A first time for everything: train misses booked call

[Old Yard Dog]

I remember waiting at Glossop (or was it Hadfield?) in the early 1990's for the one train a week that was meant to stop at Godley East. Just to be sure, I asked the driver whether he was going to stop and he said "It's closed isn't it?" The guard then came to my rescue, producing a timetable leaflet showing the required stop.

Godley East finally closed in 1995.

 

[Loop & Link]

Sadly it happens. Down to being human I guess. Sometimes a docket can be repetitive, same route maybe 3 times on the same docket, with different stopping patterns (semi-fast/stopping) on different services.

 

[infobleep]

And it was still mentioned in the GWML HST accident reports from the 2000s that double-manning would likely have prevented one or both of them!

Well perhaps secondmen should be brought back, never mind Southern bringing in DOO.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

 

[Antman]

Never been on a train that has missed a stop but have been left waiting at a station by one that has flown through in error.

Ended up dumped for it as the then missus, this was back in the days before mobiles, thought I'd stood her up and didn't believe me when I turned up in the pub an hour late.

To be fair it doesn't sound like the most convincing of excuses

 

[Castle Cary]

The first morning that the main line trains were to stop at Sandwell and Dudley, the Mayor was on the platform with a lot of other pompous and important local brass, and the first up went through at speed.

 

[Kite159]

I wonder how often (if ever) trains which were meant to call at Trefforest Estate skip it by mistake?

Similarly Gilfach Fargoed or Energlyn & Churchill Park which only have certain trains call

 

[charley_17/7]

Whilst working a New Mills Central - Manchester Piccadilly service just before midnight, my driver was so keen to get home he almost missed Ashburys (the penultimate stop).

Fortunately, it being a Class 142, and a reasonably long platform, a simple one on the buzzer caught his attention and he duly stopped in time.

 

[Vtdriver]

I have to say I'd be tempted to stick the high vis on and walk along the cess than face the walk of shame through the train.

 

[southern442]

A friend of my mum's who is a train driver once forgot to stop at Bedhampton on a Southern service. He had to make a rather embarrasing announcement saying that he accidentally missed a stop...

...all I can say is that he now drives freight trains

 

[headshot119]

I wonder how often (if ever) trains which were meant to call at Trefforest Estate skip it by mistake?

Similarly Gilfach Fargoed or Energlyn & Churchill Park which only have certain trains call

It happens, they deployed reminder signs at Taffs Wells and Trefforest to try and cut down on it.

 

[rg177]

At the opposite extreme, my driver stopped at Northallerton, I released the doors, no one got on, no one got off. Looked at departure boards and they said "Stand Back, Fast Train Approaching" so shut doors, buzz, buzz and off we went.....

Werent booked to call.....

This wouldn't be the 0708 SX/0706 SO Newcastle-Liverpool would it? Had it on Saturday, pulled into Northallerton, complete silence for a second, then off we went again, no door releases this time but it appeared to be a repeat of what you describe. Seems odd that it doesn't call.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

The first morning that the main line trains were to stop at Sandwell and Dudley, the Mayor was on the platform with a lot of other pompous and important local brass, and the first up went through at speed.

The story I hear about that is that the train crew were under no obligation to call there. Their diagram didn't say the train should stop there, they weren't issued with a stop order so they didn't stop. A lesson in poor communication.

 

[Antman]

Have any drivers called at a station because they were having a brain fart moment? Presume it's just a case of the guard buzzing the driver and not releasing the doors? Has it happened on DOO areas? What would the process be there?

A southeastern train I was on this morning stopped at St Johns when it wasn't scheduled too, no big deal really

 

[Cherry_Picker]

A southeastern train I was on this morning stopped at St Johns when it wasn't scheduled too, no big deal really

It can be if people get on the train expecting it to be a different service.

 

[bb21]

It can be if people get on the train expecting it to be a different service.

How? I'm genuinely intrigued.

 

[Antman]

It can be if people get on the train expecting it to be a different service.

Yes that's a good point but fortunately this was a London bound train and they all do the same thing after St Johns, ie New Cross London Bridge and Cannon Street

 

[rg177]

Unlike a couple of weeks back when a fast Gourock service stopped at Cartsdyke accidentally. Some poor sod got on and assumed it was a stopper, but their bubble was burst as we sailed through Bogston.

 

[Skipness]

I started this thread 3 days ago, and have read with interest the posts that have followed.
To repeat, only once have I ever experienced a driver missing a stop, I can add an instance of control instructing a train crew to miss stops. This was on the Matlock branch, single line beyond Ambergate. I was on a late running train to Matlock intending to get off at one of the intervening stations. The guard announced at Ambergate that the train would run non stop to Matlock and that we could get off on the return journey.
The logic was that a train running over 20 mins late would delay the following Matlock service on the main line approaching Ambergate junction, with consequent delays to following main line services. (In extremis I have known the Matlock service be held on the freight line here to allow a late running main line service to overtake, usually a cross country that should have left Derby 8 minutes before the Matlock train).
The driver did run non stop to Matlock, but only at walking pace through the "missed" stations, presumably in case there was anybody wanting to travel northwards, and hardly any time was made up by missing out the three intermediate stops.

 

[bb21]

It is known as "service recovery" and is done in order to minimise overall delays to all passengers, not just those onboard the culprit train.

 

[najaB]

The driver did run non stop to Matlock, but only at walking pace through the "missed" stations, presumably in case there was anybody wanting to travel northwards, and hardly any time was made up by missing out the three intermediate stops.

Not stopping, releasing the doors and closing again before moving off three times likely saved at least a couple of minutes.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

A couple of minutes, wow.....

If Flying scotsman is running late and TPE 1F73 leaves in front of it, it will often get looped in tyne yard or at Ferryhill to allow the scotsman to pass. Trouble is this then causes 1F73 to become 10-15 late resulting in missed connections at York for the grand shrapnel, harrogate, Man Airport and blackpool service amongst others. All in order for the scotsman to gain just one minute on its schedule into london.

Try explaining that to the 150 or so punters on 1F73. 1E01 doesnt have any connections to bust in comparison being a non stop service!

 

[Antman]

A couple of minutes, wow.....

If Flying scotsman is running late and TPE 1F73 leaves in front of it, it will often get looped in tyne yard or at Ferryhill to allow the scotsman to pass. Trouble is this then causes 1F73 to become 10-15 late resulting in missed connections at York for the grand shrapnel, harrogate, Man Airport and blackpool service amongst others. All in order for the scotsman to gain just one minute on its schedule into london.

Try explaining that to the 150 or so punters on 1F73. 1E01 doesnt have any connections to bust in comparison being a non stop service!

Isn't priority given to whoever pays more for the track access?

 

[najaB]

A couple of minutes, wow.....

In reality it was probably more than that but I was being conservative. And in any case, that couple of minutes might be the difference between getting in front of a slower service or being stuck behind it.

 

[JW16]

Once I was on a train which slightly overshot the platform at the booked stop Harold Wood, meaning the first door of the front carriage was beyond the platform. We sat there waiting for a few minutes before the driver announced the signalman had refused him permission to reverse, so we had to continue to Gidea Park where any passengers for Harold Wood had to alight and go back the other way!

 

[185]

Crossgates. Although a certain guard had put the brake in the back into emergency, and around 150 punters got off through the back set of doors which was just on the platform by the time it stopped. Still wind a certain driver up over this to this day

 

[mbreckers]

Never been on a service that missed a stop, but been on a Glasgow to Ayr service that additionally stopped at Newton-on-Ayr that wasnt scheduled to. It did confuse some passengers on the train who thought it was Ayr as no announcements were made

 

[PHILIPE]

Only experience I've had was once during the leaf fall season en route from Caerphilly to Cardiff when a Pacer slithered through Llanishen station and stopped about 100 yards in advance. We then continued slowly to Heath HL so waiting passengers at Llanishen left waiting. Not in the forgetting or unaware category though.

 

[Saint66]

Sort of the opposite to this, but I was travelling with VTEC on Thursday evening and as the train started breaking for Stevenage the guard announced the stop... Except, we'd actually braked early, and practically stopped as if we were serving Hitchin!

The guard after a minute or two quickly came on, apologising for the early announcement, and said that the driver explained he'd mistaken Hichin for Stevenage, and braked as such, ending up being a few miles early.

However, it barely added on any time, and the guard was quick on to apologise. No complaints from me, just a unique situation!

 

[BurtonM]

Happened to me too one night in January on a TPE going home from uni in Manchester to Stalybridge, the Manchester end of P4 appears at the windows. I think to myself 'this is a bit fast isn't it?', and as we get to about where the train's supposed to stop, the driver slams on the brakes and everyone almost falls over. Everyone's a bit confused and can't work out what's going on, I explained to the people around me that we'd overshot and that we'd likely either reverse or just carry on to Hud (I wasn't sure). Few minutes passed by, and the driver did the walk of shame.
Probably happens at Dewsbury now and then too.

I wonder if any guards have ever arbitrarily released the doors at Ardwick?

 

[gazr]

Years ago now, I was on a HST that emergency stopped on the Bedford through lines after the driver realised it was error as we were booked to stop (obviously a signalling rather than driver error). The train reverse to the slow lines to reverse again into Bedford!