Trivia: PIS and signage fails

[A Challenge]

There is a board outside the station at Woking where the National Express service to Heathrow, and it was displaying the IP Address and other technical information instead of departure information. I don't ever remember seeing it displaying useful information, but I don't see it very often!

 

[AlexNL]

Does this Danish one count?

Picture: Banedanmark PIS screen showing a Chrome "Oh, snap" error page instead of departure information.

 

[_toommm_]

At Carlisle yesterday, the 14:10 West Coast Railway Company service was on platform 4. Its destination was CHARTER TRAIN, it was operated by CHARTER TRAIN, and had station stops at HLDGDLP (Hellifield Goods Loops) and FRNTNJN (Farrington Jn.). Fairly funny.

 

[PR1Berske]

At Carlisle yesterday, the 14:10 West Coast Railway Company service was on platform 4. Its destination was CHARTER TRAIN, it was operated by CHARTER TRAIN, and had station stops at HLDGDLP (Hellifield Goods Loops) and FRNTNJN (Farrington Jn.). Fairly funny.

You've triggered my memory, I'm certain I've seen a junction appear on a PIS before. How could that be programmed, an incorrect code?

 

[_toommm_]

You've triggered my memory, I'm certain I've seen a junction appear on a PIS before. How could that be programmed, an incorrect code?

I believe it is when it's put down as station stop by accident, as opposed to a point where the train is allocated waiting time I.e. a non-public calling point (unfortunately I don't know the technical side of it)

One time springs to mind where a Leeds to St. Pancras HST was allocated time to wait at Swinton, but it was incorrectly put down as a station stop, so it appeared on the PIS and station planners.

 

[Parallel]

SWT 159s used to announce "The next station is Exeter Central, change here for Exmouth Junction and Lympstone"

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

You've triggered my memory, I'm certain I've seen a junction appear on a PIS before. How could that be programmed, an incorrect code?

XC from Reading sometimes turn round at Didcot West End, instead of going on the Avoiders, meaning that the external displays sometimes display Didcot West End as the next stop!

 

[jamesthegill]

You've triggered my memory, I'm certain I've seen a junction appear on a PIS before. How could that be programmed, an incorrect code?

After the May timetable changeover one of the signals outside Littleport was incorrectly listened as a station stop rather than a timing point on the Kings Lynn trains, so appeared on station CIS screens as part of the calling pattern.

 

[ijmad]

Lots of videos of 378's PIS going nuts and announcing all stations on the network one after another, or all possible announcements, as in this video.

I assume there's a testing mode that is way too easy for drivers to inadvertently turn on? Probably bad user interface in the cab?

 

[sprunt]

This morning at Moorgate, when the next train into a platform was due to go out of service after terminating: "The next service is out of service. Please do not board this train." "The next service is out of service" is horribly phrased.

 

[Furrball]

The entry of Neilston as <Neilston> on the Glasgow Central boards has puzzled me ever since we moved up here

 

[318266]

The entry of Neilston as <Neilston> on the Glasgow Central boards has puzzled me ever since we moved up here

It used to be even funnier! It would put all stations which had trains that terminated from the station in all capitals. I'm not sure when, but I'm pretty sure that Neilston was an exception that was left out, instead putting what you've shown above.

 

[roversfan2001]

At Carlisle yesterday, the 14:10 West Coast Railway Company service was on platform 4. Its destination was CHARTER TRAIN, it was operated by CHARTER TRAIN, and had station stops at HLDGDLP (Hellifield Goods Loops) and FRNTNJN (Farrington Jn.). Fairly funny.

Sorry, pet peeve of mine, being local to the area, but Farington only has one 'r'

Back on topic, at Wigan North Western I've seen a junction advertised as a stop, but I can't remember which service or junction, but it was from platform 1.

 

[MadMac]

Not "automated", but a long story.

At Glasgow Central in the 80s, there was an announcer who some of us christened "Paddy" as he seemed to have a very thick Irish accent - he was actually of Lithuanian descent and had ended up as the announcer due to having been made redundant from another post, but I digress. One evening he announced that "The 17:18 to East Kilbride is the Front Train at Platform 5", followed shortly thereafter by "The 17:14 Train to Barrhead is the Rear Train at Platform 5". For those of you unfamiliar with Central, it's a terminus. You can see why this was problematic. Cue mumblings from passengers along the lines of "If it's got anything to do with him, I'm not bloody surprised".

Fast forward a few months, and there were numerous complaints about the quality of the public address system at Central, to the extent that orders came from the very top to find out what the issue was and repair it. The Telecomms folks made strenuous efforts to replicate the problem to no avail. Finally, someone hit on the idea of contacting the complainants in an effort to identify if these issues happened at specific times of day. No pattern was identified, until someone had the equally bright idea of cross-referencing the complaints to "Paddy"'s shift pattern. You can guess what they found.....

 

[MadMac]

The entry of Neilston as <Neilston> on the Glasgow Central boards has puzzled me ever since we moved up here

The very existence of Neilston/<Neilston> has puzzled many people for a long time.....

 

[AlexNL]

Many years ago, Dutch Railways used split-flap displays to show information about where trains would run to. The split-flap displays looked like this:

Apart from times and calling patterns, there were also flaps to indicate that the train is an all station service (used when not all destinations could be displayed), to announce busstitution, to indicate that a reservation is required, and so forth. The system worked pretty well, but it had its flaws. Sometimes a flap would get stuck, leading to an erroneous or humorous train announcement.

Back then, there was also a direct EuroNight train from Amsterdam to Moscow. Imagine my surprise when I saw a split-flap board at Utrecht Centraal announce an EN to Moscow as "stops at all intermediate stations"!

 

[Parallel]

This one is one of my favourite CIS fails, courtesy of Great Western Railway.

 

[Furrball]

It used to be even funnier! It would put all stations which had trains that terminated from the station in all capitals. I'm not sure when, but I'm pretty sure that Neilston was an exception that was left out, instead putting what you've shown above.

Apologies, not quite following on that description.

 

[ijmad]

This one is one of my favourite CIS fails, courtesy of Great Western Railway.

I would love to see the front half terminate at Westbury and the rear coaches continue on to call at And.

 

[_toommm_]

The new screens on Platform 13 and 14 at Piccadilly don't recognise Ilkeston as a station... for the 08:43 service to Norwich it goes Alfreton, **unknown station**, Nottingham...

 

[njamescouk]

next train doesn't stop at Barnsley... unless it's the Huddersfield train.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

next train doesn't stop at Barnsley... unless it's the Huddersfield train.

Page 1 of 0?????

 

[prod_pep]

At Glasgow Central, the replacement bus departure location doesn't seem to be programmed in. I've often heard "the next bus to depart from *pause* will be the..."

For years, the boards on the Ormskirk line showed the 17.05 Ormskirk - Liverpool service as a 6 car even though it was almost always a 3 car. I think this was a remnant from Arriva days, when the service actually was a booked 6 car working. The boards never showed the return journey, the 17.40 Liverpool Central - Ormskirk, as a 6 car though.

 

[njamescouk]

Page 1 of 0?????

there was a page 2 of 0 as well!

 

[MadMac]

I believe it is when it's put down as station stop by accident, as opposed to a point where the train is allocated waiting time I.e. a non-public calling point (unfortunately I don't know the technical side of it)

One time springs to mind where a Leeds to St. Pancras HST was allocated time to wait at Swinton, but it was incorrectly put down as a station stop, so it appeared on the PIS and station planners.

There are pictures out there of a 1st generation DMU on a tour with “Cluny Bridge” (near Thornton in Fife) displayed on the destination blind. There wasn’t a station there when the blind was produced: I don’t think there ever has been. Apparently the blind manufacturer was given an extract from the Working Timetable with anything that wasn’t supposed to be on the blind crossed out. Cluny Bridge wasn’t crossed out.

 

[Fearless]

I recently boarded an Edinburgh-bound Pendolino at New Street and thought someone was having a laugh with the onboard announcements - they'd been sucking helium, by the sound of it. Or was letting Pinky and Perky have a go (for those of us old enough to remember them). Luckily the guard took over with manual announcements after Sandwell & Dudley, which is where I recorded it (just tried to upload it, but the file is too large, sadly).

 

[Highlandspring]

I’ve seen this a few times always affecting trains with Inverness; screens showing a train destined for “& Empty to depot”. In the photo below taken at Perth the 1540 on platform 2 was actually going to Inverness. It doesn’t always happen, as you can see from the other Inverness bound service!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I’ve seen this a few times always affecting trains with Inverness; screens showing a train destined for “& Empty to depot”. In the photo below taken at Perth the 1540 on platform 2 was actually going to Inverness. It doesn’t always happen, as you can see from the other Inverness bound service!

View attachment 54867

I've seen similar on TPE services at both Huddersfield and York. Think it happens when a double unit is being split at the end of the evening peak.

 

[Parallel]

I saw a great one at Bradford On Avon the other day. On the CIS at the station, it had "Due to short platforms, passengers for Avoncliff and Freshford should board the front of the train" immediately followed by "The front door is not in use"

GWR must also have short term memory loss as Freshford has had its platforms extended to take 5 carriages now, so everything that runs at normal service should fit there.

 

[Mordac]

I saw a great one at Bradford On Avon the other day. On the CIS at the station, it had "Due to short platforms, passengers for Avoncliff and Freshford should board the front of the train" immediately followed by "The front door is not in use"

GWR must also have short term memory loss as Freshford has had its platforms extended to take 5 carriages now, so everything that runs at normal service should fit there.

If he was a blind manufacturer, how could he read the timetable?