Railway Myths (2013)

[The Decapod]

...Some people seem to believe that a 250 mph high-speed railway is to be built between London and the north of England via Birmingham.

 

[district]

Myth number naw ar trigain: there is a station whose full name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychrwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

(minus the space that phpBB will invariably add after the 50th letter)

Myth number 1360: RailUK forums run on phpBB, not on vBulletin.

 

[trainfanatic]

...Some people seem to believe that a 250 mph high-speed railway is to be built between London and the north of England via Birmingham.

.....and thus close the North/South devide.

 

[Bald Rick]

Myth 903: repeatedly pressing the open button will make the doors open quicker once the train stops

Wasn't that myth #178? Albeit you have put it much more succinctly!

 

[Buttsy]

Myth 42, the answer: You can alight from whichever doors you like on a FGW HST whatever ticket you have despite the signs in first class saying you have to have a 1st class ticket to be anywhere in there.

 

[Eagle]

Myth number +10: padding in timetables is only added so that TOCs can fiddle their PPM (and not because, for instance, it helps the timetable recover and avoid huge problems everywhere in case of disruption).

 

[oliMw]

Myth idec: You have all the right to be annoyed when you take up a whole table, laying on 2 seats and having your suitcase and I ask you to move as my seat is reserved for where your suitcase is!

 

[Eagle]

Myth number 455: all the trains in the southeast are newer than the ones in the north of England.

 

[Buttsy]

Myth x^10-y: The TOC you use regularly is worse than all the other TOCs put together.

 

[Beveridges]

Myth #138: Class 60's are more powerful than 66's

 

[34D]

Myth #138: Class 60's are more powerful than 66's

Myth 139: there is only one way to measure power.

 

[AndyLandy]

Myth number 455: all the trains in the southeast are newer than the ones in the north of England.

Myth 455a: Commuter trains in the south-east are better than those in the north in every way, including their toilet provision.

 

[Beveridges]

Myth 140: First Class on Trans Pennine Express can be used by anyone for free on a Saturday evening

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Myth 144>142.

Padding for the arse compensates for deep vein thrombosis.

 

[ollyrogers]

Myth 0118999881999119725... 3: Class 455's have truly excellent toilet provision

 

[12CSVT]

Myth #138: Class 60's are more powerful than 66's

Myth 9E+9 : a class 67 almost has enough tractive effort to pull the skin off a rice pudding

 

[williamus]

Myth xyz: "Birmingham's Curzon Street has magnificent Doric columns"

Of course, they're Ionic, deliberately to compliment and contrast with the Euston Arch columns which were Doric...

 

[AndyLandy]

Myth 9E+9 : a class 67 almost has enough tractive effort to pull the skin off a rice pudding

Myth 9E+9a: A class 67 can comfortably haul an Intercity passenger service at its top speed of 125mph.

 

[tbtc]

Myth number 145:

That thing at the other end of a 225 set from the Class 91 is called a Class 82

 

[tsr]

Myth 1Z99: It is practical to create and enforce rules dictating that Thunderbird locomotives are kept ready and waiting every 20 miles. This is a good use of resources because trains are always becoming stranded in the middle of nowhere with no power/traction/haulage available.

Myth Nearly 150: The top speed of the trains known to many as "Intercity 125" sets is exactly 125mph. These trains are so precisely engineered that they could not possibly have exceeded this speed at any point, not even when setting a world record...

 

[Eagle]

Myth Nearly 150: The top speed of the trains known to many as "Intercity 125" sets is exactly 125mph. These trains are so precisely engineered that they could not possibly have exceeded this speed at any point, not even when setting a world record...

Myth 146 I swear: using a smartphone GPS app to measure the speed your HST or 225 is going is extremely reliable, and proves that drivers regularly go well over the limit.

 

[deltic1989]

Myth 146 I swear: using a smartphone GPS app to measure the speed your HST or 225 is going is extremely reliable, and proves that drivers regularly go well over the limit.

Them things are useless. I once used one to measure the speed of a 158 that was tanking along and, according to the app it was traveling at 30MPH. Then it was apparently doing 60 when it was stationary. There may be a delay of some sort.

 

[Eagle]

You get a much more accurate result just timing the mileposts going past the window.

 

[D1009]

Train drivers are superior to everyone else working on and using the railway.

 

[Muzer]

You get a much more accurate result just timing the mileposts going past the window.

I would hazard a guess it depends how good your phone's GPS is (and how good at blocking GPS signals the train is!). Though I haven't tried it yet, I expect newer phones that use GPS in conjunction with GLONASS (the Russian equivalent of GPS) might work better at measuring speed in a train.

 

[SETCommuter]

Myth#?: Southeastern platform staff will always hang around on platforms waiting to help passengers when trains are delayed. They do not, never have and never will hide away in their little room

Myth#?+1: Southeastern ALWAYS use 2 decimal places to show their punctuality figures and not only when required to get out of paying compensation.

 

[Oswyntail]

You get a much more accurate result just timing the mileposts going past the window.

And counting the "clicks" on the track....wait a minute, my age is showing.

 

[Flamingo]

Myth ABC123: Telling the Train Manager that you lost the reservation coupon stating what train you are meant to be traveling on with your Advance ticket knowing full well you shouldn't be on it anyway is a perfectly reasonable excuse to give. If all else fails, telling him/her you'll make a complaint and you'll get them sacked is a surefire way of getting your own way too.

No, that one's true. :roll:

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Train drivers are superior to everyone else working on and using the railway.

Total Myth as everyone knows Guards are the true Superior Being

 

[Flamingo]

Total Myth as everyone knows Guards are the true Superior Being

It's in the job description and person specification!