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Warwick Parkway / Leamington

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pt_mad

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Went all the way over to Warwick to see the 67s and DVTs only to find out that they don't run at weekends :cry:.

The guy selling the tickets was less than helpful. Had to wait for him to come back with his mug of tea and as soon as he realised I wasn't purchasing he was already getting up to walk away again.

The dispatchers at leamington don't seem to bother either. One of them left the Train manager to dispatch two of the trains, stood there with hands in pockets and then walked back towards the office playing on his phone.
Is this normal?
 
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route:oxford

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Went all the way over to Warwick to see the 67s and DVTs only to find out that they don't run at weekends :cry:.

The guy selling the tickets was less than helpful. Had to wait for him to come back with his mug of tea and as soon as he realised I wasn't purchasing he was already getting up to walk away again.

The dispatchers at leamington don't seem to bother either. One of them left the Train manager to dispatch two of the trains, stood there with hands in pockets and then walked back towards the office playing on his phone.
Is this normal?

"Playing on his phone" or undertaking reporting on a handheld device?
 

hick

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Went all the way over to Warwick to see the 67s and DVTs only to find out that they don't run at weekends :cry:.

The guy selling the tickets was less than helpful. Had to wait for him to come back with his mug of tea and as soon as he realised I wasn't purchasing he was already getting up to walk away again.

The dispatchers at leamington don't seem to bother either. One of them left the Train manager to dispatch two of the trains, stood there with hands in pockets and then walked back towards the office playing on his phone.
Is this normal?

Chiltern trains are self dispatch apart from the loco hauled sets. The dispatchers are there for Cross Country trains.
 

GadgetMan

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The guy selling the tickets was less than helpful. Had to wait for him to come back with his mug of tea and as soon as he realised I wasn't purchasing he was already getting up to walk away again.

Their job is to provide ticket/travel information. Just because we work on the railway does not mean we are all interested in traction types and unit numbers etc. The time you approached the window may have been when the clerk normally takes their PNB between trains. It is also possible he interrupted his break with mug of tea in hand to come and serve you rather than ignore you, which he rightfully could have done if he was indeed on his official break. Realised you were only interested in discussing the railway, not buying a ticket or wanting travel information so he returned to his break.
 

TDK

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Went all the way over to Warwick to see the 67s and DVTs only to find out that they don't run at weekends :cry:.

The guy selling the tickets was less than helpful. Had to wait for him to come back with his mug of tea and as soon as he realised I wasn't purchasing he was already getting up to walk away again.

The dispatchers at leamington don't seem to bother either. One of them left the Train manager to dispatch two of the trains, stood there with hands in pockets and then walked back towards the office playing on his phone.
Is this normal?

Firstly before being a grass to the staff, the dispatchers at Leamington only have to Dispatch the loco and stock and the voyagers it is not their job to dispatch anything else.

I really get annoyed with spotters on here being whistle blowers when thei have not a cliue on procedures. I am going to request this thread gets pulled

Just to add - is it a wonder why sometimes spotters get a frosty reception from staff? I am getting increasingly peed off with people like this and this will change my attitude to folks with cameras wanting to photo me in my shiny loco
 

Mike395

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Just to make everyone aware, whilst we do not think that there is a reason to 'pull' this thread (I believe the OP was legitimately asking for an opinion rather than wishing to cause controversy), the staff team will be keeping an eye on it to ensure that it doesn't descend into an argument. :)
 

Chris125

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Pointless thread that only serves to make enthusiasts look clueless, whats the point of keeping it?

Chris
 

D1009

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Keeping it could result in the spotters learning more about operating procedures, if only they were prepared to.
 

Cherry_Picker

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So let me get this straight:

Man goes to Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa to see class 67s running.
Man finds out class 67s are not running. Man is angry.
Man then proceeds to complain about trivial things and things which are perfectly normal because he is angry about his wasted trip.

Am I missing something here?

The dispatch team at Leamington are there to dispatch Loco hauled trains and Voyagers. The Chiltern and London Midland services which serve the station are dispatched by the guard on board.
 

pt_mad

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Firstly before being a grass to the staff, the dispatchers at Leamington only have to Dispatch the loco and stock and the voyagers it is not their job to dispatch anything else.

I really get annoyed with spotters on here being whistle blowers when thei have not a cliue on procedures. I am going to request this thread gets pulled

Just to add - is it a wonder why sometimes spotters get a frosty reception from staff? I am getting increasingly peed off with people like this and this will change my attitude to folks with cameras wanting to photo me in my shiny loco

Hi folks there is no need for anyone to get angry about this I literally asked the question 'is this normal' and thus the answer to this is yes.

People like me that are relatively new to the hobby have to go through the whole process from the start and I am continuing to learn.

Labelling me a whistle blower seems a bit harsh. If I was one of those I would be complaining to Chiltern not voicing my confusion on the rail forum. I can't seem them starting an official investigation based on someone writing this in a forum.

No offence was intended. Its just I have never visited a ticket office before where they seem to be on a break at the same time as serving customers.
As for the dispatcher on his phone it did actually seem like he was in his own world rather than paying attention but that is my opinion. Probably because out of the places I have visited and travelled from before I have never seen this and they always look to be on the ball.

Apologies for offence caused.
 

barrykas

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So let me get this straight:

Man goes to Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa to see class 67s running.
Man finds out class 67s are not running. Man is angry.

You forgot:

Man goes to Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa without looking at the timetable which would have told him there were no loco-hauled sets running at weekends...

Top Tip: Services booked for 67+Stock are identified in the Chiltern timetable by having an inverse B (for the "Banbury" set) or S (for the "Silver" sets) at the top of the column.

Cheers,

Barry
 

pt_mad

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You forgot:

Man goes to Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa without looking at the timetable which would have told him there were no loco-hauled sets running at weekends...

Top Tip: Services booked for 67+Stock are identified in the Chiltern timetable by having an inverse B (for the "Banbury" set) or S (for the "Silver" sets) at the top of the column.

Cheers,

Barry

What makes anyone think I am a man?:p
 

yorkie

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Labelling me a whistle blower seems a bit harsh.
More inaccurate than anything else, as a whistleblower is actually doing the public a favour by reporting something that is reasonably believed to be a violation of laws, health & safety etc. There is no whistleblowing here.
I can't seem them starting an official investigation based on someone writing this in a forum.
I can see them being confused and dismissing this 'complaint' by someone who isn't even a customer moaning that someone didn't despatch a train when it's not their job to despatch. If it was something serious then yes, of course an investigation could be launched. But obviously not in this case.
No offence was intended. Its just I have never visited a ticket office before where they seem to be on a break at the same time as serving customers.
There is insufficient information here to judge on the ticket office 'incident' however based on the moans that dispatchers didn't despatch trains that they are not supposed to be despatch, people will make up their own minds about that I'm sure.
As for the dispatcher on his phone it did actually seem like he was in his own world rather than paying attention but that is my opinion.
What was he supposed to be paying attention to?
Probably because out of the places I have visited and travelled from before I have never seen this and they always look to be on the ball.
Perhaps other dispatchers are busier and despatch all trains? In this case only a small number of trains need despatching.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
What makes anyone think I am a man?:p
I don't know. What made you think dispatchers despatch self-despatch trains?;) (Sorry; that may sound harsh! But it's a rhetorical question intended to you thinking about making assumptions! :))
 
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pt_mad

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More inaccurate than anything else, as a whistleblower is actually doing the public a favour by reporting something that is reasonably believed to be a violation of laws, health & safety etc. There is no whistleblowing here.

I can see them being confused and dismissing this 'complaint' by someone who isn't even a customer moaning that someone didn't despatch a train when it's not their job to despatch. If it was something serious then yes, of course an investigation could be launched. But obviously not in this case.

There is insufficient information here to judge on the ticket office 'incident' however based on the moans that dispatchers didn't despatch trains that they are not supposed to be despatch, people will make up their own minds about that I'm sure.

What was he supposed to be paying attention to?

Perhaps other dispatchers are busier and despatch all trains? In this case only a small number of trains need despatching.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I don't know. What made you think dispatchers despatch self-despatch trains?;) (Sorry; that may sound harsh! But it's a rhetorical question intended to you thinking about making assumptions! :))

All sounded very harsh to be honest.

What makes you think it wasn't Cross Country he was failing to dispatch?

Said dispatcher came out of office just before the train in question arrived, stood with hands in pockets, played on phone then went back into office. Same happened again.

Opposite platform, dispatcher seems very helpful spending all his time chatting to public with hands out of pockets and no sign of his phone. Also assists with chiltern services.

The way I see it people are queing up for dispatcher jobs so its not unreasonable to expect the people already in those jobs to act as if they want to actually be there and to look approachable. I think these characteristics would be expected during the recruitment process and hands in pockets and messing about on a mobile wouldn't go down well.

I take it a dispatcher is free to play on their phone on the platforms then and this would be of no conern to a manager?

Also I was a customer which would explain why I had driven to Warwick but am talking about things which happened at Leamington. Obviously judging by what you just said non-customers such as train spotters or people meeting or waving goodbye to travellers are of zero importance.


You label this as a complaint but the post was merely a question. However there would be no point whatsoever in having a complaints procedure if the public are expected to know every detail of the railway's operation in order to make a complaint. TOC's could just follow suit and say 'this member of the public does not have a detailed understanding of railway operations, dismiss that complaint'.
 
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the sniper

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I take it a dispatcher is free to play on their phone on the platforms then and this would be of no conern to a manager?

What was he playing, Snake? From your posts, I presume you were close enough to see what exactly was on his screen considering the claims you're making...
 

GadgetMan

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It's also fair to say that it could just as easily have been his company supplied mobile and he was checking/reading service updates/emails that may have concerned his station/route.

Also having one's hands in their pocket does not cause paralysis of the mouth and tounge. So he could still have answered any relevant customer queries.
 

whhistle

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The time you approached the window may have been when the clerk normally takes their PNB between trains. It is also possible he interrupted his break with mug of tea in hand to come and serve you rather than ignore you, which he rightfully could have done if he was indeed on his official break.
Not very professional though is it.
 

pt_mad

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No, and your point is ?

Have you never come across a less than professional shop assistant, barman, bus driver ?

Yes, but we have also complained about such things in the past. Surely as customers we do not have to turn a blind eye to everything and have to right to air our opinions.

The forums aren't just for positive views.

As for the phone stuff, I take it there could be no chance he was texting or social networking then? Naa course not.
 

D1009

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Yes, but we have also complained about such things in the past. Surely as customers we do not have to turn a blind eye to everything and have to right to air our opinions.

The forums aren't just for positive views.

As for the phone stuff, I take it there could be no chance he was texting or social networking then? Naa course not.

In post #14 you said it was not a complaint, now you seem to be arguing against yourself.
 

NSE

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Yes, but we have also complained about such things in the past. Surely as customers we do not have to turn a blind eye to everything and have to right to air our opinions.

The forums aren't just for positive views.

As for the phone stuff, I take it there could be no chance he was texting or social networking then? Naa course not.

While texting and social networking has developed, there is an equal chance they were using it for work related stuff. Most (if not all) TOC's and infact TfL etc, have a twitter feed to pass on info on delays. He could be checking this/maybe even updating this, recieving emails from head office or possibly sending them.

I recall seeing a poster from FCC saying that they had supplied staff with Blackberries, this was so that they could recieve live updates. I would imagine other companies have followed suit, and if they're going to pay to do this, then I'dimagine they'd utilise it by sending out emails and updates etc.
 

pt_mad

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In post #14 you said it was not a complaint, now you seem to be arguing against yourself.

I said we have complained about such things in the past. Shop assistants, bus drivers etc not that this was a complaint.

As I said before if I was complaining it would go to Chiltern.

People are forgetting that if the whole thing was innocent then the individuals in question would have nothing whatsoever to worry about.
 

D1009

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Come on guys, let's just admit there are bad apples all over the railway syetem, and having worked on it for 40 years I think I know what I am on about. But there are bad apples everywhere else as well.
 

pt_mad

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Basically the simple answer to my opening question 'is this normal' is 'yes this is totally normal'.
 

John55

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You forgot:

Man goes to Warwick Parkway and Leamington Spa without looking at the timetable which would have told him there were no loco-hauled sets running at weekends...

Top Tip: Services booked for 67+Stock are identified in the Chiltern timetable by having an inverse B (for the "Banbury" set) or S (for the "Silver" sets) at the top of the column.

Cheers,

Barry

I took the trouble to look at the Chiltern timetable and the appropriate notes say

"B Chiltern Railways train formed of carriages which may carry
different branding
M Mainline train – see page 4 for details
MS Mainline Silver train – see page 4 for details"

Page 4 says what kind of seats and refreshments are on offer on mainline and Silver trains.

Nowhere does it say these trains are loco hauled or DMUs. So unless one has a fairly detailed knowledge of Chilterns activities it is not obvious which train is loco hauled. Why is there a desire to disparage anyone who has been given a poor reception by the railway in one way or another?
 

TDK

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The dispatchers at leamington don't seem to bother either. One of them left the Train manager to dispatch two of the trains, stood there with hands in pockets and then walked back towards the office playing on his phone.
Is this normal?

Sorry pal but this statement isn't asking a question it's moaning about a dispatcher that you assumed was not doing his job correctly - as for complaining to Chiltern, you already have as there are many managers on this forum, I will speak to the dispatchers at Leamington next time I am there and just see if there are any repercusions because of your statement - be honest with yourself, you wen to Warwick Parkway to see locos without even checking if they run weekends - don't try to apply for a dispachers job will you !!!!
 

pt_mad

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I took the trouble to look at the Chiltern timetable and the appropriate notes say

"B Chiltern Railways train formed of carriages which may carry
different branding
M Mainline train – see page 4 for details
MS Mainline Silver train – see page 4 for details"

Page 4 says what kind of seats and refreshments are on offer on mainline and Silver trains.

Nowhere does it say these trains are loco hauled or DMUs. So unless one has a fairly detailed knowledge of Chilterns activities it is not obvious which train is loco hauled. Why is there a desire to disparage anyone who has been given a poor reception by the railway in one way or another?

Thanks for the understanding. To be honest I took a gamble in going there and it didn't work out. But I never would have guessed they used different rolling stock on week days as I didn't check.
But yes as far as the timetable goes I fell for that one. Even at Warwick Parkway I looked at the big boards and presumed at least one Marylebone service an hour would be loco-hauled.
 

yorkie

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For future reference, http://www.opentraintimes.com/ may help (although the site won't load for me right now, I'm sure it'll be back soon) as you can get the schedule of any train and change to 'Advanced' mode (top-right corner) for full timing points and also the type of stock to be used.
 

pt_mad

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For future reference, http://www.opentraintimes.com/ may help (although the site won't load for me right now, I'm sure it'll be back soon) as you can get the schedule of any train and change to 'Advanced' mode (top-right corner) for full timing points and also the type of stock to be used.

Ahhh thanks thats very helpful.


Again I wish to say that no offence was meant by anything I have posted here. Just had some legitimate issues to raise which I felt needed to be debated.
 
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