A different perspective back from when I used to drive for SWT^▸ (South West Trains) and often worked the 18:30 Waterloo-Weymouth, first stop Winchester and always full of commuters. These were normally formed of 10x442 and the rule was that the front vestibule door had to be locked OOU^▸ (out of use) for safety reasons. On arrival at Winchester I (& other drivers) would usually unlock the door (switch in the cab) so that all the regulars could pile out of the front. Quite a few of the regular travellers would give a thanks on leaving which made things a little more personal.

Sorry but I have to disagree. The issue with Weymouth (and similar seaside and holiday towns) is not the infrastructure but more that changes to social care, increasing numbers of anti-social elements and the growth of care in the community (amongst other policies) has led to the under-funded police and (para-)medical services as the only way to handle certain members of the population. Weymouth station is slap bang in the middle of a depressed seaside town with a huge drugs and drink problem so it's no wonder it's ended up the way it has. It's also the destination for a great number of summer travellers (mostly from Yeovil and points North) who's only aim is to get absolutely paralytic. The only way to avoid the issue would be to have the building permanently walled off with one or two entrance points and/or a permanent security staff presence. I can't see many on here welcoming either a walled-up station or an increase in their ticket prices to pay for heavy 24x7 security.

And frankly the current station architecture while not perfect is vastly better than the old dump with far better access to and from the car park/drop-off points, together with better disabled access.

And for a (slightly) more current unit - see the class 442. I can't remember any similar issues driving them but it could be down to the relationship between screen, driving desk and seat. Certainly no more issues with screens breaking than with classic Desiros but screen replacements were very expensive.

Ah cheers, missed that 

There are some proposed new WoE services documented on Network Rail's Track Access Consultations which could be of interest to some here.

It's pretty flat to be honest. Could be the witness saw the coach rocking on it's suspension if the driver had to slam on the brakes?

Ring the signaller no question and/or make an emergency signal (both hands above head, or display a red light or flag, or wave any light) to the driver of the approaching train.

Some other things to think about, depending on location etc.

• You know the next train is due in n minutes. You didn't know there was an unannounced MPV coming in now
• You jump off the platform and twist or break your ankle (it's happened, many times). Now you've definitely screwed the other persons chance of survival as well as your own
• You jump down and other people seeing you do this immediately follow to assist. Now you've inadvertently put others at risk
• You don't tell the signaller and the train arrives and derails on the wheelchair
• You jump down and can't get the person to move as they're too heavy/pissed/suicidal.You didn't know they'd thrown themselves off the platform?
• What exactly are you going to do with this person? You could end up moving them into the path of another train as you'll not be able to get them back onto the platform
• You're probably not PTS^▸ (Personal Track Safety) and/or DC^▸ (Direct Current) lines competent so might not appreciate trip hazards, 3rd rail, not to step on sleepers, whatever

The first thing drummed into any railway person's head is to look after your own safety as you're no use at all if you get injured, and can make things much worse. Platform staff should be aware of how to contact the signaller in an emergency at their location - it's part of their training and assessments.

Oops. Work not carried out due to on-site equipment failure and currently proposed to be re-scheduled for 20/21.......

The re-instatement of the up side bay wasn't required because the London end crossover has been reversed and moved to allow access to the down side sidings from both platforms rather than just from the down platform in the old layout. Swanage trains will be able to terminate and start back from either the up or down platforms (or terminate in either and then shunt to the sidings and back into either platform). There's quite a bit of flexibility in the new layout - eg down trains can now terminate and start back from the up platform (rather than the down as now) and down trains can be routed around a train held in the down platform.

That's pretty well on the money and yes the current 158/159 route clearance and traincrew route learning is primarily for off-NR^» (Network Rail - home page) metals gearbox testing. The Swanage Railway and their partners currently intend to run a couple of diesel mechanicals on a Swanage - Wareham shuttle at least in the first year or two. Whether the practicalities (ie TIN insurance, full time traincrew/signalling/p-way/station employees with all the relevant competencies maintained, 24x7 unit NR certified availability, etc, etc) of providing a better service mean that they (or someone else) provide a better service longer term is anyone's guess. It's always possible the SR^▸ (Southern Railway / Southern Region / Scot Rail / Scottish Region (rather confusing - it depends on the context)) or Dorset County Council (who own the line after all) could run the DMMUs as a heritage trip to Wareham during the off-peaks, and contract out a proper peak time commuter service as far as say Bournemouth to someone else better placed to do so. But that's all a long way in the future.

Personally I wouldn't sacrifice the commuter comforts of a modern car for a rattly old DMMU however well maintained AND having to change at Wareham. I can also see that the challenges and demands of providing a full-blown commuter service on a heritage line like the SR may not be what some of the volunteers there actually want!!

Except there was. In Dorset and the Portsmouth area there was heavy snow from 04:00 onwards and many London bound trains originate from or turn around there. The snow plans also removed most (if not all) attachments and splits which are a major contributor to delays in snow and ice conditions (plus improved pathing, spare staff and stock availability). All in all it looks like the right decision was made given the weather forecasts available on Thursday.

TBH^▸ ('to be honest') most modern units have very similar cabs with the only major difference being things like separate power/brake and a combined power brake controller, and things like the TMS/AWS^▸ (Automatic Warning System - an arrangement of permanent magnets and electro-magnets that convey information about the associated signal to the train driver)/TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System) etc being in a different place. Finding mcbs and air cocks along the train can be a bit more difficult but most drivers are issued with traction books with this sort of detail in plus a lot of TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) have now gone down the phone-a-friend route for non-basic faults now. A conversion course from one type of unit to another can be around a week or two (from experience).

The real issue for experienced drivers becoming productive after changing employers is route knowledge as that will take several weeks for just a simple route, and more complex or longer routes can take months.

But with extra trains.

Because it works well enough for normal demands plus known peaks such as Weymouth Carnival and Bournemouth airshow. Why waste ^millions for a few weeks of possible high demand during the Olympics when you can temporarily bring in other diesel traction (158/159 & 220/221) to bolster services?

Plus the recent Basing - Soton Docks OHLE announcements probably mean 3rd rail is dead in the medium/longer term anyway.

Because they won't fit at Wareham? ISTR^▸ ('I seem to recall/remember') the max there is 8x20m.

There's also the question about where you'd berth stuff during their extended layovers at Weymouth - I'm not sure what you can fit down the quay tramway as far as the Melcombe Regis L/C. Putting a longer XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) down Jersey sdgs might also cause problems with SWT^▸ (South West Trains)/FGW^▸ (First Great Western) berthings and shunts.