Guard Voice / announcement Training?

[Anvil1984]

" On dispatching a pair of 153's I somehow managed to end up with the 'Local Door' toggle switch in the closed position and hit the Door Close buttons. And there goes my Local door, hiss, bang...shut. Oh dear! Wouldn't normally be a big deal, but on a 153 if a Driver has his key in the desk the external crew buttons don't work, so the only solution is a walk up the platform and a slightly sheepish tap on his window!! :roll:

.

Try locking yourself in a 150/1 saloon without your BR1 key and your driver being in a 153 attached to the front, thats embarrasing, lucky enough I had a T-key to make a escape attempt using the emergency butterfly (didnt have to smash the glass as I had the key to open the panel above the door)

153s and 155s are a bugger but some of them have a nice little hinge in the emergency door release lever device (couldnt think of the technical name, that thing on saloon part of body side) that stops the lever from going back to the closed position so you can let yourself back in without driver assistance

 

[1V53]

After locking myself out of the cab twice in my first week, I solved the problem by bending a narrow metal plate around the bit that is one side of the T at the top and attached a keyring. Attach a bungee keychain from that to my belt T key holder. Sorted!

 

[BestWestern]

"Try locking yourself in a 150/1 saloon without your BR1 key and your driver being in a 153 attached to the front, thats embarrasing, lucky enough I had a T-key to make a escape attempt using the emergency butterfly (didnt have to smash the glass as I had the key to open the panel above the door)"

Hehe, so long as you have a key of one sort or the other, there is always a way! Reminds me of the time my train rolled in formed of 150/1 towing a 158. The Guard I was relieving jumped out of the 150 and informed me that he had locked out the 158, leaving one door available to get back in. Except that he'd just been platformed the other side, so we couldn't get to the unlocked door! So it was over to the Drivers to decide who fancied scaling the front of a grubby 158 and going in through the end door! They earn more so they can bloody well get dirtier!

 

[Anvil1984]

Never done that but locked myself in a 158 too when working a pair of them on a service which has a station or 2 with short platforms, shut the end gangway connection doors, isolated the air on the passenger doors then realised my error.. oopsy

 

[BestWestern]

Never done that but locked myself in a 158 too when working a pair of them on a service which has a station or 2 with short platforms, shut the end gangway connection doors, isolated the air on the passenger doors then realised my error.. oopsy

Those damn short platforms are the Devil's work! Particularly if you're lucky enough to have a consist with more than one unit and at least one of them has no end gangways....Grrr

 

[Matt Taylor]

Just to clarify a point, I found out today that there is one place on a Desiro where a BR1B will work. Unfortunately I can't go into detail as it involves a safety feature.

 

[387star]

A Southern guard a few weeks back sounded so bored and depressed we all burst out laughing!! I know that's not nice but couldn't be helped!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Another Southern guard was drunk on duty he sounded so slurred it was obvious

 

[Blindtraveler]

there used to be an ozzy bloke on virgin trains, edinburgh based in the early to mid 2000s who was fantastic " once had a cow blocking the line on an early saturday carlisle service and he said sumfin like sorry foalks for the delay there was a cow on the line, or perhaps it should be a coo, as its a scottish one! He also was heard once as describing a 221s toilet as, inteligent! What? Not sure where he is now.

Also another guy who worked and maybe stil does for Scotrail who sounds a bit like james blunt lol. oh and as mentioned earlier, east coasts very own robo guard! He always makes me laugh, specially after a few oh and you should hear hing with sdo at short platformed stations like inverkeithing, alwas makes a bold statement like, if you are in coach, M, please move, BACK into coach, L To leav!

 

[scotsman]

oh and as mentioned earlier, east coasts very own robo guard! He always makes me laugh, specially after a few oh and you should hear hing with sdo at short platformed stations like inverkeithing, alwas makes a bold statement like, if you are in coach, M, please move, BACK into coach, L To leav!

Utter legend that man! "If there are any passengers remaining on this train for Llllundun Kings Cross...."

 

[pendolino]

Another Southern guard was drunk on duty he sounded so slurred it was obvious

That's quite an accusation you're making there, you do realise that?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Another Southern guard was drunk on duty he sounded so slurred it was obvious

Slurring does not indicate intoxication.

This is a very serious accusation, being drunk in a safety critical role, and I very much doubt your accusations are correct.

 

[Mojo]

Slurring does not indicate intoxication.

This is a very serious accusation, being drunk in a safety critical role, and I very much doubt your accusations are correct.

It does happen though

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...rank-half-a-bottle-of-vodka-during-shift.html

 

[ralphchadkirk]

It does happen though

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...rank-half-a-bottle-of-vodka-during-shift.html

It does, but look at the chances - about 1 in how ever many guards there are!

 

[scotsman]

Another Southern guard was drunk on duty he sounded so slurred it was obvious

I know of one Guard who is from Eastern Europe and is unable to pronounce some stations correctly, slurring some of the consonants. You could say he was drunk, or you could think that may actually have some problem. Please consider carefully before making such rash, defammatory statements.

 

[pendolino]

I know of one Guard who is from Eastern Europe and is unable to pronounce some stations correctly, slurring some of the consonants. You could say he was drunk, or you could think that may actually have some problem. Please consider carefully before making such rash, defammatory statements.

Couldn't agree more. Southern have a lot of conductors (and drivers for that matter) with strong accents - Africans, Jamaicans, eastern Europeans, Asians.... Quite an eclectic bunch!

 

[WestCoast]

Couldn't agree more. Southern have a lot of conductors (and drivers for that matter) with strong accents - Africans, Jamaicans, eastern Europeans, Asians.... Quite an eclectic bunch!

The PSAs on the DLR are very similar I've noticed - a diverse range of accents can be heard.

Virgin have a TM, who I think is from the West Indies and he couldn't really pronounce Macclesfield - slurring a little bit - but he's not drunk!

 

[BestWestern]

Having read that linked story about the intoxicated Guard, I'm amazed that he got that far into his shift. To have someone descreetly sipping is one thing - though not a thing that is in any way ok! - but to be absolutely legless, or getting very close to it, is pretty incredible. The chances of that happening are very slim indeed, although this proves of course that it can happen. Much the same as with the odd airline pilot here and there I suppose. Always a shocker though.

 

[SqUaShIe P]

I can admit to making a few mistakes over the PA. I think the worst one for me is when theres engineering works (or 'route improvement' works) on and the train terminates at say Diss or Stowmarket insted of Norwich. Just out of habbit, I know i'll end up saying "This train is for Norwich" even though it says somewhere else on the peice of paper infront of me.

In relation to doors being released while the train is moving, I think it varies from class to class. When I was in training, i remember someone telling me the doors could be released under 5mph on a class 321. Someone else told me its under 3mph on a 360 and on the hauled sets i usually work (cl90 + mkIII) the can be released at any speed.

 

[Matt Taylor]

Under 3mph on a Desiro (all models) you can key in and open the local door, but the brakes will kick in as you will lose interlock.

 

[Yew]

I remember a guard on an EMT service (Mansfield woodhouse to nottingham) Did a texan accent, and managed to get yee-hah at the end of the announcment, then at another station sounded like a horse race announcer I enjoyed that trip

 

[WestCoast]

I remember a guard on an EMT service (Mansfield woodhouse to nottingham) Did a texan accent, and managed to get yee-hah at the end of the announcment, then at another station sounded like a horse race announcer I enjoyed that trip

In a similar vain I've heard of a Virgin guard that introduces himself as "THE RAM" in all announcements..:?

 

[Urban Gateline]

I think sometimes the way that Rail staff make announcements dictates the atmosphere to an extent, if you get someone who is full of cheer and not like a robot reading off a script then it can make your journey more enjoyable, sometimes it can even put a smile on commuter's faces (hard to believe I know!)

Once on my commute in London when getting off an underground train, there was a platform assistant who had an american accent and he made his announcement sound really OTT "Goooooooood Morrrrning Ladies and Gents and Welcome to London Waterloooo, exits and interchanges are at each end of the platform.....Staaaaaand clear of the dooors" That person's enthusiasm and humour just made my morning

 

[CarterUSM]

I remember a guard on an EMT service (Mansfield woodhouse to nottingham) Did a texan accent, and managed to get yee-hah at the end of the announcment, then at another station sounded like a horse race announcer I enjoyed that trip

That sounds pretty funny! We used to do humorous announcements too, whilst they were also accurate, management took a dim view and now prefer robotic, script like efforts on pain of discipline.

 

[WestCoast]

Once on my commute in London when getting off an underground train, there was a platform assistant who had an american accent and he made his announcement sound really OTT "Goooooooood Morrrrning Ladies and Gents and Welcome to London Waterloooo, exits and interchanges are at each end of the platform.....Staaaaaand clear of the dooors" That person's enthusiasm and humour just made my morning

I've seen/heard him too at Waterloo, certainly an interesting character!

 

[Blindtraveler]

to hell with management, wonder how dim a view they'de take if the complaints dropped as a result of an announcement sounding human? If they want a script, pay out for a fully automated pis. Dont enjoy my trip so much if the guard mopes around like he's just flushed his winning lottery ticket down the bog!

That sounds pretty funny! We used to do humorous announcements too, whilst they were also accurate, management took a dim view and now prefer robotic, script like efforts on pain of discipline.

 

[CarterUSM]

to hell with management, wonder how dim a view they'de take if the complaints dropped as a result of an announcement sounding human? If they want a script, pay out for a fully automated pis. Dont enjoy my trip so much if the guard mopes around like he's just flushed his winning lottery ticket down the bog!

Thats what I said, but they really don't see the funny side, even if punters do!

 

[scotsman]

Haven't done an announcement for a while now...

 

[Blindtraveler]

Thats what I said, but they really don't see the funny side, even if punters do!

miserable individuals. And they say rail travel should be fun! Odly enough last trip on xc the service was late, overcrouded and öly 1 functioning loo but the tm was amazingly chirpy! Complete reversal of rolls and we, the punters couldnt get why!

 

[Welshman]

Had a lovely chuckle recently on hearing the following from, I presume, a rather harrassed guard on VT:-
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Warrington Bank Quay. Passengers with connections for, err, hereabouts, should change here"

You can't beat the logic!

 

[londonbridge]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9COwWu69k

This one made me laugh.