Train Fellows Blog - SDO Panel Photo

[whole diary]

[Lee]

A photo of an SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) panel (link below.)
http://trainfellows.blogspot.com/2008/02/selective-door-opening.html

[Chris from Nailsea]

Now, it may be just my mischievous sense of humour again, but what actually happens if you do turn the key to the 'five o'clock' position, marked X ... ?

[Ollie]

Nothing.

That X is over an arrow which basically shows, don't put your key this way..

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, Ollie - I hoped there'd be a 'safe' answer! 

Seriously, though, there seem to be lots of illuminated buttons and 'remember' notes: is SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) actually that difficult to operate, in a live 'train on platform' environment?  How do the train staff find it?

[Ollie]

Well personally the amount of briefings that were sent out to do with the introduction of SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was a bit of an overload.

Short Platforms
Bike Storage Changes
Using the panel

The label on the panel is a reminder, it's not as if train managers are arriving at a short platform and having a quick read before they unlock some doors.

But I'm not a TM^‡(resolve) so hard for me to comment on how they find it.

[Ollie]

As a follow up would you prefer I said which each button or light represents?

[Lee]

As a follow up would you prefer I said which each button or light represents?

Yes please, Ollie 

[Ollie]

Do a mental note now of the image and relate to these numbers:

( 1 )   ( 2 )
( 3 )   ( 4 )
( 5 )   ( 6 )
( 7 )   ( 8 )

1. If the green light is lit you can use the panel, so that would mean it works or that no other panel is in use.
2. This light shows when you put a CDL^▸ (Central Door Locking) key and activate the panel.
3 & 4. These two buttons must be held down together for a few seconds in order to unlock the doors.
5. Locks the doors.
6. Buzzer to the driver.
7. To hear the driver buzz back.
8. Where you put the key.

Does that help?

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ollie, thanks, it's not a problem!  I'm just curious, because SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) has had such a bad press, it has raised the perception that it's a very complex system - and that is its weakness: it's too complex to work in real time on a short platform, for example.

As you say, briefings that were sent out seem to have been a bit of an overload, but if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) felt the need to cover all the aspects you mention, for staff who were not actually going to use the system, (apart from TMs^‡(resolve)), does that not raise some concern over its complexity?

Re: your offer to explain what each button or light represents - how about adding that to your site, as a resource for everyone?  That would be just the sort of 'plain English' explanation of technical matters that 'customers' such as me would find very useful, and which is not really covered on FGW's website!

[Lee]

Re: your offer to explain what each button or light represents - how about adding that to your site, as a resource for everyone?  That would be just the sort of 'plain English' explanation of technical matters that 'customers' such as me would find very useful, and which is not really covered on FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s website!

In the meantime, thanks for adding it to ours.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Yes, sorry, Lee, I think you and I bumped into each other, when replying to Ollie!

Ollie, THANKS AGAIN - very helpful, as always!

Chris 

[Ollie]

Reasons for me getting briefings on the panel due to me being trained in dispatch, and if doing empty stock movements from Paddington it would be myself locking the doors.

When I mentioned all the briefings that a lot got, it was mainly information so we could advise where customers should be on train for short platforms, etc..

I think with anything new it will have teething problems, but once everyone is used to it, I expect it will work out.

[devon_metro]

The page isn't actually loading for me yet...

But the position (2) is a power on light IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly) and lights up when the key is selected!

[12hoursunday]

.
8. Where you put the key.

Which has four postions Off, All doors unlock, Doors to rear of panel unlock, Door in advance of panel unlock.

Guards have to use their knowlegde of the stations with short platforms because when let's say somewhere like Charlbury on the up and on the down a guard would have to select the same key postion ie doors to the rear of the panel. this is due to the station only having one platform and because the train now always stops with the standard class vehicles on the platform. Think yhats right!

[devon_metro]

Wasn't there an 'SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) hold' option fitted?