Railway Myths (2013)

[evoluzione]

Myth 98: All Train Drivers must have a comprehensive knowledge of all other TOC's services and connections.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Myth 94: Pacers can't be made to meet Disability requirements by 2019, and will therefore have to be withdrawn.

Myth #99: If it weren't for pacers, all remaining rural railways in England and Wales would have been closed by 1990.

 

[CalderRail]

Myth #99: If it weren't for pacers, all remaining rural railways in England and Wales would have been closed by 1990.

Myth #100: if it weren't for pacers, rural railways would have three times the passenger numbers they do today.

 

[Sleepy]

Myth 101 : if the first 2 std coaches are full so must the other 5 at the front, so you are entitled to a free 1st class upgrade.

 

[SS4]

Myth #102: There is only ever one carriage - the only nearest the station entrance/stairs

 

[island]

Myth 103: Gatwick Express is a train operating company.

 

[Eng274]

Myth 104: overhead line equipment is no more complex than the washing line in your back garden, and can be designed, erected and commissioned for much cheaper. NR and subcontractors just choose not to.
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Myth 105: 170s are better at working short hop commuter services than 'those nasty old 156s'.

 

[rdwarr]

Myth 106: Class 47s were known as "Brush 4"s because the electric motors had four brushes.

Myth 107: Anything stupid we say about the railways is automatically a "myth".

 

[TheEdge]

Myth #102: There is only ever one carriage - the only nearest the station entrance/stairs

Myth #102a: And on that one carriage there is only one door

 

[duncanp]

Myth #108

When comparing the cost of travelling by train with the cost of motoring, it is OK to only use the cost of petrol in calculating the motoring cost, and conveniently forget about repairs, insurance, tax and depreciation.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Myth #108

When comparing the cost of travelling by train with the cost of motoring, it is OK to only use the cost of petrol in calculating the motoring cost, and conveniently forget about repairs, insurance, tax and depreciation.

and the cost to purchase it and parking fees.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Myth number 983452893678935387608:

A badly worded ticketing restriction automatically makes the ticket valid over the very route it is intended to be barred from.

 

[Domh245]

Whenever you, as a customer, encounter problems or delays on the railway, the only solution is to shout at staff, unless there is a TV crew nearby, in which case it is perfectly acceptable to make watch tapping gestures towards them, or deliver a minute long speech about how staff are mean and incompetent and the systems are overcrowded.

 

[jnjkerbin]

Myth #109/#983452893678935387609

If a train to Charing Cross or Cannon Street leaves London Bridge early, then it is better to tweet at Southeastern than wait 2 minutes for the next one.

 

[SS4]

Whenever you, as a customer, encounter problems or delays on the railway, the only solution is to shout at staff, unless there is a TV crew nearby, in which case it is perfectly acceptable to make watch tapping gestures towards them, or deliver a minute long speech about how staff are mean and incompetent and the systems are overcrowded.

If you are in London you may commence this after a two minute delay

 

[TheEdge]

If you are in London you may commence this after a two minute delay

Everytime I hear someone from London complain they have to wait 10 minutes for the next train I just have the urge to slap them!

 

[deltic1989]

Myth #110 Driving a train is as simple as pulling a lever.
Myth #111 You can get to anywhere in the UK from Nottingham without changing trains. (I overheard an argument between a member of platform staff and a passenger once, where the passenger was peeved at the fact that they had to change at Grantham to get to Edinborough.)
Myth #112 All rail passengers are 'commuters'
Myth #113 Diana made the trains run on time (according to the readership of the Daily Mail)

 

[David Barrett]

Myth No. 114 Branch lines carry no passengers.

Myth No. 115 Pensioners prefer bus, because it's free at certian times of day, over train.

 

[yorksrob]

Myth No. 114 Branch lines carry no passengers.

Myth No. 115 Pensioners prefer bus, because it's free at certian times of day, over train.

114, Agree 100%,

115, My pensioner parents do seem to prefer the bus as it's free, in spite of my best efforts to persuade them otherwise !!

 

[tsr]

Myth #116: A multiple unit is an excellent mode of transport to use to get to Birmingham. On no account should you attempt to use a comfortable loco-hauled service - a ticket for which probably costs rather less than for the alternative.

Myth #117: The lines shown on the standard Tube Map are the only railway lines which you may use to get across London, even if your ticket is valid for either.

Myth #118: Class 442s are made in such a way that it is impossible for them to catch fire.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Myth 39: Everything is better in Germany.

Spoke to a German Passenger the other day and he complimented myself on how efficient and friendly Brit Conductors are (I was stunned) He said that most "old hand" guards in Germany were arrogant and he said that British Conductors are so much better (I had to be picked up from the floor by this time loL)
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114, Agree 100%,

115, My pensioner parents do seem to prefer the bus as it's free, in spite of my best efforts to persuade them otherwise !!

You haven't seen A Rose Hill during some times of the day then (and this can include after peak)

And so is the train after 9.30 Mon-Fri, and quicker

 

[bronzeonion]

It is absolutely impossible to build a mainline train with more than 2 doors

 

[317666]

Myth 120: Just because Chiltern have tarted up their line and introduced a few loco-hauled sets, it is now against the law to go to Birmingham using Virgin Trains.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

The RMT and ASLEF have saved the day for railway employees if it was not for their existence all employees would be on minimum wage and zero hours contracts lol

Wouldn't be far off though!:mad:
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Myth 121: Drivers are in charge of the Train!

 

[yorksrob]

You haven't seen A Rose Hill during some times of the day then (and this can include after peak)

I'd have thought that one would be quite well used given it's fairly suburban !

 

[ANorthernGuard]

I'd have thought that one would be quite well used given it's fairly suburban !

A bit of both

 

[asylumxl]

Myth 122 - That this thread is mildly amusing

 

[deltic1989]

Myth 121: Drivers are in charge of the Train!

I was once told by an old hand (I cannot recall his grade but I can recall that he was some sort of traincrew) that in the days of steam/ loco hauled the Driver was in charge of the engine and the guard was in charge of the train.
If accurate how does this carry over to the modern days of DMUs and EMUs where engine and train are technically one and the same?

---EDIT---

Myth #123 Any collision between a rail and road vehicle is always a train crash and never a road traffic accident. It is also always entirely the fault of the railway.

 

[Welshman]

I was once told by an old hand (I cannot recall his grade but I can recall that he was some sort of traincrew) that in the days of steam/ loco hauled the Driver was in charge of the engine and the guard was in charge of the train.

That was certainly true in days gone by - hence the railway companies supplied the guard, but not the driver, with a watch, but if the guard wanted to talk with the driver, he had to request his permission to board the engine.

 

[MP33]

Myth No 124 Any domestic or business premises built on the alignment of a closed route that you would like to see re-instated. Can be demolished, the owners will not mind in the least.