Asking for unit numbers

[AlterEgo]

The request volumes are significant and largely from young kids who owing to the geographical range of the requests are just asking for the sake of it, along with regular requests for merchandise or other junk like that.

It's no different to people going to the station supervisor's office and asking for train gen.

Then you have the weirdos who think they're actually friends with the people operating the social media accounts who somehow end up finding out who the staff actually are and contacting them outside work.

I've had to deal with rail enthusiasts with obvious mental health problems who have convinced themselves that they are friends or even worse with staff who have no interest in them beyond a professional level and it's gotten to the point of having the police involved. London Midland I believe have had particular problems with one such person in real life and on Twitter and I know it's not a one off - they get quite creepy at times.

At one point some social media folk thought they were being nice giving a train number to a kid and it's now snowballed out of control.

I'm glad it's stopping.

I hear you.

I used to do the social media job and viewed the above as occupational hazards. Fortunately it never bothered me that much, but I can see why it would bother some.

I always ascribed the behaviour to autism spectrum disorders and didn't let it get to me.

 

[TrainSpotter44]

Whatever happened to "the thrill of the chase"?

I for one as A Train Spotter and Bus Spotter agree with you I am looking for 170504 right now I found 170514 yesterday without asking LM on Twitter Buses are different I ask on the forum I am still regestered too but due to a friend getting this IP blocked as my phone connection I don't use say I was looking for 4588 I would ask where it is find the route it's on and then look for it But after all social media is an easy solution for everyone spo they simply can't be bothered to go and look for it

 

[GW43125]

I for one as A Train Spotter and Bus Spotter agree with you I am looking for 170504 right now I found 170514 yesterday without asking LM on Twitter Buses are different I ask on the forum I am still regestered too but due to a friend getting this IP blocked as my phone connection I don't use say I was looking for 4588 I would ask where it is find the route it's on and then look for it But after all social media is an easy solution for everyone spo they simply can't be bothered to go and look for it

I'm into haulage now rather than sight, but part of the fun is not knowing and making poor decisions. Like today, I passed on changing for the faster train. I saw it pull out and the law of sod struck in that it was one of my 30 required 450s (of 127). But it's all the luck of the draw and part of the fun IMO. Even when I did still do sight (stopped about a year ago) it was the fun of not knowing, and then the annoyance of my last 450 for sight evading me for months, only for me to then sight it twice in a month!

But I do see why some people might like to. I for one only do it very occasionally if I've missed what's on my train. Though I prefer to ask friends in the know than tweet if possible.

 

[PHILIPE]

Reasoning with people who suffer from Autism is relatively easy (most autism sufferers are quite intelligent) as long as you go about it the right way, although some do like to use autism as an excuse for poor behaviour and just plain ignorance.

I speak as a father of a child with mid to high spectrum Autism and ADHD so do have a lot of experience of it and not as one who read how to do it from a book!

I've noticed people tweeting the person and telling him/her not to pester the TOCs and his standard reply is "are you going to tell the police". I appreciate your post which has helped considerably in the understanding of autism.

 

[Dhassell]

I've noticed people tweeting the person and telling him/her not to pester the TOCs and his standard reply is "are you going to tell the police". I appreciate your post which has helped considerably in the understanding of autism.

Hes also been known to create accounts called "Reece Police" on twitter

 

[455driver]

I've noticed people tweeting the person and telling him/her not to pester the TOCs and his standard reply is "are you going to tell the police". I appreciate your post which has helped considerably in the understanding of autism.

I had a 'discussion' with one of my co-workers when he stated that Autism was just an excuse for naughty children, we both stated our cases and then the rest of the messroom got in between us because he point blank refused to accept any of the evidence I had pulled up on the phone!

People who suffer from Autism basically have their brains wired up differently to 'normal' people and once you know what to look for you can recognise Autistic people within a couple of minutes just by the way they are.

 

[GW43125]

I've noticed people tweeting the person and telling him/her not to pester the TOCs and his standard reply is "are you going to tell the police". I appreciate your post which has helped considerably in the understanding of autism.

a key thing to remember is that no two cases are the same so what one highly functioning person doesn't think twice about doing may be something another person down the other end wouldn't dream of doing.

 

[TrainSpotter44]

I had a 'discussion' with one of my co-workers when he stated that Autism was just an excuse for naughty children, we both stated our cases and then the rest of the messroom got in between us because he point blank refused to accept any of the evidence I had pulled up on the phone!

People who suffer from Autism basically have their brains wired up differently to 'normal' people and once you know what to look for you can recognise Autistic people within a couple of minutes just by the way they are.

I have Autism and ADHD so does my Son Now as the exuse for naughty children my matea son who i had to pick up from Secondary School as his Dad wasn't avilble to take him to an appiontment told me that kids at his school use these things called Fidgit Spinners now he has a friend who is austic and he told me at his school pnly the kids with problems such as mine are allowed them but now everyone uses Autism as an Excusr for using one

 

[Z12XE]

On the subject of weird requests on twitter feeds, it seems that Greater Anglia have attracted a prankster/troll and at the moment he's winning

He's been "stuck" in train toilets (and had trains stopped and searched for him) and phantom birthday messages broadcast for "his son"

A quick search on twitter for Greater Anglia stuck in toilet will reveal more. It would be interesting to know how common this type of thing is across the feeds

 

[Bookd]

I have Autism and ADHD so does my Son Now as the exuse for naughty children my matea son who i had to pick up from Secondary School as his Dad wasn't avilble to take him to an appiontment told me that kids at his school use these things called Fidgit Spinners now he has a friend who is austic and he told me at his school pnly the kids with problems such as mine are allowed them but now everyone uses Autism as an Excusr for using one

I have read that fidget spinners which are to be banned in some schools. An expert is quoted that whilst they are said to be of help to children with autism this is an illusion since they only provide a distraction, whilst as said above other children pretend to have problems so that they can use them as toys - others in the class complain that they are an unneeded distraction to them.

 

[A Challenge]

In my view, not turning this into a fidget spinner thread, is that it isn't too bad, until (this has happened) until the teacher took it - he way then playing with it. They have now been banned.

I don't get why they are saying one a day, why not a blanket ban, people will make more accounts, not trying to sound snobbish but us on here, enthusiasts, have the TOPS thread.

 

[TrainSpotter44]

I have read that fidget spinners which are to be banned in some schools. An expert is quoted that whilst they are said to be of help to children with autism this is an illusion since they only provide a distraction, whilst as said above other children pretend to have problems so that they can use them as toys - others in the class complain that they are an unneeded distraction to them.

Yes my mates son told me that at his school some teachers are asking for SEN notes to use them if not they are asked to put them away as they are banned me and my gf were on the 333X today from Willenhall to Walsall and I saw about Four Kids from the local Secondary School with Fidgit Spinners and one more buying three for £18.00 the first kid had a glow in the dark Green one which he was telling his mate you can do tricks with, tye second kid had a red one, the third kid had a Union Jack one and the fourth one had A Light up one I can see how they are distracting a kid was spinning his against a window,paper and the seats it sounds like rock music going off. I think Fuzzballs are better

 

[NorthernSpirit]

The request volumes are significant and largely from young kids who owing to the geographical range of the requests are just asking for the sake of it, along with regular requests for merchandise or other junk like that.

It's no different to people going to the station supervisor's office and asking for train gen.

Then you have the weirdos who think they're actually friends with the people operating the social media accounts who somehow end up finding out who the staff actually are and contacting them outside work.

I've had to deal with rail enthusiasts with obvious mental health problems who have convinced themselves that they are friends or even worse with staff who have no interest in them beyond a professional level and it's gotten to the point of having the police involved. London Midland I believe have had particular problems with one such person in real life and on Twitter and I know it's not a one off - they get quite creepy at times.

At one point some social media folk thought they were being nice giving a train number to a kid and it's now snowballed out of control.

I'm glad it's stopping.

Same here, I had around three separate cranks once ask me for "have I seen xxxxx number" to which I said "no I haven't sadly" on each occasion. On another I've had someone ask me if 142087 had been seen in Huddersfield, once again I stated that I haven't seen it. It got bad on one occasion that I deliberately chose to board a bus elsewhere in Halifax or Huddersfield or got the train at a slightly different time just to avoid them.

It wasn’t only me that has had this as two of my mates (who, just as myself have a partial interest in transport) has also had one of the Huddersfield cranks (a ginger lad that knows the infamous "rucksack guy" as they‘ve seen him talk to him in Huddersfield Bus Staiton) almost ruin their date night as this ginger lad was pestering them for bus numbers whilst they were heading to Nando’s one evening. To absolute no surprise when my mate’s wife, who by this time has had enough of gingers pestering, tells the lad to go suck a golf ball.

I don’t how the TOC’s social network teams can put up day after day with people asking for unit numbers - it must drive them barmy.

The only time where I will use a unit number is if the unit in question has been vandalised or there’s a fault with the toilet so that the problem can be rectified as soon as possible.

 

[Z12XE]

I don’t how the TOC’s social network teams can put up day after day with people asking for unit numbers - it must drive them barmy..

To be fair it's probably on the better end of what they receive.

The regular passengers who insist on swearing, getting sensational about things, having their day ruined by a delay, getting hysterical about a bit of litter on a train or demanding that they personally get the MD to contact the passenger because a connection wasn't held 50 minutes as they got they wrong mainline train that doesn't connect anyway or they will have them sacked are far worse

 

[Techniquest]

I'm in two minds as to how good a thing the end of getting gen via Twitter is. I've used it myself ages back to find my last 350s, think that was 3 or 4 occasions and even once or twice for my last LM 172 even longer ago. At least it wasn't every single day, and always highly polite and expressed my gratitude whether it was a good or bad answer!

Aside from that, I prefer to go looking for what I need the old fashioned way as a general rule. I have had help from GA and ScotRail in the last 12 months admittedly.

I like that the social media teams have been so helpful to enthusiasts, it is a shame one person has ruined it for everyone but what can we do? I'm predicting a significant increase in posts on the TOPS Request Thread now, although an increase in the 'Trains you've seen working' thread could happen

 

[221129]

I'm in two minds as to how good a thing the end of getting gen via Twitter is. I've used it myself ages back to find my last 350s, think that was 3 or 4 occasions and even once or twice for my last LM 172 even longer ago. At least it wasn't every single day, and always highly polite and expressed my gratitude whether it was a good or bad answer!

Aside from that, I prefer to go looking for what I need the old fashioned way as a general rule. I have had help from GA and ScotRail in the last 12 months admittedly.

I like that the social media teams have been so helpful to enthusiasts, it is a shame one person has ruined it for everyone but what can we do? I'm predicting a significant increase in posts on the TOPS Request Thread now, although an increase in the 'Trains you've seen working' thread could happen

The problem is it wasn't just one person but several of the same type.

 

[Techniquest]

The problem is it wasn't just one person but several of the same type.

I see, I wasn't really aware of the level the issue had reached. I knew of the world famous Reece, but not of any others.

Oh well, maybe we'll all go back to doing things the way it was intended, hunting winners down with our own eyes!

 

[Crossover]

It's a shame that a number ruin it for anyone else. I asked Northern via Facebook once if the 144e and first refurbished 158 (752) were out and about as I was out in their stomping ground and they responded back fairly quickly (unfortunately neither were anywhere near me). I don't make a habit of it though and in the above was only asking as I wanted a mooch at the refurb, rather than specifically being after the unit otherwise

 

[Starmill]

Northern still seem perfectly happy to offer the location of a refurbished unit if you ask them.

 

[PHILIPE]

Northern still seem perfectly happy to offer the location of a refurbished unit if you ask them.

Perhaps they can pick out the troll to whom they say they will give one number a day

 

[Harbornite]

I can see why TOCs would cut back on tweeting numbers, the information is irrelevant and if spotters are so determined to get numbers, they can either use the old fashioned method or forums such as this one.

On another note, that Jimmy Dann (Reece) fella was recently asking for the number of the unit he was travelling on. That's a sign that there's something wrong.

 

[PHILIPE]

I can see why TOCs would cut back on tweeting numbers, the information is irrelevant and if spotters are so determined to get numbers, they can either use the old fashioned method or forums such as this one.

On another note, that Jimmy Dann (Reece) fella was recently asking for the number of the unit he was travelling on. That's a sign that there's something wrong.

So Reece Carter is alias Jimmy Dann then

 

[Parallel]

I think this is fair, the TOC twitter team are probably better responding to all the complaints they get

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Off topic but which areas/services does the 144e usually operate? I'm still yet to have a ride on it and I made the trip to Sheffield last time but didn't have any luck.

 

[Crossover]

I think this is fair, the TOC twitter team are probably better responding to all the complaints they get

--

Off topic but which areas/services does the 144e usually operate? I'm still yet to have a ride on it and I made the trip to Sheffield last time but didn't have any luck.

Anywhere a 144 operates I think. I saw it on a Harrogate loop service at York some time ago but it left as I got to the platform to have a mooch. I also saw it at Doncaster a week last Monday and it left just as I arrived at the platform to have a mooch...

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Off topic but which areas/services does the 144e usually operate? I'm still yet to have a ride on it and I made the trip to Sheffield last time but didn't have any luck.

Same here.

 

[Frontera2]

On the subject of weird requests on twitter feeds, it seems that Greater Anglia have attracted a prankster/troll and at the moment he's winning

He's been "stuck" in train toilets (and had trains stopped and searched for him) and phantom birthday messages broadcast for "his son"

A quick search on twitter for Greater Anglia stuck in toilet will reveal more. It would be interesting to know how common this type of thing is across the feeds

Same person tried it with Southeastern too..

 

[Shadow Cat]

I wasn't even aware this was a thing to be honest. Although I'm more interested in the experience of being on the Class of loco I'm after rather than the number

Worst I've done is ask the chap behind the counter at OXP when Class 68's run (He seemed to have all the times memorized, this was before I found this forum) and I was hardly taking up his time as the station was pretty much empty at this point. Rest of the time I simply ask people I know questions like /is this the Class 150 Reading service/