Front & Back of Reversing Trains ???

[Tomnick]

Nope. You can depart towards Edinburgh then over the high level bridge, past the old Greenfield depot site and end up travelling south to London. And vice versa.
A train to Sunderland could depart towards Carlisle. A train to Carlisle could depart towards Sunderland.
Every time I've been on a train which has done this it's because they wanted to turn it so first class was at the usual London end.

You can't depart south/west and end up travelling north towards Edinburgh (without a reversal or going via Carlisle) though!

 

[trebor79]

Ah yes, I'd forgotten than minor detail! Rest of it holds true though.

 

[Robsignals]

If all coaches on all trains displayed a prominent identification letter or number that would solve it. All they would have to do is say 'coaches A & B' (or whatever) for X. Simples.

The problem is when 2 units coaches are both labeled A and B it wouldn't help at all. Could say "When facing the train the 2 coaches furthest left. ."

 

[jbeale96]

I know the 07:17 from Bristol Temple Meads to Swansea always used to be announced with “first class is at the rear of the train as it arrives at the station. This will be the front of the train as it departs”.

I now get to Temple Meads after it’s pulled in so I don’t know if it’s still announced like that now that it’s been replaced by an IET.

On a semi related note, that train stops at Filton Abbey Wood which has a short platform so only the front 5 car set is available there. Usually the TM announces which coaches you need to be in but this morning there was nothing besides one line on the PIS saying you need the front coaches. I could imagine that one catching out a few unsavvy passengers as if you get in the wrong half you’re royally buggered!

 

[urbophile]

The problem is when 2 units coaches are both labeled A and B it wouldn't help at all. Could say "When facing the train the 2 coaches furthest left. ."

Why would that happen with a sensible system? That would only be inevitable if the coach numbers were painted on rather than a changeable electronic display.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I know the 07:17 from Bristol Temple Meads to Swansea always used to be announced with “first class is at the rear of the train as it arrives at the station. This will be the front of the train as it departs”.

I now get to Temple Meads after it’s pulled in so I don’t know if it’s still announced like that now that it’s been replaced by an IET.

On a semi related note, that train stops at Filton Abbey Wood which has a short platform so only the front 5 car set is available there. Usually the TM announces which coaches you need to be in but this morning there was nothing besides one line on the PIS saying you need the front coaches. I could imagine that one catching out a few unsavvy passengers as if you get in the wrong half you’re royally buggered!

It's been a 10car IET for a while now, and it still confuses people. Despite the announcements at all stations to Bristol saying you need the rear 4 (ie, Front 4 on departure) and BTM announcing the need for the front 4.

Shouldn't be that hard, really...

 

[jbeale96]

It's been a 10car IET for a while now, and it still confuses people. Despite the announcements at all stations to Bristol saying you need the rear 4 (ie, Front 4 on departure) and BTM announcing the need for the front 4.

Shouldn't be that hard, really...

Not for anyone with more than a basic grasp of rail transport, but I can imagine it occasionally catching out an infrequent traveller.

But then I see the same people running for it every day with 10 minutes to go until departure, so clearly even regular passengers haven’t got a clue.

 

[arb]

The problem is when 2 units coaches are both labeled A and B it wouldn't help at all. Could say "When facing the train the 2 coaches furthest left. ."

I've had this exact problem. I had a seat reservation in "coach A" for a train that the departure boards were saying divided en-route. The platform was curved so I couldn't see how long the train was or where the mid-point was. I boarded "coach A" when I reached it, assuming that my seat reservation would be in the correct half of the train, and without even imagining that there would be two "coach A"'s. Needless to say, I got the wrong "coach A". The guard didn't tell me this when my ticket was checked, and it was left to somebody else (probably platform staff?) at the splitting point to tell me, and a handful of other people, that we all had to move.