Alarm/buzzer on Virgin Class 390 Pendolino

[sn1975]

Hi all,

On two recent journeys on Class 390's - once arriving at Wolverhampton on a northbound service and yesterday departing Birmingham New Street on a southbound service I have heard an alarm sounding quite loudly at least in my carriage, or possibly throughout the train.

I think the alarm is 6 "buzzes", possibly in pairs, quite close together and sounds quite serious or urgent.

Sorry I can't describe it any better than that, just curious as to what it is.

Many thanks.

 

[nickleics]

Hi all,

On two recent journeys on Class 390's - once arriving at Wolverhampton on a northbound service and yesterday departing Birmingham New Street on a southbound service I have heard an alarm sounding quite loudly at least in my carriage, or possibly throughout the train.

I think the alarm is 6 "buzzes", possibly in pairs, quite close together and sounds quite serious or urgent.

Sorry I can't describe it any better than that, just curious as to what it is.

Many thanks.

I believe it's caused by passengers pressing the emergency button in the toilets. Quite why it's so common on the 390s and not other trains is a mystery to me.

 

[tsr]

Oh, it's common enough on other stock as well - there just may not be an audible indication to the passengers!

I believe someone fairly recently posted a list of various urgent and not-so-urgent codes related to this system. Not sure where it is!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I believe it's caused by passengers pressing the emergency button in the toilets. Quite why it's so common on the 390s and not other trains is a mystery to me.

Just last week I saw someone pressing the red button in the disabled bay on a SWT 455 thinking it was the door opening button...:roll:

 

[SpacePhoenix]

I believe it's caused by passengers pressing the emergency button in the toilets. Quite why it's so common on the 390s and not other trains is a mystery to me.

Don't know if this pic I found is of a class 390 toilet but I wonder if people might mistake the call for aid/alarm button for the flush button

 

[Mag_seven]

Oh, it's common enough on other stock as well - there just may not be an audible indication to the passengers!

I believe someone fairly recently posted a list of various urgent and not-so-urgent codes related to this system. Not sure where it is!

" doo, doo, doo, doo - Attention train crew - disabled passenger alarm operated" - the scourge of mark 4's for years!

 

[rebmcr]

Don't know if this pic I found is of a class 390 toilet but I wonder if people might mistake the call for aid/alarm button for the flush button

Your picture features only a flush button.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Your picture features only a flush button.

Is that light below just a normal light then?

 

[Jd12]

That is a Virgin 221 toilet & the call for aid buttons are on the other side.

 

[D365]

Is that light below just a normal light then?

No, that is the flush button. It looks like the WC on a Class 220/221, in that you have to put the toilet lid down in order to flush, however the flush button does not normally illuminate (at least not on the XC Voyagers I tend to travel on).

 

[physics34]

Whats the alarm sound on the Meridians then....?

I used to think it was aome kind of driver/conductor communication..... such as "can the conductor contract the driver"...but it went on constantly yesterday on a trip from Leicester to St Pancras.

 

[rebmcr]

Is that light below just a normal light then?

The light is the flush button. The object further up, near the flush sign, is just the lid rest.

 

[Jd12]

Whats the alarm sound on the Meridians then....?

I used to think it was aome kind of driver/conductor communication..... such as "can the conductor contract the driver"...but it went on constantly yesterday on a trip from Leicester to St Pancras.

On Meridians & Voyagers there's a tone that is played by the TMS system at regular intervals if something is wrong, such as door issues, toilet issues, or anything the system deems important enough that it requires attention.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

The light is the flush button. The object further up, near the flush sign, is just the lid rest.

So it's possible that with the seat up, not noticing the flush button as a result people are pressing the first button that they see away from the door, thinking that it might be the flush button

 

[voyagerdude220]

Also on 220/221/390s, as well as the toilet alarm/tms related tones over the pa, as mentioned earlier in this thread, there are also the tones over the pa which are effectively telling the train crew to answer the train phone. The "normal speed" low-medium-high pitch tones are usually for either the catering crew or the Train Manager, whereas the much slower low-medium-high pitch tone is usually the driver trying to contact the Train Manager or vice versa.

 

[Bungle965]

Also on 220/221/390s, as well as the toilet alarm/tms related tones over the pa, as mentioned earlier in this thread, there are also the tones over the pa which are effectively telling the train crew to answer the train phone. The "normal speed" low-medium-high pitch tones are usually for either the catering crew or the Train Manager, whereas the much slower low-medium-high pitch tone is usually the driver trying to contact the Train Manager or vice versa.

Here is a example of the first one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFU_pXsOUMc
Sam

 

[D365]

So it's possible that with the seat up, not noticing the flush button as a result people are pressing the first button that they see away from the door, thinking that it might be the flush button

There's a big bold label above the toilet seat indicating that the flush button is behind the seat. It took me a moment to find, the first time I was on a Voyager, but it really isn't hard.