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Train delayed due to driver inhaling passenger's weed

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Wtloild

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Anybody know anything about this?
Daughter & I were planning to catch a train from Chorley to Manchester this evening, but despite the train arriving at the previous station (Buckshaw) on time, it didn't depart from there for 64 minutes.
The reason given on the screens was 'disruptive passengers'.
A twitter user on that train reports that some passengers were smoking weed & the driver declared he was unfit to drive due to inhaling this.
A replacement driver apparently had to be sent from Wigan.
 

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irish_rail

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Driver did the right thing. Not worth the risk. Time these type of "customers" where dealt with.
 

dgl

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Correct action by the driver, imagine if the "fumes" had got the driver into a state where he made a mistake and got done for drug driving because of it, unlikely but better safe than sorry.
 

najaB

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They must've been smoking a lot of weed for it to have been strong enough in the cab for the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive.
 

Sm5

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They must've been smoking a lot of weed for it to have been strong enough in the cab for the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive.
I’m not sure the driver would want to take the risk.
Any incident would be unforgiving and be a mountain of proof, pain and stress to later overcome in event of a poor D&A test, especially if it happened later in shift, on a different unit / line.

best for the driver to not even risk it.
 

najaB

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Oh, I don't decry the driver for being cautious, just curious how much weed they were smoking. There's a difference between a faint smell of weed, and thinking "this might be having an effect on me".
 

skyhigh

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They must've been smoking a lot of weed for it to have been strong enough in the cab for the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive.
I've had it before where passengers have smoked a large amount in a small confined space- such as the small bog on a 158 - and when I've opened the door it's properly hit me.
 

Monty

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They must've been smoking a lot of weed for it to have been strong enough in the cab for the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive.


While true, I only have to walk past a person who is using it and the smell makes me feel quite unwell. Even if it wouldn't get me 'high' the feeling of nusea alone would be enough to make driving unbearable if someone was constantly smoking it behind the cab.
 

najaB

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While true, I only have to walk past a person who is using it and the smell makes me feel quite unwell. Even if it wouldn't get me 'high' the feeling of nusea alone would be enough to make driving unbearable if someone was constantly smoking it behind the cab.
That's a good point.
 

[.n]

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They must've been smoking a lot of weed for it to have been strong enough in the cab for the driver to declare themselves unfit to drive.

Entirely possible - I've been on a 444 in the 1st class before (so the section closest to the driver), where upon entering the smell etc of the weed was overpowering - we did actually raise the issue with the guard so they were aware in case it affected the driver too
 

HSP 2

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As the unit was a 331 do they not have a separate air con for the cabs (if it's turned on)?
 

O L Leigh

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The smell and the reaction to it is a different thing to actually getting intoxicated. Clinical trials show that to get a contact high or to absorb enough THC to fail a drug test you would have to share an unventilated space with people smoking strong cannabis for about an hour.

But if the smell is making you feel unwell, then stopping is the right thing.
 

gazr

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The skunk weed is the absolute worse... I've ran over a skunk (not intentionally I may add), and it didn't smell as bad as the weed. How people stomach inhaling that **** is beyond me. Unfortunately, my schnoz is hyper sensitive to the stuff and I have to move carriage is someone even has the smell on their clothes. There should be a law that's it anti-social behaviour and travel on the railways is not permitted.
 

D6130

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BTW do we still call it weed?
We do in Hebden Bridge!

Sometime in the mid-'nineties - before electrification - I was driving a 142 on a Saturday tea time Leeds-Skipton service. Shortly after leaving Shipley, i became aware of a strong smell of glue coming from the vestibule area immediately behind the cab. On arrival at Bingley, I looked through the peephole in the door blind and saw two young children - a boy and a girl aged about 10 or 11 - enthusiastically inhaling from empty crisp packets. I alerted the conductor via the intercom, but he didn't seem too keen to intervene. By the time we reached Keighley, where the kids alighted (no sniggering in the back row please, anyone from Skipton!), I was feeling quite high and a little bit nauseous. After immobilising the train and advising the signaller and the conductor, I had to take a long, slow walk to the far end of the platform and back before I felt fit to continue. This resulted in a ten minute delay....and having to open all the windows in the leading car (cab included), despite it being a fairly cold winter's day. After having to deal with the moaning delayed passengers, I think the conductor must have wished he had ejected the culprits sooner!
 

baz962

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Happened to me quite a few times , smelling it behind my cab . Considered stopping the train on a few occasions. Some of the strains seem to be very strong , as I sometimes would stick my head in the coach behind my cab and wouldn't see anything , but be almost dizzy from smelling on someone's clothes.
 

Sprinter107

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Its becoming a real problem. Some seems a stronger smell than others. The other week I had to sit in my cab with the strong smell of weed for about 40 minutes. I had to go out and have a break from it, cos I felt so unwell. This obviously delayed the train. Its getting more and more common, they very often seem to sit behined the driving csb.
 

liamf656

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Having been in the cab of a train while someone’s been smoking weed immediately next door, I’m not surprised that the driver stopped the train. In fact, I applaud his sensible actions
 

the sniper

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Its becoming a real problem. Some seems a stronger smell than others. The other week I had to sit in my cab with the strong smell of weed for about 40 minutes. I had to go out and have a break from it, cos I felt so unwell. This obviously delayed the train. Its getting more and more common, they very often seem to sit behined the driving csb.

Most awkward place for the Guard to get to, they're not entirely daft, but they have more faith in cab doors seals than train crew do!
 

irish_rail

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I've never been a fan of passengers being right behind the driver with no gangway or gap. Not only does the driver hear all kinds of distractions , the weed thing is another example.
 

172007

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Class 172 cab aircon recycles air from the saloon immediately behind the cab into the cab. I have had a person break wind and it has made me gag in the cab whilst driving. Skunk on a person who has not being smoking actually in the train stinks in the cab. I suspect the research on passive smoking of cannabis was done in the 90's and does not take into account the THC content of modern skunk and may well theoretically become an issue in Less than the quoted hour.
 

O L Leigh

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I suspect the research on passive smoking of cannabis was done in the 90's and does not take into account the THC content of modern skunk and may well theoretically become an issue in Less than the quoted hour.

2015, actually. Read the paper in it’s entirety here:

Class 172 cab aircon recycles air from the saloon immediately behind the cab into the cab.

Yes, but you can at least open the droplight to ventilate the cab.
 

507020

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Class 172 cab aircon recycles air from the saloon immediately behind the cab into the cab. I have had a person break wind and it has made me gag in the cab whilst driving. Skunk on a person who has not being smoking actually in the train stinks in the cab. I suspect the research on passive smoking of cannabis was done in the 90's and does not take into account the THC content of modern skunk and may well theoretically become an issue in Less than the quoted hour.
Why does it use such a stupid system? Surely taking fresh air directly from the outside of the train into the cab, where there is only 1 person, who I should add has the task of concentrating on the track ahead and then circulating it into the passenger saloon is a much better idea.

The cab air conditioning that was fitted to the 365s (apologies for mentioning the forbidden EMUs) needs air from the outside of the train doesn’t it because that’s what necessitated modifications to the front end? Surely the driver, who is responsible for the lives of the passengers, should be afforded the luxury of first use of the air on board, rather than them, especially when some of them are unfortunately able to contaminate it like this.
 

Sprinter107

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Skie

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Why does it use such a stupid system? Surely taking fresh air directly from the outside of the train into the cab, where there is only 1 person, who I should add has the task of concentrating on the track ahead and then circulating it into the passenger saloon is a much better idea.

The cab air conditioning that was fitted to the 365s (apologies for mentioning the forbidden EMUs) needs air from the outside of the train doesn’t it because that’s what necessitated modifications to the front end? Surely the driver, who is responsible for the lives of the passengers, should be afforded the luxury of first use of the air on board, rather than them, especially when some of them are unfortunately able to contaminate it like this.
Getting fresh air into the train is the responsibility of the ventilation system, air-con doesn't take in air from outside as it's designed to just cool the air already inside the train. Modern HVAC systems bring in a quantity of fresh air based on a lot of different sensor readings, both interior and exterior, to keep the trains air fresh but the system efficient. Older units will be much more wing and a prayer.

I'd guess the 172's don't have a lot of interior intakes, or just have them in central locations and ducting to distribute the cold air, and one wasn't added inside the drivers cab to keep costs down or save space, so that's why you might have an intake from the parp filled saloon. The good news is that this will cause positive air pressure in the cab, so you can enact a curry fueled revenge on those near the door.
 

43066

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That aside, the driver might be drug tested, so he has no real choice but to report it, as if he was unfortunate enough to have an incident on that trip and hadn't then he could lose his job.

You’re never going to inhale enough from passive smoking in a railway setting to fail a drug test. The concern would be the distraction, and the driver was quite right to take the action he did if he felt it necessary.

In my DOO days I dealt with this a couple of times by throwing open the door to the saloon, and ordering the culprit to move to the next coach back! Worked every time.
 
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