Do train crews from different TOCs mix with one another in the mess room, or keep themselves to themselves?

[geoffk]

I saw this item about Gloucester steam crews on Facebook - "Upon closure in 1964, the Barnwood (ex-LMS) staff had come to 85B (Horton Road ex GWR shed) en masse on the closure of the Midland shed. This meant that the top link at Horton Rd gained mileage turns to Derby as well as the traditional ones to Paddington. This entailed much route learning and quite a lot of re-positioning of staff in the links to even out seniority. The Windmill pub opposite Horton Rd shed had traditionally had a Midland/LMS and Western bar and the two sets of footplate staff drank separately even after the sheds merged." Exeter had a similar pub, where Western and Southern men sat separately. Of, course they wouldn't be going into a pub at all now.....

 

[DMckduck]

The culture of split or separate mess rooms is luckily a dying tradition, with probably only a few floating about.

But there is still a slight football colours culture with TOCS and mixing, although not anywhere near as pronounced as before.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Depends on the location. There's a few separate mess rooms that spring to mind instantly, but they're part of larger traincrew depots/booking on points, rather than just a standalone mess room (i.e multiple TOCs at the same station, each of whom have a traincrew depot/booking on point there, including managers offices, locker room and mess room etc.)

 

[side effect]

I did some station cleaning for London overground and had to empty the bin in the mesrs room if that's how it's spelt at Watford Junction and lnwr had a room of their own.

 

[dk1]

Wetherspoons near stations seem to see more crews mixing these days than the messroom.

 

[Silverlinky]

I remember the old messroom at New Street, one big room with no official designated areas but everybody had their own "zones". You got a funny look if you worked for Central and dared to sit in the Cross Country area for example!

 

[dk1]

I remember the old messroom at New Street, one big room with no official designated areas but everybody had their own "zones". You got a funny look if you worked for Central and dared to sit in the Cross Country area for example!

I was always very surprised to hear that Virgin XC and WC crews didn’t mix at Preston.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I remember the old messroom at New Street, one big room with no official designated areas but everybody had their own "zones". You got a funny look if you worked for Central and dared to sit in the Cross Country area for example!

Sadly this still happens at Paddington,each depot has its preferred tables.
As for other TOCs in my area they all have separate mess rooms/offices. Most ex BR staff from different TOCs will still speak as it’s nice to see old colleagues. But because we never work with other TOCs anymore it's impossible to get to know new staff in the same way. A polite hello is nearly always said when passing.

 

[S&CLER]

Years ago at Reading there was a door marked "Southern Region emu drivers only".

 

[75A]

In the early 80's the room @ Eastbourne had 'Motormen' on the door on an ancient green sign
At Brighton, there was a seperate room for the Guards. The footplate crews room was big and nobody had a particular spot, not much mixing between MT & EMU drivers unless cards were involved, usually cribbage.

 

[WarrenTManager]

When the toilets in my block were being rebuilt, circa 2015, we had to use the driver's block in the interim. The looks you'd get for having the temerity to enter their building. Sad really.

 

[Silverlinky]

Two messrooms at Bletchley opposite each other, one is normally mainly populated by conductors, the other almost exclusively by drivers. So even in the same company there is still separation.

 

[Ashley Hill]

In the early 80's the room @ Eastbourne had 'Motormen' on the door on an ancient green sign
At Brighton, there was a seperate room for the Guards. The footplate crews room was big and nobody had a particular spot, not much mixing between MT & EMU drivers unless cards were involved, usually cribbage.

Not uncommon on the Southern. Salisbury had separate mess rooms when I used to go there. Guards on P3,drivers on P4. Happily no longer the case.

 

[75A]

I only went to Salisbury once, on the Saturday morning Brighton - Exeter. The Driver, his Wife who was in he train and myself adjourned to a local Pub where some of his friends were waiting - very sociable.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Up in the "raft" at Waterloo, there are still separate guards and drivers messrooms - or so I'm told, I don't tend to go up there myself.

I hear it's a lot better nowadays though, and it's treated more like just two separate messrooms rather than strictly for either guards or drivers.

 

[185]

I thought we had seen an end to the nonsense of separate accomodation until eighteen months ago one train company had the nerve to put a pin pad on a common-use toilet that had been available for all staff for 100 years. Needless to say the grown ups had to get involved & told that company to open them up to all.

 

[muz379]

If you've got two TOCs that operate in the same area you'll probably find that people move from one of the TOCs to another from time to time anyway so those working for other TOCs will sometimes be former colleagues anyhow . So it's always nice to catch up with them .

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I was always very surprised to hear that Virgin XC and WC crews didn’t mix at Preston.

Seriously? I never knew that. Just seems crazy to me. I don’t like us and them mentality at all.

I thought we had seen an end to the nonsense of separate accomodation until eighteen months ago one train company had the nerve to put a pin pad on a common-use toilet that had been available for all staff for 100 years. Needless to say the grown ups had to get involved & told that company to open them up to all.

I thought we had seen an end of the nonsense too.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

Why would you fraternise with the enemy? Ever mess room I use is single TOC use (even at locations where more than one TOC has breaks, they have different buildings altogether) and most of them have designated tables for different depots or grades.

 

[dk1]

Seriously? I never knew that. Just seems crazy to me. I don’t like us and them mentality at all.

I know!! A friend of mine was a New Street based train manager and she said they used separate areas at Preston as made to feel so unwelcome. I did hear that Nottingham was similar at one time with ex-Midland Mainline and ex-Central Trains crews.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Years ago at Reading there was a door marked "Southern Region emu drivers only".

Not a new phenomenon. The Southern often seemed to segregate traincrew. Here’s two BR (s) doorplates reflecting this,one for Motormen and another for Guards.



Photos GWRA

 

[Scotrail84]

Glasgow Central used to be very bad for foreign crews. Certain tables for certain drivers at certain depots in the West of Scotland are and threats if you sat in the wrong place. Foreign crews were usually through the back out the way. Not sure if it's still as bad as that because I've not been in there for years. Some of the graffiti in the toilets had to be seen to be believed. I'll leave it there.

 

[12LDA28C]

Why would you fraternise with the enemy? Ever mess room I use is single TOC use (even at locations where more than one TOC has breaks, they have different buildings altogether) and most of them have designated tables for different depots or grades.

Your first sentence isn’t for real, surely?!

 

[Gemz91]

Strange one this. Initially I thought we all mix in the mess rooms I use. But thinking about it we don’t mix. Other tocs using my depot mess room tend to use the small back room and don’t go into the main mess room. I don’t bother using the mess room at another tocs depot I go to, I’ll just use a nearby cafe.

But then when I see crew from other TOCs on the platform we’ll all stand and chat to each other and ask each other for lifts on each others trains. Strange really.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Your first sentence isn’t for real, surely?!

Seems some fossils are still left.

 

[Scotrail84]

Your first sentence isn’t for real, surely?!

Thats a hangover from BR days and further back than that, you had to run gauntlets at certain depots before you even got to a newsroom.

 

[12LDA28C]

Thats a hangover from BR days and further back than that, you had to run gauntlets at certain depots before you even got to a newsroom.

Indeed, but this is 2024. That kind of nonsense should have died out years ago.

 

[Pompey00]

At Fratton depot Swr train crew depo is on platform 1/ carpark side and GWR is a couple minute walk up the end of the road right on the corner.

But at Portsmouth harbour Swr , gwr and southern share the same mess room

 

[chuff chuff]

Glasgow Central used to be very bad for foreign crews. Certain tables for certain drivers at certain depots in the West of Scotland are and threats if you sat in the wrong place. Foreign crews were usually through the back out the way. Not sure if it's still as bad as that because I've not been in there for years. Some of the graffiti in the toilets had to be seen to be believed. I'll leave it there.

Bloody law unto themselves,horrible place to go thankfully only had to a couple of times.

 

[Kite159]

...

Not uncommon on the Southern. Salisbury had separate mess rooms when I used to go there. Guards on P3,drivers on P4. Happily no longer the case.

Salisbury has two mess rooms in the main accommodation area, although not quite as hardline as some depots in terms of split between drivers & guards.

Exeter St Davids has a 'visiting crew' mess room on P1.