whole of the standard class in the HST!

I don't care about tables. I prefer Airline on new HST's, on 158's I go in ex-FirstClass where everybody's scared to go and on 150's I like the airline seats with tip ups opposite because they have loads of legroom.

Sorry - was moaning at people who remarked on the tables - not you.

I also prefer airline, i simply don't need a table, unless FGW spring a TPEx unit onto the Paignton line, in which case the table lamp is illuminated ;)

The problem is for some of us, the train IS an extension of the office.  If I didnt have the 2.5 hours on the way home to get work done (and yes this means a table) then I'd either get home at midnight (only to leave 530 next morning) OR have to stay in london during the week OR have to move. None of which I want to do.

I am lucky, I can afford the first class ticket which guarantees me space - but some people cant.  Therefore I can imagine it is extremely annoying if people genuinely have productive things to do that need a table but they are occupied by people having coffee and idle chit chat.

But what use is a laptop if you have to stand? hence it's better to have airline seats=lesspeople standing!

My laptop is useless if I cant spread out my paperwork as well.

If people do want to use the train as an office then unfortunately they have to pay a premium to travel in first class! I think that for anyone to expect to have a whole table to themselves in standard class on a busy train is just greedy!

Whereas I think wanting a table just so a group can sit together or you can rest your coffee cup on it is equally greedy

So who's more deserving of a group of four seats facing each other? One person with laptop, papers etc, encroaching on somewhat more than one quarter of the table,or a family of two adults, two children. I think most people would think the family have the more legitimate cause for needing the table.

Of course, one way round if as a family you find the only table occupied by one person is to fill up the rest of the table with one adult and two children (younger child next to the occupied seat), with the other parent sitting elsewhere. See how long it takes before the seat is graciously vacated!

   

Everybody has the same right to a table, everybody pays the same for that seat - there isn't a 'Table Saver Return'

People who take up more than a quarter of a table are greedy, not somebody with a coffee!

Well, I bet everyone doesn't pay the same with the amount of fares there are but I totally agree with you!

The things that get on my nipple ends, in no particular order:

• People who don't know the difference between effect and affect
  
• First Class ticket-holders who think they own the train
• People who don't know the difference between losing and loosing
  
• Season ticket-holders who think they own the train
• People who confuse their, there and they're
  
• First Class Season ticket-holders
• People who can't spell apologies, truthful or pleasantly
  
• People who don't spell check before they hit the 'Post' button
• Old dears who tell me how nice it must be to travel up and down the Tarka Line every day
• People who put spaces before and after commas
• First Great Western Managers who promise to send you an email about their timetable/rolling stock/crappy service, and then don't
• People who don't put apostrophes in they're, that's or who's
  
• Julian Crow    (thinks: I've done him already, haven't I?)   (thinks: don't care...)
  
• People who put apostrophes in the possessive form of its
  
• Music blaring out of mobile phone speakers on trains
• Train managers who don't tell people sitting in the Quiet Coach with music coming from their mobile phones to turn the bloody thing down until you moan at them about it. Especially when you have to shout to make yourself heard over the bloody thing.
• First Devon and Cornwall
• Rumours about Pacers
• Barrier staff who respond to the question 'Will my ticket go through the barrier OK' by shoving the thing in the slot, and then getting arsey when the 'Assistance Required' light goes on
• First Great Western's Timetable Department
• Posts asking us to let off steam, without considering the raised blood pressure that results

I'd keep going, but this keyboard is starting to make me angry... (http://www.takeforum.com/forum/images/smiles/ranting2.gif)

I've never once made it through the Exeter St Davids ticket barriers without having to be waved through by the station staff

Can't believe you've missed young mums with 8 bags of shopping on their(still assembled, not folded) double buggy in the vestibule of a single 153 on the 0950 from Exmouth(2nd off peak train of day into Exeter diagrammed as 1x153!Gets busy believe me!).....don't start me on buggies :'(

God! how did I forget to rant about buggies! St Ives is the worst, once had some woman at Carbis bay with a big double buggy that she wouldn't fold, and when she tried getting on it physicly wouldn't fit through the door on the 153 (the BIG end!!!) all we could do was leave her behind! Not a happy bunny but what could we do?

0950 from Exeter is 1 car?

Every train on the Exmouth branch should be 2 car minimum!

Buggy's are so annoying. There was acouple with a big buggy and loads of luggage at Camborne who were booked on the 10.59 to Plymouth to change to go to Paddington. It was a Saturday so it was a 158 and they got left behind because either they refused or simply couldn't get on.
And what Terminal Junkie said about First Devon and Cornwall, they are the worst company in the world, worst than FGW.

Er , that will be me then  :-[

Are you an English teacher , by any chance?

Yup :P


No, just an angry pedant. :D

But I notice that you don't put spaces before question marks, full stops, or colons - so why commas? What would you do in, say, Microsoft Word if the paragraph wraps and leaves a comma at the start of a line?

Good question , and for once , one that I dont have an answer to......

0918 from exeter, 0950 from exmouth is diagrammed a single 153, great fun in half term etc.

What other journeys does this Class 153 unit operate each day , gaf71?

it starts the day attatched to a 150 or 158, on a Paignton/Exmouth run if i remember rightly, then is detatched to run on its own for 9.18 to Exmouth and back. Then stabled at St Davids til it is used for the 12.14 to Gunnislake(I think!) Where it goes later i'm not sure, tho probably to par/penzance, or attatches to something at Plymouth to go back to Exeter.

Thanks for that.

If it does the 1214 to Gunnislake , then I would assume that it would then form a mixture of Gunnislake & Plymouth - Ivybridge - Totnes - Newton Abbot services.

Can anyone confirm that?

Something that makes my blood boil are idiots that fool around on a crowded platform, trying to push each other on to the rail as their train is pulling in :( :(
These oafs are non age specific, ranging from pre-teens to 30 40 somethings.

It scares the living daylight out of the driver! a moments misfooting and it is game over.

One more for the list:

• People who put an extra 'd' in allegedly.

I promise not to go on about it, though! (http://www.takeforum.com/forum/images/smiles/ad.gif)

Things that make my blood boil,
1. Well I share the Coats and Bags on Seats issue, but surely in the By laws when a Passenger occupies a 2nd seat with Coats, Bags, Dogs, or whatever, THEY MUST hold a 2nd Ticket for that seat.
Do any Conductors Guards etc ever impose this by law?

2. The TOC's calling Passengers, CUSTOMERS, when on a train you are not a CUSTOMER (unless down in the Buffet). This was something BR brought in, god knows why.
If the powers to be don't like the term Passenger then they could refer to passengers as "TRAVELLERS" or "The Travelling Public" but not as CUSTOMERS.
Any one agree with me?

3. The So called Security Boffins who ordered Litter Bins to be removed from Stations! WHY?
Bins WERE never removed from Stations in Northern Ireland during all the troubles of 1970-2000
How does the lack of a Bin stop Suicide Bombers (the modern threat)
All that removing bins ever achived, was it made the Railway look like a Rubbish dump,  I'm not sure I should say this Bins are slowly coming back.

4. The awful layout and lack of tables on FGW standard class HST coaches.

5. Music being played openly from Mobiles or Radios on Trains without headsets.
    I know a few years back a Guard who told a PASSENGER NOT to use a Radio, on the 3rd occasion of telling the passenger NOT to use the Radio as in was annoying other passengers he picked said radio up and hurled it threw the open window of the train, to cheers of support from the passengers.

This is NOT mine, but on the Midland (Main Line) a train was held in a station, as a member of the Public was threatening to Jump from the footbridge on to the lines below. After about a half hour wait a Member of the armed services got of the train went to the footbrigde rushed the police and ran on to the bridge and said to the Jumper "You going to Jump or What?" as the jumper said "I don't know" the Militaryman pushed the Jumper from the Bridge.
 The Jumper was taken to Hospitial, the Serviceman arrested and the Train got on it's way.
The moral of this story you just have to be glad that on occasions someone takes the law into their own hands.

1) i've seen it happen in before. when a hst was canceled out of cardiff, and 2 train loads of commuters got on (thank god it was a refurb). It was full and standing just leaving cardiff.
The TM came over the intercom saying "if you have a bag on a seat when i do my checks, you'll be paying for an extra ticket, etc etc etc". The person opposite ignored it, and got charged a full standard class ticket.


2) You are a customer of the toc (you pay for a service, they provide it (much like you are a "customer" to a gas company, you pay for gas, they provide you it as a customer)). So its a perfectly reasonable use.