Eat & Drinking while driving

[387star]

I once had a large Dominos BBQ Chicken pizza when working a 319 from Blackfriars to Sutton.

Love it !

 

[4F89]

Ah alright, thanks

Yeah, can imagine trying to get through Clapham Junction at 7am on a Monday . Though are you allowed to just stop at a level crossing? Won't that hold up the service? Assuming that it's agreed with the signaller in advance

Dont start bowing to signallers, they will think they are in charge!

 

[galwhv69]

Dont start bowing to signallers, they will think they are in charge!

Hahaha

 

[mpb56125]

Ex UK 86's in Hungary have been retro fitted with a fridge

British loco's and units abroad - mark5812

Various British locomotives and units working in Europe. Incl class, 20,37,56,58,59,86,87,92 & stored 141. ACTS 5811 former UK No. 58039 ACTS 5812 former UK No. 58044 ACTS 5814 former UK No. 58038

mark5812.smugmug.com

Other foreign loco's even have a microwave installed.

Mark

https://mark5812.smugmug.com

 

[ComUtoR]

Have you seen the cup holder in 700s ?

Haivng a cupholder is a luxury in some cabs. 700s have two !

May I recomend either of the following...



Generally used for Trainees (FYI I have used one in the past and a fair few Drivers have used baby bottles for carrying milk)



These are really good and you can stick it on the 700 desk and it doesn't tip over.

Mighty Mug 17920225 Go - The Travel Mug That Won't Fall Over (0.47 Litre), Red: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Great prices on your favourite Home brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Generally around £15-£20

 

[marsker]

Back in the 80s, I attended an event at Doncaster and was shown round the cab of a brand new Class 58. A chap from the design team was there and pointed out a raised hump along the side of the nousing for the main power controller, which he said was deliberately put in to stop drivers resting their cups there, as spilled contents from them didn't do the kit inside a power of good!

 

[peakNed]

Dont start bowing to signallers, they will think they are in charge!

Lol!

 

[scotraildriver]

Back in the 80s, I attended an event at Doncaster and was shown round the cab of a brand new Class 58. A chap from the design team was there and pointed out a raised hump along the side of the nousing for the main power controller, which he said was deliberately put in to stop drivers resting their cups there, as spilled contents from them didn't do the kit inside a power of good!

Our class 170s were modified like that. When delivered the area around the power/brake controller was flat. After a few drink incidents it was changed as shown in the (not mine) pictures.

 

[Gloster]

There was an unwritten rule that signallers in panel boxes should not put teapots on the panel. It was said that this was after an incident, supposedly at Port Talbot, where a full teapot was knocked over with the contents having a noticeable effect on the electrics.

 

[king_walnut]

If a driver gets a takeaway ordered to a platform, does the delivery driver have to get a platform ticket, or are they let through the barriers?

Normally when I do it I tell the delivery driver to hand it to the gateline staff, then I call control via the GSMR so they can call the gateline staff to advise which train I'm coming in on.

 

[DelW]

In the late 1970s I used to visit the station buffet at Manningtree, Essex. It was one of the earliest ones to be leased to a private operator, who ran it as a cafe during the day and a real ale bar in the evening (licensing hours being much shorter then).

One evening some friends and I were sinking a few pints, when the cook came out of the kitchen and went out onto the platform, carrying a large parcel wrapped in foil. We were puzzled as there were no trains timetabled to call, but a few minutes later an up freight came into the station at a brisk walking pace. The cook jogged alongside and handed the parcel up into the cab, once it was safely on board the engine opened up and away they went.

Since this was of course long before mobile phones let alone internet ordering, presumably it was a regular arrangement.

 

[apinnard]

I travel from Huntingdon to Paignton a fair bit. Often see the onboard hosts sorting out caffeinated drinks and goody bags for the drivers. On one occasion a driver pinged a message over the PA asking for the customer host to contact him. Probably for a drinks order, but could have been anything I guess.

 

[XAM2175]

I watched some time ago with double manned freight trains travelling over great distance in Australia. As dawn breaks one cracks open the coolbox and proceeds to do a cooked breakfast on the train stove.

The cab of an NR class loco, to give an idea:

Two train drivers at the controls in the cab of the leading locomotive of The Ghan train at Katherine rail station in the northern territory of Austr Stock Photo - Alamy

Download this stock image: Two train drivers at the controls in the cab of the leading locomotive of The Ghan train at Katherine rail station in the northern territory of Austr - R19JP0 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors.

www.alamy.com

 

[D6130]

I travel from Huntingdon to Paignton a fair bit. Often see the onboard hosts sorting out caffeinated drinks and goody bags for the drivers. On one occasion a driver pinged a message over the PA asking for the customer host to contact him. Probably for a drinks order, but could have been anything I guess.

Don't know whether this still happened pre-Covid, but back in GNER days the catering staff on early morning Leeds-King's Cross services often used to take a cooked breakfast through to the driver in the DVT at one of the station stops (usually Wakefield or Doncaster IIRC). Of course it was not so easy on Northbound trains with the class 91 loco leading!

 

[Recessio]

Of course, it's very annoying when I go through a set of points and spill my beer.

I don't actually work on the railway

 

[LCC106]

Of course, it's very annoying when I go through a set of points and spill my beer.

I don't actually work on the railway

That may be, but as a passenger it WOULD be very annoying

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

Back in the 80s, I attended an event at Doncaster and was shown round the cab of a brand new Class 58. A chap from the design team was there and pointed out a raised hump along the side of the nousing for the main power controller, which he said was deliberately put in to stop drivers resting their cups there, as spilled contents from them didn't do the kit inside a power of good!

Doesn't Adrian Vaughan say something in one of his books about Hymeks failing because drivers left their cups on the control desk and the resulting tea spills caused short circuits?

 

[Highlandspring]

There was an unwritten rule that signallers in panel boxes should not put teapots on the panel. It was said that this was after an incident, supposedly at Port Talbot, where a full teapot was knocked over with the contents having a noticeable effect on the electrics.

It’s happen many, many times over the years. Drinks shouldn’t be taken aywhere near a panel and definitely should never be set down on a panel. A few years ago someone spilled a cup of coffee on the panel at Morpeth and they ended up having to bring in TBW. Coffee with sugar is especially bad as it is sticky and a very good electrical insulator. If it gets into panel buttons then the S&T have to physically remove them, strip them down and clean them.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

I'm sure someone with more knowledge will correct me, but I seem to recall hearing that some locos had kettles/plate warmers inbuilt for the drivers convenience!

Quite a few of our locomotives down under have microwaves and mini fridges.

I must admit I'm surprised by this too. You're not even (unlike a car driver) allowed to listen to a radio, I'd think eating food (rather than just a bag of sweets or something) would have the potential for much more distraction, e.g. if you dropped your pizza down your front or a hot drink down yourself causing scalds. I'd have expected water to be allowed but not a lot else. To be fair, car drivers aren't even strictly speaking meant to drink water, though it's rarely enforced.

We have am/fm radios in some of our locomotives.

pano.ie | C44aci Locomotive

An interactive panoramic photo of Inside a C44aci Locomotive, Carrington, Australia

www.pano.ie

It's connected to the radio so when it goes off the radio cuts out.

 

[Ceat0908]

Don't know whether this still happened pre-Covid, but back in GNER days the catering staff on early morning Leeds-King's Cross services often used to take a cooked breakfast through to the driver in the DVT at one of the station stops (usually Wakefield or Doncaster IIRC). Of course it was not so easy on Northbound trains with the class 91 loco leading!

Slightly different, but on the series, all aboard east coast trains, one of the scenes showed a catering staff member going into the DVT, to give the driver tea and biscuits whilst on the move. According to the narrator, this was on the 0540, Edinburgh to kgx, non stop NCL - KGX. Wouldn’t like the set to be in reverse with 91 leading and not have any way of getting anything, if I had forgot to bring something!

 

[randyrippley]

Have you seen the cup holder in 700s ? I don't know what kind of cups they have at Siemens but the cup holders are enormous. The standard range of coffee cups/drinks cans just do not fit snugly.

Also they could have put them in an easier to reach place.

Steinholders?

 

[_toommm_]

Doesn't Adrian Vaughan say something in one of his books about Hymeks failing because drivers left their cups on the control desk and the resulting tea spills caused short circuits?

Didn’t that happen with a 331 or a 195 at Piccadilly too? I believe it was one that came from 13 and 14…

 

[scotraildriver]

The AWS was isolated in the leading power car at the Southall crash in 1999, and it was found that the contacts in the AWS reset were contaminated, probably by a hot drink hence the reason for isolation. This was cited as being a significant factor in the driver failing to respond to the yellow aspects and subsequent crash. So can be pretty serious.

 

[Deepgreen]

I think it's the done thing to have bacon and eggs going on the fireman's shovel for breakfast - oh no; that was 1955!

It’s happen many, many times over the years. Drinks shouldn’t be taken aywhere near a panel and definitely should never be set down on a panel. A few years ago someone spilled a cup of coffee on the panel at Morpeth and they ended up having to bring in TBW. Coffee with sugar is especially bad as it is sticky and a very good electrical insulator. If it gets into panel buttons then the S&T have to physically remove them, strip them down and clean them.

I wonder why it's an unwritten rule then - surely it should be a fundamental written one?