No working toilet on the train.

[gomango]

Scotrail toilets get out of order the further in the day you go, probably because the tanks fill up.

 

[yorksrob]

It's a shame really. Someone's obviously made an effort on the 195's, but fundamentally, because of the toilet problem, they're just not fit for purpose.

 

[dk1]

We are very lucky with the 755 bimodal fleet. Their smaller tanks mean they need to visit the fuelling point more often and the toilets get CET’d at the same time

 

[yorksrob]

If the problem is primarily about running out of clean water, I wonder whether a mod could be made that would enable the bowl to be drained without it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If the problem is primarily about running out of clean water, I wonder whether a mod could be made that would enable the bowl to be drained without it.

There should really be a way of doing that in case, as is mostly the case for roughly 50% of the passengers, they have only urinated and not used any paper. The water is really wasted when about 50% of uses won't really require any.

 

[Meerkat]

There should really be a way of doing that in case, as is mostly the case for roughly 50% of the passengers, they have only urinated and not used any paper. The water is really wasted when about 50% of uses won't really require any.

Absolutely. Paper would get flushed by the next person.....not nice but better than people having to relieve themselves in the passenger saloon.
Need a bracket that a liquid sanitiser bottle (normally kept locked away) can be put on to keep the H&S folk happier.
I'm sure people would understand if the guard announces "We are on emergency toilet protocol - I recommend avoiding using it if comfortable to do so"
Would be the sort of thing that would make passengers want to keep guards on the trains.

 

[Deepgreen]

Slightly OT, but I note with amusement that this thread on the forum is immediately followed by this one: Evacuation in emergency - escape routes blocked

 

[QueensCurve]

Imagine my shock horror last night that the last Northern train of the day to Bradford had no working toilet on it.

Is this acceptable? Especially when it’s a two-hour journey?

At least one person ended up urinating on the train by the seats that are supposed to carry the cycle rack.

I guess if you've got to go you've got to go but why wasn't this train taken out of service?

I know it's the last train of the night but surely things can't be that bad at Northern that there's no working toilet.

Peeing out of the window is no longer, sadly, an option.

 

[Topological]

Peeing out of the window is no longer, sadly, an option.

That is the sort of thing I could imagine being attempted on a train with droplights to open the doors (like the Mk3).

Then again there may be some aiming for the hoppers as well.

Absolutely. Paper would get flushed by the next person.....not nice but better than people having to relieve themselves in the passenger saloon.
Need a bracket that a liquid sanitiser bottle (normally kept locked away) can be put on to keep the H&S folk happier.
I'm sure people would understand if the guard announces "We are on emergency toilet protocol - I recommend avoiding using it if comfortable to do so"
Would be the sort of thing that would make passengers want to keep guards on the trains.

I will say that out of consideration for other passengers I tend not to waste water if it is not needed. I am not the only one either.

 

[peteb]

In rural France I've (rarely, it must be said), experienced journeys on a single carriage dmu with no working toilet. However in those instances train staff have helpfully stopped the train once or twice for longer than it's expected dwell time and opened up what appeared to be "disused" toilets on unstaffed rural stations. I wonder if many stations on Northern that are unstaffed have this facility? When asked how come these "disused" toilets existed at all the SNCF train crew said something about crew facilities, workers rights etc.....so very handy for passengers too when train toilets out of action.

 

[trainophile]

That is the sort of thing I could imagine being attempted on a train with droplights to open the doors (like the Mk3).

Then again there may be some aiming for the hoppers as well.


I will say that out of consideration for other passengers I tend not to waste water if it is not needed. I am not the only one either.

You don't mean you're one of those people who leave the train toilet unflushed? I worry about the health of some people sometimes, when there's what looks like the contents of a bottle of orange squash left in the pan! More often than not I have to flush before I use the facilities. Sometimes if I see the previous user coming out, I'm tempted to find them and say "it's okay, I flushed it for you". Never done so yet but one day...

 

[greatkingrat]

You don't mean you're one of those people who leave the train toilet unflushed? I worry about the health of some people sometimes, when there's what looks like the contents of a bottle of orange squash left in the pan! More often than not I have to flush before I use the facilities. Sometimes if I see the previous user coming out, I'm tempted to find them and say "it's okay, I flushed it for you". Never done so yet but one day...

If it's yellow, let it mellow!

 

[trainophile]

If it's yellow, let it mellow!

If it's orange?

 

[Meerkat]

If it's orange?

You’ve been on the Berocca - lightsabre!

 

[Topological]

I guess this is one of those questions about which is worse, being on the train later with no toilet because people that day had flushed more than absolutely necessary, or the inconvenience of the toilet design that does not let contents flow directly to the tank (which would at least mean nothing in the bowl in many cases). My brain tells me that many toilets don't retain liquids in the bowl, but I may be wrong.

Another issue that comes up here is that there is a need now to be dehydrated getting onto trains, especially in the evenings when you have a long trip. It would be interesting to know how unhealthy that is.

 

[al78]

You don't mean you're one of those people who leave the train toilet unflushed? I worry about the health of some people sometimes, when there's what looks like the contents of a bottle of orange squash left in the pan! More often than not I have to flush before I use the facilities. Sometimes if I see the previous user coming out, I'm tempted to find them and say "it's okay, I flushed it for you". Never done so yet but one day...

Why would you flush before using it? What do you think is the risk to you otherwise?

 

[Wolfie]

Why would you flush before using it? What do you think is the risk to you otherwise?

If you are sitting splashback is a risk....

 

[trainophile]

You wouldn't ask that if you were female!

 

[dk1]

You wouldn't ask that if you were female!

Some of us men sit down to pee

Or for the next level.

 

[Topological]

I should have thought there were much bigger risks with sitting on train toilet seats than splashback, but appreciate that the contortion required to squat above a train toilet is not that easy (for either gender).

Ultimately the answer is to get toilets working better, but I still contend that the not flushing has advantages for the wider populace using the train across its time between fresh water top ups / tanking.

 

[trainophile]

Perhaps they should remove the manual flush and design them so they automatically flush after every second or third opening/closing of the door!

 

[Parallel]

I’ve used a class 153 on the Heart of Wales line before which had no working toilet. The guard arranged a toilet break at Llandrindod, where they also provided change (assuming from the cash float) as it cost 20p to access them. No further toilet stops were made south of there.

 

[Forty29]

Just read this whole thread so funny in places, especially someone mentioned a relieving guard! Also trying to relieve themselves out of a droplight on a moving train could be disastrous though not an option these days. Though l do sympathise if you get caught with no working toilet. Thanks everyone for an entertaining read.

 

[Topological]

The 156s on the West Highland seem to have the ability to make blue ice at the moment. So maybe they can test the aeroplane solution to toilet availability.

Link to Scotrail Polar Express article

A Scottish train service has been dubbed the "polar express" amid complaints of plunging temperatures.
Some commuters who travel between Oban and Glasgow say conditions in the carriages are so cold they take sleeping bags for the journey.
Now locals campaigning for better facilities are comparing it to the train bound for the North Pole in the 2004 Tom Hanks film The Polar Express.
ScotRail said it was looking into options to provide a better service.

 

[infobleep]

I should have thought there were much bigger risks with sitting on train toilet seats than splashback, but appreciate that the contortion required to squat above a train toilet is not that easy (for either gender).

Ultimately the answer is to get toilets working better, but I still contend that the not flushing has advantages for the wider populace using the train across its time between fresh water top ups / tanking.

If I had to squat, which I would struggle to do, due to having spastic diplegia, things would get extremely messy ,due to having a J Pouch and no colon. This was once the case in a late opening bar, which had no loo seat. I needed to go though.

I was once on a train from Gatwick Airport to Guildford where I was unaware of their being no loo until the train had departed. I had come from Haywards Heath.

Was an uncomfortable journey. I've also been on trains where I didn't expect there to be no loos but it was as standard.

As an aside, there is thankfully a disabled loo on platforms 1&2 at Gatwick Aiport, so I use that from time to time.

If I am going on a long bus journey, I am careful with what I eat in advance. If I know a train has no loos, I'd be careful then too. I also might not drink much on route.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

The departure board at Lime Street is showing no toilet facilities on the 1919 to Cleethorpes. Glad I’m not on it!

 

[Meole]

The departure board at Lime Street is showing no toilet facilities on the 1919 to Cleethorpes. Glad I’m not on it!

Should be cancelled.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Should be cancelled.

Surely an extended stop at Warrington Central or Manchester Oxford Road would go some way to easing the problem? Both have toilets on the adjoining platform.

 

[Topological]

Thinking about this cancelling seems unnecessary, but there should be some allowance for advance ticket holders who do not wish to travel on that service. If cancelled they could take the later train, but if not cancelled then it is a tough choice about what to do.

 

[dk1]

I’ve known block

Should be cancelled.

I’ve had to announce the 06:36 ‘Express’ to Birmingham New St from Norwich formed of a block-ender no WC 1st generation DMU. Couldn’t have been a pleasant 4hr journey.