Unscheduled stops at stations

[Deepgreen]

If a train stops at danger which aligns the train with the platform of a station, the electric doors remain locked. I have seen occurrences where passengers awaiting a train try to get on the "unscheduled stopped" train. They often look confused and get angry the doors won't open and even ask me through the window to open the door. Obviously no announcement for the unscheduled stop.

What would have happened in the 70's and 80's in such conditions? Would the passengers be able to board the train?

As a Southern Region passenger at that time, anything that stopped was fair game - it helped to know headcodes (and thus stopping patterns) if you didn't actually want to go to the terminus! Once stopped and with (slam) doors open, the guard had to perform the normal station duties. Even today, at some stations (Norwood Junction comes to mind), some drivers of trains not scheduled to stop 'play safe' if the platform is crowded by holding back from stopping in the platform if possible.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Trains from Chester via Northwich into Manchester Oxford Rd were often checked by signals in the morning peak at Deansgate and a significant number of people would alight - since it was a regular occurrence never understood why the stops werent made official.

I remember a guard telling off a passenger for doing that on a late evening service in no uncertain terms. "Dangerous and causing delay to the train." Which caused even more delay, of course...

 

[Jimini]

Not so much an unscheduled stop (technically speaking), but over the years I've been on many late night trains from Gatwick heading into Victoria that have parked up at Selhurst briefly to drop off staff needing to get to the depot there. Not so much of an issue these days in the absence of slam-door stock, but I seem to recall folk wrongly assuming they'd arrived at Clapham Junction and alighting there!

 

[Chris999999]

As a Southern Region passenger at that time, anything that stopped was fair game .

Indeed I remember travelling from Kent House to Victoria on the Night Ferry train which was mainly sleeping cars. The Night Ferry almost invariably stopped short of platforms but this day it did not, so as we hadn't seen a train for a long time we boarded. The guard was not happy.

It caused a few problems at Victoria as the Ferry passengers had not cleared customs, and of course the commuters did not have passports, but it was soon sorted out with season ticket holders being let out without passport and customs checks.

 

[Deepgreen]

Indeed I remember travelling from Kent House to Victoria on the Night Ferry train which was mainly sleeping cars. The Night Ferry almost invariably stopped short of platforms but this day it did not, so as we hadn't seen a train for a long time we boarded. The guard was not happy.

It caused a few problems at Victoria as the Ferry passengers had not cleared customs, and of course the commuters did not have passports, but it was soon sorted out with season ticket holders being let out without passport and customs checks.

That's far more spectacular than any unscheduled stoppers I encountered!

 

[CarltonA]

During military service (in the seventies) I travelled on a few troop trains, mostly out of Ludgershall. On one occasion we stopped at Clapham Junction at around lunchtime. Several people tried to board in spite of announcements by platform staff. We suggested that perhaps this was not the train they wanted and they then realised it was not the 11:46 for Waterloo or whatever. We were headed for Thetford so it might have been a tad inconvenient.

 

[D1009]

I remember in the early 1980s, due to the WCML being blocked, one of the Scottish sleepers arrived at Reading (with a 47 dragging a dead 86) to set down Heathrow Airport passengers in the middle of the morning peak. Despite announcements to the effect that the train was stopping to set down only, some of the commuters boarded, because that is what Reading commuters do. They were treated to an hour long journey to Euston via Willesden!

 

[infobleep]

I was on an Exeter - Waterloo train back in the 1970's which was held at the passing loop at the then-closed Templecombe station. Just at the line cleared and the class 33 powered up, two confused elderly American tourists decided they were at Salisbury and jumped off. They were left standing at the station as the train left, door swinging, with the signal box keeper screaming hopelessly at the driver. Luckily the door eventually slammed itself shut.
No, no-one pulled the cord.
And clearly, neither the driver nor the guard felt the need to check whether anyone had tried to use the closed platform. A few seconds later and things could have been quite serious

I wonder how they got out of the station? Was there an easy way out?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Years ago in 2001 I was helping nan the company stand at the World Travel Market. Due to the time I had to be in West Brompton and not wishing to hang around to long in advance, I had to travel into Waterloo and then annoyingly on the tube, owing to the fast trains not stopping at Clapham Junction. I'd have much preferred to alight at Clapham Junction on a fast service as it was quicker. I assume it was still quicker to go into Waterloo and use the tube than take the stopping service to Clapham Junction from Guildford. Either that or I didn't wish to be on a train for so long without a toilet available. I had ulcerative colitis so a toilet could be necessary suddenly.

On one of the days, the train pulled up at Clapham Junction. I thought this is not a stop so I'd better not get off. I hesitated but saw others getting off. We were still waiting so eventually I thought, well they have done it so I will. I got off and soon the guard was on the platform, checked and blew their whistle and the train left.

I was very happy because it meant I had a much quicker journey that day to West Brompton.

Couldn't do that today. In fact looking up the times today, they either recommend you take the slow train to Clapham Junction, without its loos, or go into Waterloo and back out again. The stopping service is 7 minutes quicker than going in and out of Waterloo. The latter is more expensive but you do get some loos included with your ticket.