Class 185 door problem today at Malton

[mike57]

At Malton this afternoon a number (6-8) of passengers were trapped on the train when the doors on the TPE class 185 failed to open properly in our part of the carriage.

They opened less than 6 inches, and the people getting off had a fair bit of luggage, by the time they realised what was happening, and struggled down the ailse to the next set of doors the guard had closed the doors, and of course the jammed doors shut OK, so he was unaware of the situation until he walked down the carriage and met some disgruntled passengers, the next stop is Seamer which is nearly 20 mins, and in fact as he advised them they may as well stay on until Scarborough, as there are no facilities at Seamer. The train normally forms the next Liverpool departure anyway, which is the next train back to Malton.

No one had the presence of mind to try and 'help' the doors open, a similar thing happened to me at Seamer a few months ago and with a bit of a shove they did open. I did walk down and tell the guard once I was on the platform.

If they were well jammed I would also have operated the alarm before the train set off, but in spite of this advice being offered by a few people no one actually had the presence of mind to take the advice.

Are 185's prone to this problem, or is it just a coincidence that I have seen it twice recently.

Also I am suprised there are no door open sensors, and a warning alarm if they dont open properly.

I asume the affected passengers would be entitled to a 'delay repay' as it wasnt their fault.

I hope this is the right thread for this

 

[yorkie]

Welcome to the forum.

Are 185's prone to this problem, or is it just a coincidence that I have seen it twice recently.

I'm not aware of this, but I know 185 doors have come under fire for other reasons!

I assume the affected passengers would be entitled to a 'delay repay' as it wasn't their fault.

I completely agree, and I am confident TPE would agree too.

 

[Starmill]

I have noticed Garforth has been a bit of a problem sometimes with these because of the cant on the eastbound platform. A gentle push outward at the bottom of the door with a foot has solved it before.

In this case I don't know what the fault might've been, would it be good advice if you're still trying to get off the train and the doors are closing to operate the nearest passcom?

 

[hassaanhc]

I've seen this with Desiro doors before, where they open the same amount as mentioned above and stop, but with a slight push then manage to open. It was on the Heathrow Connect Class 360 versions (unit 360203 I think), and saw it on the same door about 2 weeks apart, which I'd thought was something that would be noticed during that time (I reported it afterwards). There was a variation of that theme on the same class where the door opened the same ~6 inches mentioned above, but started to close before then opening fully.

 

[SqUaShIe P]

I wouldnt say its a common problem, but I have seen it happen 3 times (in about 4 years of working on class 185s)
As others have said, a gentle push and the doors spring open.
I played about with a set of door where it happened and they opened normally 9 out of 10 times
When a set of doors 'stall' during opening, Train Crew are usually instructed to lock and label the set of doors out of use, to prevent any passengers from becoming trapped and missing their stop if the doors should stall again.

 

[Matt Taylor]

Sounds similar to how they open on 450s and 444s when an egress has been pulled, also sometimes happens on 444s in normal operations at stations where the cant of the track is steeper than usual.

 

[fluff]

would it be good advice if you're still trying to get off the train and the doors are closing to operate the nearest passcom?

If you honestly believe that a fault with the doors has prevented you from getting off, then yes, operate the nearest passcom/call for aid. The traincrew must then investigate before starting the train.

On the other hand, don't do it if you have missed your stop because you were listening to loud music on your headphones or something similar, and didn't hear the announcements.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Are 185's prone to this problem, or is it just a coincidence that I have seen it twice recently.

I have never seen any kind of door fault on a 350, so the design is generally reliable even though they sound like the train is shaking itself to bits each time they close with the classic "Teutonic[1] slam"...

[1] Deutsche Bahn seem to like trains with doors that slam loudly, which led to this phrase being coined over on uk.railway...

Neil
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If you honestly believe that a fault with the doors has prevented you from getting off, then yes, operate the nearest passcom/call for aid. The traincrew must then investigate before starting the train.

I've used a passcom on a VT in a not dissimilar situation, where traincrew did not come and release a cyclist[1] at his booked alighting stop. I was not criticised for doing so.

[1] You need a T-key to open the van door.

Neil