Station Announcements back in the days of British Rail.

[dangerousdids2]

It was a bit more formalised than that. Full-time announcers usually had a book listing what needed to be said for each train, effectively a script, and they stuck pretty much to that; they also had a series of prepared announcements to cover for most other matters. If an unplanned announcement needed to made they had a sort of mental template of what to say.

Where there weren’t full-time announcers and the station staff or signalmen had to do the job, it was rather left to common sense. At Andover we just had a list of the calling points for each train and, possibly, the main connections at Salisbury and Basingstoke. If you wanted to embellish it (“Change at Exeter Central for Exmouth. Change at Exeter St. David’s for…”) you could, but generally we had other things to do.

Im only going by what I remember here in Kent. The railways where in a sorry state in my parts.

Most of the time if you had to change for a connection the only way you would know is if you enquired at the ticket office or once you was on the train and the conductor would make such announcements.

 

[Mike Machin]

I have distinct memories of the lady station announcer at Reading in the 1970s. We regular spotters knew her as 'Mrs Mortimer' and she was located in the power signalbox at the North side of the station. She was alleged to be the wife, or widow, of a senior army officer and delivered her announcements in quick-fire clipped tones....usually commencing with the words "Station announcer...."

When announcing an approaching train calling at the station, she would suddenly say (no bing-bongs there): "Station announcer! The nixt train arriving at pletform eet is the thirteen therty eet to Neewcarstle, calling et Oxfud, Benbury, Lemmington Spar, etc, etc."

When a terminating train had just arrived in a platform, it would be: "Redding! Redding! Train arraved at pletform fave terminates hair. All change! All change!" (The word 'please' never seemed to be part of her vocabulary).

When a non-stop train was approaching, she would announce: "Station announcer! Pessengers weeting on pletform four stend beck from the pletform edge. Fast train approaching!"

When I and my fellow spotters were wending our weary way home to Petersfield via Guildford on a slow, chugging 'Tadpole' (class 204) DEMU, we would amuse ourselves by seeing who could do the best 'Mrs Mortimer' impressions.

Oh that brings back wonderful memories!

Station Announcer! - Fast train to Paddington Station, ….. LONDON, ………now approaching……. Number, Faive.

Redding! Redding! Redding!

Your posting was the best Time Machine I have encountered for years! Thank you.

 

[midland1]

As heard clearly on the LP, 'Westerns; Diesel Hydraulics on the Western Region in 1974', where a diamond tipped drill of a voice announces in tones that will tolerate neither dissent or nonsense, "Redding! Redding!". Certainly she would never descend to the level of an incident I heard at Birmingham New Street from the same period where the announcement dissolves into hastily cut off giggles following some frivolity on the background.

Yes I remember the giggles a few times at New Street, you would often hear laughter in the background in the powerbox.

 

[Andy R. A.]

Yes I remember the giggles a few times at New Street, you would often hear laughter in the background in the powerbox.

It was one of the things you got used to when operating in a Power Box. I can remember there were certain Signalmen that would sometimes see if they could 'put you off your stride'. It was lucky that you had to hold down a spring loaded key to make announcements so you could lift your finger of it when things got 'too much'. This was useful in many ways. We had one Box Supervisor, who was sat in front of the Announcer's desk at a slightly lower level. He was 'George', and was prone to get into increasingly loud arguments over the phone, which could be picked up over the PA with sometimes 'fruity' expletives coming over. One day the ASM called during one of George's outbursts. He said 'I know you can't do much about George, but perhaps can you try and do any announcements in his quieter interludes ?"
Another problem at that time was Minnie, the Signal Box cat. Occasionally she would jump on the desk, head butting the microphone, and loudly purring. This usually led to phone calls asking if there was something wrong with the PA system as it was making unusual noises.
Happy days.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

The station announcer at Newport (South Wales) used to be located in the Panel Box at the end of what is now Platform One. Many years ago (early 1970s, I think) I had a tour around the Box and was shown what everyone used to do - they even let us set a road (under supervision, of course!).

Anyway, one of the staff there was indeed the announcer, and I could hear him making the announcements. One of his colleagues told me this story (which he swore was true) about an announcement for a Mystery Excursion. Apart from the train crew, the only people who knew where the train was going were the signal box staff .... and the announcer. So, one day, the announcer said "The next train on Platform Three is the 08.30 Mystery Excursion to (I can't remember exactly where)". This was followed by a silence as everyone realised what he'd said.

Very soon afterwards, a decision was made that the announcer would not be told where the train was going to.

 

[D6130]

Anyway, one of the staff there was indeed the announcer, and I could hear him making the announcements. One of his colleagues told me this story (which he swore was true) about an announcement for a Mystery Excursion. Apart from the train crew, the only people who knew where the train was going were the signal box staff .... and the announcer. So, one day, the announcer said "The next train on Platform Three is the 08.30 Mystery Excursion to (I can't remember exactly where)". This was followed by a silence as everyone realised what he'd said.

The same thing happened to me at Carlisle in the Summer of 1973, when the lady announcer in the power box warned people to stand clear of the mystery excursion to Southport on platform 4, while we changed crew en route from Glasgow Central!

 

[SCH117X]

Birmingham New Street mid 1980s : "The {whatever}service will not be calling here today - its gone down the Trent Valley line, this is not British Rails fault" ! Later found there had been a vehicle fire on a motorway overbridge with the line that the train would have come down

 

[Route115?]

I can't help you with 84 but I have a timetable from 82 which is:

9 tph on the Brighton line from Victoria OP

00 Bognor Regis via Horsham
08 Brighton fast (only stop East Croydon)
18 Brighton stopping
23 Littlehampton
28 Porsmouth Hbr via Horsham
32 Horsham
38 Brighton s/f
48 Brighton stopping
53 Eastbourne/Ore

There was no dividing or attaching at Haywards Heath in those days.

There was also an half hourly service from London Bridge dep at 25/55 to Redhill going via Tulse Hill & Crystal Palace leaving East Croydon 28 minutes after LB.

There were 16 service fast meeting LB & EC between 1636 & 1833 with very little outside this - 8 in the busiest hour.

This excludes trains on the Oxted Line (hourly off peak dividing at Oxted, six in the busiest hour, four from LB & two from Victoria).

Interestingly there was also a half hourly service to Bognor Regis via Sutton & Dorking during the peak. (I once got on one by mistake when I lived at Redhill. Luckily it stopped at a red signal at Balham and the CIGs didn't have any door locking.)

Different times. Its just as well that off-peak traffic which has not really been affected by covid has frown so fast in the last 40 years (really all the growth has been off-peak).