Trivia: Common railway related fallacies

[PTR 444]

Most of us on here will know all the pedantic stuff regarding the railway. Outside of this forum however, many people have a much smaller knowledge of the railway, which can lead to quite a few misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions. Some common examples are:

• “Virgin still operate Cross Country”
• “FirstGroup no longer operate TransPennine Express or Great Western Railway”
• “Liverpool Street station is in Liverpool, not London”
• “Diesel electric traction and bi-modes are the same thing”
• “The tube is the quickest way to get between Leicester Square and Covent Garden”
• “London Overground and Crossrail aren’t part of the National Rail network”

Can you think of any others?

 

[Whistler40145]

People thinking British Rail still exists

 

[PTR 444]

People thinking Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express are all separate companies

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

DMUs used to have a big round wheel in front of the driver (parking brake?) Looked just like a steering wheel %)

 

[Sniffingmoose]

Passengers thinking that the Trainline actually run the trains so they complain to them if the train is cancelled.

 

[Horizon22]

Google Maps always has the current real-time information…

• “London Overground and Crossrail aren’t part of the National Rail network”

Can you think of any others?

This is partly because TfL try their hardest to make it seem that way. Especially when you’re on a service and it says “Change here for National Rail services” - well you are a National Rail service!

 

[Ianno87]

When a new TOC takes over, immediately expecting "their" trains to be there from Day 1.

e.g. when Virgin took over the ECML, my wife genuinely expected Pendolinos to appear.

E.g. 2: Folks on the Overground routes out of Liverpool Street disappointed when 378s didn't appear on Day 1 back in 2015, and it was the old trains with "Overground" stuck on the side.

 

[Watershed]

when Virgin took over the ECML, my wife genuinely expected Pendolinos to appear.

To be fair, that is indeed how it works in some other countries. But obviously not in Britain, where having a new franchisee effectively just means changing some of the top brass.

 

[Iskra]

DMUs used to have a big round wheel in front of the driver (parking brake?) Looked just like a steering wheel %)

The reverser on a steam loco can look like a steering wheel too. One of my sets of grandparents are convinced that trains have steering wheels.

Although, at the other end of the spectrum- my sister; ‘doesn’t the driver of a train just push a button?’

 

[D6975]

Passengers thinking that the Trainline actually run the trains so they complain to them if the train is cancelled.

And people thinking that buying tickets from Trainline saves them money.

 

[Pit_buzzer]

'TOPS' numbers were a requirement of TOPS

Pacers saved the branch lines

 

[Iskra]

All railways that closed were down to Beeching and they were all unjust.

 

[D6130]

People who think that trains can swerve or stop suddenly when there's someone or something on the line.

People who think that all railway lines are exactly level.

 

[Whistler40145]

My mother for one who queries why you have to pay for a train fare if the service is replaced by a bus

 

[Acey]

DMUs used to have a big round wheel in front of the driver (parking brake?) Looked just like a steering wheel %)

Long time ago I let a passenger in the cab of of a Class 415 unit ( naughty I ) know between Blackheath and Welling,he was looking around at the cab bits and pieces and then he said " I know that's not a steering wheel but what is it ? " I replied " that's a handbrake " he was silent for a while then blurted out " well how the do you manage to do a hillstart with that thing ? "

 

[Gloster]

That trains can just turn round and go back to look at something. Early in the 1980s the driver of a DMU saw something that looked like a dead body near the line, but as he was travelling at speed he reported it to Control at the next convenient point. Control rang the local constabulary, who asked why the driver hadn’t stopped or gone back and confirmed that it was a body. If I remember correctly, the man was dead...drunk.

 

[462cd]

"Splitting tickets saves money, but I don't want the hassle of getting off the train/leaving the station every time they split."

 

[Ianno87]

When buying tickets online, you have to buy them from the operator you are using.

Few people seem to get that you can (say) buy tickets for a Southeastern journey from Scotrail, should you so desire.

 

[341o2]

There were incidents, at least in the early days of the Talyllyn as a preserved railway, where the passenger concerned ignored the timetable, missed the last train then turned up at Warf after walking back. annoyed why the train hadn't waited and expecting (but not receiving) a refund.

Then level crossings with no barriers or warning lights which regularly see collisions because people assume a train isn't coming

 

[Master29]

Chinese and Japanese trains can break the sound barrier. I kid you not as I remember overhearing such a conversation a few years ago. Thanks to Maglev however this may not be too far away now.

High speed trains such as IET's and of course HST's did 125 mph for all of the journey.

 

[Halish Railway]

That Northern is still called Northern rail.

 

[Ianno87]

There were incidents, at least in the early days of the Talyllyn as a preserved railway, where the passenger concerned ignored the timetable, missed the last train then turned up at Warf after walking back. annoyed why the train hadn't waited and expecting (but not receiving) a refund

See also: “Surely they knew how many tickets they’d sold?”

No, your packed train is what an unrestricted walk-on railway means in practice.

Chinese and Japanese trains can break the sound barrier. I kid you not as I remember overhearing such a conversation a few years ago. Thanks to Maglev however this may not be too far away now.

High speed trains such as IET's and of course HST's did 125 mph for all of the journey.

Also, we could build railways in the Uk as fast as the Chinese can if only we tried a bit harder.

 

[norbitonflyer]

That railways signals work like traffic lights - in particular that passing a yellow signal is risky.

and some from the press

That the words "locomotive" and "train" mean the same thing
That all trains are pulled by a locomotive
That freight trains have "carriages"

 

[Ianno87]

That railways signals work like traffic lights - in particular that passing a yellow signal is risky.

Also, that trains travelling at the speed limit is how they are designed to operate, unlike a car where the speed limit is the maximum but you drive appropriate to the conditions.

 

[Turtle]

DMUs used to have a big round wheel in front of the driver (parking brake?) Looked just like a steering wheel %)

And old slam door emus!

 

[317 forever]

It was frequently said during COP26 that flying from London to Glasgow was cheaper than travelling by train. I'm sure I heard figures £65 and £77 respectively. Whether it is cheaper depends on when booked.

 

[Ashley Hill]

The reverser on a steam loco can look like a steering wheel too. One of my sets of grandparents are convinced that trains have steering wheels.

The reverser lever is also mistaken for a handbrake by some visitors to the cab.

 

[Railsigns]

The belief that all level crossing lifting barriers are "automatic barriers".

 

[mrcheek]

When a new TOC takes over, immediately expecting "their" trains to be there from Day 1.

e.g. when Virgin took over the ECML, my wife genuinely expected Pendolinos to appear.

The media must take their share of the blame for this one.

I remember when it was announced that Arriva were taking over Cross Country, The BBC's report compared Virgin's lovely new Voyager trains, with the pacers run by Arriva in South Wales

 

[6Gman]

That railways signals work like traffic lights - in particular that passing a yellow signal is risky.

and some from the press

That the words "locomotive" and "train" mean the same thing
That all trains are pulled by a locomotive
That freight trains have "carriages"

And every train is populated by "commuters".