Dilton Marsh - services and improvements (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[rogerw]

The problem in my view is that Dilton Marsh stops have to use the front door.  On SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) trains the front door is locked out of passenger use (presumably a union requirement as no other TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) does this with 158s).  There would be two solutions to this. Allow the front door to be used under the supervision of a staff member - Andy Mellors told me last year that this was under investigation. Or, NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to erect stops boards at a suitable location for the rear door of the front coach to be opened - this might confuse passengers but they would soon get used to it especially if on board announcements were made.

[RA]

Using the front door only on a SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) 158/159 at a station such as Dilton Marsh isn't a problem. FGW^▸ (First Great Western)/GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) hired in SWT^▸ (South West Trains)/SWR 158 and 159 units and used them like this daily on services that called at Dilton Marsh.

In the passenger saloon, there is a hole for the guard to insert their 'T-key' in above the leading sliding vestibule doors (the ones which are automatically closed and unavailable when the driver has the driving desk in use). Turning the 'T-key' in this switch causes the vestibule sliding doors to open temporarily to allow access to the front vestibule. There is no risk of becoming trapped in the front vestibule because the open button for the sliding doors to return to the saloon remains operative at all times, even when the driving desk is in use.

As the guard is required to operate the local door at Dilton Marsh, this method of operation doesn't prevent a SWR service from calling there as they would have to be at the front of the train anyway.

[RA]

Further to the above, when the driving desk is in use, this automatically renders the leading vestibule sliding door open button inoperative on the passenger saloon side only. The button on the vestibule side remains operative at all times to prevent anybody from becoming trapped in the leading vestibule. With regards to the exterior doors, it is only the external door open button on the leading set of doors that is rendered inoperative. If the train doors have been released, the internal open button will still work. The door control panels, unlocked and used by the guard to release and close the external doors, remain operational at all the doors including the leading ones.

[grahame]

Excellent background information [the possibilities] thank you.

"They've built what is virtually a new station at Dilton Marsh in the midst of an area that has been rapidly developing but aren't stopping trains there when they're needed" - comment from a perceptive resident ...

[rogerw]

I am aware what is possible in theory but I suspect that this is a union issue inherited from SWT^▸ (South West Trains)

[paul7575]

The 159s date from BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days, and the original explanation I heard some years ago for the front door “cut out” was supposed to be that the drivers wanted a safe means of egress to the trackside when using lineside telephones away from stations, without having to clear the area of passengers first.  This was considered particularly important in the four track electrified area between Basingstoke and Waterloo.

I think the same feature was provided in the 442s originally, but never seemed to get the same criticism, presumably because their was nothing to directly compare them with.  (Don’t know if the reactivated 442s still have it.)

Paul

[RA]

I am aware what is possible in theory but I suspect that this is a union issue inherited from SWT^▸ (South West Trains)

Nothing to do with unions and not sure where that has come from. Neither ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) or RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) have any policy stating that a train can't stop at a station with a platform shorter than the train. Last year, the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) 'Summer Saturday' services between Yeovil and Weymouth called at Thornford and Chetnole, both stations having platforms shorter than the length of the train.

[Timmer]

Anyone aware of the reason two SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) trains are shown as calling at Dilton Marsh on Saturday 7th of September?
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/DMH/2019/09/07/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=SW

[grahame]

Trains running through Dilton Marsh are significantly changed due to a landslip blocking the line further south. Local trains that would normally call at Dilton Marsh have for the most part been withdrawn south of Westbury. Additional calls have been inserted into the hourly Cardiff to Salisbury (at present) service at times near to the times that services usually call. The timetabling has been completed over the last 24 hours; timetabling systems are just starting to reflect the changes. The following appear accurate already:

http://www.mrug.org.uk/dmh.html


http://iris2.rail.co.uk/tiger/rendercis.asp?file=305085.xml


"Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 31/03/20" say GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on their JourneyCheck application.  I would suggest that is no more than an informed best estimate of the line reopening at present.

I have been in touch with GWR to highlight the severe effect on Dilton Marsh of the current service changes that had to be planned; they have been landed with a lot of replanning at short notice, and the bigger passenger flows inevitably were dealt with as a priority.  Good to see they have moved on to other effects such as Dilton Marsh and are providing alternative services there too. I should receive updates in due course - please revisit this page from time to time or follow @CoffeeShopCRP on Facebook ; the data will (of course) also be on GWR feeds but may feel drowned out on their feeds which cover the whole of their network.