Weird Things You See People Do on the Railway

Must be a lot of recovery time between Stockport and Manchester then!

 

I'm sure there is, the hourly from South Wales is timetabled to arrive at **15, but when all goes well it is often pulling in at **07.

 

Some have, or used to have 16 mins from Stockport to Man Piccadilly. The outbound time is 8-9 mins non stop I think.
I remember about three years ago, arriving on an ATW ex-Carmarthen train which was late running at Stockport. Due Piccadilly (final stop) at 2216. Got in at 2212. As I got off other people were getting on, and it immediately shot off towards Oxford Rd as the 2212 to Chester. So on the WTT it was scheduled to depart before it had even arrived according to the passenger timetable. Just shows how the latter are padded to improve punctuality figures and to avoid paying out delay repay.

 

In the late 1990s my wife and I got on a Eurostar at Waterloo to find a party of four elderly folk occupying our (standard) seats and the pair the opposite side of the table. I said "I think those are our reserved seats", and one of them said "I don't think so". He looked me up and down and added "This is first class, you know". I showed him our tickets and he got his out... wrong coach. They all got up and stalked off without a word. I called "Thanks for the apology!" to his retreating back and saw his neck redden.

 

Recently on a Northern train from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester via Altrincham, overheard part of a conversation between a Chinese tourist and a local man, I'm not sure what she said but his reply "This is Northern luv, you're lucky to get a seat"

 

That's irritating enough when it actually is first class!

 

Or groups of 10-15 students, jumping on the 1843 or whatever Pendolino at Euston three minutes before departure, surprised to learn they're not going to be able to sit together...

 

Get that a lot at weekends too. “We only travel for a day out in London once in a while on a Saturday, but expect everything to be laid out specially to revolve round us when we do”.

They may get away with it with the weekend lot, but it’s funny to see them get short shrift on half-term week at rush hour!

 

Yes, the phrase "old enough to know better" really does apply !

 

I see this a lot on the Metrolink, in the evening on my way home I always stand up and normally stay at or close to the doors (without obstructing people trying to get on or off) as I get off at an early stop and otherwise struggle to get through crowds of people in time. The number of times people will stand over you and almost try and jostle you away as you are in a spot they want to stand in is rediculous.

 

I once had a group of Japanese tourists on BritRail passes on the last Saturday night train from Worksop to Nottingham. They had apparently caught the train from Lincoln with the Gainsborough set which must have been an entertaining experience for them as Dad had a haunted glint in his eye and was escorting the teenage children individually to the toilet.

I went down to check tickets (no shrinking violet me) and Mum waved me over and asked, with a slightly mischievous grin 'excuse me - in England on a Saturday night - do people always act rowdy and dress..... sexy?'.

I couldn't help but laugh and confirm that rowdy was definitely in and sexy was up to your opinion.

 

oh maybe going to Legoland then ,I would have found someone at Slough station or was it a short interval between the trains?

 

I agree, Bank/Monument or especially Oxford Circus come to mind ,when huge amounts of commuters run into tiny tunnels each expecting that they will not collide with anyone or anything if they just run through a crowd with their earphones in.

 

Today, I saw a guy use the end doors to walk between two coaches on a Victoria line train at 60mph.

 

Was it a beggar by any chance?

(If you could tell)

 

As a matter of fact, yes. He had a cup he was collecting change in and may or may not have made an announcement to the carriage that no-one had a hope of hearing over the wheel noise at the aforementioned 60mph.

 

Not so much a weird thing but perhaps downright idiotic and sad.

I saw a man in his late 20s/early 30s with a 1-2 year old in a pushchair. As his train approached the platform he was standing on the yellow line with the pushchair forward of the line, pushing his child and pushchair to overhang the end of the platform whilst saying "Weeee! The train is coming to get you!". The front wheels of the pushchair were actually leaving the platform edge and he was suspended just by the back wheels and the parent's grip.

I was just about to intervene as the unit was getting closer and closer but then he thought better of it.

Honestly the most shocking thing I've ever seen at a station.

 

We have driving tests, I sometimes wonder if we should have breeding tests...

 

I would seriously suggest reporting that incident to police, or social services for the area in question. Staggeringly irresponsible.

 

Thanks. The incident has been and gone now but I do think I would deal with it differently in future. I was some way down the platform and although I started walking towards the chap incase assistance was required I think I was a bit in shock at what I was seeing.

 

Probably not worth the time and effort given that Pacers are due to be scrapped soon.

 

Saw a passenger carried from Bamford to Hathersage recently looking bewildered by the buttons on a 150. In the good old days it was how to lower those thick leather straps and lean out the window to operate the outside handle.

 

It'd be one way of guaranteeing that humanity stopped overpopulating the planet, I suppose.

I'm afraid that doing so would be an absolute waste of time. BTP have practically zero officers available outside of the big city centres and Social Services are barely keeping their heads above water, so the reality is that nothing will be done bar maybe sounding concerned over the phone while you're reporting it.

 

Agree up to a point, but some people don't help themselves by being thoughtless. If people walk five abreast at a quarter of the average walking pace, stop immediately after going through a barrier so that no-one else can go through it, stop in the middle of a walkway to fiddle with a smartphone, or are so engrossed in their smartphone that they are almost colliding with other people, then they should not be surprised if other people receiving the consequences of their carelessness get a bit annoyed at their spatial incompetence.

 

@whhistle This was my favourite

 

I suppose it's part of a general commuter attitude to people, I come first because I have a season ticket.

 

and then wants to discuss their disgusting skin complaint with you.

 

guards who announce a train is arriving into {wherever}
'arriving' at or 'coming into'

 

"I come first because my job is obviously more important to get to than yours"

or

"Beating this random other person in an arbitrary race to nowhere is so vitally important to me that I can't lose"