Trivia: Common railway related fallacies

[Gloster]

That railway management show a complete lack of enterprise and initiative in that they do not see what a marvellous idea it would be to run a direct, non-stop service every fifteen minutes from the small station in your village half-way across the county to the small station where your mother, squeeze, child or similar lives.

 

[JonathanH]

That having an open access operator running via a circuitous route would automatically mean low fares can be offered and that business would be viable.

 

[Paul Jones 88]

Coat of paint = new train.
Standing on the platform at Paddock Wood in about 1997 and a VEP pulled in looking great in its new Connex livery but the two women standing near me said flipping heck, that train is new.

The gated off areas on some London Underground stations are top secret government facilities.

 

[alex397]

“It’s so much better in London”

Well, there definitely are some great things about TfL, but they are far from perfect.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The gated off areas on some London Underground stations are top secret government facilities.

Maybe, maybe not. Let's see what TV presenter @Timmyd and London Transport Museum historian Siddy Holloway have to say on the matter!

 

[75A]

That railway management show a complete lack of enterprise and initiative in that they do not see what a marvellous idea it would be to run a direct, non-stop service every fifteen minutes from the small station in your village half-way across the county to the small station where your mother, squeeze, child or similar lives.

Like it.

 

[contrex]

Anything with a nose end is a Deltic (I have seen Class 37s referred to as such)

A bit like the people who think that any rear-platform London Transport double-decker bus (e.g. RTs and RTLs) is a 'Routemaster'

 

[mikeg]

That when the train is wedged, they could have always put more carriages on.

 

[6Gman]

769 on a test run?

"Many years ago"

That a covenant on the viaduct at Stockport meant that all trains passing through the town must call there.

Which is why the trains that don't stop there have to go via Styal . . .

 

[norbitonflyer]

That railway staff make decisions for no other reason than to deliberately annoy passengers.

Of course they don't - that would mean they cared what passengers think

 

[matthewluck]

The Midland Mainline ends at St. Pancreas in London.

 

[Trog]

That trees growing on embankments and cutting slopes are a good thing because their roots hold the ground together.

 

[43096]

The Midland Mainline ends at St. Pancreas in London.

That “Midland Mainline” is a route. It isn’t, that’s the former train operator; the route is the Midland Main Line.

 

[matthewluck]

That “Midland Mainline” is a route. It isn’t, that’s the former train operator; the route is the Midland Main Line.

I like it, a double fallacy in my post! I did think it should be Midland Main Line but only after posting!

 

[pdeaves]

If your booked train (with seat reservations) is cancelled, you must sit in the exact same seat on the next available train. Never mind if it was reserved for a different party at a different time!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

All passengers travelling first class are "fat cat" businessmen on expenses.

Alternatively, anybody in First Class who is under the age of 30, and/or not wearing a shirt and tie, is a chancer on a standard class ticket.

 

[Neo9320]

Alternatively, anybody in First Class who is under the age of 30, and/or not wearing a shirt and tie, is a chancer on a standard class ticket.

Happened to me on many occasions!

 

[xotGD]

When a train has "Trans Pennine Express" written all over it that it is actually a Trans Pennine Express service on which "Trans Pennine Express Only" tickets are valid.

How could anyone possibly be so stupid?


That the railway is a public service, operated for the benefit of the general public who want to travel from one place to another.


That ticket barriers will open when you present a valid ticket.


That ticket barriers will not swallow a ticket that you need for your onward journey.


That the ticket office or ticket machine will offer you the lowest cost ticket for the journey you wish to make.


That the powers that be have not yet determined that the LNER train standing in Platform 6 at Leeds will form the next service to King's Cross until it has actually been displayed on the departures board.


That the signage at King's Cross directs you to the shortest route to the underground line you wish to travel on.

 

[PTR 444]

That the Sheffield - Leeds via Moorthorpe and Settle & Carlisle lines are still a part of the Midland Main Line.

 

[Parallel]

South Western Railway is not the name of the First Group operation from Waterloo and instead, it is any of ‘South West Rail’, ‘South West Trains’ ‘South Western Trains’, ‘South West Railway’, ‘South Western’ ‘Southern West Rail’ etc etc.

 

[Trackman]

Every train passing through my local station should stop and pick passengers up, including expresses and (sometimes) freight, for the 3 minute journey into town ...

I thought that was true once as a small child.
My Dad would say 'The next train doesn't stop here, but I've had a word with the Station Master and signaller and they will stop the next train here'
Me: 'Wow! Thanks Dad!' hahaha

Yes,when the pair of 40s came down are way recently one of our chaps at work asked if I'd seen the Deltic's and didn't they sound great .....!

I watched Crewe railcam a while back, much neglected must revisit - very soothing on a big TV for some reason.
Anyway, someone pipes up on live chat 'Has anyone seen the Deltic come through?' All hell breaks loose on the live chat for 10 minutes until someone susses out it was a class 37.

 

[gg1]

Rail enthusiast = trainspotter

 

[py_megapixel]

That the new Island Line stock is doesn't fit through the tunnel at Ryde...

 

[LOL The Irony]

That dual voltage bi-modes are tri-modes.

That bi-modes, especially ones ordered with a budget of about 5 pence, will solve all of your electrification needs and totally never have numerous, potentially service life shortening issues.

The view amongst TV programme makers that rail enthusiasts are only interested in steam not diesel or electric or anything modern.

Views like this actually turned me off steam traction.

Alternatively, anybody in First Class who is under the age of 30, and/or not wearing a shirt and tie, is a chancer on a standard class ticket.

I had this happen before. I just nodded and said yes. They were nice about it so I didn't make a thing of it.

 

[Facing Back]

Happened to me on many occasions!

I used to wear my Sex Pistols Never mind the B*******s tee shirt and not wash my hair whenever I had a full open first class ticket in my 20s. I was a really bad rebel. But I did get asked for my ticket a lot.

 

[Neo9320]

I used to wear my Sex Pistols Never mind the B*******s tee shirt and not wash my hair whenever I had a full open first class ticket in my 20s. I was a really bad rebel. But I did get asked for my ticket a lot.

I’m travelling next Tuesday, I’ll try something similar (unfortunately I no longer own the Sex pistols tee…I think the most offensive I have is a morrissey tee…might turn some heads lol)

 

[43096]

That Hitachi deliver “Japanese levels of reliability”.

 

[norbitonflyer]

South Western Railway is not the name of the First Group operation from Waterloo and instead, it is any of ‘South West Rail’, ‘South West Trains’ ‘South Western Trains’, ‘South West Railway’, ‘South Western’ ‘Southern West Rail’ etc etc.

Seen a lot on the webchats they used to do - the assumption that South West Trains/Rail operates all the trains in the South West of England (e.g to Plymouth)

Not a common fallacy, but two former colleagues (at different jobs) both seemed convinced that any ticket showing an expiry date (such as a day or period return) can be used as often as you like up to the end of the day shown on the ticket, and were highly disgruntled at theirs being "confiscated" after they had "only" used theirs once.

 

[RH Liner]

Alternatively, anybody in First Class who is under the age of 30, and/or not wearing a shirt and tie, is a chancer on a standard class ticket.

This has been the case for years. In the early days of DMUs if you sat at the front you had a view of the line ahead, which meant you could see the numbers on the smoke box of steamers going in the opposite direction. However, this was always in a first class area so when we boarded the DMU at Derby for the return trip to Nottingham after a day’s spotting we plonked ourselves in the front compartment, only for a conductor to try to turf us out. We had bought first class tickets though and he had to make a grovelling apology.

 

[JonathanH]

Connections were always held for late running trains prior to privatisation of British Rail.