221129
Established Member
Well obviously not... I was referring to unstaffed stations..What even at stations with platform staff who give the signal to the guard to relock the doors after checking they are all closed? ....
Well obviously not... I was referring to unstaffed stations..What even at stations with platform staff who give the signal to the guard to relock the doors after checking they are all closed? ....
Well obviously not... I was referring to unstaffed stations..
It might be years of working slam-door trains speaking, but I have to admit I get rather bemused at the effort some staff go to to check that a closed door is actually closed. Yes, it is critical that all doors are checked. But if you can stand on the platform at a given point and observe that the doors are fully in the frame with their handles horizontal, walking up to each and every door individually and jiggling the handle and giving it a little pull is going to prove no more than what you knew already, just with perhaps an extra minute of dwell time while you went and did it.
There is now so little slam door stock that most dispatchers are gone yet dwell times are unaltered. It is yet another example of where the reduced target becomes the impossible without help from customers. Complete riddance of slam door is the right and justified solution.
Many seem to view it as better safe than sorry. Possibly quite sensibly. As the handle only has to be slightly ajar and the lock may not engage. And CCTV is often such high clarity now that if a door were left on the catch, and the person dispatching was seen only two coaches away and not walking up, then questions would definitely be asked as to why they didn't walk the train. If nothing goes wrong it's fine. But actions will be looked at in detail if there are any dangerous safety incidents such as a HST rolling into the next station with a door on the catch.
It's as much about covering yourself by taking the extra 20 sections to walk the extra two coaches. There's no point rushing. If it's a one person dispatch and it takes 3 minutes to walk the train then so be it. The tocs do understand that it takes longer on these types of train.
This attitude concerns me. Sure on a railway forum you might be expected to know this. But saying that, I wouldn’t nescessarily have known to shut behind me, maybe at a small station, but leaving a large terminal like KX or St Pancras, I would expect the dispatch staff to do it in case there was someone behind me. Also, they aren’t the most intuitive doors to people not used to them, and can be really hard to open (I know someone who got stuck on slam door stock and had to go onto the next station because she couldn’t open the door!).It's one of my pet hates to see people board or alight from a slam door carriage and leave the door open, especially if they're the last one on/off.
Do they walk out of their houses and leave the front door wide open? The more moronic ones probably do!
This attitude concerns me. Sure on a railway forum you might be expected to know this. But saying that, I wouldn’t nescessarily have known to shut behind me, maybe at a small station, but leaving a large terminal like KX or St Pancras, I would expect the dispatch staff to do it in case there was someone behind me. Also, they aren’t the most intuitive doors to people not used to them, and can be really hard to open (I know someone who got stuck on slam door stock and had to go onto the next station because she couldn’t open the door!).
It's one of my pet hates to see people board or alight from a slam door carriage and leave the door open, especially if they're the last one on/off.
Do they walk out of their houses and leave the front door wide open? The more moronic ones probably do!
It might be years of working slam-door trains speaking, but I have to admit I get rather bemused at the effort some staff go to to check that a closed door is actually closed. Yes, it is critical that all doors are checked. But if you can stand on the platform at a given point and observe that the doors are fully in the frame with their handles horizontal, walking up to each and every door individually and jiggling the handle and giving it a little pull is going to prove no more than what you knew already, just with perhaps an extra minute of dwell time while you went and did it.
Simply listen to this guard
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8msFFcTw-q3eVdCRzdvTHZKcGs
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8msFFcTw-q3cHQ3Mk1leUllclE
I absolutely love these announcements!
Wouldn't it be just easier to convert them to power operated doors?
Back a few years now the N/Z/S cars were converted to "Power assisted doors" The conductor releases the doors using a keyswitch located at every door) a passenger then pushes/pulls on the door and starts to open. Departure time the conductor turns a key to shut the doors and the doors swing back shut. Connie gets the interlock and tells the driver to go.
All it is is an automatic door closer with a motor of some description.
Wouldn't it be just easier to convert them to power operated doors?
Back a few years now the N/Z/S cars were converted to "Power assisted doors" The conductor releases the doors using a keyswitch located at every door) a passenger then pushes/pulls on the door and starts to open. Departure time the conductor turns a key to shut the doors and the doors swing back shut. Connie gets the interlock and tells the driver to go.
All it is is an automatic door closer with a motor of some description.
Never hold the handle when you close it, it'll have your wrist.It's very helpful as long as the door doesn't go on the catch. In which case it's a hinderance.
I also find that if you push the door by anything other than the handle, you end up with black on your hands.
Never hold the handle when you close it, it'll have your wrist.
Solid gen. The first instruction we were given on our course was that, and the instructor gave one of the trainees a sharp reminder as she was about to do it as well. Being a relief guard on them it's quite difficult to get the sounds of doors closing differentiated in my head, so for me it's the good old walk and look method for the majority of my dispatches.This is extremely important and relevant. The handle is linked to the door latch so it will spring up with as much force as you close the door with (handle dropped door not closed, handle horizontal, door closed [as a general rule]). Very easy in this case for passengers of all ages to cause themselves injuries by having their hand even just near the handle when closing the door.
Slam doors can be hard to shut from the inside though, if you're small or frail.
It's quite a stretch to reach something to hold on to, and unless you pull the door reasonably firmly, chances are it won't shut properly...