Train delayed due to driver inhaling passenger's weed

[philthetube]

Obviously this is stock dependant but I always made a PA announcing that I had people smoking it in the front car and requesting any police on board to attend, it always resulted in the smell disappearing.

 

[Horizon22]

I think we had a similar article on here several months / years back where there was a group of smokers (something illegal, unsure if weed) down in the South where the train also ended up cancelled.

I’d say it was a last resort - if passengers can’t be coaxed or forced off. But the damage might have already been done if the driver had started to feel a bit funny and they were between stops.

 

[chorleyjeff]

That sounds so awful. Whatever is wrong with these people? Do they not have jobs or a life?

I live in Chorley and can confirm the entire town centre smells of pot so it wouldn’t surprise me.

As a Chorley resident that is a strange comment to read. Outside certain pubs in the evening or all day near the usually open windows of the local homeless folks hostel you can get a whiff but otherwise not. The most obnoxious smell is from fast food outlets but that is soon dispersed in the usually windy weather.

 

[Horizon22]

What's the protocol in these situations? Would the driver stop short of a station, call control from signal and alert BTP to arrest drug users on train when it arrived at next station? Or simply arrive at next station and let drug users disappear before BTP could arrive?

Depends on the driver and level of irritation. I doubt the driver would stop short - although they might if they believe it was an imminent risk to their ability to drive trains. They might do a PA (or as others have suggested open the saloon but they might bring out a conflict situation). Otherwise next stop, advise guard (if not DOO) call signaller and/or control and request BTP. There might be a long wait, hence the eventual cancellation of the next-working.

 

[Tractor86]

As a Chorley resident that is a strange comment to read. Outside certain pubs in the evening or all day near the usually open windows of the local homeless folks hostel you can get a whiff but otherwise not. The most obnoxious smell is from fast food outlets but that is soon dispersed in the usually windy weather.

Perhaps you are lucky enough to be out at a time the local youths are otherwise occupied? Having lived here all my life I can definitely say most of Chapel Street, Astley Park, Market Street and around the old Bingo hall usually reek of it these days.

 

[221129]

As I understand it “see it say it sorted” relates more to suspicious packages

See it, Say it, Sorted is more aimed at suspicious people.

 

[najaB]

See it, Say it, Sorted is more aimed at suspicious people.

Or even suspicious people with suspicious packages.

 

[cle]

There is some real pearl-clutching on this thread. The smell is objectively no more offensive than cigarette, kebab or old ale pub smells. It's still illegal, but I can't imagine forever. It's as common as drinking alcohol among Gen-Zers so the judgmental approach will be exhausting and moot in time.

I don't smoke anything, for the record - just a realist. And smoking on trains is disgusting, regardless of the input.

 

[contrex]

The smell is objectively no more offensive

I'm intrigued by what this might mean.

 

[chorleyjeff]

Perhaps you are lucky enough to be out at a time the local youths are otherwise occupied? Having lived here all my life I can definitely say most of Chapel Street, Astley Park, Market Street and around the old Bingo hall usually reek of it these days.

Astley Park ? Which of the many acres are affected ? I walk through it most days at various times on the way to town centre and by far the biggest nuisances are dogs with their walkers. Perhaps my sense of smell is deficient.

 

[Tractor86]

Astley Park ? Which of the many acres are affected ? I walk through it most days at various times on the way to town centre and by far the biggest nuisances are dogs with their walkers. Perhaps my sense of smell is deficient.

Perhaps it is.

 

[THC]

There is some real pearl-clutching on this thread. The smell is objectively no more offensive than cigarette, kebab or old ale pub smells. It's still illegal, but I can't imagine forever. It's as common as drinking alcohol among Gen-Zers so the judgmental approach will be exhausting and moot in time.

I don't smoke anything, for the record - just a realist. And smoking on trains is disgusting, regardless of the input.

Agreed for the most part. I've yet to see fighting break out among stoners on the vomit comet back from London of a Friday or Saturday night but among the pissheads it's quite another story. However, if a driver is feeling their judgement will be impaired or compromised as the result of inhaling any quantity of smoke then it is only right and proper to ensure safety, and if that means terminating a service short or cancelling it altogether then so be it.

And for the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, my username is formed of my initials!

THC

 

[cle]

I'm intrigued by what this might mean.

Smell of course is wildly subjective. What I mean is that it is not held up, in society/chat/consensus, as being an especially egregious smell compared to tobacco or other every day 'annoying' smells - vs. say, human waste for instance, or burning flesh, or something which is viscerally horrible and universally reviled. I think it's fair, but I get the oxymoron and did hesitate.

Agreed for the most part. I've yet to see fighting break out among stoners on the vomit comet back from London of a Friday or Saturday night but among the pissheads it's quite another story. However, if a driver is feeling their judgement will be impaired or compromised as the result of inhaling any quantity of smoke then it is only right and proper to ensure safety, and if that means terminating a service short or cancelling it altogether then so be it.

And for the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, my username is formed of my initials!

THC

It doesn't bode well for a more nefarious gas leak on a train!

 

[baz962]

There is some real pearl-clutching on this thread. The smell is objectively no more offensive than cigarette, kebab or old ale pub smells. It's still illegal, but I can't imagine forever. It's as common as drinking alcohol among Gen-Zers so the judgmental approach will be exhausting and moot in time.

I don't smoke anything, for the record - just a realist. And smoking on trains is disgusting, regardless of the input.

That's I suppose horses for courses. I can handle normal cigarette smoke , even though I dislike it . Strong weed absolutely makes me want to heave and is to me at least , far more repugnant.

 

[wobman]

That's I suppose horses for courses. I can handle normal cigarette smoke , even though I dislike it . Strong weed absolutely makes me want to heave and is to me at least , far more repugnant.

I couldn't agree more, it's an awful smell that makes me feel sick.
Why people don't just smoke that stuff at home, I hate having the stuff imposed on me and it becoming normalised in society.

I've nearly lost it with an idiot smoking it on a train and telling me to chill out when I asked him to out it out. I made him throw it onto the track if he wanted to not be reported to the BTP.

If a driver feels impaired in anyway I agree with cancelling a service.

 

[Sprinter107]

There is some real pearl-clutching on this thread. The smell is objectively no more offensive than cigarette, kebab or old ale pub smells. It's still illegal, but I can't imagine forever. It's as common as drinking alcohol among Gen-Zers so the judgmental approach will be exhausting and moot in time.

I don't smoke anything, for the record - just a realist. And smoking on trains is disgusting, regardless of the input.

I find the smell of weed disgusting. It makes me feel unwell, especially the stronger stuff. Cigarette smoke i don't have a problem with, even tho ive always been a no smoker. It really is each to their own. What one person finds acceptable, another person won't.

 

[contrex]

I sometime smoked cannabis resin, the old fashioned brown stuff, occasionally in the 1970s. I stopped about 40 years ago when I gave up smoking. I find this modern skunk weed stuff smells really unpleasant. I can smell it a long way off, and it seems to cling to people, not only the smoker, but anyone nearby. Also curtains, furniture and wallpaper, etc, I am told. I can't be in the same room or confined space as a smoker as I have asthma and also I don't want to smell of it in case people think I have been using it.

 

[Sprinter107]

I sometime smoked cannabis resin, the old fashioned brown stuff, occasionally in the 1970s. I stopped about 40 years ago when I gave up smoking. I find this modern skunk weed stuff smells really unpleasant. I can smell it a long way off, and it seems to cling to people, not only the smoker, but anyone nearby. Also curtains, furniture and wallpaper, etc, I am told. I can't be in the same room or confined space as a smoker as I have asthma and also I don't want to smell of it in case people think I have been using it.

Did the old fashioned stuff have a completely different smell ? I'm genuinely interested.

 

[THC]

Did the old fashioned stuff have a completely different smell ? I'm genuinely interested.

Yes. Much more earthy and far less pungent.

THC

 

[Sprinter107]

Yes. Much more earthy and far less pungent.

THC

Thanks for the info. Possibly more bearable then.

 

[jayah]

Reading this thread is a real eye opener for me with people smoking right behind the driver's cab. I never realised it occurred on what seems quite a frequent basis. What puzzles me though is why people are smoking onboard trains with cctv cameras around. Are the cameras of much help in catching illegal activity onboard?

CCTV and 2 members of staff, probably a very busy train too at 5pm. Utterly brazen and is a symptom of people who used to getting away with things.

 

[Sprinter107]

Some people don't worry about CCTV, or staff intervention. Ive been told to **** off back in to my cab countless times across the years.

 

[jayah]

Some people don't worry about CCTV, or staff intervention. Ive been told to **** off back in to my cab countless times across the years.

Which again will be because they are used to getting away with it.

TOCs and BTP, who ultimately are their clients, need to be much more aggressive in following up incidents, downloading CCTV, building intelligence on where it is happening and making sure these scumbags are punished.

If they don't it will only get worse and worse.

 

[AlbertBeale]

I sometime smoked cannabis resin, the old fashioned brown stuff, occasionally in the 1970s. I stopped about 40 years ago when I gave up smoking. I find this modern skunk weed stuff smells really unpleasant. I can smell it a long way off, and it seems to cling to people, not only the smoker, but anyone nearby. Also curtains, furniture and wallpaper, etc, I am told. I can't be in the same room or confined space as a smoker as I have asthma and also I don't want to smell of it in case people think I have been using it.

Never being a smoker of anything - legal or otherwise - my preference for "weed" etc has always been to use it in food and drink. (Which also avoids - mostly - inflicting the smell on others.) I remember once using up some resin in a big pot of green lentils - very pleasant it was too. And the leaves went well in some sorts of biscuits. And as for chocolate fudge with the resin ... mmm ... that brings back wonderful memories... I must dig out my recipe... Of course eating it rather than smoking it has a slower reaction time, which can lead to a tendency to "overdose" if you're not careful. (Still, a day I spent hallucinating once - having misjudged the dosage - did include something railway-related ... so very on-topic here!!)

 

[Kite159]

CCTV and 2 members of staff, probably a very busy train too at 5pm. Utterly brazen and is a symptom of people who used to getting away with things.

Even if they get caught, they won't get a meaningful sentence from the court, if it even gets that far.

 

[najaB]

Even if they get caught, they won't get a meaningful sentence from the court

What would be a "meaningful sentence" for possession of a small quantity of cannabis?

 

[contrex]

Never being a smoker of anything - legal or otherwise - my preference for "weed" etc has always been to use it in food and drink. (Which also avoids - mostly - inflicting the smell on others.) I remember once using up some resin in a big pot of green lentils - very pleasant it was too. And the leaves went well in some sorts of biscuits. And as for chocolate fudge with the resin ... mmm ... that brings back wonderful memories... I must dig out my recipe... Of course eating it rather than smoking it has a slower reaction time, which can lead to a tendency to "overdose" if you're not careful. (Still, a day I spent hallucinating once - having misjudged the dosage - did include something railway-related ... so very on-topic here!!)

I have found a great deal of hostility in railway circles, enthusiast or employed, whenever I have mentioned cannabis. Given what happened at Cannon Street I suppose I'm not surprised, but I have enjoyed brownies and cakes. In 1970 I went from Waterloo to Exeter behind a Warship in such a state and enjoyed myself mightily.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I have found a great deal of hostility in railway circles, enthusiast or employed, whenever I have mentioned cannabis. Given what happened at Cannon Street I suppose I'm not surprised, but I have enjoyed brownies and cakes. In 1970 I went from Waterloo to Exeter behind a Warship in such a state and enjoyed myself mightily.

Eating weed or hash in cakes etc can be quite devestating in effects. Friend of mine in a work trip to Amsterdam had some work mates who went and consumed a couple of special cakes with unfortunate results. One just passed out in bed - the other was talking rubbish for hours and in that time had scoffed (from a nearby open food shop) , the best part of a loaf and a jar of jam.

Neither had hangovers the next day , and neither were doing anything like safety related work. Accountants.

 

[jon0844]

There is some real pearl-clutching on this thread. The smell is objectively no more offensive than cigarette, kebab or old ale pub smells. It's still illegal, but I can't imagine forever. It's as common as drinking alcohol among Gen-Zers so the judgmental approach will be exhausting and moot in time.

I don't smoke anything, for the record - just a realist. And smoking on trains is disgusting, regardless of the input.

The smell of a kebab doesn't fill six coaches of a class 717, and I doubt many pubs leave a lingering smell that stays with you once you've moved away. Sorry, but your comparisons are laughable.

I have no doubt weed will be legalised one day and I agree that young people are now much more likely to smoke it than drink, but that doesn't change the fact that the smell is significant - and it sticks to your clothing every bit as much, and worse, than regular cigarettes. Of course regular smokers probably get desensitised to it.

 

[godfreycomplex]

I have found a great deal of hostility in railway circles, enthusiast or employed, whenever I have mentioned cannabis. Given what happened at Cannon Street I suppose I'm not surprised, but I have enjoyed brownies and cakes. In 1970 I went from Waterloo to Exeter behind a Warship in such a state and enjoyed myself mightily.

There is an unjustifiably (outwith the bounds of actual, real, safety risks, which are obviously a different matter) strong puritanical streak among much of the railway community.