Messrooms

[Brucey]

What's the deal at Havant?

There aren't any traincrew based there (as far as I know), but there is a door under the stairs on the London-bound platform stating "train crew must ensure this door is locked when leaving". Looks very run down and unused.

On the Portsmouth-bound side, there is a similar door under the stairs. This appears to be used by revenue staff every now and then.

But then there is also the room attached to the passenger info office. I've been in there twice with platform staff while they sorted something out for me (I'm a regular part of the station furniture on Platform 2 between 19:15* and 19:33). On my most recent visit, I noticed revenue staff using it for a cup of tea.

So, does anyone know which room is intended for whom?

* = Make that 19:19 for every 9 days out of 10.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Probably just a PNB point. I'm willing to bet there are hundreds of places on the network which have no train crew based there but offer PNB points for them. I can think of half a dozen off the top of my head purely on Chiltern turf.

 

[A-driver]

Yep, it'll be a pnb point. As said above, not only train crew depots will have mess rooms. Anywhere can be used as a pnb point if facilities are provided. On the GN in addition to the 5 driver depots (kings x, hitchin, Cambs, Lynn &peterbourgh) there are also pnb facilities (so a mess room & staff toilets) at Finsbury park, Hornsey, Hertford, welwyn, letchworth & Ely. So we can be given a pnb or ceb in any of those places.

 

[BestWestern]

There are two messromms at Fratton, one for FGW and one for SWT, at Southampton there is one messroom used by SN, SW, GW and XC staff.

It varies from location to location.

Ah, the Fratton portacabin

The FGW boys are in fact allowed to use the SWT room upstairs, as part of the shared facilities, but tend to prefer their own company!

Paddington is a strange one. At one end sit mainly Bristol-based HST Drivers, next to whom sit the Bristol Train Managers and catering bods. At the opposite end you find the local Turbo DOO men, and in between is available to anybody else who isn't overly fussy! The quiet room and lounge areas are rather less segregated. The place is friendly though, and people do talk.

It's a funny old environment sometimes. I'm firmly with those who greet everybody, in the same way that they're all welcome to hitch a lift and - whisper it quietly - grab a comfy seat in the posh end on my trains. In my experience, the 'old school' grade driven mentality has been 'modernised' out, but you do find the odd sulky character here and there who you can see would prefer it to still be alive and well. However, mostly they seem to have quietly accepted defeat, albeit grudgingly!

 

[sarahj]

No, as in the passenger door nearest the guards goldfish bowl oops I mean office.

I'd prefer your goldfish bowl to our 'seat' next to the toilet which get pinched all the time.

 

[JB25]

Ah yes-the north/south divide. I remember occasionally using the platform 19 mess room to make a cup of tea/use the toilet and the 'stare of death' from the southern lot. Us 'northern' drivers were restricted to the main mess room.

I remember going into the Brighton mess room for a training day once. I sat down in an empty chair. A driver turned to me and said 'are you the cover man then?' I said I wasn't and he asked why I was sitting in the 'cover mans chair' (which was and remained empty whilst I was there as the cover man had got a job). I apologised and moved to the next seat and he asked if I was Brighton top link. I replied that I was a lower link London driver and he pointed to a table the other end of the room and told me to sit there!

I bloody hate going in the Brighton Messroom, they make you feel really unwelcome and uneasy if you are from London.

I heard a story about a London driver who put his bag on the conductors table down there, when he came back from the toilet his bag had been moved, so when he questioned who had moved his bag and got a response along the lines of it was the conductors table and he wasn't welcome apparently he launched said conductors bag across the mess room... Anyone know about that?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Sounds like the "Stammisch" arrangement in certain traditional German pubs - where a table is for "locals and accepted guests only" .....

Humans and others have in born traditional territorial tendancies. Much the same on LT in the past where District line drivers and crews at "shared" messrooms" sat opposite from their Piccadilly line "brothers" etc etc....

 

[sarahj]

I bloody hate going in the Brighton Messroom, they make you feel really unwelcome and uneasy if you are from London.

I heard a story about a London driver who put his bag on the conductors table down there, when he came back from the toilet his bag had been moved, so when he questioned who had moved his bag and got a response along the lines of it was the conductors table and he wasn't welcome apparently he launched said conductors bag across the mess room... Anyone know about that?

I've been telling them that our mess room is now (in)famous around the railway world.

But, no dont know about that one. I've not seen the sage of Brighton mess room for a while (taught by Stephenson himself), but will ask.

I guess if your used to peacefull messroom, even like the main one at Vic, ours can be a bit full on. Its loud (or is that when I'm there) and proud. But if you join in, we will chat with you. Of course it all depends on which shift patten you hit, we on A are much better than that B shift bunch.

 

[craigwilson]

I heard a story about a London driver who put his bag on the conductors table down there, when he came back from the toilet his bag had been moved, so when he questioned who had moved his bag and got a response along the lines of it was the conductors table and he wasn't welcome apparently he launched said conductors bag across the mess room... Anyone know about that?

Well done that man!!

To my non-railway eyes and ears, some of the aggressively territorial behaviour being discussed here does come across as pretty schoolboy.

 

[A-driver]

I bloody hate going in the Brighton Messroom, they make you feel really unwelcome and uneasy if you are from London.

I heard a story about a London driver who put his bag on the conductors table down there, when he came back from the toilet his bag had been moved, so when he questioned who had moved his bag and got a response along the lines of it was the conductors table and he wasn't welcome apparently he launched said conductors bag across the mess room... Anyone know about that?

Yes, I heard that one a while ago! I think it's worse for the lower link London men who go to Brighton for the safety days now as they are in a completely alien mess room on a road they don't sign.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I bloody hate going in the Brighton Messroom, they make you feel really unwelcome and uneasy if you are from London....

I went to Brighton mess room twice when I worked down that way. I can really see why Thameslink staff stayed at the signing on point for breaks.

The first time I was on front end turns and me and my driver were the only blues in a sea of green. We didn't feel welcome and kind of got the impression that if we spoke to them it would be like the first pub scene in An American Werewolf in London.

The second time I was route learning and the train was taken by a trainee on assessment. He had never been to the messroom and didn't know where it was, the DTM turned to me to take them up there. Same sort of feeling.

Never went up there again.

 

[Southern313]

And yet just along the coast Barnham is one big happy mess room that welcomes all!

 

[Matt Taylor]

There is no PNB point at Havant, the room next to the customer service desk is for gateline and revenue staff to take breaks and although traincrew are seen in there at various points through the evening it is only for the purposes of changing train.