Safe use of stations

[whole diary]

[Western Pathfinder]

It's that time of year again ! Schools on holidays and lots more youngsters out and about,just yesterday at Pilning whilst waiting for the after noon service to arrive I had to have a word about safe usage of  the platform with a father and his son who had gone off the end,and were sitting by the track !
When I asked them politely to come back from the trackside I got the reply,Who are you then the Railway police,having introduced myself and offered to ring the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) and provide photographs they saw my point and came back onto the platform.
And now today this !
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-wiltshire-44916009?__twitter_impression=true.

[grahame]

It's that time of year again ! Schools on holidays and lots more youngsters out and about,just yesterday at Pilning whilst waiting for the after noon service to arrive I had to have a word about safe usage of  the platform with a father and his son who had gone off the end,and were sitting by the track !
When I asked them politely to come back from the trackside I got the reply,Who are you then the Railway police,having introduced myself and offered to ring the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) and provide photographs they saw my point and came back onto the platform.
And now today this !
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-wiltshire-44916009?__twitter_impression=true.

In many ways I regret the passing of platform end slopes ... but will admit to being happy that the lengthening at Melksham has replaced a slope by a butt end.  Hopefully next time a steam special comes we won't have people who "know what I am doing" even if it's risky and a bad example, or wandering down trackside with grandson in arms to give him a better view.  It was only a 153 that came in just after I had persuaded Granny back off the track edge and up on the platform, but I suspect it would have done as much damage as that 1000 ton freight train that Tim Brown talked about to the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).

Trowbridge doesn't normally have expess passenger trains passing through.   Yesterday it was part of the main line from the South West to London, and goodness knows how many 125s, not shown on the boards, were whizzing through.

[Jason]

I saw some muppet at my local station last week who had the back wheel of his bike hanging over the platform edge so he could rest the pedal on the platform edge and straighten his handlebars with his back to the track.

[Western Pathfinder]

The story with regard to Trowbridge goes on its now an item on this lunchtimes BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West,be interesting to see how it comes over !.

[rogerw]

The father is still claiming it was perfectly safe.  It will be interesting to see what line BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) (or even social services) take on this.  I will not express my views on the father's attitude 

[broadgage]

This was on the evening TV news, and the general tone of the reporting was critical of the owner of the child.
A very sensible railway manager pointed out the dangers of freight trains and non stop passenger trains, neither of which of course are shown on the departure indicator.

[grahame]

A very sensible railway manager pointed out the dangers of freight trains and non stop passenger trains...

And a chap from Network Rail said that trains go through at up to 125 m.p.h.    Err - Trowbridge - don't think so, but then Network Rail apply a 60% optimism factor to anything.

Having pulled NR^» (Network Rail - home page) up from that silliness, a 153 at 30 m.p.h. would leave the child in pieces.

[Phantom]

The father is still claiming it was perfectly safe.  It will be interesting to see what line BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) (or even social services) take on this.  I will not express my views on the father's attitude 

BTP have just released a "tweet" saying:

"We're investigating the circumstances around photo which appeared on social media showing a child in a dangerous position at Trowbridge station.
In relation to this matter, a man has been interviewed under caution. Our enquiries continue"

[Timmer]

And a chap from Network Rail said that trains go through at up to 125 m.p.h.    Err - Trowbridge - don't think so, but then Network Rail apply a 60% optimism factor to anything.

Having pulled NR^» (Network Rail - home page) up from that silliness, a 153 at 30 m.p.h. would leave the child in pieces.

It's those two golden words 'up to' that allow so much room for exaggeration in so many walks of life; especially in marketing! That and the word 'from'.

[WelshBluebird]

Having pulled NR^» (Network Rail - home page) up from that silliness, a 153 at 30 m.p.h. would leave the child in pieces.

Indeed. There was an incident a few years ago at the station near my old secondary school where a child died after being hit in the head by a train that was stopping at the station. Just shows the speed doesn't have to be high for an incident to be fatal.

[Bmblbzzz]

But 30mph doesn't sound very scary. Hence "up to 125mph" to achieve the desired effect.

[grahame]

But 30mph doesn't sound very scary. Hence "up to 125mph" to achieve the desired effect.

Much better to quote "express trains not shown on the departure boards at up to 80 mph" - just as much an alert  125 mph, and at present the truth, or very close to it.

[Clan Line]

Isn't the actual speed limit though Trowbridge 55mph ? Still quite nippy !

[grahame]

Isn't the actual speed limit though Trowbridge 55mph ? Still quite nippy !

Probably ... I was still wrong, but not quite so absurdly so!

[Adelante_CCT]

50mph according the sectional appendix, though that's purely through the station, it's 60/70 either side