Strange/unusual destinations programmed in the PIS

[xdbjacx]

Vaguely remember years ago that you could occasionally see 158 units on long layovers in Edinburgh with nonsense such as Paris Nord or Berlin Hauptbahnhof displayed on the electronic destination screen.

In the days of Central, the idea of a 158 from Edinburgh to Paris Nord might have raised one of my eyebrows but not both. Via Swansea would have added to the realism.

 

[NSEWonderer]

That's when the PIS system has crashed or is stuck in boot loop

Equivalent here for our Desiro's is NAN:

 

[Recessio]

I remember seeing a video of an Electrostar on the fritz a few years ago that was playing all of it's recordings in alphabetical order. Definitely some unusual destinations that I hadn't realised were programmed in

Are the Great Central stations programmed into the Chiltern units a joke

You could say they were taking the PIS!

 

[TrenHotel]

I'm sure that many years back, DLR trains stabled in Poplar depot would show "Pontoon Dock" as a destination, long before the London City Airport/Woolwich Arsenal extension was built.

 

[stadler]

I remember seeing a video of an Electrostar on the fritz a few years ago that was playing all of it's recordings in alphabetical order. Definitely some unusual destinations that I hadn't realised were programmed in

You could say they were taking the PIS!

I have actually found four such videos on youtube of the train playing every single announcement.

Southern 171 going through the whole database of announcements:

Southern 377 going through the whole database of announcements:

Southern 377 going through the whole database of announcements:

London Overground 378 going through the whole database of announcements:

I wonder if there is a test button somewhere or what causes it to go through the entire list.

 

[Jim Jehosofat]

In Central Trains days we'd often display Mystery Excusion between Ely and Norwich. Gatwick Airport was another one.

 

[northernbelle]

For some reason which I’ve never got an explanation when they updated the TrainFX PIS with an announcement about bodyworn cameras they removed the NIS Pis code which was 0015, if you type 9999 it brings up Minehead however, there are no announcements

There are also four codes for Bishops Lydeard<>Minehead - the stations were recorded and route added to the database when the 2+4 HST was operated on the line.

 

[westcoaster]

I have actually found four such videos on youtube of the train playing every single announcement.

Southern 171 going through the whole database of announcements:

Southern 377 going through the whole database of announcements:

Southern 377 going through the whole database of announcements:

London Overground 378 going through the whole database of announcements:

I wonder if there is a test button somewhere or what causes it to go through the entire list.

I mean im not the kind of person who clicks the Test button just to see what happens.
On the 377's they have every possible station and more they could stop at from Rugby to Weymouth they are all in there. Also in the list of manual triggered announcements there was one announce all but that was along time ago on the 377/5s under FCC.
On the 700 we have Hogsmede and lots of other weird destinations ( going past Three bridges depot you see lots of weird destinations on the screens ).
I've figured out how to put Thameslink/ on the front/sides and inside.

 

[EYFanatic]

Northern's 331s have stations from Hull to Leeds included, though if one ever got that way, I suspect quite a few headscratches would take place at Botanic Gardens shed...!

When a TPE service used to operate the first train of the day from Cleethorpes to Barton and return (on behalf of Northern), they would have had the station calls on the insides, side blinds and the front - will they still be there?

 

[RooseWithAZed]

I seem to remember TfL's Aventras have voice lines for far away provincial backwaters such as Manchester Piccadilly

 

[saismee]

I seem to remember TfL's Aventras have voice lines for far away provincial backwaters such as Manchester Piccadilly

EL to Euston, "Change for services to Manchester (...)" perhaps? Possible on 710s too but obviously I have no idea whether that was the intention or not.

 

[DelW]

EL to Euston, "Change for services to Manchester (...)" perhaps? Possible on 710s too but obviously I have no idea whether that was the intention or not.

Though Elizabeth Line doesn't get very close to Euston - Tottenham Court Road is probably the closest station, but it's a moderate walk (or 3 stops on the Northern Line). You could do EL to Manchester with a single change at Reading (or possibly at Heathrow for a flight).

 

[zwk500]

Though Elizabeth Line doesn't get very close to Euston - Tottenham Court Road is probably the closest station, but it's a moderate walk (or 3 stops on the Northern Line). You could do EL to Manchester with a single change at Reading (or possibly at Heathrow for a flight).

However TfL's Aventras do run DC (Lioness) line services to Euston in the form of the Class 710s, so the announcement could be made as posted.

 

[DelW]

However TfL's Aventras do run DC (Lioness) line services to Euston in the form of the Class 710s, so the announcement could be made as posted.

The post I was replying to referred to "EL" which I took to be Elizabeth Line, and referred to the 710s separately. But we're (or I'm) getting a bit abstruse here

 

[saismee]

Though Elizabeth Line doesn't get very close to Euston - Tottenham Court Road is probably the closest station, but it's a moderate walk (or 3 stops on the Northern Line). You could do EL to Manchester with a single change at Reading (or possibly at Heathrow for a flight).

I believe future plans were to extend EL (yes I meant Elizabeth Line specifically) to Euston with HS2, though with the amount of small HS2 tid-bits I've read, forgotten, or have been cancelled, I may have hallucinated it!

 

[Recessio]

I believe future plans were to extend EL (yes I meant Elizabeth Line specifically) to Euston with HS2, though with the amount of small HS2 tid-bits I've read, forgotten, or have been cancelled, I may have hallucinated it!

Are you thinking of Crossrail 2 which was also planned to call at Tottenham Court Road and Euston-St Pancras?

You could do EL to Manchester with a single change at Reading (or possibly at Heathrow for a flight).

I wonder if that was why it was programmed in, as a "Change here for National Rail services to Manchester" or something - do the services from Reading go to Manchester Picadilly or one of the other stations?

 

[M60lad]

Thinking of Northern didn't their 323s actually have some unusual destinations programmed into them such as Rochdale and Oldham and other non-electrified routes, I don't think they still do but could be wrong.

As for 331s having Hull-Leeds programmed I'm wondering whether its just a case that most if not all of Northern's fleet has virtually every destination for wherever they operate programmed in now for example I suppose 195s have got Northern's Manchester-Chester via Altrincham service programmed in despite the fact they never operate the route.

 

[Warrior2852]

I wonder if that was why it was programmed in, as a "Change here for National Rail services to Manchester" or something - do the services from Reading go to Manchester Picadilly or one of the other stations?

Yes, Reading is served by the hourly CrossCountry from Manchester to Bournemouth.

 

[DelW]

I wonder if that was why it was programmed in, as a "Change here for National Rail services to Manchester" or something - do the services from Reading go to Manchester Picadilly or one of the other stations?

Yes, Reading is served by the hourly CrossCountry from Manchester to Bournemouth.

It is Piccadilly that they use, those trains normally take the WCML between Manchester and Coventry.

 

[Recessio]

It is Piccadilly that they use, those trains normally take the WCML between Manchester and Coventry.

Thanks. I reckon that's the most likely reason it's in the 345 recordings then. I wonder if other destinations available from Reading are also stored in there?

 

[saismee]

Are you thinking of Crossrail 2 which was also planned to call at Tottenham Court Road and Euston-St Pancras?

Yes, I would assume it would be operated by 345s.

 

[Recessio]

Yes, I would assume it would be operated by 345s.

It's not even going to be built for at least twenty years, and it will require dual voltage stock so it's definitely not going to be 345s. Regardless I doubt TfL/Alstom are really that future thinking about a PIS announcement!

 

[EYFanatic]

I have a picture of that refurbished 144 for a plan that never bore fruit on a Leeds-Heysham service that had Douglas as a destination on the PIS... Not unusual given the service it was providing a connection to, but a Pacer over the Irish Sea is not entirely unknown after all

 

[MadMac]

If we can count station displays, the Solari flap indicators at Edinburgh Waverley (installed 1977) had “Suburban Circle” as an available destination, despite the “Sub” having had no passenger service for some 15 years.

 

[AMD]

The 158 fleet as built were programmed with a national set of destination codes in a roughly alphabetical order, so even though units only had a regional list of codes displayed in the cab, by process trial and error you could work out more 'exotic' destinations, such as this 158 I was working at Manchester Airport once (Thurso being 593)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Apr 2026 ==

And I definitely wasn't the only person to enter more interesting destinations, as demonstrated by this 158 at Liverpool...

 

[Mogz]

A friend once saw “West Kirby” as a destination on a 777 set at Hooton but wasn’t travelling on it so couldn’t say whether “calling at Hadlow Road, Neston South, Heswall, Thurstaston, Caldy and Kirby Park” was in the PIS!

 

[Scotrail344Lad]

Scotrail has things such as Liverpool Lime Street, London Victoria and Waterloo and I also think they have Whitby if I am not mistaken?!

 

[Dave W]

The 158 fleet as built were programmed with a national set of destination codes in a roughly alphabetical order, so even though units only had a regional list of codes displayed in the cab, by process trial and error you could work out more 'exotic' destinations, such as this 158 I was working at Manchester Airport once (Thurso being 593)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Apr 2026 ==

And I definitely wasn't the only person to enter more interesting destinations, as demonstrated by this 158 at Liverpool...

Bizarre that Preston wasn't on the pre-printed list!

 

[Parallel]

Transport for Wales’ older TrainFX system has Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge programmed in.

Their new PIS files have things like ‘London St Pancras’ (said ‘Pancreas’) and some signal boxes and timing locations between Crewe and Chester added. I think they also have some stations on the GWR network they’re very unlikely to ever serve recorded, too.

 

[PZ 08895]

The Class 332s (Heathrow Express) PIS could announce a passage from what I think was a Brontë Sister novel. Saw it demonstrated once at the Old Oak Common depot. Used for PA test purposes.