Class 444 Internal Displays

[fairysdad]

Not sure if this has come up before - I did do a search both here and via Google but nothing popped up.

I've noticed this on many occasions, but more recently today; SWT's Class 444s seem to have long gaps in the display when it is showing what stops it is stopping at. It is on different stations each time. Does anybody know why this is (also, does it happen on other Desiros, like the 450s)?

 

[Lrd]

They've been doing that for a long time now, the audio announcements used to pause as well, not sure if they still do.

Happens on the 450s as well as it's the same system.

 

[causton]

Same on LM's 350s. Reportedly due to a lack of memory for storing the current display/audio announcement.

 

[fairysdad]

The audio doesn't pause, just the scrolling text. I know it's been doing it for ages; whenever I've been on a 444 I've noticed it, and assumed it was the same on the 450s. Just wondering why it happens...

 

[Lrd]

Same on LM's 350s. Reportedly due to a lack of memory for storing the current display/audio announcement.

I can see why as it only tends to happen on the Waterloo-Weymouths and they have a lot of stations. It is a bit silly that there is such a tight restriction on the about of text they can store for each message.

 

[Monty]

I can see why as it only tends to happen on the Waterloo-Weymouths and they have a lot of stations. It is a bit silly that there is such a tight restriction on the about of text they can store for each message.

It happens on the Waterloo - Weybridge via Hounslow services too, though the voice continues the texts does indeed have a pause.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Never seen it on the 360s

 

[Eagle]

I can see why as it only tends to happen on the Waterloo-Weymouths and they have a lot of stations.

Some of which have cumbersomely long names like Southampton Airport (Parkway), Ashurst (New Forest) and Pokesdown for Boscombe, which SWT insist on spelling out in full. I'm assuming it's a character limit to the displays.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I've seen it happen on Pompey stoppers too.

 

[wintonian]

Have they managed to fix the twitter address yet? I haven't really looked for/ noticed it for a while.

 

[Lrd]

Have they managed to fix the twitter address yet? I haven't really looked for/ noticed it for a while.

They've removed their username, it now just says something like 'Find us on facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit southwesttrains.co.uk'.

 

[gnolife]

It happens on the Waterloo - Weybridge via Hounslow services too, though the voice continues the texts does indeed have a pause.

Up north, we et
'This train is for Barrow-in-Furness and will be calling at Heald Green, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Deansgate, Salford Crescent, Bolton, Horwich Parkway, Chorley, Buckshaw Parkway, Preston, Lancaster and will continue to'
Pause of about a minute
'Carnforth, Silverdale, Arnside, Grange-over-Sands, Kents Bank, Cark and Cartmel, Ulverston, Dalton, Roose and Barrow-in-Furness' (bits in italics appear only in the audio announcement)

 

[Eagle]

I assume from the "and will continue to" in the middle of that that it's a FTPE splitter, so maybe the extra-long pause is while the computer is making the other unit say "Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell and Glasgow Central" or some such, and it can't handle two announcements at once.

 

[tsr]

Off on a little tangent here... for some reason, this sort of pausing has started to affect some Croydon Tramlink CR4000s and Variobahns in the last few days, but it's not quite as pronounced. There are also one or two units going round with failed CIS systems. Any reasons, anyone?