Auto Anouncments - Errors/funny sayings

[me123]

The 170s sometimes do Croy "back to front", in other words announce "we are now approaching Croy" just after departure, but soon catch up. Don't know if this has been rectified, though.

 

[jv3531]

Have noticed some of the swt ontrain stuff has been playing up quite badly in some places lately. Some messages just scroll the full list all the way through, some dont play out this is.... etc, some are one or two stations behind. Would asume probably a database download problem or GPS kit is malfunctioning. Also had a 159 yesterday - PIS displays only worked in the leading unit although announced in the rear, then swithched over when the driver changed ends at exeter! Most odd.

Re the 170s above, SWTs and LMs 350s PIS does the same. Its all down to how long the driver takes to key out at the end of the journey. If the driver doesn't allow enough time then the system kicks back when forward or reverse are selected and the train moves off as it still thinks it hasn't completed. Happens quite alot when drivers are in a hurry as they forget to allow it to play out. Think your supposed to allow 30 secs at least before keying out to allow it to complete!

 

[djw1981]

There is a GPS issue at Croy though, coming through the cutting east of the station. the GPS always announces Croy late.

It also cannot cope with the fact that the 2300 and 23330 ex Edinburgh stop at Bishopbriggs & Lenzie......thus there is a manual announcement after Waverly and after Croy that this train does stop there.

 

[me123]

There is a GPS issue at Croy though, coming through the cutting east of the station. the GPS always announces Croy late.

It also cannot cope with the fact that the 2300 and 23330 ex Edinburgh stop at Bishopbriggs & Lenzie......thus there is a manual announcement after Waverly and after Croy that this train does stop there.

It did announce it the one time I was on the train (the 2300). We had Croy late and bith Lenzie and Bishopbriggs on time.

 

[djw1981]

wow....I think it depends if the driver/ guard changes the code, or whether they just switch the direction, since most units on an evening shuttle diagram are shuttles all evening and don't cover the express routes on that diagram.

 

[ADRboy]

The announcements on Drumgelloch services seem to stop working after Carntyne a lot of the time.

 

[laseandre]

I got on a 334 once which kept repeating "The next stop is Alexandria" every two minutes.

 

[me123]

The announcements on Drumgelloch services seem to stop working after Carntyne a lot of the time.

There was (as far as I know) only one unit (I can't remember which one) that did this, but it has now been fixed. It was a 320. There was also a 320 that mixed up Blairhill and Blantyre, and caused some confusion.


I've also had a 170 that repeated each message twice. This could be because we made an additional stop in Larbert, however.

 

[P156KWJ]

XC 170s are taking the ****!! 99% of the time I go on them they are malfunctioning, even the refurbed ones

 

[jv3531]

Modern technology - evrything depends on you entering the correct code, you put it in and you still get garbage!!!!!

The joys of GPS systems:roll:

 

[mumrar]

The Class 350 Desirios when first acquired by Central/Silverlink would announce the warning about no smoking at New Street, however the words "is a" were about 3 times slower and deeper than the whole lot.

A human error that amused me in the past was at Nottingham where the female announcer pre-Doris would announce the Hereford services calling at (and I'm trying to write in phonetically) 'Mall-vern link, Great Moll-vern'. They are the same place, you can't choose to pronounce it two seperate ways how silly

 

[Philip]

Yesterday I had a couple of 185's and they were running with the original PA software which I hadn't heard for probably a year or more, it was the one they used before it became 'First TPE' again. "Please make sure you take all your personal belongings with you if alighting atDeansgate". That was the woman with the southern accent doing that one. The woman with the Yorkshire accent who's based at Huddersfield made a few comments about Oxford Road ticket barriers - again hadn't heard her for ages before yesterday!

Back to normal today strangely - "Before leaving the train, please make sure you have all your personal belongings with you" in that high pitched voice.

Perhaps it's just certain units that have the previous PA, anyone know more about this - JsT?

 

[Jordy]

The 'previous PA' seems to appear when going to unusual destinations, for example if a station is being omitted or the train is not going to its normal destination, not entirely sure why but that seems to be the case!

 

[Skie]

Merseyrails 507 & 508's have a fascination with Sandhills. They will regularly get stuck on announcing that the next station is Sandhills, we are approaching Sandhills, and that this train is calling at Sandhills. Even when Sandhills was closed, for the first few weeks they never bothered removing it from the list and it was regularly overridden by a guard.

They also have a few extra announcements: "Please move down the train to make space for passengers getting on", "Pickpockets may be operating on this train, please take care" and the oddly-common "Due to a fire at the next station, this train will not be stopping at xxx" (and not once has the train not actually stopped at the supposedly burning station). There are also plenty of delay messages, but these are pretty rarely heard as the guards usually just announce them instead.

When the refurbs first entered service, they had a period of constant changes, probably to test what worked. To start with, they had no voice announcements, just "BING BONG" every time the screens updated. Then the voice was enabled and was incredibly loud for a while, then too quiet, then they removed the bing bongs and raised her volume a bit. It was also apparent that the guards were still learning the system, as you would constantly have the wrong messages played, usually a few in succession until the guard gave up and just did things the old way.

We also have the 'grumpy' guard, who quite often announces that, because he is bored, he will be along shortly to check tickets. He also rants about his mother in law, usually giving everyone a wry grin.

I've always thought they should get local celebs to do some of the automatic voicework on the trains, would certainly have been nice for culture year...."Sandhills my arse!"

 

[P156KWJ]

Not strictly an auto-announcer, but the auto-screens in the GMPTE area were quite funny when I was on a tour:

DESTINATION: CHARTER SERVICE
CALLING AT: CHARTER SERVICE only
SERVICE OPERATED BY: CHARTER SERVICE

 

[EM2]

St Pancras automated announcements used to have a problem with Moorgate. For a while, they announced it as 'Moorgate Midland' and then it would announce the stops as 'Farringdon, Barbican...' and then omit Moorgate completely

 

[Jordy]

Strange, being a new system I wonder why it has "Moorgate Midland" in it!

 

[P156KWJ]

St Pancras automated announcements used to have a problem with Moorgate. For a while, they announced it as 'Moorgate Midland' and then it would announce the stops as 'Farringdon, Barbican...' and then omit Moorgate completely

what makes me laugh is Phil Sayer saying "stand back at platform B... fast train approaching" then you see a 319 roll in on ECS and pass through at about 10mph

 

[class 313]

what makes me laugh is Phil Sayer saying "stand back at platform B... fast train approaching" then you see a 319 roll in on ECS and pass through at about 10mph

Even worse when Phil announces 'fast train approaching....' at Moorgate!

 

[MCR247]

I was at Edinburgh Waverley once and then this happended: (in GNER days)

Platform xx for the xx:xx NER service for *silence*. Calling at:..(the usual EMCL stations) and *silence*. Platform xx for the xx:xx GNER service to *silence*. It was going to Finsbury park

 

[class 313]

I was at Edinburgh Waverley once and then this happended: (in GNER days)

Platform xx for the xx:xx NER service for *silence*. Calling at:..(the usual EMCL stations) and *silence*. Platform xx for the xx:xx GNER service to *silence*. It was going to Finsbury park

GNER stopped at Finsbury Park?

 

[1D53]

Due to engineering work in the Kings Cross Tunnels they did terminated there on a couple of weekends. Leeds PA did the same.

 

[GB]

Ive heard a couple of time at my local station "Passengers on platform 6 please stand back from the platform edge, through train approaching".

Im thinking, I hope bloody not as that platform is a terminal platform! LOL

 

[P156KWJ]

Even worse when Phil announces 'fast train approaching....' at Moorgate!

and if it's on the FCC platforms that... leg it

I liked it at Ealing Broadway when a Heathrow Express 332 flew through... then 3 seconds later "will passengers at platform one please stand back - through train approaching". Oops, too late

 

[KaiserBurton]

I've dropped a few clangers myself when I've been making announcements. I once told everyone we were arriving at Whaley Bridge when, in fact, we were terminating at Manchester Piccadilly! Guffaw!

 

[P156KWJ]

one of the stewards on monday's tour said "on behalf of pathfinder, EWS, Riviera Trains and Hanson Trust, thank you for travelling with us"... 5 seconds later "sorry - Hanson Traction"

 

[KaiserBurton]

One classic one came from Dave "Meat Pie" Wilson", a Conductor of 30 years based at Buxton and, I may add, one of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure of working with. On a busy service he waited until he was in Eaves Tunnel between Dove Holes and Chapel on the Buxton Line, turned all the train lights out and shouted over the P.A. "You're all gonna die!" He was SO lucky not to be sacked! Hilarious!

 

[P156KWJ]

think I know the one you mean - but not good at describing people so won't bother

 

[KaiserBurton]

I think it's most definatly the one! There's only one Meat Pie!

 

[vitesse]

You get these at Richmond:

'The next train from and will terminate at this station'

'Stand well away from the edge of platform 4 the next train is not scheduled to stop at this station'. Change 4 for 3,5,6 or 7. The significance of this, each of the platforms is a terminal point.

Heard that myself quite a few times