There was a lot of chat a bit back about dispatch at stations and some speculation. Here are some comments.
Now that is madness...why does the guard have to be in the second unit that has nobody in it?
Other TOCs don't even require them to be there when there are passengers there!
I thought it was a Northern SOP that the guard always had to dispatch from the rear unit of a non gang-wayed pair? Perhaps someone could clarify? The reason why there are few in that unit is , as someone already said is that they know no ticket check will take place in the front unit unless there are additional staff on the train - which sometimes happens
Why is it OK for a 3 car 323/4 car 319 to be dispatched at Alderley Edge or Cheadle Hulme without a dispatcher but not at Wilmslow or Stockport?
I'm assuming that it was down to a formal risk assessment. Straight line platform, low passenger numbers. Both Wilmslow and Stockport are busier stations with greater numbers of passengers, many who will be waiting for other services at the same platform.
However not all platforms at Cheadle Hulme are straight. P3 (down Macc) has a significant (right hand) curvature and the guard has to step right out on the platform to check all doors are closed. The up Macc (P4) has a left hand curvature and is therefore easier to police.
I was thinking more of the total passenger numbers milling around on the platform. At the Alderley and Cheadle platforms I would expect everyone to be either entering or leaving the train. At the other stations, there will be passengers waiting for other services.
At Cheadle Hulme the Stoke southbound service is 5 minutes after the Alderley Edge and while there's bigger gaps northbound if the Wigan bound service is late, people for Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme (who have to catch the ex-Crewe to Piccadilly) might be waiting on the platform by the time it arrives.
Using the station frequently, the Manchester bound platforms are crowded in the morning rush hour but people aren't milling about on the same platform waiting for other trains. The Alderley starter is rarely that late as it has a long layover at Alderley and may be delayed a few minutes if the Cardiff is running a little late, but not that late that people waiting for the xx24 will already be at the station.
As far as Stockport is concerned, it's a Virgin station and platform dispatch for all TOCs is carried out by their staff. Wilmslow is a Northern station who dispatch for all the TOCs using there.
Hope this clarifies the situation for people who have never been there.