I'd like to compile a top ten worst mess rooms in the UK at Victoria both of them platform 19 and the mouse infested one next to Burger King, East Croydon and Nuneaton although I've never seen it someone said it was a proper hole and I'm sure there's plenty others. Oh and you freight boys can throw you hat in the ring too as I now you guys think you go it bad but us TOC chaps like our creature comforts and we like to moan it's in our contract we must moan on a daily basis on all manner of subjects. Fact. So let's be having you its only a bit of light hearted fun.
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The worst mess rooms.
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Johncleesefan
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Haha you certainly paint a picture.
I cant really comment tbh after that display. Makes all the mess rooms I break in seem like premier inns.
The mess at temple meads is my least fave but that's only because you have to walk past the "fish tank" of managers to get to it, but then that is changing soon
I cant really comment tbh after that display. Makes all the mess rooms I break in seem like premier inns.
The mess at temple meads is my least fave but that's only because you have to walk past the "fish tank" of managers to get to it, but then that is changing soon
Bromley boy
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Vic is pretty horrible, noisy, unfriendly, funny looks (I ignore) if you sit in the "wrong" bit for your uniform. Generally I'd say it's cleaner than most.
Some other real horrors, Sevenoakes (filthy, gloomy), Cannon St (filthy, gloomy, small), Charing Cross (filthy, gloomy, bigger!). None of these rooms seem to be cleaned anything like enough, even accepting that some people could be better at cleaning after themselves.
Crusted soup and ready-meals on the surfaces and microwaves that looks days old. Filthy carpets, seat-cushions. I'd argue they're bordering on insanitary and unfit to consume food in, so much so that in central London I'll tend to go into a Pret or similar.
St Albans I've been to a couple of times and it was absolutely rotten.
Some other real horrors, Sevenoakes (filthy, gloomy), Cannon St (filthy, gloomy, small), Charing Cross (filthy, gloomy, bigger!). None of these rooms seem to be cleaned anything like enough, even accepting that some people could be better at cleaning after themselves.
Crusted soup and ready-meals on the surfaces and microwaves that looks days old. Filthy carpets, seat-cushions. I'd argue they're bordering on insanitary and unfit to consume food in, so much so that in central London I'll tend to go into a Pret or similar.
St Albans I've been to a couple of times and it was absolutely rotten.
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king_walnut
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Try the platform 19 mess room if you think the main room at Vic is bad :P
I beg to differ! freight men get a nice big window with a changing view of rural and urban views, reclining chair, hot plate for your beverages, gentle hum of a V12 to rock you to sleep and a nice heater to keep you warm in winter and roasting in summer. My only criticism is having to bring your own paper for the noisy Khazi in the back
Arhhh shiver me timbers but I think you freight boys are made of sterner stuff you wouldn't want it nice you'd like the roof to leak and the heating to be broken even then you'd just take it on the chin, when ships were made of wood and men were made of steel that's your freight man made of steel not like us TOC boys we like our creature comforts and we like to moan that's the TOC way. I can only bow to your superior tenacity and your stronger will I'm going to take myself to one side and give myself a damn good thrashing.( just not in any of the mess rooms that have been mentioned)
Vic mess at 19 stinks but then it doesn't have windows and the loo is next to the microwave or is it in the loo can't be sure but I did see one guy eating a sarnie in the loo there once.
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king_walnut
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It might not be so bad up there if there wasn't fish being constantly microwaved..
I hate the fact the water cooler is always switched off, too. For no reason. Last summer wound me up because I'd go on my break desperate for a cup of cold water and it would be tepid! Do you use that room much? Please help me by switching on the cooler whenever you're up there. And threatening to kneecap anyone you see turning it off. Thanks
king_walnut
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Mebbe this thread would be better in infrastructure and stations? I wondered where the last one had gone..
Purley is pretty bad aswell, on a par with 19 at Vic. I don't understand your hate for the one next to Burger King at Vic though, it's big enough and clean enough and the facilities are all there. Toilets are nice. Quite happy to sit there for an hour or two.
Generally on the Southern network the mess rooms are pretty good. Haywards Heath is basic but has what you need, Eastbourne is nice, Redhill is nice, London Bridge is ****ing luxury.
Purley is pretty bad aswell, on a par with 19 at Vic. I don't understand your hate for the one next to Burger King at Vic though, it's big enough and clean enough and the facilities are all there. Toilets are nice. Quite happy to sit there for an hour or two.
Generally on the Southern network the mess rooms are pretty good. Haywards Heath is basic but has what you need, Eastbourne is nice, Redhill is nice, London Bridge is ****ing luxury.
RJ21
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Mouse infested, you want a Felix for that, then you can run a book on which mouse is for the chop next, or which one will outrun said feline assassin. Sometimes mouse infested places can be fun, the malt floors in certain distilleries amongst them where the mice are not fearful of their human companions.
tiptoptaff
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St Ives.
tsr
Established Member
I'm enjoying the comments about Victoria! 
The Platform 19 messroom is indeed more than a bit dire. Don't forget the stairs, cunningly manufactured in the size, shape and indeed smell of a u-bend.
As for the other messroom, regarding the "wrong bit for your uniform" comment, it seems to be improving a tad. Just you try Brighton. You can't even have different depot crews sitting on the same table (except if Selhurst drivers turn up and want to wind everyone up, and trust me, they enjoy that).
There are loads on the Southern network, both train crew and station staff ones, which bear no resemblance to anything which anyone human (or other variants of train crew
) should have to use. Epsom used to be quite bad but they have proper furniture, tidier tables and a TV now (but no toilets, so you can make do with a flooded gents' next door). I don't agree with the comments about Haywards Heath - it's utterly unloved and soul-destroying. Dorking is basically a grubby galley kitchen at the back of someone's desk. Leatherhead has a microwave behind a partition at the back of the ticket office, where train crew certainly once had to wait (not so much now).
Meanwhile, "minimum break at East Croydon" is a euphemism for a ten minute walk with the outcome of wolfing down your meal in what appears to be Harry Potter's cupboard.
The Platform 19 messroom is indeed more than a bit dire. Don't forget the stairs, cunningly manufactured in the size, shape and indeed smell of a u-bend.As for the other messroom, regarding the "wrong bit for your uniform" comment, it seems to be improving a tad. Just you try Brighton. You can't even have different depot crews sitting on the same table (except if Selhurst drivers turn up and want to wind everyone up, and trust me, they enjoy that).
There are loads on the Southern network, both train crew and station staff ones, which bear no resemblance to anything which anyone human (or other variants of train crew
) should have to use. Epsom used to be quite bad but they have proper furniture, tidier tables and a TV now (but no toilets, so you can make do with a flooded gents' next door). I don't agree with the comments about Haywards Heath - it's utterly unloved and soul-destroying. Dorking is basically a grubby galley kitchen at the back of someone's desk. Leatherhead has a microwave behind a partition at the back of the ticket office, where train crew certainly once had to wait (not so much now).Meanwhile, "minimum break at East Croydon" is a euphemism for a ten minute walk with the outcome of wolfing down your meal in what appears to be Harry Potter's cupboard.
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dk1
Veteran Member
We are quite lucky to have quite nice messrooms with Satellite TV, gaming machines, snack/drink machines & mostly clean considerate staff using them. Daytimes however I still prefer Wetherspoon's if only to try and escape much of the moaning & groaning. Trouble is others are following my lead these days Making it like a second messroom especially for breakfast.
I'm enjoying the comments about Victoria!
As for the other messroom, regarding the "wrong bit for your uniform" comment, it seems to be improving a tad. Just you try Brighton. You can't even have different depot crews sitting on the same table (except if Selhurst drivers turn up and want to wind everyone up, and trust me, they enjoy that).
There are loads on the Southern network, both train crew and station staff ones, which bear no resemblance to anything which anyone human (or other variants of train crew
Meanwhile, "minimum break at East Croydon" is a euphemism for a ten minute walk with the outcome of wolfing down your meal in what appears to be Harry Potter's cupboard.
Good to see that train crews experience the same conditions as the passengers sometimes!
tsr
Established Member
Oh yes indeed...
I'd argue they're probably a bit worse - after spending an hour on a packed peak time train, most passengers probably don't have to then go and sit next to a filth-encrusted microwave at a randomly-selected table with only three functioning legs, with exactly 42 minutes to eat lunch, this being 9am given you're on earlies. They probably didn't have to clamber over a live 750V DC lump of metal to get into their workplace, and they almost certainly didn't discover a tea-soaked Evening Standard down the back of their chair, in which was originally printed an editorial moaning about their employer for the fifth day straight. 
Alright, I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, as many shifts are not like that, and there are plenty of very lovely messrooms and/or staff to share them with. But you get the gist...
dk1
Veteran Member
Times have certainly changed since then.
Sleaford, Spalding and Skegness deserve a mention.
Sleaford has one room dedicated to the local station maintenance teams collection of Regional Railways signage and obsolete BR station bins, with some chalk boards and a goods ticket from Blankney station before it closed the first time round on the wall plus a poster from the 80s of the Tetley Tea Folk next to it. The seat is (I kid you not) a Victorian bench rescued from the waiting room and a poorly boarded up fireplace lets in all the draughts.
A rusty tea strainer hung above the sink until recently. You have to use the a key to walk up the platform to the public bog.
Spalding is full of 1970s tables and chairs. A door leads to the derelict station building. There's a cupboard full of weedkiller next to it. The staff toilet is the fairly recently abandoned public gents which is architecturally impressive with a nice skylight but has an unboarded fireplace and is full of shopping trolleys etc.
Skegness is a windowless room shared with the electrical distribution point in a large cage with utterly undrinkable water.
Rarely if ever are any of them cleaned.
Sleaford has one room dedicated to the local station maintenance teams collection of Regional Railways signage and obsolete BR station bins, with some chalk boards and a goods ticket from Blankney station before it closed the first time round on the wall plus a poster from the 80s of the Tetley Tea Folk next to it. The seat is (I kid you not) a Victorian bench rescued from the waiting room and a poorly boarded up fireplace lets in all the draughts.
A rusty tea strainer hung above the sink until recently. You have to use the a key to walk up the platform to the public bog.
Spalding is full of 1970s tables and chairs. A door leads to the derelict station building. There's a cupboard full of weedkiller next to it. The staff toilet is the fairly recently abandoned public gents which is architecturally impressive with a nice skylight but has an unboarded fireplace and is full of shopping trolleys etc.
Skegness is a windowless room shared with the electrical distribution point in a large cage with utterly undrinkable water.
Rarely if ever are any of them cleaned.
ExRes
Established Member
I'm delighted to hear that London Victoria is still full of miserable and unfriendly 'persons', I assumed that 20 years after last visiting that welcoming snake pit that things would have changed, obviously not
"Can't sit there that's Gatwick Express/South Eastern/South Central/Drivers with over 90 years service" etc etc
Couldn't and can't beat the camaraderie of railway brothers and sisters
"Can't sit there that's Gatwick Express/South Eastern/South Central/Drivers with over 90 years service" etc etc
Couldn't and can't beat the camaraderie of railway brothers and sisters
philthetube
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I am surprised y9ou are allowed in licensed premises, I assume you have to hide/remove uniforms?
dk1
Veteran Member
Of course we don't. We aren't stupid enough to drink alcohol. There are as many managers as Traincrew in there often holding one to one meetings. Times have changed & Wetherspoons is seen as a cafe these days. Full uniform & lanyard worn at all times.
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Like SSP catering outlets on stations? (Pumpkin etc). I wouldn't go in a Spoons later in the day but first thing (when many don't serve alcohol anyway) they're a regular breakfast haunt for railway bods!
the sniper
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Where I am the current TOC at least have always told us that we're not allowed to go into any kind of drinking establishment in uniform. I've heard Wetherspoons and places like it being particularly confirmed as being places we can't go. Interesting to see this policy varies considerably by TOC.
Luckily this policy doesn't preclude the managers from going to these establishments, holding ever so important meetings, from which they then head home on the train p*ssed up... :roll:
Luckily this policy doesn't preclude the managers from going to these establishments, holding ever so important meetings, from which they then head home on the train p*ssed up... :roll:
Metobusfan
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london bridge was bad, haven't been in the new one e
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