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Great Western Coffee Shop > Journey by Journey > Bristol (WECA) Commuters > Missing platform 14
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Author Topic: Missing platform 14  (Read 12878 times)
grahame
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« on: January 22, 2016, 18:56:54 »
Quote
People who travel to Bristol Temple Meads by train will be familiar that there is no platform 14.

Commuters will have noticed the numbers go from 1 to 13 and 15, so what is this mystery all about? The city's news title the Bristol Post - our sister newspaper - has been finding out.

Read more: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/platform-14-Bristol-Temple-Meads/story-28584518-detail/story.html

So where is platform 2  Grin
« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 00:42:02 by grahame » Logged
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« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2016, 19:01:09 »
The old Motorail platform west of the station past the bike racks. DMUs▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) often stable there when not in use.
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bobm
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« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2016, 19:42:54 »
Must be something about platform 2s. The one at Plymouth isn't used for passenger services (nor platform 1).

How often is platform 2 used at Exeter St David's?
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SandTEngineer
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« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2016, 22:06:26 »
Quote from: bobm on January 22, 2016, 19:42:54
Must be something about platform 2s. The one at Plymouth isn't used for passenger services (nor platform 1).

How often is platform 2 used at Exeter St David's?
Ah but......if the Plymouth and Cornwall resignalling goes ahead it is proposed to bring Platform No.2 at Plymouth back into operational passenger use (its a siding at the moment; previously used for Royal Mail services) Wink
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plymothian
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« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2016, 02:42:36 »
EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) platform 2 generally has 2 departures (Barnstaple and Bristol TM▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context)) and 1 arrival.
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« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2016, 07:55:06 »
Nothing new in passenger stations having platforms numbered that are not for public use, Paddington's platform 12 was for parcels use only not being brought into passenger use until the late 1990's

There are many examples on the Southern where fast line platforms that were 1 & 2 have been demolished however passengers still use platforms 3 & 4
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Red Squirrel
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« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2016, 21:35:14 »
Quote from: grahame on January 22, 2016, 18:56:54
Quote
People who travel to Bristol Temple Meads by train will be familiar that there is no platform 14.

Commuters will have noticed the numbers go from 1 to 13 and 15, so what is this mystery all about? The city's news title the Bristol Post - our sister newspaper - has been finding out.

Read more: http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/platform-14-Bristol-Temple-Meads/story-28584518-detail/story.html

So where is platform 2  Grin

The Bath Chronicle seems to have got itself confused. Yes, a Platform 14 at Temple Meads disappeared in the sixties, but at the same time the platform numbers were reversed - so the current Platform 15 was the old Platform 1, etc. This means we're still no closer to understanding why the old Platform 2 became the new Platform 13 - maybe someone was superstitious about the number 14?

Edit: Fixed quote tags
« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 09:31:22 by Red Squirrel » Logged
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« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2016, 21:59:21 »
It was to have the east end of Temple Meads as having odd numbered platforms only. 13 and 15 were not long enough to be split in two like platforms 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12. 13 and 15 are regarded as east end platforms. Even numbered platforms are regarded as west end.

With 13 being east bound only it made sense for it, and 15 (predominantly used for east bound London services), both too short to be split, to conform to a numbering system that kept one end of the station odd and the other even.

That's the explanation given to me by a DSM who showed me the ropes when I did some agency Customer Service work for FGW▸ (First Great Western) at Bristol TM▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context). Confirmed in a chat with a signaller on Bristol Panel.
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paul7575
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« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2016, 00:22:08 »
The simpler explanation is that all the other railway regions got together and decided that 13 might be an unlucky number, so the Western Region had to come up with something different...

Paul
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« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2016, 00:25:26 »
Now that is a brilliant reason! 

Grin Grin Grin
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grahame
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« Reply #10 on: January 25, 2016, 00:40:57 »
Quote from: paul7755 on January 25, 2016, 00:22:08
The simpler explanation is that all the other railway regions got together and decided that 13 might be an unlucky number, so the Western Region had to come up with something different...

Paul


I thought most stations didn't have a 13 because the hadn't used up the lower numbers  Cheesy
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« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2016, 10:01:08 »
Quote from: plymothian on January 23, 2016, 02:42:36
EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) platform 2 generally has 2 departures (Barnstaple and Bristol TM▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context)) and 1 arrival.

13 00 Cardiff to Exeter and 13 19 ex Bristol TM arrive there.
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Rhydgaled
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« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2016, 10:49:06 »
On the subject of missing platforms, why is platform 5 missing at Cardiff Central? I believe the missing platform was between the current platforms 3 and 4, so surely the current platform 4 should really be platform 5 and platform 4 should be the missing one?
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ellendune
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« Reply #13 on: January 27, 2016, 19:26:50 »
The listed? tiles in the underpass presumably make it even more difficult to renumber platforms
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« Reply #14 on: January 27, 2016, 19:52:58 »
Quote from: ellendune on January 27, 2016, 19:26:50
The listed? tiles in the underpass presumably make it even more difficult to renumber platforms
Yes, that's why Cardiff has a platform 0, but they don't effect whether 3, 4 or 5 is the missing one as the same set of steps is marked platforms 3, 4 & 5.
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Don't DOO▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) it, keep the guard (but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea if the driver unlocked the doors on arrival at calling points).
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