Named trains - Questions

[whole diary]

[Rhydgaled]

I was going to put this in the old 'named trains' topic, but got a message suggesting I create a new topic. Hope that's ok. Onto the questions:

Question 1: Which stations announce named trains by name? Down in Devon & Cornwall, instead of saying "the next train to arrive at platform Y will be the xx:xx to Z" most stations seemed to say "the next train to arrive at platform Y will be the 'train title', the xx:xx to Z". I seem to recall Westbury station announcing 'The Mayflower' as such also, but when I've been out filming 'The Pembroke Coast Express' in south Wales I've not noticed the name being mentioned. Where can I go to get the name announced?
Question 2: Are there really no named trains on Sundays, and fewer on Saturdays than Mon-Fri? The GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) C1a pocket timetable I picked up the other day and only the 'Torbay Express' and 'Pembroke Coast Express' seem to appear on Saturdays, with nothing on Sundays
Question 3: If there are no named trains on Sundays, why not?
Question 4: Why are some of the Pullman services not named? Is there a traditional time the named trains have always run at (like the 'Flying Scotsman', which should depart Kings Cross at 10am, not Edinburgh in the early hours, you lousy ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)), or could they just (for example) make the 10:45 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) 'The Capitals United' instead of the 16:45 non-Pullman PAD to SWA service?
Question 5: Are the service logos on the window stickers for the named trains smaller this year than when they were first introduced?
Question 6: Is it common practice to remove the window stickers several stops before the final destination? I seem to recall seeing this happen on one service I've traveled on.

[BerkshireBugsy]

I'm not sure I can offer a real reason for all of these but regarding (3) no named services on Sundays - if so why?

Could this be because a named service is not used a specific route/destination at a specific time but the service offered on that service (if you get my meaning) so therefore although the destination/route may be consistent with the path the service - such as catering - may not be?

In which case it becomes just a normal train.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I think named trains are announced at Paddington, aren't they?

[BerkshireBugsy]

I think named trains are announced at Paddington, aren't they?

This does happen at Reading as well. So the automatic will say "the next train at platform x with be the xx:xx golden hind (only example) service for ....normal announcement.

[Oberon]

I'm pretty sure the Merchant Venturer is announced at Bath Spa

[Western Pathfinder]

Red dragon at Bristol Parkway .

[Chris from Nailsea]

I was going to put this in the old 'named trains' topic, but got a message suggesting I create a new topic. Hope that's ok.

That is indeed perfectly alright with us, Rhydgaled. 

That previous topic was posted way back in December 2009, but it does contain some useful and interesting background information: see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5935.0

[The Tall Controller]

1) It doesn't matter where you go as only some names are stored in the announcements system. So at Plymouth for example, you'll hear the 'Cornish Riviera Express' but not 'The Atlantic Coast Express'.

2+3) There is one named train on Sunday. 'The Night Riviera'. The reason why you'll not get any other named trains on Sunday is more out of tradition. Express trains on Sunday used to be less popular so they weren't named.

4) The Pullmans came after the trains and are timed more to fit around the staffing requirements as well as demand. Crews that work a popular breakfast train up must work something back. Named trains do tend to follow some form of traditional time. (I.E. The Cornish Riviera always leaves either end in th morning. The Royal Duchy always starts much later. However East Coast did a radical change with the Flying Scotsman so anything is possible.

5) The logos are smaller now. Something I'm still not quite sold on and will try to get them enlarged next time around. 

6) By staff or public? (I assume staff). It depends which train you are on. Trains terminating at Paddington will have labels removed whilst being cleaned in Paddington. Trains terminating in Penzance will more than likely have their labels removed en route between Redruth and Penzance as that's where the cleaners start. Trains terminating at Newquay get the same treatment.

Hope that helps

[Rhydgaled]

So far then, thanks to the above posters, stations where the audio announcement system has support for named trains include:
Paddington, Reading, Bath Spa, Westbury, Bristol Parkway and Plymouth.

1) It doesn't matter where you go as only some names are stored in the announcements system. So at Plymouth for example, you'll hear the 'Cornish Riviera Express' but not 'The Atlantic Coast Express'.

Ah, I had assumed the Welsh stations I'd visited didn't mention named trains because the voices used (a man speaking Welsh and a woman in English) hadn't been recorded saying them, but that the voice at Westbury etc. had done all of them. Does the 'The Atlantic Coast Express' appear on the LED displays or is that tied to the announcements? Does anybody know if 'The Pembroke Coast Express' is in the system?

2+3) There is one named train on Sunday. 'The Night Riviera'. The reason why you'll not get any other named trains on Sunday is more out of tradition. Express trains on Sunday used to be less popular so they weren't named.

Just the sleeper on Sundays then; thanks for confirming that nothing else is named. Bit of a shame but it answers my question.

4) The Pullmans came after the trains and are timed more to fit around the staffing requirements as well as demand. Crews that work a popular breakfast train up must work something back. Named trains do tend to follow some form of traditional time. (I.E. The Cornish Riviera always leaves either end in th morning. The Royal Duchy always starts much later. However East Coast did a radical change with the Flying Scotsman so anything is possible.

5) The logos are smaller now. Something I'm still not quite sold on and will try to get them enlarged next time around.

Again, thanks for the answers. Glad to here they may be bigger in future, I'm finding the logos hard to see this year.

6) By staff or public? (I assume staff). It depends which train you are on. Trains terminating at Paddington will have labels removed whilst being cleaned in Paddington. Trains terminating in Penzance will more than likely have their labels removed en route between Redruth and Penzance as that's where the cleaners start. Trains terminating at Newquay get the same treatment.

It was a westbound service (probably to Penzance) so that probably answers my question, although it does seem to defeat the object of having window stickers if they remove them before the last stop (which I think is St. Erth in the case of Penzance trains).

[Louis94]

So far then, thanks to the above posters, stations where the audio announcement system has support for named trains include:
Paddington, Reading, Bath Spa, Westbury, Bristol Parkway and Plymouth.

1) It doesn't matter where you go as only some names are stored in the announcements system. So at Plymouth for example, you'll hear the 'Cornish Riviera Express' but not 'The Atlantic Coast Express'.

Ah, I had assumed the Welsh stations I'd visited didn't mention named trains because the voices used (a man speaking Welsh and a woman in English) hadn't been recorded saying them, but that the voice at Westbury etc. had done all of them. Does the 'The Atlantic Coast Express' appear on the LED displays or is that tied to the announcements? Does anybody know if 'The Pembroke Coast Express' is in the system?

Named trains should be announced at all GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) stations, everywhere should have the same announcement clips. GWR did recently recorded the newest named trains as they had not been recorded before.

I've heard a great number of them announced: Atlantic Coast Express at Plymouth, Royal Duchy at Exeter, The Bristolian at Swindon, Red Dragon at Bristol Parkway, The Cheltenham Spa Express at Gloucester, Torbay Express at Paignton, etc.

You won't hear named trains announced in Wales as Arriva Trains Wales don't set them up to be announced. They can however announce them, back when the ex-Wessex stations used to have Ruth (the female english announcer), it used to announce them.

Atlantic Coast Express should appear on the screens, it is all linked, so if you setup a named train it will appear on the screens and be announced if the station has the ability to. (which it should)

Pembroke Coast Express should be in the system, but it relies on staff knowing that there is a named train,etc.

[John R]

5) The logos are smaller now. Something I'm still not quite sold on and will try to get them enlarged next time around. 

Generally the typeface is much less clear. I don't think those designing them appreciate that they serve a purpose for prospective passengers on the platform - or at least they did, not sure the current ones are much use at all for that purpose.

[The Tall Controller]

5) The logos are smaller now. Something I'm still not quite sold on and will try to get them enlarged next time around. 

Generally the typeface is much less clear. I don't think those designing them appreciate that they serve a purpose for prospective passengers on the platform - or at least they did, not sure the current ones are much use at all for that purpose.

What would you like to see changed? I think the title/destination is pretty clear. The stations can be tricky when reading from the inside in sunny weather though but that will always happen when printing on white paper.

[John R]

Rob

It's only a perception, but if you go back 30 years, you could always read the destination and stations very clearly from the outside. Now you can't. Every time there has been a change, it appears to have reduced the readability, particularly of the intermediate stations.  Now I would agree that the information at the station/platform has almost certainly changed for the better (unless one has a hankering after solari boards), but either they serve a purpose or they don't, in which case, one might as well remove them.

[Richard Fairhurst]

It's only a perception, but if you go back 30 years, you could always read the destination and stations very clearly from the outside. Now you can't.

Same damn thing happened to my eyesight too...

(...sorry!)

[Tim]

I'm pretty sure the Merchant Venturer is announced at Bath Spa

agreed. The "Bristolian" is too