Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 10:55 29 Mar 2024
* Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
- Easter getaway begins with flood alerts in place
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester
10:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:29 Newbury to Bedwyn
11:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:52 Bedwyn to Newbury
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
Delayed
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:15 Penzance to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
10:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 11:15:00 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[132] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[56] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[52] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[51] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[46] Return of the BRUTE?
[32] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
Author Topic: Safe use of stations  (Read 14978 times)
Western Pathfinder
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1528



View Profile
« on: July 22, 2018, 13:45:01 »

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.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2018, 20:03:32 »

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.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Jason
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 543


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2018, 11:03:30 »

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.
Logged
Western Pathfinder
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1528



View Profile
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2018, 13:06:24 »

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 !.
Logged
rogerw
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1336



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2018, 16:05:23 »

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  Shocked Roll Eyes
Logged

I like to travel.  It lets me feel I'm getting somewhere.
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2018, 18:55:36 »

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.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2018, 19:49:52 »

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.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Phantom
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 484



View Profile
« Reply #7 on: July 24, 2018, 13:57:00 »

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  Shocked Roll Eyes

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"
Logged
Timmer
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6293


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: July 24, 2018, 14:00:06 »

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'.
Logged
WelshBluebird
Transport Scholar
Sr. Member
******
Posts: 158


View Profile Email
« Reply #9 on: July 24, 2018, 15:45:15 »

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.
Logged
Bmblbzzz
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4256


View Profile
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2018, 18:53:21 »

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

Waiting at Pilning for the midnight sleeper to Prague.
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #11 on: July 24, 2018, 19:23:31 »

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.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Clan Line
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 858



View Profile
« Reply #12 on: July 24, 2018, 20:06:42 »

Isn't the actual speed limit though Trowbridge 55mph ? Still quite nippy !
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #13 on: July 24, 2018, 20:27:23 »

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

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

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Adelante_CCT
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1314



View Profile
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2018, 20:33:34 »

50mph according the sectional appendix, though that's purely through the station, it's 60/70 either side
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page