Should there be more onboard staff on Thames Valley locals?

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

What a ridiculous comment

That's nothing TG. You should see the name calling and questioning of my manhood that devonexpress wrote in a PM to me. Hilarious. 

[Timmer]

Oh dear bit of a problem here that needn’t be. This is a friendly forum where we all get on even when we don’t always agree with each other.

devonexpress, bignosemac has been a part of this forum for many years, some as a moderator, so is well known to many. He has his viewpoints, sense of humour and is knowledgeable. Just what we want to see here.

Please try not to be offended when being a part of a forum and don’t take everything that gets written personally. Believe me this is a friendly place compared to some forums out there.

I don’t know the contents of PMs between the two of you. Please sort it out between yourselves and start again. Thanks.

[CMRail]

I also disagree with many points which people make in this forum, however I do not see the need for an argument to get to such extent that name calling is happening and an argument occurs every post. I joined this forum as it came across more friendly and a “community spirit” as such appealed over other forums based on more facts.

[devonexpress]

Oh dear bit of a problem here that needn’t be. This is a friendly forum where we all get on even when we don’t always agree with each other.

devonexpress, bignosemac has been a part of this forum for many years, some as a moderator, so is well known to many. He has his viewpoints, sense of humour and is knowledgeable. Just what we want to see here.

Please try not to be offended when being a part of a forum and don’t take everything that gets written personally. Believe me this is a friendly place compared to some forums out there.

I don’t know the contents of PMs between the two of you. Please sort it out between yourselves and start again. Thanks.

Let me get this blinking well clear, I did not say anything about his manhood, I said he was a bully, and a spoilt brat. I don't give a damn how long he's been on the forum, hes rude, arrogant and insulting.  He accused me of being disabled following a typo error, and then turned it around on me when I questioned him on it.   Im not the first one he's done it too i've had several people privately message me about him and his attitude, some have permanently left the forum purely because of him.   I've been a member of this form myself for 2 year with 0 trouble.   But let me get this clear If he messages me, replies to any post of mine on this forum again, I will be have no choice but to walk.    I've already told him of my circumstances in relation to a bereavement, he had show 0 sympathy or compassion and continues to bully me!!!!!

[grahame]

I also disagree with many points which people make in this forum, however I do not see the need for an argument to get to such extent that name calling is happening and an argument occurs every post.

Totally with you on that, CharlieGCR.

A new day has started ... let's see if we can spend it without anyone lowering themselves to personal attacks.

I joined this forum as it came across more friendly and a “community spirit” as such appealed over other forums based on more facts.

That is exactly the intent - and it's heartbreaking for the admin and moderator team when it doesn't work out. And frustrating when members concerned don't accept the requests to "please move on".

A new day - a new leaf, please. 

[JayMac]

I can't move on while the misinformation in post #18 is allowed to stand unchallenged.

No accusations of being disabled have been made to anyone. Where exactly did I make such an accusation? I asked by PM (in reply to an intemperate message) if the typos were a result of disability. If they were I said I'd consider an apology. Look at the context in which I highlighted the typos though. Following a post where those in disagreement with devonexpress were labelled "uneducated". I found the pretence amusing. devonexpress attributed the typos to tiredness. Not yet a disability as far as I'm aware.

Questioning the size of one's testicles ("grow a pair" as written in the PM) - part of one's manhood surely?

The name calling has now occurred in public. In private I was happy to laugh it off. I won't stand for it in public. As such abuse is now public I'm left with no choice but to forward the PM to the admins.

Unsure about the 'bereavement' comment. It was mentioned in passing. General sympathies to anyone who has lost a close relative in recent months. Can't really offer more to someone I know nothing about. No mention of it in the PM or my reply.

Robust, forthright debate with a difference of opinion on a range of points. Cut and thrust. Good clean fun. If that's bullying, harassment and being a spoilt brat with no testicles then heaven help us. If its a little too much cut and thrust for your tastes then report it. Don't resort to name calling and baseless accusations.


Oh dear. I think I've replied...

[grahame]

I can't move on while the misinformation in post #18 is allowed to stand unchallenged. ..

Oh dear. I think I've replied ...

It was probably too much for me to ask.

I thank you for the copies of the a personal message or two showing the flavour of what's been going on and has spilled out into public.

I'm reminded of the saying "It takes two to tango" although the two are not necessarily equal partners in the dance, and indeed the first can be proactive against a resisting and unfaultable second.

I wake this morning to ask myself the question "what am I supposed to do".  But perhaps the question has been answered for me already.

I've been a member of this form myself for 2 year with 0 trouble.   But let me get this clear If he messages me, replies to any post of mine on this forum again, I will be have no choice but to walk.

Always sad to see a member leave. As put that has a finality, and is a decision that devonexpress is perfectly able to make outwith any inputs from elsewhere.  I hate the finality; we all say things and make decisions - especially at times of tension.  So I am locking the account for a period for everyone to reflect on.


I don't know what I'm going to do further - what's in place may be interim and no criticism or judgement of any party should be read from it.   It gives me and the moderator team time to think on  a permanent route forward.  I am now - headed to write what I'll be saying at today's event - to be long remembered after the name calling that's been going on has been forgotten.

[Marlburian]

As a frequent user of the Reading-Didcot stopping services in both directions, I seldom see any on-board staff in addition to the driver. Ironically on several occasions I've seen one coming towards me when I'm positioned by the door as the train is slowing down for Tilehurst and panicked just a little as I've tried to remember where my ticket is - and hoped that I'm not going to be asked for my Senior Railcard, which is usually buried at the bottom of a small bag in a wallet with other cards.

About 30 months ago, I WAS asked for the Railcard, which turned out to be 12 days out of date. (I'm told that on the on-line application form one can tick a box asking to be reminded just before it expires, which I can't have done.) The guard was courteous and merely charged me the balance of an off-peak fare between Tilehurst and Goring. Just as well for him: four months later he was trapped inside a first-class compartment, being unable to get the doors to open; he signalled to me, and I managed to open them.

I can recall few problems during the day, though then the trains - especially those of eight carriages - can have only a few passengers scattered around so one can feel isolated. Once I saw a guard ask a yoof to take his feet off the seat, which he was reluctant to do and had to be asked again - a couple of us congratulated the guard. And a few years ago three yoofs were smoking when the guard came along and asked for tickets; they didn't have any but paid up. But he said nothing about the smoking, though his pink face and strained expression suggested he didn't like it.

Marlburian

[Trowres]

I am thoroughly disappointed that this thread, which started with a reasonable question, has descended into something comparable with national political discourse.

I would like to draw attention (again) to the incident at North Pole
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=22532.0

and particularly the RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) remark:

This incident demonstrates the importance of... effectively supporting the drivers of trains involved in stranding incidents, minimising the time needed to explain things to control centre staff, so that the driver can focus on their passengers and fault finding where practicable (see recommendation 1 of RAIB report 16/2018)

[Marlburian]

Tomorrow a friend is coming off-peak from St Albans to visit me in Tilehurst. I was quite impressed to see that by catching certain trains from Paddington she can be at Tilehurst Station in 37 minutes, with a reasonable seven minutes to change at Reading. It remains to be seen whether we shall have more slightly fraught occasions, as in the past, when the Paddington train hesitates as it approaches Reading, and whether there will be slight delays in the Tilehurst train leaving, so a freight train can have precedence. This last has sometimes worked in our favour when, in theory, friends have only a couple of minutes to change at Reading.

(My advice has always been to take the first fast train from Paddington and get to Reading, where nowadays there are sufficient shops and clean toilets where one can kill 10 or 15 minutes.)

Marlburian

[Celestial]

and hoped that I'm not going to be asked for my Senior Railcard, which is usually buried at the bottom of a small bag in a wallet with other cards.

About 30 months ago, I WAS asked for the Railcard, which turned out to be 12 days out of date.

Always good practise to have both ticket and railcard to hand and not buried away.  Apart from the fact that it might have reminded you that the railcard had expired, if onboard staff had to wait for ages whilst everyone rummaged for their travel documents, it would slow down the ticket checking process somewhat.

[Marlburian]

Point taken, but my ticket is inspected only on about six per cent of my journeys and I'm only asked for my Railcard on about five per cent of those occasions!

I have to confess that I'm one of those who's clumsy with cards, and when I buy a ticket have trouble juggling the tickets, loose change or debit card and Railcard and putting them in safe places.

I have a very vague idea that the ticket inspection that caught me out was made just three years after the introduction of a three-year Railcard and guards were conscious that those of other silly old fools venerable Senior Citizens may have lapsed without their owners being aware.

Marlburian

[IndustryInsider]

A lot of the ticket examiners are based at Oxford and in recent years have had additional duties such as queue busting at Charlbury, selling tickets at Oxford gateline, and now staffing the new ticket facility at Hanborough.  Much less coverage is the result between Didcot and Reading meaning anyone travelling between Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring and Cholsey stations may well get away without buying a ticket.

[Marlburian]

After posting at 1134 this morning and logging off, I then wondered about the arithmetic of 5% of 6% of my journeys. It might have been better for me to have recalled the last time I was asked on a train for my Senior Railcard. After some head-scratching, I think that was 30 months ago, when it was out of date! Perhaps I might be forgiven, then, for not always bothering to have it to hand?

Until this year I had a small black card wallet that always got lost among all the other black objects in bag. The good news is that now I've a red card wallet that is more visible and so more quickly produced.

Marlburian