Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Answer on the showers situation from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Facebook:

I have been advised that the showers on Platform 12 are now in use. There were unfortunately issues with bringing them into use and I am glad to say that has now been resolved.

The facilities on Platform 1 will eventually close fully as part of the CrossRail development.

The platform 12 facilities do have the benefit in that they are step free.

Hope this helps.

-Ollie

Thanks Ollie. Ever dependable, ever reliable. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

What's MITIE?  I can't find it in abbs.

Google says it's Management Incentive Through Investment Equity - some fancy recruitment agency.

It's been raised before, too, at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=11165.msg116553#msg116553 

[swrural]

What's MITIE?  I can't find it in abbs.

Google says it's Management Incentive Through Investment Equity - some fancy recruitment agency.

Um I did refer in my post to ...contractors, MITIE.

That's the name of a company that provide cleaning services for many stations and train operators. When I Google MITIE the first hit is the company concerned. Did you miss that? The only way I then find what MITIE stands for is after reading the Wikipedia entry for the company. They are quite clearly not 'some fancy recruitment agency' and I think, swrural, you are being just a little mischievous in questioning this name.

The reason you can't find it in the acronyms/abbreviations list is because it doesn't need to be there. That is list for predominantly rail related terminology, with some internet terminology/slang thrown in. Had I been talking about ICI, the RAC, IBM, Amstrad et seq. ad inifinitum I would equally not consider adding those to the list.

I see no need for a company name to be explained further or added to the forum list of acronyms/abbreviations.

And no, I won't be explaining the Latin either.

No I got the recruitment people/

How would one know it was not rail-related, especially as it is apparently?

Why is then is FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in abbs for example, and MITIE not (searching for logic here with the excuse it was the mods who got all keen about this nonsense, not I)?

[Pb_devon]

Mitie is not an abbreviation!  It's the full name of a Company.

[swrural]

Ah, that explains it!  It was written in full capitals in BNM's post.  Mind you, Google doesn't know capitals......

It probably shews I don't go near Paddington nowadays as I'll bet their name is plastered all over their high viz jackets or somesuch, so frequent pax will doubtless be familiar with them.

- whereas I in my SWT^▸ (South West Trains) cocoon.....

The most important point from BNM's Sleeper review still stands.  The web site is uninformative or misleading and unconnected.   

[ChrisB]

Network Rail Paddington tweeted last night

London Paddington (@NetworkRailPAD)
30/04/2013 19:02
Fancy a shower when you are at Paddington? We have 24hr shower facilities available on platform 12.

Mind you, seems they cater for extra-terrestrials too....see attachment!

[thetrout]

EXTERMINATE!!!!!!!

That ever so slightly resembles a Darlik!

I can't decide if that is a minor photoshop on your part ChrisB or someone at Paddington has drawn that white line there...

[Chris from Nailsea]

That ever so slightly resembles a Darlik!

It more closely resembles a Dalek - and there's no need to SHOUT on the forum. 

[Network SouthEast]

An update from me. It seems that main concourse at Paddington is cleaned by staff from Initial!

I bet that in addition to MITIE, Interserve and Initial there are probably a few other cleaning contractors used by maybe LUL^▸ (London Underground Ltd) and the retail units - it might be possible that every large company offering cleaning services has a presence at Paddington.

[swrural]

If Mitie is someone's name, as BNM informed us, why is it spelt with capital letters?  Incidentally, I have to warn that London Underground Limited is best not abbreviated to initials when in the company of the Dutch.

It means to them 'prick' in the sense that one would wish to avoid.  Worse still, it is used as the word c**t when yelling in road rage at another motorist, for example, so a much stronger profanity. 

I start every time I come across it.  Perhaps LU would be better.

[ellendune]

If Mitie is someone's name, as BNM informed us, why is it spelt with capital letters? 

BNM did not say it was a persons name.  It is the name of the company. http://www.mitie.com/. The company always presents the word in capitals in their branding.

Google says it's Management Incentive Through Investment Equity.

Their website http://http://www.mitie.com/about-us/our-history confirms what swrural reported to us previously, but that is not the official name of the company, which is just the five letters.

They are one of the largest outsourcing companies and you see their name come up in all sorts of contexts and the rail sector is only a very small part of their work.

There work is very diverse, but Recruitment is not something on the list of services on their website.

[JayMac]

Re:



I was at London Victoria earlier today. This is a doctored (ahem) image of the entrance to the main toilet facilities. The right hand 'showers' pictogram has been photoshopped for comic affect. The picture is also dated as there are no longer showers at VIC. The right hand side now shows a pictogram for 'baby changing facilities'.

[JayMac]

The Night Riviera sleeper service between Paddington and the West Country is celebrating it's 30th anniversary tonight.

Sleeper services on this route have been running since 1877, but the service was relaunched with Mk3 rolling stock on 11th July 1983.

Bubbly and cupcakes are being served to customers on the up and down services tonight.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have posted about the anniversary on their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151500307111806&set=a.10150211411466806.312373.345127331805&type=1&theater

[Electric train]

    That makes me feel very very ............... errrr very old

When I worked at Padd ODM one morning I was given a job sheet by the chargehand to set up all the temporary lighting and supplies for a exhibition on "The Lawn"

Took the best part of a week to wire it all up, had to set up all the stage flood lights and controls for the catwalk, help the contractors set all the sound system up.

I got the job because I was the only electrician train on the "new" hydraulic accesses they are as common as anything nowadays but then they were very novel its main purpose was to service all the 1000W lights on the station and all the 8' florescent fittings on the Lawn

I recall some manager had a bight idea to cover the lawn with grass then thought through the practicalities of that and then looked at astroturf until they found out how much it would cost.  There were hired in palm trees tents, I think there was even some sand

Me at the tradesmans mate who worked on the job got free tickets to the event and some nice BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) bubbly and nibbles ......................... then the next day break it all down

[bobm]

Won't be popular tonight - Sunday is usually pretty busy - hopefully the regulars are on holiday....

21:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:10

Additional Facilities Information:
Owing to a train fault this service will be formed of a High Speed Train set of carriages. It is regretted that 'Sleeper' berths will not be available.
This is due to a train fault.

(A shame the template they have to use for the website only includes "Additional Facilities")   

I assume there will be an empty stock working at some point tomorrow to get one set back to London.  57603 "Tintagel Castle" should be involved at some point - saw it in the sidings at Long Rock on Saturday night with the ill-fated rake of sleeper coaches.