Gatwick Airport station

[Mcr Warrior]

Contacted Network Rail in December, enquiring whether there were any plans to replace the various failed platform lights towards the South end of platforms 3 and 4 (it's quite gloomy there when boarding or alighting from a train after it goes dark).

Got a reply back in January from Network Rail "that due to the high speed of the fast trains that pass through Gatwick Station"... "the work needs to be undertaken at night when the track has been closed to traffic."

That seems fair enough, but it's now nearly the end of April and nothing seems to have been done. Worth chasing, or is this the sort of maintenance job that only ever gets done "as and when"?

 

[signaltech3]

when cutbacks in vital maintenance and track renewals are the order of the day the answer to this question is most certainly as and when

poor platform lighting is a low agenda issue for network rail

 

[Greenback]

And he result is that basic maintenance costs more in the long term. Another example of the short termism that is endemic in Britain

 

[moonrakerz]

If you want it done immediately - fall over in the dark and break your leg. Then ring one of the ambulance chasers who advertise on daytime TV !

100% guaranteed to work :roll::roll:

 

[A60K]

What happened to hinged lampposts that can be lowered for bulb changing or painting?

 

[barrykas]

What happened to hinged lampposts that can be lowered for bulb changing or painting?

If it's anything like round my way, nobody's told the latest bunch of maintenance contractors about the hinge feature. :roll:

Cheers,

Barry

 

[A60K]

If it's anything like round my way, nobody's told the latest bunch of maintenance contractors about the hinge feature. :roll:

Reminds me of a story in the George Stephenson column in Modern Railways in the early days of NSE.

A bunch of painters turn up at a station with AC electrification with a pot of red paint and a metal ladder, and start to set up ready to paint the lampposts. Station manager points to the overhead wires and says "You can't use a metal ladder". They go away, and come back later that day with a wooden ladder. Station manager says "Why have you got that?", and shows them how to unlock and lower the lamppost...

 

[swt_passenger]

Reminds me of a story in the George Stephenson column in Modern Railways in the early days of NSE.

A bunch of painters turn up at a station with AC electrification with a pot of red paint and a metal ladder, and start to set up ready to paint the lampposts. Station manager points to the overhead wires and says "You can't use a metal ladder". They go away, and come back later that day with a wooden ladder. Station manager says "Why have you got that?", and shows them how to unlock and lower the lamppost...

That story has been going around for years, but in reality, you'd need to show someone how to unlock, lift up a bit, and then lower the lampost. This normally makes use of a portable device which is about twice the size of a decent hydraulic trolley jack, and I reckon the electricians would bring it in their van. Doubt the staion staff would have one lying around, that's for sure...