The phone booth on the HST's

[truckman060473]

Remember these from days gone by? At a time when the red phone boxes took 5p and 10p coins, I believe the HST phones took a 50p coin as a minimum. Did all the coaches have them? What year did they debut and when were they taken out of use? What type of "aerial" system was used - transmitters from the coaches or at the power cars?

 

[Greenback]

I remember using the phone in the buffet car on many occasions, but I always used a phone card!

 

[bengolding]

Cant go into technicals myself but Midland Mainline HSTs had these several years back in coach F, between the buffet and coach E. What year were they removed on the MML?

 

[driver9000]

Some 158s had payphones onboard too. They were located in the corridor next to the gangway of the non-driving end. You can still see where they were on some sets.

I remember using the phone on an HST once, it only took a phonecard sold at the buffet counter and the reception was terrible! I think the aerial was mounted in the roof of the buffet car.

 

[wintonian]

They also had them on the 442's in the vestibule outside first class only taking credit cards IIRC.

 

[scotsman]

170s had them - can't any evidence of that other than the signs on the ScR examples

 

[Skimble19]

365's had them, a few still have stickers up pointing in the direction of where they were..!

 

[185]

All 158s for RRNE Transpennine had phones adjacent to the disabled bog.

A certain Leeds steward (who is still there to this day) knocked one off the wall with his drinks trolley.

 

[The Barlow Boy]

The original Gatwick Express sets were fitted with them. The introduction of the mobile telephone killed on-train telephones off.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

319/2s apparently had phones fitted opposite the disabled toilet, they have been removed though.

 

[wellhouse]

I recall phones in EC Mark 4 First Class and on MML HSTs.

I do not remember any on-train phones taking coins. I believe they all accepted BT Phonecards, which were sold in the buffet. Many BT kiosks accepted these cards, which were pre-pay and sold in diferent denominations.

 

[Striker]

A certain Leeds steward (who is still there to this day) knocked one off the wall with his drinks trolley.

It's because of really useful nuggets of information like this why I'm a member of this forum.

 

[43167]

I remember the phones. Though like wellhouse, I dont remember any ones that took coins, all the ones I saw were phonecard phones.

 

[laird]

The Intercity Cross Country Mk2 Buffets had the phonecard operated telephones just inside the first class seating area.
I think they ran off an analogue mobile phone and that there was an article on TV talking about cloning of analogue mobiles that talked of an on train payphone suddenly appearing and being used in the Far East. Something of a shock as the train in which it remained fitted was on the Great Western!

 

[Flamingo]

Their removal was one of the reasons that Mobile Phones were issued to FGW TM's. I have been told. On issue, TM's were told to allow punters to use their mobiles for urgent calls as the on-board phones were removed, according to TM's who were working then.

 

[richw]

i remember them on the HSTs and recall that they couldnt be used for about 20 miles through cornwall, i used to travel regularly with my gran, and she used them to phone my grandad to collect us from the station, although no reception for the last 20 miles so she had to give him a lot of notice to collect us

 

[jon0844]

Did the 322s used on the West Anglia route have then, as I'm sure I remember going from Cheshunt to Liverpool Street and seeing some trains with phones.

AFAIK they only took phonecards, or allowed you to use the BT calling card (remember those?).

 

[Mojo]

Didn't Voyagers used to have public telephones on them?

 

[CosherB]

WCML trains used to have them. I remember the first time I saw one (probably back in the 80s) I couldn't resist phoning home just to tell the wife I was phoning from a moving train! Remember, this was a long time before mobile phones were available so it really was a novelty!

 

[Welshman]

Amazing that in less than 30 years we've gone from the novelty of telephoning from the train to Quiet Coaches where we can [in theory] be free of it!!

 

[Helvellyn]

That I can recall, the following had payphobes fitted: -

• Mark 1 RBRs (Refurbished examples for use on Anglia services)
• Mark 1 RMBs (3 refurbished examples for use on CrossCountry services)
• Mark 2F RFBs (Located just inside the First Class accommodation, as has been said)
• Mark 3 TFs (Mainly one TF per Great Western set, plus one TF in East Coast Pullman sets)
• Mark 3 TRFBs/TRSBs/TRBs (Loacated by the buffet for the use of Standard Class passengers)
• Mark 3B FOs (11083-11101 in the space of one luggage rack)
• Mark 3A RFMs (Located by the buffet for the use of Standard Class passengers)
• Mark 4 FOs (Usually one per set)
• Mark 4 RFMs (Located by the buffet for the use of Standard Class passengers)
• Class 158/159 units - located by the disabled loo
• Class 166 units
• Class 365 units
• Class 442 units - phone booth by the toilet in First Class
• Class 488/2 units - loacted in the space of one luggage rack in the TFOLH

I can't remember, but didn't the number of the phone contain the coach or unit number? The phones were all BT, and took a BT phonecard, so I assume that BR was alloacted a series of BT Cellnet numbers that would have allowed them to allocate a number by coach/unit?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I remember seeing these phone; I'm sure the number was the same as the carriage number.

 

[wintonian]

I remember seeing these phone; I'm sure the number was the same as the carriage number.

Well I didn't know that.

How many carriages with the phones installed are we talking about?

When did the last ones get taken out of service?