Trains with hinged doors

[darasafvatnia]

Are there any ‘slam door’ trains left in other countries now that the last remaining HST’s will have plug doors fitted this year in the U.K.?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Plenty of inward-opening doors on Corail and other similar designs of loco-hauled stock on the continent. Not sure if these are what you're after though.

Closer to home the Night Riviera still has slam doors. Not sure if it's running at the moment due to the current situation though.

 

[Giugiaro]

As far as I know the only "slam doors" I know of open inward, unlike what was common in the UK.

By the way, was there ever a problem having those doors open to the outside? Couldn't the train end up moving with the doors kept open?

 

[30907]

By the way, was there ever a problem having those doors open to the outside? Couldn't the train end up moving with the doors kept open?

It wasn't uncommon - I've seen photos of local trains (the stainless-steel RIO stock) on the Cote d'Azur with wide open doors, and I suspect it still happens further East in Europe.
Most more modern folding-door stock has central closing/locking mechanisms.

 

[duesselmartin]

Germany also still has IC stock that has slam doors swinging inwards.
In regional stock it is rather seldom.

 

[Richard Scott]

Lots of slam door stock in the former Eastern European countries and traveled on them many times with doors wide open. Remember going through Slovenia wondering where the draft was coming from and was from an open door. In Romania it's common for (regional) trains to go along with doors open. Seen that many times.

 

[hexagon789]

Isle of Man

 

[superalbs]

Basically every ex-Soviet Union country has hinged doors on the vast majority of long-distance trains.

Here's an example on some stock from Azerbaijan.


In recent years, some countries have moved towards these more modern door designs, such as this example in Belarus. In any case, a large amount of stock in Belarus is still manual.


Most multiple units from this part of the world are automatic doors though, even some of the really old ones.

 

[JonasB]

There are in Sweden, the small company Tågåkeriet i Bergslagen (also known as Tågab) runs a few passenger trains using old SJ coaches.

Photo: Rasmus 28

 

[darasafvatnia]

It wasn't uncommon - I've seen photos of local trains (the stainless-steel RIO stock) on the Cote d'Azur with wide open doors, and I suspect it still happens further East in Europe.
Most more modern folding-door stock has central closing/locking mechanisms.

Interesting, I saw that a couple of YouTube videos on the Côte d’Azur line had the camera filming out of the window. Did these trains have drop light windows too? And I wonder how many of the hinged door trains or trains in general on the continent have drop light windows? I wonder if they aren’t allowed to operate anymore like here.

 

[dutchflyer]

As a general rule of thumb one could say that hinged doors mean also windows that can be opened. NMBS in BE has small upper half windows to slide-open, also in wagons with automatic doors.
As a continental myself, I thought that the tipical old-style BR slam door was rather unique, as it was like a normal door in house: does not fold somewhere like about any of the doors shown above. Most puzzling for visiting foreigners was the (often perceived as rather idiot) method to open the door from inside: open the window and use the doorhandle on the outside. Which in general led to those windows open even in freezing wintertimes. So there is a difference between hinged and slam.
Also pretty common on suburban stock were sliding doors, for a ling time to open/close by handforce-with conductors required to check whole train before departure to have these closed.
The Russky type has doors folding inside with a series of steps to board them from ground level, which required those provodnika in every wagon. But then I think that even AmTrak/USA has such folding steps on the once a day long lines out of the corridors. Thus VIA/CA probably also.
SRT/Thaialnd has loads of stock with hinged doors and windows to open widely. Adjacent countries like MY/VN/INdonesia have this also, but the windows can only open for a short way. This makes them very stuffy in the tropics when the train stands. It may also be to discourage roving vendors on halts.

 

[StephenHunter]

Lots of slam door stock in the former Eastern European countries and traveled on them many times with doors wide open. Remember going through Slovenia wondering where the draft was coming from and was from an open door. In Romania it's common for (regional) trains to go along with doors open. Seen that many times.

Much of that is ex-German stock, I believe. Or indeed built there.

 

[randyrippley]

Isle of Man

are you thinking "toastrack"???

 

[DelW]

But then I think that even AmTrak/USA has such folding steps on the once a day long lines out of the corridors. Thus VIA/CA probably also.

IIRC Amtrak long distance coaches (Amfleet and Superliners) all have hinged inward opening manual doors. I've always seen them operated by on board conductors, not sure if that's just a rule or if there are locks to prevent passenger use. The Amfleet coaches have folding steps linked to the door mechanism, but both types also need the infamous yellow step stools at low level platforms (or onto the ballast or road crossings when the driver overshoots, which seems to happen surprisingly often).

 

[StephenHunter]

are you thinking "toastrack"???

More the Steam Railway.

 

[Gordon]

I thought that the tipical old-style BR slam door was rather unique, as it was like a normal door in house: does not fold somewhere like about any of the doors shown above. Most puzzling for visiting foreigners was the (often perceived as rather idiot) method to open the door from inside: open the window and use the doorhandle on the outside.

As far as I know - having to open the window from the inside and lean down to open the door handle on the outside was indeed unique to Britain - and incredibly archaic/bizarre to boot.

Yes, lots of hinged and 'slam' doors exist/existed around Europe and the world but with handles on both sides

.

 

[Gordon]

Lots of slam door stock in the former Eastern European countries and traveled on them many times with doors wide open. Remember going through Slovenia wondering where the draft was coming from and was from an open door. In Romania it's common for (regional) trains to go along with doors open. Seen that many times.

In the 1970s people in south east Europe sometimes sat on the open doorstep to keep cool. The train was often so slow it was no less safe than riding a bicycle in the centre of a city (before the 'new normal')

 

[Gostav]

As far as I know the only "slam doors" I know of open inward, unlike what was common in the UK.

By the way, was there ever a problem having those doors open to the outside? Couldn't the train end up moving with the doors kept open?

Well, the door shouldn't be opened while the train is moving but sometimes just like this old news.

 

[hexagon789]

are you thinking "toastrack"???

I thought the steam railway had traditional-style outward opening 'slam'-doors on its coaches?

 

[randyrippley]

I thought the steam railway had traditional-style outward opening 'slam'-doors on its coaches?

it does..............I was just trying to joke about the non-doors on some of the older MER stock, where theres nothing to stop you falling out

 

[StephenHunter]

Aren't the locks on those European trains designed to activate at 5km/h? I saw a case in Berlin with a Moscow to Paris train - sliding door - where the guard had a door open briefly while pulling out.

 

[cactustwirly]

Plenty of inward-opening doors on Corail and other similar designs of loco-hauled stock on the continent. Not sure if these are what you're after though.

Closer to home the Night Riviera still has slam doors. Not sure if it's running at the moment due to the current situation though.

Although the Corial stock is being replaced rather quickly, with Alstom units

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Although the Corial stock is being replaced rather quickly, with Alstom units

Presumably not on the sleepers though, I hope!

 

[cactustwirly]

Presumably not on the sleepers though, I hope!

SNCF are just cutting the sleepers completely, there's now a very small number left.
Mostly because of the legal obligation for all of the regions to have a daily train to Paris.

The remaining sleepers are:

Paris-Toulouse-Latour de Carol

Paris-Rodez

Paris-Briancon

 

[Bletchleyite]

Aren't the locks on those European trains designed to activate at 5km/h? I saw a case in Berlin with a Moscow to Paris train - sliding door - where the guard had a door open briefly while pulling out.

There are 2 systems on a UIC standard coach regardless of whether it's a sliding or folding slamdoor. There have existed coaches which have one but not the other, but most have both.

"Door blocking" (Tuerblockierung) disconnects the inside handle when the train is above 5km/h. This doesn't close the door, it just stops you opening it. The outside handle could still be used to open it when this was in place.

"Closing pressure" (Schliessdruck) is operated by the guard with a key, and applies air pressure to close the doors, I think electrically controlled. This pressure leaks away after about 10-20 seconds and the doors can be opened again, but while present it applies enough force that you couldn't physically open the door from either side.

Some operators have modified their coaches to create an overlap between these for increased safety, e.g. the Swiss "fresh air" and EW IV hauled coaches, which have now had the doors converted to electrical operation, previously had a feature that automatically applied closing pressure about every 30 seconds when above 5km/h. This had the irritating downside that sometimes you couldn't open the door on arrival at a station until it had leaked away.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

SNCF are just cutting the sleepers completely, there's now a very small numbe left.
Mostly because of the legal obligation for all of the regions to have a daily train to Paris.

The remaining sleepers are:

Paris-Toulouse-Latour de Carol

Paris-Rodez

Paris-Briancon

I know- I used the Latour sleeper in Autumn 2018 (it was diverted from the usual route at the time, and ran via Bordeaux both ways). I assume they aren't running at the moment in any case.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

As far as I know - having to open the window from the inside and lean down to open the door handle on the outside was indeed unique to Britain - and incredibly archaic/bizarre to boot.

Weren't interior door handles removed to stop passengers opening doors when the train was moving?

 

[hexagon789]

it does..............I was just trying to joke about the non-doors on some of the older MER stock, where theres nothing to stop you falling out

That's about the fifth time this week when I failed to pick-up on a joke! I think the toastracks are what you might term too al fresco for doors!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Weren't interior door handles removed to stop passengers opening doors when the train was moving?

Were they ever removed, or did some stock just not have them? Class 101s had them until they were scrapped. I recall seeing a kid playing with one once, I shouted at him not to and the parent, if I recall rightly, gave me an earful along the lines of "oh, it won't open while we are moving", erm, yes, it will...

 

[StephenHunter]

Suburban stock tended to have them, but higher speed stock like the CEPs didn't.