Over the last week or so I've noticed that the DLR now has internal
displays and sometimes corresponding announcements about what the next
station is.

Previously, there was only the fixed destination that the staff
programmed in, if they remembered.

For such a computerised railway, it's surprising that it's taken this
long to automate the information. Does it use GPS, or do they
necessarily know where they are anyway?

In message . com, MIG
writes

Over the last week or so I've noticed that the DLR now has internal
displays and sometimes corresponding announcements about what the next
station is.

Its been happening over quite a long period, as and when older cars get
refurbished. The refurbishment programme is due to be finished in the
autumn, as I recall. They're also installing CCTV (with recorders) in
all the refurbished cars.

For such a computerised railway, it's surprising that it's taken this
long to automate the information. Does it use GPS, or do they
necessarily know where they are anyway?

I imagine that the information comes from the ATC system, but I don't
know for sure.

--
Paul Terry

Paul Terry wrote:
In message . com, MIG
writes

Over the last week or so I've noticed that the DLR now has internal
displays and sometimes corresponding announcements about what the next
station is.

Its been happening over quite a long period, as and when older cars get
refurbished. The refurbishment programme is due to be finished in the
autumn, as I recall. They're also installing CCTV (with recorders) in
all the refurbished cars.

For such a computerised railway, it's surprising that it's taken this
long to automate the information. Does it use GPS, or do they
necessarily know where they are anyway?

I imagine that the information comes from the ATC system, but I don't
know for sure.



The refurbished (or is that renovated?) vehicles have been around for
some time now, but I haven't noticed these displays and announcements
till the last week or so.

At a bit of a tangent, the new layout is actually an improvement. The
first vehicles to be done were the fifty earlier ones in the original
layout, which was OK. Then they got round to the twenty in that
appalling experimental layout which managed to reduce both seats and
usable standing space, so that those now seem identical to the others
again (good).

So now the oldest-looking vehicles are the new ones introduced from
about 2003, in the original layout. Are these going to be done, or are
they too new?

In message .com, MIG
writes

So now the oldest-looking vehicles are the new ones introduced from
about 2003, in the original layout. Are these going to be done, or are
they too new?

All 94 are being done, including the 2002 stock, according to:
http://developments.dlr.co.uk/enhanc...ck/index.shtml

--
Paul Terry

Paul Terry wrote:
In message .com, MIG
writes

So now the oldest-looking vehicles are the new ones introduced from
about 2003, in the original layout. Are these going to be done, or are
they too new?

All 94 are being done, including the 2002 stock, according to:
http://developments.dlr.co.uk/enhanc...ck/index.shtml


That's a useful link.

I wonder what happened to 12 to 21?

I wonder if (the new) 01 to 16 will be renumbered (as I can't see why
they weren't in the first place) 100 to 115 so that the future ones can
follow without overlapping with the existing 22 onwards?

So now the oldest-looking vehicles are the new ones introduced from
about 2003, in the original layout. Are these going to be done, or are
they too new?

All 94 are being done, including the 2002 stock, according to:
http://developments.dlr.co.uk/enhanc...ck/index.shtml


That's a useful link.

I wonder what happened to 12 to 21?

Ended up in Essen, Germany with the others, now numbered 5231-41,
5221-30. I have 01-11 going c12/96 and the remainder sometime the
following year.

I wonder if (the new) 01 to 16 will be renumbered (as I can't see why
they weren't in the first place) 100 to 115 so that the future ones can
follow without overlapping with the existing 22 onwards?

I was told it was something to do with the software only being able to
deal with two digits as it was originally designed for 11 cars it makes
sense. They are going to have to do something now that the fleet will
exceed 100.
--
Steve Fitzgerald has now left the building.
You will find him in London's Docklands, E16, UK
(please use the reply to address for email)

Steve Fitzgerald wrote:

I was told it was something to do with the software only being able to
deal with two digits as it was originally designed for 11 cars it makes
sense. They are going to have to do something now that the fleet will
exceed 100.

Hexadecimal? :-)