"Neil Williams" wrote

About an hour later, an announcement was made that platforms 8-11
would be closed and that people should return to the concourse. This
was said to be due to dangerous overcrowding, which was not evident
from where I was sitting.

A further 15 minutes later, a member of staff came through the train
chucking everyone off (fairly rudely), and the unit was locked OOU.
It didn't, however, go anywhere.

I can think of some good reasons why a train which has been indefinitely
delayed at its starting point should be cleared and locked out of use.
Unfortunately the reason you were given was not one of them - so if they had
a good reason they should have told you the truth and acted firmly but
politely to clear the train.

The train crew may have been running out of hours - unless another crew had
been assigned to take over they would have to shut down and secure the
train.

Control may have wished to recover the service by running the first train
able to leave fast to, say, Milton Keynes - so it wouldn't be overwhelmed by
hordes for all stations along the line, who could have been directed to a
second train a few minutes later. They wouldn't want there to be passengers
on the train for intermediate stations, who may miss announcements, or who
may wish to try to leave the platform as a full trainload are trying to join
the train.

Peter

In reply to news post, which Peter Masson
wrote on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 -
Control may have wished to recover the service by running the first train
able to leave fast to, say, Milton Keynes - so it wouldn't be overwhelmed by
hordes for all stations along the line, who could have been directed to a
second train a few minutes later. They wouldn't want there to be passengers
on the train for intermediate stations, who may miss announcements, or who
may wish to try to leave the platform as a full trainload are trying to join
the train.

I was on the 17:58 from MKC to Euston. The staff at MKC warned of
delays, but we shot along to just past Hemel when we stopped. We were
held for about an hour. The driver told us there was a fatality at
Harrow and all lines were blocked. He advised we were to Terminate at
Watford as all trains were, but we had to wait to get into the station.
I was making my plan to get to Watford Met as the train moved from the
fast to the slow and went into Watford, everyone stood up to get off,
but the driver said he had been given the all clear and we then shot on
at line speed to Euston. Our train was not full, there were two Virgin
trains at Watford and many people on platform 9 which we passed, I bet
they were "please" we did not stop to pick them up, I know I would have
been annoyed, especially as we slowed right down to go through Watford
--
Matthew P Jones
www.ThisIsAmersham.com www.amersham.org.uk www.metroland.org.uk
Don't reply directly it will not be read. You can reply to knap AT Nildram then dot co then dot uk

"Matthew P Jones" wrote

He advised we were to Terminate at
Watford as all trains were, but we had to wait to get into the station.
I was making my plan to get to Watford Met as the train moved from the
fast to the slow and went into Watford, everyone stood up to get off,
but the driver said he had been given the all clear and we then shot on
at line speed to Euston. Our train was not full, there were two Virgin
trains at Watford and many people on platform 9 which we passed, I bet
they were "please" we did not stop to pick them up, I know I would have
been annoyed, especially as we slowed right down to go through Watford

What you couldn't have known is whether there were full trains behind yours
booked fast to Euston, whose passengers would not have been pleased to have
to stop behind yours while it picked up at Watford, or trains close behind
yours booked to call at Watford which could equally well pick up passengers
off terminated trains.

Peter

"Peter Masson" wrote in message
...

"Matthew P Jones" wrote


What you couldn't have known is whether there were full trains behind
yours
booked fast to Euston, whose passengers would not have been pleased to
have
to stop behind yours while it picked up at Watford, or trains close behind
yours booked to call at Watford which could equally well pick up
passengers
off terminated trains.

Peter

When did the TOCs give any thought to how pleased the passengers would be.
More likely they were thinking about the cost of stopping at the station.

Simon

simon wrote:

When did the TOCs give any thought to how pleased the passengers would be.
More likely they were thinking about the cost of stopping at the station.

Thanks to Mr Major's vision of the railways, the latter is deemed to be
the method of measuring the former.
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p12198542.html
(66 027 at Winwick, 23 Feb 2005)

In reply to news post, which Peter Masson
wrote on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 -

"Matthew P Jones" wrote


What you couldn't have known is whether there were full trains behind yours
booked fast to Euston, whose passengers would not have been pleased to have
to stop behind yours while it picked up at Watford, or trains close behind
yours booked to call at Watford which could equally well pick up passengers
off terminated trains.

Indeed, I don't, I do know a slow train passed us before we got into
Watford. We were not booked to stop at Watford, but we were lightly
loaded so one wonders if there was an option to use our train to clear
passengers from Watford. No matter, I still reckon the passengers at
Watford would have been annoyed as we slowed almost to a stop before
accelerating away.
--
Matthew P Jones
www.ThisIsAmersham.com www.amersham.org.uk www.metroland.org.uk
Don't reply directly it will not be read. You can reply to knap AT Nildram then dot co then dot uk

"Matthew P Jones" wrote

Indeed, I don't, I do know a slow train passed us before we got into
Watford. We were not booked to stop at Watford, but we were lightly
loaded so one wonders if there was an option to use our train to clear
passengers from Watford. No matter, I still reckon the passengers at
Watford would have been annoyed as we slowed almost to a stop before
accelerating away.

One important fact that you knew, but Control probably didn't (although they
probably should have had some idea) was that your train was lightly loaded.

Peter

On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:31:06 +0100, Matthew P Jones
wrote:

Indeed, I don't, I do know a slow train passed us before we got into
Watford. We were not booked to stop at Watford, but we were lightly
loaded so one wonders if there was an option to use our train to clear
passengers from Watford. No matter, I still reckon the passengers at
Watford would have been annoyed as we slowed almost to a stop before
accelerating away.

Northbound? I think you may have been on the same train as me...

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:32:36 +0100, "Peter Masson"
wrote:

Control may have wished to recover the service by running the first train
able to leave fast to, say, Milton Keynes - so it wouldn't be overwhelmed by
hordes for all stations along the line, who could have been directed to a
second train a few minutes later. They wouldn't want there to be passengers
on the train for intermediate stations, who may miss announcements, or who
may wish to try to leave the platform as a full trainload are trying to join
the train.

What actually happened was that the train concerned ended up as the
1936 (I think) all stops to Tring, which is the only one[1] that was
no use to me! That said, it was still no reason why it needed locking
OOU, and I'm fairly sure that sets do remain with doors open at Euston
with no traincrews on board. (The usual approach at EUS for SS
services is not to lock anything out of use - it's advertised and
available for boarding as soon as it comes in).

[1] My season is MKC-EUS but I normally travel from Bletchley. As I'm
not paying for it I kept it as that because it gives me the
flexibility to take a VT or SS fast and double back if that would be
useful, which had the train concerned been fast to MK (or Bletchley,
as I thought more likely) I would have taken regardless.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.