Great Western Coffee Shop

This drives me scatty every day. This is a five carriage train that divides into a 2-3 configuration at BRI.  Standing at FIT, the announcement tells you to be careful to be in the correct carriages

Sadly, it announces that to continue on after BRI, you need to be in the front there carriages and that therear two terminate at temple meads.

As at least a few people discover every day, it seems,  this is only true from the perspective of standing on the platform at temple meads where the train reverses

It is a small amount of chaos in the bigger scheme of things, but is it just a bug in this specific announcement or does the announcement software generally only know that it will eventually divide in a particular way?

No, this also happens at Paignton - Exeter St Thomas inclusive when a train divides at St David's.  The CIS states front 2 if travelling to Exeter Central and beyond, but you need to be in the rear 2.

Auto CIS, and some passengers, cannot handle trains that reverse en route and divide at that point.
Mind you some passengers cannot handle what is the front and rear of a train even when its moving.

I saw a few passengers struggling to count this morning. Sadly, I fear they still ended up in the wrong carriage.

I figured it was an automation issue. Regular users probably not affected but it clearly causes some confusion

Someone in GW's employ knows how to produce announcements that cover reversals adequately, because at Reading they routinely refer to the position of First Class in terms of its position in the XC trains on arrival and on departure; e.g. "First is in the front carriage of this 5 car train on arrival and will be in the rear carriage on departure..."

ISTM that the problem on approach to Bristol TM could be solved if they wanted to, perhaps they don't get told...

Paul

For newcomers to a station, "First Class accommodation is at the front of the train" beggars the question "so which way will the front be?"; for a train reversing and dividing on route, it gets all the more interesting

With modern technology, should it not be possible for an announcement to be made in the carriages about to be detached as the service runs down Filton Bank to the effect of "please move back down the train if you're travelling beyond Bristol Temple Meads as this carriage will be detached there".    Of course, that's just a temporary fix as once we have 165s and 166s there won't be a through corridor (problem if there's a 150/1 in the formation even today).  How about designation displays like you have on Pendelinos?

I'm happy to let them know - but not got much faith in the default comment box on their website

An elderly gentleman on a train about to depart from Paddington once asked me which way we'd be going, as he liked to travel 'with his back to the engine'. I pointed westward, and said that I sincerely hoped we'd be going that way. :)

I can't recall ever being seated in an HST without my back to an engine ...  ;D

Ahhh so *you* were the one who got a seat  ;D

Quite so, but there are times when it's best to follow Elsa's advice...

My parents have been visiting me in Reading from France for years now and we found ourselves on a train at Paddington very often. If I had a fiver for every time they have asked me which way the train was going to go... And every time my response is: if the train goes that way (pointing to the station direction) we need to jump out!
It always amuses me how unobservant and illogical some people can be  :D

Reminds me of the 80's sitcom "To the Manor Born" where Penelope Keith is sampling the delights of her local line, and says that she travels with her back to the engine.  To which the guard replies
"That'll be quite a sight - the engine's under the floor."

Here you go, courtesy of YouTube:

https://youtu.be/YJVfDScIS-o

Incidentally, her Ladyship is wanting to go to Taunton in that clip. The lady has taste.

And, without recourse to Google, would anyone care to guess where the exterior station scenes (later in same part of episode on YouTube, around 01:54) were filmed?

Maiden Newton

I have taken quite a few trains from Temple Meads lately, some of which have reversed direction there. For the HSTs, the announcement has been that "First Class will be at the rear as the train arrives at the station" Plain enough for me, but by no means for everybody. You can always tell forum members. They are the ones who always end up standing exactly where the door to what will be the least busy carriage will stop, and sit facing the way they want, on the right part of the right train with a smug grin on their faces.

I make no apology!

Correct!

Pedant alert:

Maiden Newton does not appear anywhere on any reasonable rail journey between Cricket St Thomas and Taunton.

End pedant alert.

 ;) :D ;D