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Short platform at Bodmin?

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andykn

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Last year I collected the Mother-in-Law from Bodmin Parkway to where she had travelled down in 1st class from Paddington.

The doors in the rear carriage she was in weren't opened. Fortunately I saw her worried head poking out of the window and alerted the guard who rather flusteredly held the train and opened them saying she'd made an announcement that they wouldn't be opening because of a short platform (that the deaf Mother in Law hadn't heard due to not bothering to wear her hearing aid).

I was puzzled because there appeared to be plenty of room. As we're repeating the trip again this year, is this usual at Bodmin?

Can we make sure she doesn't end up in the end coach by booking or avoiding the 1st class quiet coach?
 
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dvboy

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Surely if you don't specifically request Quiet Coach when booking, you don't get Quiet Coach? That's always been my experience.
 

455driver

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Is Bodmin 1 of the stations where, if the signal is clear then the driver will carry on past it to get all the coaches on the platform, but if the signal is red then the rear coach will be off the platform?

There are a few of these aroung, Westbury platform 1, Totnes platform 1 are two I can think of.
 

Mojo

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Surely if you don't specifically request Quiet Coach when booking, you don't get Quiet Coach? That's always been my experience.
The quiet coach in First class on FGW HSTs is second from the back (travelling away from London), so by not specifying the quiet coach there is still no guarantee the coach the customer is travelling in will be in the platform.
 

455driver

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If she DOES request the quiet coach she will be given coach G (next to the buffet) and not coach H which is the end coach.
 

TEW

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Is Bodmin 1 of the stations where, if the signal is clear then the driver will carry on past it to get all the coaches on the platform, but if the signal is red then the rear coach will be off the platform?
No, there are no signals at all at Bodmin Parkway station.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I was puzzled because there appeared to be plenty of room. As we're repeating the trip again this year, is this usual at Bodmin?

Can we make sure she doesn't end up in the end coach by booking or avoiding the 1st class quiet coach?

Yes, guards are given strict instructions on what doors to open at what stations and at Bodmin the instruction is to lock the rear carriage doors even though they just about fit.

If you ask for the quiet coach it should be on the platform. Bear in mind the doors in Carriage G might be locked as well, depending on the service. Because of the curve at Bodmin Parkway despatching an HST takes a long time so if there are no despatch staff present the guard might lock out some additional coaches to speed up the process. It is important to listen to the announcements.
 

andykn

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Thanks everyone for the very helpful replies.

I wasn't sure which coach the 1st class quiet was - we'll book her in that and TRY and get her to wear her hearing aid. And have it turned on. Or better still ask the staff when tickets are checked.

I understand the point about despatching, that must be why the doors were locked out before
 

TEW

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Speaking to the staff is the best way, then they are aware. Her ticket we'll probably be checked upon departure from Paddington but there will be at least one crew change along the way, at Exeter and/or Plymouth, the guard getting off should tell the new guard, and the new guard should at least walk through the train so it might be worth speaking to the guard upon departure from Plymouth as well.
 

TEW

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FGW instructions are to use SDO at Bodmin Parkway station, the only stations where it isn't used in Cornwall are Penzance, Truro and Newquay. In the FGW timetable Bodmin Parkway is indicated as having SDO.
 

richw

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FGW instructions are to use SDO at Bodmin Parkway station, the only stations where it isn't used in Cornwall are Penzance, Truro and Newquay. In the FGW timetable Bodmin Parkway is indicated as having SDO.

It's not required at Liskeard unless they have shortened the platform., and I've never heard it announced at bodmin myself.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
 

KA4C

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It's not required at Liskeard unless they have shortened the platform., and I've never heard it announced at bodmin myself.

2

It is not announced at the station, but it is on every train, several times

The position of 1st class is announced on the station and on the matrix displays, reverse formation is also announced

At Bodmin Parkway, the station staff also walk up the platform asking individual passengers which coach they are travelling in and then giving directions
 

AndyHA

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I have this problem at Stonehouse on the Swindon to Gloucester , where you can only fit TWO coaches in the Platform . But on these through trains from Paddington , it is well announced that only Coaches A & B will be platformed .
The poor souls in First Class have a long trek through the Train to alight there .
 

TEW

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It's not required at Liskeard unless they have shortened the platform., and I've never heard it announced at bodmin myself.

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2

SDO use isn't actually required at quite a few stations but FGW instructions still require it to be used.
 

TEW

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Yeh, that doesn't help. Using the TGS as the bicycle store means it must always be platformed, but as the TGS door is not centrally locked it could be left of the platform and all other doors open, at quite a few stations it is just one door that is off the platform.
 

Slinky

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The 1st class coaches on the rear coming down are rarely platformed apart from Camborne where it's the front 2
 

Zoe

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Yeh, that doesn't help. Using the TGS as the bicycle store means it must always be platformed, but as the TGS door is not centrally locked it could be left of the platform and all other doors open, at quite a few stations it is just one door that is off the platform.
I seem to remember when SDO was first introduced, one of the power cars was used as the bicycle store and this was platformed.
 

TEW

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Yeh, that was the first implementation of SDO, from December 2006 to May 2007 I believe. It meant that the front of the train was platformed at all stations in both directions, which meant at stations with some short platforms all that was platformed was First Class, or perhaps one Standard Class carriage. This would cause delay as everybody went in through the one Standard Class carriage or annoyance for First Class passengers as all the Standard Class passengers walked through all the time. Switching it so that wherever possible Standard Class is platformed alleviates these problems. There have always been a few stations where the situation is different because of operational reasons, usually the signalling preventing the Standard Class portion being platformed.
 

Sleepy

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:?: Does the Sleeper stock have SDO fitted and if so are berths always " London" end of train normally ?
 

CC 72100

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:?: Does the Sleeper stock have SDO fitted and if so are berths always " London" end of train normally ?

The berths normally are at the London End yes, that I can confirm

As for SDO on the sleepers - I'm not sure, although when I travelled up from Penzance in coach A (so the last coach, one of the seated ones) we were platformed at all stations.
 

TEW

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Yes SDO is fitted, used at Lostwithiel and Hayle in the down direction, those two stations don't get calls in the up direction. Also used more on Fridays on the down and Sundays on the up when there is an extra carriage is used, so 8 carriages, the same as an HST. It can also be used if there are no sleeper berth passengers boarding at a particular stop, as it stops all the local passengers getting on in the berths and loudly walking through to the seats.
 
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