On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:17:54 -0000, "Peter Masson"
wrote:


"Ken" wrote

There is always the possibility that it is a non-existent place,
though - I was recently asked for a single to "Bell Common Green".
Turned out it was Bush Hill Park (Enfield) he wanted.

There is also the possibility that the passenger gives the name of a
station, but actually wants to go somewhere entirely different. The Southern
Region's prime example was Grove Park. The passenger may want the junction
for the Bromley North branch, but he might possibly really want Chiswick (as
Chiswick station is in the area known as Grove Park).

And there are the AMerican tourists used to dropping "Street", "Road"
etc.

When they ask for "Baker" it's obvious, but "Oxford"? Even "Edgware"?


Peter

On 27 Feb, 19:22, Christopher A.Lee wrote:

And there are the AMerican tourists used to dropping "Street", "Road"
etc.

When they ask for "Baker" it's obvious, but "Oxford"? Even "Edgware"?


I once spent ages as a new booking clerk explaining to an American
lady how to change stations in London to Paddington, change again at
Swindon, and then, after several hours, you'll get to Gloucester. I
printed off her itinerary, showed her on the map, and told her the
fare was about GBP50. And then she said "That's near the Kensington
High Street, right?". "Aaagh! You want Gloucester ROAD!".

And of course when CT ran through to Liverpool (Lime St) you got,
every day, "this the Liverpool train?". "No, do you want the City of
Liverpool, or London Liverpool Street?" "Liverpool, Liverpool. I want
go Liverpool station". And so it went on.

Not to mention Ely vs. Ealing, or, my favourite, a Nigerian lady plus
2 kids who asked me for a ticket (in London) to "Te'fo'd". So I sold
her SVRs to Telford and sent her off to Euston, telling her "Change at
Wolverhampton". Two hours later she came back. "I wanted a ticket to
"TEHT-ford, T-H-E-T-F-O-R-D". Oops.

Ken

"Ken" wrote

Not to mention Ely vs. Ealing, or, my favourite, a Nigerian lady plus
2 kids who asked me for a ticket (in London) to "Te'fo'd". So I sold
her SVRs to Telford and sent her off to Euston, telling her "Change at
Wolverhampton". Two hours later she came back. "I wanted a ticket to
"TEHT-ford, T-H-E-T-F-O-R-D". Oops.

Bill Hayles has a lovely story of confusion between Oval and Yeovil. ;-)

Peter
Ken

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:32:30 -0000, "Peter Masson"
wrote:


"Ken" wrote

Not to mention Ely vs. Ealing, or, my favourite, a Nigerian lady plus
2 kids who asked me for a ticket (in London) to "Te'fo'd". So I sold
her SVRs to Telford and sent her off to Euston, telling her "Change at
Wolverhampton". Two hours later she came back. "I wanted a ticket to
"TEHT-ford, T-H-E-T-F-O-R-D". Oops.

Bill Hayles has a lovely story of confusion between Oval and Yeovil. ;-)

I'll never forget that one, mainly because of the good humour on the
part of the lady who wanted the ticket - much better to have a good
laugh than get annoyed.

One confusion that happened on several occasions was people arriving at
Hayes (Kent) wanting Hayes (Middlesex).

It probably happened with Ashford to Ashford (for which I remember
seeing a ticket from one to the other) and Gillingham to Gillingham, but
I can't recall a real life example.

I remember meny years ago as a teenager trying to get a ticket to
Chelsfield (where I lived) and being issued with one to Chestfield,
which I'm sure occasionally gets confused with Chesterfield and so life
goes on.
--
Bill Hayles
http://www.rossrail.com

In message , Bill Hayles
writes

It probably happened with Ashford to Ashford (for which I remember
seeing a ticket from one to the other) and Gillingham to Gillingham, but
I can't recall a real life example.

I've certainly suffered the Gillingham confusion, although not by train.
A couple of years ago I was working in Canterbury for a client for a
week, and was told that I'd need to pop up the road to Gillingham one
afternoon. Despite being pronounced with a soft G it turned out to be a
return drive to Dorset
--
Paul Terry

In message , at 11:11:51 on Wed, 28 Feb
2007, Paul Terry remarked:
It probably happened with Ashford to Ashford (for which I remember
seeing a ticket from one to the other) and Gillingham to Gillingham, but
I can't recall a real life example.

I've certainly suffered the Gillingham confusion, although not by
train. A couple of years ago I was working in Canterbury for a client
for a week, and was told that I'd need to pop up the road to Gillingham
one afternoon. Despite being pronounced with a soft G it turned out to
be a return drive to Dorset

I've had the Ashford problem. Invited to meet a client by a third party,
who was convinced it was the Middx one, and only at the very last minute
changed his mind to Kent.
--
Roland Perry

In message
Roland Perry wrote:

In message , at 11:11:51 on Wed, 28 Feb
2007, Paul Terry remarked:
It probably happened with Ashford to Ashford (for which I remember
seeing a ticket from one to the other) and Gillingham to Gillingham, but
I can't recall a real life example.

I've certainly suffered the Gillingham confusion, although not by
train. A couple of years ago I was working in Canterbury for a client
for a week, and was told that I'd need to pop up the road to Gillingham
one afternoon. Despite being pronounced with a soft G it turned out to
be a return drive to Dorset

I've had the Ashford problem. Invited to meet a client by a third party,
who was convinced it was the Middx one, and only at the very last minute
changed his mind to Kent.

I've been sent to Farnham when the interviewee was in Fareham. Oh how we
laffed!

We had a sub-editor who was renowned for these sort of mistakes by the name
of Mark Bayliss. One good one was being sent to cover the Orient Express
visiting Weymouth. I'd actually covered the story the previous week so we
had a gentle drive down to Weymouth, a good lunch and then phoned into the
office to find where the train had got to. The girl in the newsroom looked
on her computer and came back with 'You've been Baylissed!' Apparently he
was sat behind her at the time.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

On Feb 28, 11:11 am, Paul Terry wrote:
In message , Bill Hayles
writes

It probably happened with Ashford to Ashford (for which I remember
seeing a ticket from one to the other) and Gillingham to Gillingham, but
I can't recall a real life example.

I've certainly suffered the Gillingham confusion, although not by train.
A couple of years ago I was working in Canterbury for a client for a
week, and was told that I'd need to pop up the road to Gillingham one
afternoon. Despite being pronounced with a soft G it turned out to be a
return drive to Dorset
--
Paul Terry

I once heard a story (again probably apocryphal) of a passenger
complaining to BR (as was) about some problems she had had at
Teignmouth station and receiving a reply which referred her to the
Tyne and Wear Metro as the correct organisation to complain to. Mind
you, at one time, the recorded announcements at Woking (and possibly
elsewhere) used to pronounce "Teignmouth" as "Tynemouth", so heaven
help the poor passengers!

Bill Hayles typed


One confusion that happened on several occasions was people arriving at
Hayes (Kent) wanting Hayes (Middlesex).

I saw that when I travelled to Orpington Hospital, where I worked at the
time. Very unhappy passenger, very late for appointment...

I remember meny years ago as a teenager trying to get a ticket to
Chelsfield

so close to my old workplace...


(where I lived) and being issued with one to Chestfield,
which I'm sure occasionally gets confused with Chesterfield and so life
goes on.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:35:48 GMT, Helen Deborah Vecht
wrote:

Bill Hayles typed


One confusion that happened on several occasions was people arriving at
Hayes (Kent) wanting Hayes (Middlesex).

I saw that when I travelled to Orpington Hospital, where I worked at the
time. Very unhappy passenger, very late for appointment...

I remember meny years ago as a teenager trying to get a ticket to
Chelsfield

so close to my old workplace...

.... where my family was told I had 48 hours to live in 1973, and where
the doctors and nurses then pulled off a miracle to prove themselves
wrong, which is why I'm still here pestering you all today (it's all
documented on my website.)


--
Bill Hayles
http://www.rossrail.com