SDO - seems bad.

[whole diary]

[Btline]

It is possible there were two TM^‡(resolve)'s on the service.
With the introduction of HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s on the cotswold line it has been common place with Senior Conductors learning HST's. That might be the case in this situation.

The thing is, she only appeared about 1 min before departure (the train had been dwelling for at least 5 mins!). it was also the first class buffet car.

But if there is extra training- that's good!

[Ollie]

It's difficult to say then without knowing full details of it.

Best not speculate further.

[Btline]

It's difficult to say then without knowing full details of it.

Best not speculate further.

 

[Conner]

It is not uncommon to have an extra conductor/TM^‡(resolve) on afternoon/evening services in Cornwall who will basically act as despatch staff but just getting on the train and holiding a bit of paper for the TM to lock the doors as he has checked them, I must say it works really well at unstaffed stations as one member of staff does each half of the train.

[smokey]

Who remembers when BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) built, in the mid 70's the MKIII carriages, (HST^▸ (High Speed Train) trailer cars are MKIII), questions were asked as to why they didn't have automatic external doors.

BR claimed that the coach design wouldn't take plug doors.

However after the Sleeper fleet of MKIII's were buit early 80's, we then saw the MKIII Wessex Electric (London-Weymouth) and MKIII coaches for Ireland, with PLUG DOORS so who told porkies.

More to the point wouldn't PLUG doors save a lot of station dwell time, untill a door fails of course!!!!

[Btline]

I know! The dwell time would have been 3 mins if the guards did not have to walk up and down slamming doors!

[dog box]

why does he have to walk up and down slamming doors?....because the alighting passengers are incapable of performing such a task i suppose

[12hoursunday]

!

Malvern Bound Train
*This train took 5+ mins to despatch. Timetabled 2-3 mins.
*To be fair, someone alighted just as the guard was about to lock up. He slammed the door- pretty hard (it seemed to me). However, it was not shut properly. The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) guard shouted (he was stressed!) and a LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) despatch staff ran up and kicked the door shut. The point is- the doors seem to be pretty hard to slam, especially for people used to automatic doors! This wastes time.
*The LM staff took along time as well.
*The train arrived late. It left later.
*The driver did not "rev" the engine fully until the rear car had passed the station. Are not the drivers allowed to rev fully when in a delay?[color]

Was the signal on? this signal can sometimes take awhile to come off!

No real point in selecting full power ( although most of us do) the gradient runs slightly downwards and trains soon reach the 40mph linespeed here.

[Phil]

why does he have to walk up and down slamming doors?....because the alighting passengers are incapable of performing such a task i suppose

In defence of the humble passenger, I suspect there's two subtle elements at play here.

Younger passengers are largely used to travelling on trains with automatic, electric doors, and don't think to slam the doors on older stock behind them. (I am being careful not to generalise here and bemoan the lack of courtesy today, since I know full well that the young are every bit as capable of being thoughtful and considerate as anyone else)

Older passengers still perhaps carry a mental image of the halcyon days of railways, when they were run solely as a public service, with cheerful porters on every platform to carry their luggage and help them on and off the train.

Both can easily be allayed by the adoption of clear and correct signage on the platforms.

"Please help by pulling the doord firmly closed behind you", for instance.

As the moment to the best of my knowledge the signs mostly say something along the lines of "Train doors will be closed 30 seconds before departure"

- the "will be" in itself suggests that someone else will be doing the slamming, not you, the paying customer.

[Btline]

!

Malvern Bound Train
*This train took 5+ mins to despatch. Timetabled 2-3 mins.
*To be fair, someone alighted just as the guard was about to lock up. He slammed the door- pretty hard (it seemed to me). However, it was not shut properly. The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) guard shouted (he was stressed!) and a LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) despatch staff ran up and kicked the door shut. The point is- the doors seem to be pretty hard to slam, especially for people used to automatic doors! This wastes time.
*The LM staff took along time as well.
*The train arrived late. It left later.
*The driver did not "rev" the engine fully until the rear car had passed the station. Are not the drivers allowed to rev fully when in a delay?[color]

Was the signal on? this signal can sometimes take awhile to come off!

No real point in selecting full power ( although most of us do) the gradient runs slightly downwards and trains soon reach the 40mph linespeed here.

I could not see the signal. But the signal is quite some yards away from the platform, so the train would have left anyway!

I would have thought seconds count!

[Btline]

why does he have to walk up and down slamming doors?....because the alighting passengers are incapable of performing such a task i suppose

In defence of the humble passenger, I suspect there's two subtle elements at play here.

Younger passengers are largely used to travelling on trains with automatic, electric doors, and don't think to slam the doors on older stock behind them. (I am being careful not to generalise here and bemoan the lack of courtesy today, since I know full well that the young are every bit as capable of being thoughtful and considerate as anyone else)

Older passengers still perhaps carry a mental image of the halcyon days of railways, when they were run solely as a public service, with cheerful porters on every platform to carry their luggage and help them on and off the train.

Both can easily be allayed by the adoption of clear and correct signage on the platforms.

"Please help by pulling the doord firmly closed behind you", for instance.

As the moment to the best of my knowledge the signs mostly say something along the lines of "Train doors will be closed 30 seconds before departure"

- the "will be" in itself suggests that someone else will be doing the slamming, not you, the paying customer.

I think your right! But also- a few announcements on the platform and onboard (for the first few months) would help as well.

But I thought the doors looked pretty hard to slam (the e.g. of that man that jumped off).

[Steve44]

In their Defence, there are quite a few Posters displayed at stations such as Charlbury pointing out that HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are now being used and to improve punctuallity could customers please slam the doors behind them.

[Chris from Nailsea]

However, the pre-occupied / stereo-headphone listening / chatting on mobile - type passengers who do not hear, heed or act on the T/M's repeated requests to 'close the door after them', are unlikely to read such posters either! 

I tend to make a point of closing doors, where appropriate, at Nailsea - with suitably frosty looks at those who've alighted without doing so!

<(-_-)>

[Conner]

Younger passengers are largely used to travelling on trains with automatic, electric doors, and don't think to slam the doors on older stock behind them. (I am being careful not to generalise here and bemoan the lack of courtesy today, since I know full well that the young are every bit as capable of being thoughtful and considerate as anyone else)

From my experiences in Cornwall younger people are much better at closing the slam doors as those are on the trains they prefer to travel on. It is the 20/30 year old people who mainly don't close them but teenagers do.

[devon_metro]

I always close a slammed door if it is open and have once been at an end of the train and closed a door for the guard as he was in the TGS.