Trivia:Major design faults

[SpacePhoenix]

LU - not having all the tube tunnels the same diameter (size of Vic line tunnels)

 

[sk688]

LM - leaving the train on the platform with doors locked upto 2 mins before departure , along with their tendency to not announce trains right up to the point where they are ready to to leave , resulting in the aforementioned scrum

 

[najaB]

On a two-track railway, If you have a bay platform in the middle, a train doesn't have to block oncoming traffic to enter the bay, or exit, as the bay is adjacent to the up and down lines. If the bay platform is on the outside, the train will have to cross both lines either when arriving or leaving.

Ah, got you now - it makes a difference for one bay platform but not for two.

 

[The Planner]

Depends on the frequency, can quite easily work for two.

 

[thenorthern]

The strange long Central Trains routes - While Aberystwyth to the East Midlands may be a good novelty journey it passes though too many urban areas meaning delays are highly likely en route.

 

[Dr Hoo]

On behalf of the late Mr William Huskisson may I suggest that the braking system (commonly rendered "breaking" in those days) on the 'Rocket' was grossly inadequate?

The absence of centralised door locking on the carriages was also a major shortfall.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

When the class 141s were new, every time the toilet was flushed the brakes came on...

 

[yorksrob]

The old track layout at Cambridge.

Having the main up and down through platforms on the same line seems like a recipe for conflict.

 

[Taunton]

The old track layout at Cambridge.

Having the main up and down through platforms on the same line seems like a recipe for conflict.

There was a logic to this. Taunton incidentally was the same in the 19th Century, as were several mid-route GWR Broad Gauge stations. It allows all the station facilities to be shared in one group, on the same side of the line, avoiding duplicate facilities, or any need by passengers or staff to cross the line - the trains do so instead. Where frequencies were not too great there was little operational inconvenience.

 

[yorksrob]

There was a logic to this. Taunton incidentally was the same in the 19th Century, as were several mid-route GWR Broad Gauge stations. It allows all the station facilities to be shared in one group, on the same side of the line, avoiding duplicate facilities, or any need by passengers or staff to cross the line - the trains do so instead. Where frequencies were not too great there was little operational inconvenience.

Indeed. It's strange that this layout survived at Cambridge a century later than everywhere else though !

 

[36270k]

- Spanner train heating boilers

- Any diesel/electric loco built by North British (the Warships were sorted out by Swindon; the D63xx they just felt were beyond fixing).

- Any diesel engine by Crossley

- Batch after batch of BR and Underground trains from the 1970s-90s with passenger door buttons which are never used (well they are, by unknowing visitors, they just don't do anything).

Boiler memory from Swindon depot in 1972

Spanner on class 52 - simple and reliable

Clayton on class 37 - complex and reliable

Stones on class 47 - complex and erratic

 

[Master29]

The entire area around Dawlish. Historical I know but was always a fragile mix from the start.

 

[greaterwest]

The SWT suburban timetable - one little problem and the whole network seems to feel it.

 

[theageofthetra]

Osaka station- the single most confusing and hellish to navigate mess in Japan. Istanbul bus terminal coming a close second.

 

[BestWestern]

The SWT suburban timetable - one little problem and the whole network seems to feel it.

Surely simply because SWT are running as intense a service as they are physically able to? Should they run fewer trains?!

 

[deltic1989]

When the class 141s were new, every time the toilet was flushed the brakes came on...

Leading to the timetable getting bogged down no doubt.

 

[greaterwest]

Surely simply because SWT are running as intense a service as they are physically able to? Should they run fewer trains?!

Of course not! I'm just nitpicking

Perhaps a real design fault then, would be the inter carriage / 1st class doors on the GWR Networkers which never seem to work properly.

 

[Scotrail84]

Class 380 vestibule doors, slow and irritating.

 

[sw1ller]

158 ERTMS screen. I only use it at level 0 so I don't get a fancy dark shirt!! On some trips when the sun is at the right angle, I have to sit with my body pressed up against the side window so I can see my speed. Or put my coat on but then I'm too hot!!!

 

[causton]

Tribute has many, but here's the best:

If a ticket fails to print 3 times, it simply "auto non-issues" the ticket and then returns to the issuing screen for a new ticket. Let's just say someone has paid £4000 for a season ticket, and the printer fails 3 times... oh, we've just authorised your card for £4000, and you've got no ticket, and we've got no way of reusing that authorisation for a new ticket as we don't know the authorisation code, and that was (unsurprisingly) the last £4000 in your account! Enjoy travelling without a ticket, temporarily £4k in the red with nothing to show for it!

 

[fowler9]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Pacers need the saloon heating on at full blast in the summer, as it's the only way the engine can dump excess heat. I haven't been on one for years so not sure if that's the case, it's a major fault if true though

I was on one on July 19th this year leaving Lime Street and it was hell on earth almost quite literally on one of the hottest days of the year. People got off and found other ways to travel.

 

[fowler9]

LM - leaving the train on the platform with doors locked upto 2 mins before departure , along with their tendency to not announce trains right up to the point where they are ready to to leave , resulting in the aforementioned scrum

They don't do that at Lime Street, you can get on from the moment they arrive. EMT, FTPE and Northern all normally seem to lock the trains though.

 

[fowler9]

The toilets at Liverpool South Parkway. There are 3. Not 3 blocks. Just 3 toilets. And after one is used it takes several minutes to self clean. This at a big transport interchange served by 507's, 508's, buses and Desiros none of which have toilets. (The Desiros do but they are locked out of use even more often than the super loos at South Parkway).

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Another one for 141s, the 4-section doors had a tendency to rattle like crazy when in tunnels or passing other trains at speed, and could even come open on exposed sections of line such as on viaducts. They also were far more likely to jam (open or closed) than the 2-section ones fitted to 143/144s from new and later fitted to 142s. Other pacer flaws away from the obvious are the issues with toilet doors (the internal walls warping slightly causing them to be uncloseable), the amateurish look of the cab back walls on the 142s, and the metal bar used to keep passengers away from the staff doors on 141s.

All 20m mk3-based vehicles due to the difficulty in getting seats to align with windows without compromising capacity. 153/155 units for the windows being so high.

185s for being too short, and the dearth of grab-poles/handles in vestibules meaning that just after passing Mirfield you're likely to make some new friends whether you want to or not!

 

[BelleIsle]

Class 380 vestibule doors, slow and irritating.

Ah yes, the original vestibule doors on the Mk 3s. 'Let's make it easy for passengers with luggage by making them automatic and operated by a pressure sensor in the foor.' Great except for when the train is rammed or someone dumps their case in the aisle and so on. Noise, drafts and toilet smell for all. Then to top it by making the isolator a simple switch above the door which the passengers soon learn about. In its defence, if the aircon failed you just isolated the doors and opened all the windows.

 

[LowLevel]

They don't do that at Lime Street, you can get on from the moment they arrive. EMT, FTPE and Northern all normally seem to lock the trains though.

Two reasons really - on the EMT services it's so they can be cleaned and labelled for the return, with a fairly short turnaround it's impossible for the cleaners to achieve it while dodging people and luggage. I try and get the doors open at least 10 minutes before departure but EMT insist on scheduling the guard a break that ends at departure time, so if they insist on taking it in full they're within their rights not to return and open the doors earlier.

Secondly is the amount of platform sharing - if you have two trains open in the platform you can guarantee some folk will ignore the screens and get on the first one they come to. It's therefore considered good practice to lock up the back one.

 

[grumblingalong]

The capacity for mk2/3 coaches to have a door "on the catch" it should be either shut, or open, why have a second catch??

 

[marks87]

The capacity for mk2/3 coaches to have a door "on the catch" it should be either shut, or open, why have a second catch??

It's presumably for the same reason as car doors having the same - if the main catch fails while moving, the door won't fly open but instead be held on the second catch.

 

[QueensCurve]

And it's nowhere near Ilkeston town centre

Perhaps it was better they put it on the railway.

 

[40129]

Another one for 141s, the 4-section doors had a tendency to rattle like crazy when in tunnels or passing other trains at speed, and could even come open on exposed sections of line such as on viaducts. They also were far more likely to jam (open or closed) than the 2-section ones fitted to 143/144s from new and later fitted to 142s. Other pacer flaws away from the obvious are the issues with toilet doors (the internal walls warping slightly causing them to be uncloseable), the amateurish look of the cab back walls on the 142s, and the metal bar used to keep passengers away from the staff doors on 141s.

Those folding doors weren't great at opening/closing or staying closed when fitted to Leyland National buses which rarely exceeded 50mph, so let's see what happens when we fit then to trains designed to run at up to 75mph on a regular basis. Good idea - not!

Incidentally, IIRC LT used similar metal poles to keep passengers away from Guard doors