Nailsea & Backwell Station

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

I guess these machines are designed with vandalism in mind with it expected to happen as part of the cost of running them having to replace screens etc when they get vandalised.

[John R]

All the station lights are out at Nailsea tonight, including the stairs. So it's very dark, if not dangerous.

Anyone got any ideas who I could report this to, so it's not left like this all weekend?     

[inspector_blakey]

Try FGW^▸ (First Great Western) customer relations - 08457 000 125. They're usually pretty helpful in my experience.

You do run the risk of the station being closed during the hours of darkness if the problem can't be rectified quickly though...!

[Rogang]

Have just checked with the office - it has been reported, and train managers have been paged out to warn arriving customers. Hopefully will be fixed tomorrow.

[devon_metro]

Should trains even be stopping? Particularly with those trecherous stairs. Particularly with HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) where it's easy to miss a door on catch.

[inspector_blakey]

The CDL^▸ (Central Door Locking) would, in some cases, pick up a door "on the catch" (although not one that's wide open) because the lock bolt will not engage fully and the yellow light won't extinguish. Plus train managers despatching trains in the dark (or fog, or falling snow...) will be using a handlamp so they can walk down the train and check doors individually. I guess that might result in a minute or two's delay to station duties but I'd be surprised (horrified, actually) if any staff were penalized for being conscientious.

The issue of the stairs though I'm less sure of!

[John R]

Thanks rogang and inspector_blakey for your help.

[super tm]

The CDL^▸ (Central Door Locking) would, in some cases, pick up a door "on the catch" (although not one that's wide open) because the lock bolt will not engage fully and the yellow light won't extinguish. Plus train managers despatching trains in the dark (or fog, or falling snow...) will be using a handlamp so they can walk down the train and check doors individually. I guess that might result in a minute or two's delay to station duties but I'd be surprised (horrified, actually) if any staff were penalized for being conscientious.

The issue of the stairs though I'm less sure of!

CDL cannot pick up doors on the catch.  The system is designed to make sure the day will stay secure if the door is on the catch but the light will still go out.  If the door is on the catch however the bolt will drop and hold it secure.  Though you cant see it the hole at the top for the bolt is wide enough to accomodate the bolt both when the door is properly shut and when it is on the catch. 

Before CDL was introduced about 10- 15 people were falling out of trains a year.  Whilst some were undoubtetly drunk some were not and sometimes the door would seem to come open when the train was moving.  After a lot of research they found that if a door was properly shut it would not come open.  A door on the catch however could come open.  Hence a main part of the system is designed to hold the door so even if it is on the catch it will not come open when the train is moving.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Well, the blackout situation at Nailsea & Backwell station appears to have been resolved - up to a point.

I drove past our station at lunchtime today - and, despite the bright sunlight, I could see that every electric light at the station was definitely working! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.

Please bear with me, for resurrecting this topic - but a year later, we still suffer from rather a lot of non-working kit at Nailsea & Backwell Station.

Today, we had one ticket machine looking rather terminally out of action ...



... it's twin also not working (perhaps because it rained heavily again last night?) ...



... the old Wessex information screens out of action ...



... and the one Help Point that is 'out of wraps', on Platform 1 ...



... was as dead as a dodo, when I pressed the Information button.

CfN. 

[TheLastMinute]

Well, an update. After Chris took the photo of the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) (above) it was taken away and I'd assumed it would go the same way as Keynesham(?) and never been seen again.

But, lo, this morning there it was all shiny (well, not shiny but farily clean) and ready to go (well, actually no, it was wasn't even switched on.) But even so, even getting back was a surprise! But on the down side, the other TVM had gone out of order again so cue a massive queue for the services of one man and his Advantix.

At least the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) is working again - with announcements as well.

TLM

[Chris from Nailsea]

More good news for NLS - from the Community noticeboard on platform 2:

[Mookiemoo]

As an aside - on friday one of the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)'s was gone again - replaced by a pile of rubbish

[Chris from Nailsea]

Erm ... no: both of the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at NLS have been in situ, and fully operational, for several weeks now. 

The pile of rubbish, to the left of the two TVMs in their shelter, was placed there last weekend, as part of the station clearance programme.  It will be removed tomorrow, when the skip arrives.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Nailsea and Backwell railway station gets makeover

A North Somerset railway station has been given a makeover aimed at making it safer and more welcoming.

The work at Nailsea and Backwell railway station included painting shelters and repairing the platform surface.

A spokesman from North Somerset Council said much of the work was carried out by offenders under the Probation Service's Community Payback scheme.

New posters at the station feature artwork by local schoolchildren.

The repairs were organised by the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, First Great Western and North Somerset Council.