Inspector Sands at Kings Cross

[TGV]

I heard good ol' Inspector Sands being called for at Kings Cross just now. Anyone know what happened?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Busy guy that Inspector Sands! Presumably a fire alarm has been activated somewhere in the station.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

KGX hasn't been closed or anything, so must have been a false alarm, test, or a fault.

 

[317666]

Ah yes, Inspector Sands. Was going down the escalator at Euston tube station last year, and heard lots of alarms, with Phil Sayer saying "Could Inspector Sands please report to..."

Needless to say, I jumped on a 1967TS and got out of there

 

[rail-britain]

I heard good ol' Inspector Sands being called for at Kings Cross just now. Anyone know what happened?

What was the full announcement?
This usually gives you a hint as to the issue or area to avoid!

 

[Clip]

What was the full announcement?
This usually gives you a hint as to the issue or area to avoid!

unless it tells you to go to the control room

 

[TGV]

"Inspector Sands report to Network Rail control" was the full announcement.

 

[Clip]

"Inspector Sands report to Network Rail control" was the full announcement.

probably just a fault on the system unless someone burnt their toast again in there

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Or perhaps there was an Inspector Sands on the station whom NR control wanted to speak to!

 

[323235]

This Inspector Sands gets round a bit doesn't he, he was being summoned at Piccadilly once when I was there a while ago.

 

[Yew]

I guess this is a code for somthing? Like how some supermarkets have one to notify of a thief/potential violence (I think its Mr Green at asda, at tesco its just all managers to the front end please)

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I guess this is a code for somthing? Like how some supermarkets have one to notify of a thief/potential violence (I think its Mr Green at asda, at tesco its just all managers to the front end please)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector_Sands

 

[rockford]

This was announced in Liverpool Street this morning too. I sussed it as it was very similar to the codeword we used in my old organisation.
I didn't hang around long!

 

[scotsman]

I tend to advise people to leave a very busy station (especially if underground) if they hear Inspector Sands and it's not 10/11am (typical test times)....probably daft advice?

 

[WestCoast]

Yes, our Inspector Sands certainly is a hard-working chap, all those incidents to attend!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I tend to advise people to leave a very busy station (especially if underground) if they hear Inspector Sands and it's not 10/11am (typical test times)....probably daft advice?

Err, it's a tricky one, well if everyone knew what Inspector Sands actually meant (I suspect a fair amount of people do), then it could cause a stampede at an exit, hence why they use the code to prevent panic.

 

[adc82140]

I've heard it in French at the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras as well.

 

[Aictos]

When I was working at Kings Cross, part of my site induction explained that at a certain time on a certain day the fire alarms would be tested and I should hear a PA announcement for Inspector Sands and that at all other times it was to treated as a emergency.

 

[WestCoast]

When I was working at Kings Cross, part of my site induction explained that at a certain time on a certain day the fire alarms would be tested and I should hear a PA announcement for Inspector Sands and that at all other times it was to treated as a emergency.

It would be a difficult situation, if in the very unlikely event that there was a real emergency which occurred at the same time as a due test..

 

[185]

En francais? ! ?

"Inspecteur Sands allez apres la Pink Panther. Mersey Buckoo."

 

[scotsman]

En francais? ! ?

"Inspecteur Sands allez apres la Pink Panther. Mersey Buckoo."

Not bad! "Voudrais Monsieur Sands allez au voie deux, s'il vous plait" is slightly more accurate...my french is awful

 

[allticketspls]

"Inspector Sands report to Network Rail control" was the full announcement.

This is normally sounded at Liverpool Street when National Express screw something up and desperately need someone who knows what they are doing to come and help :P
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When I was working at Kings Cross, part of my site induction explained that at a certain time on a certain day the fire alarms would be tested and I should hear a PA announcement for Inspector Sands and that at all other times it was to treated as a emergency.

You also hear this quite regularly when FCC hold a meet the manager session at Kings Cross and someone chinned them :P

 

[TUC]

I've heard it in French at the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras as well.

It would have been so good if they had to ask for Inspector Clouseau instead!

 

[adc82140]

Sounded more like "Inspecteur Zandz" when it was announced.

 

[paulravuslante]

Inspector Sands makes an "appearance" at Paddington every Tuesday at around 10am I think it is. He apparently also has a mate called Tommy Atkins, though I've never heard that one being tested.

 

[Clip]

I tend to advise people to leave a very busy station (especially if underground) if they hear Inspector Sands and it's not 10/11am (typical test times)....probably daft advice?

When I was working at Kings Cross, part of my site induction explained that at a certain time on a certain day the fire alarms would be tested and I should hear a PA announcement for Inspector Sands and that at all other times it was to treated as a emergency.

@ ajaz - who told you that? Quite wrong.

When inspector sands goes off and it tells you a location I.E building or end of platform then its for the station staff to go and investigate first of all (it gives you 90 seconds to do this which is why they have static positions for station staff @ KX in the main) as if its a smoke detector then you would be able to see the smoke and inform control to evacuate* - the same as if it was a call point then you would inform control to reset the alarm and it was false.

* Though if there was smoke then another would've picked it up quickly and this would cause a 'double knock' which automatically sets off the alarm to evacuate. Same goes if 2 call points are hit in the same zone.

Though god knows what the signallers are thinking of sometimes as they know automatically when the station has gone into evac and still let trains come in when we had emptied the station.

And sometimes we juts let it go to evac anyway to keep people on their toes for which roles they should be carrying out too.. I loved working there. I miss it a lot.