Why can't automation be over-ridden by the guard?

[Carlisle]

Surely the simplest and most reliable solution is just to use a beacon on the approach to each location?!

I suppose the trains owners want a system that is cheap and easy to re program should the stock be transferred elsewhere rather than something that only works properly on routes fitted with beacons

 

[nidave]

I know in my car having the air-con on adds 10-15% to the fuel bill, so I wonder if there couldn't be saving made if the guards couldn't simply swich it off when it clearly wasn't required?

Once you go above a certain speed in a car is cheaper to have the air con on rather than have a window open due to drag caused by the air.
http://news.carjunky.com/air-conditioning-versus-open-windows-abc477.shtml

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2009/jun/12/air-conditioning-cars

 

[SpacePhoenix]

I suppose the trains owners want a system that is cheap and easy to re program should the stock be transferred elsewhere rather than something that only works properly on routes fitted with beacons

Could the beacons just send a unique ID to the train and then the computer on the train checks it against an on-board database to see what doors it should enable?

 

[Domh245]

You certainly could, but then you would still need to install beacons on the lines where the train is moving to, which would make the trains less attractive to bidders if they then have to get Network Rail to install a whole bunch of beacons! If it were to become a standardised system installed on all lines, it would be less of a problem, but it would take a while for everything to migrate to that new system

 

[SPADTrap]

I'm almost surprised that the PIS was working for you at all! However I have a feeling that they've reverted to "West Anglia Great Northern" in the interim, as a brand-new PIS is due to be fitted to all units.

Crank driver

 

[Hadders]

I travelled on refurbished 365540 today and it was the usual announcement of

'This train is for Cambridge, calling at...'

IIRC back in WAGN days the announcements st the starting station were always 'Welcome aboard the West Anglia Great Northern service to ...' At intermediate stations it would just say 'This train is for xxx, calling at...'

When FCC took over the announcements at the starting station became the same as those used at intermediate stations, ie. no more 'Welcome aboard the West Anglia Great Northern Service...'

Maybe it was set up error but I did do a double take the other evening! I don't think they'll be reverting to WAGN en-mass.

 

[BurtonM]

Despite a world packed full of clever technology, it works on door cycles - so the system identifies which stop is coming up by counting how many times the doors are armed and released. Guess what happens if an additional station call is added or omitted from the schedule?! Yup, it gets lost. I'm unsure how such a depressingly fallible system is deemed to be beneficial to the confused traveller, but there we go...

465s and presumably 466s by extension have this problem too, I found out today. The 1226 Beckenham Jct-Victoria service was 15 down at BKJ, and was sent fast to Victoria to make up time, with little notice. All through the journey, the PIS was displaying 'We will shortly be arriving at Kent House'.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

465s and presumably 466s by extension have this problem too, I found out today. The 1226 Beckenham Jct-Victoria service was 15 down at BKJ, and was sent fast to Victoria to make up time, with little notice. All through the journey, the PIS was displaying 'We will shortly be arriving at Kent House'.

If the doors get re-opened at a station due to whatever problem, will that also throw it out?

 

[A-driver]

465s and presumably 466s by extension have this problem too, I found out today. The 1226 Beckenham Jct-Victoria service was 15 down at BKJ, and was sent fast to Victoria to make up time, with little notice. All through the journey, the PIS was displaying 'We will shortly be arriving at Kent House'.

Do 465/6s not work on wheel rotations like 365s? 317/321 use Gps but 365s use wheel rotations which is why down Cambridge trains tend to give up on PIDS around baldock as they can't be reprogrammed to take the extra wheel turns of the flyover into account (and even if they could they couldn't know if it has taken the flyover or flat crossing).

 

[ComUtoR]

465s and presumably 466s by extension have this problem too, I found out today. The 1226 Beckenham Jct-Victoria service was 15 down at BKJ, and was sent fast to Victoria to make up time, with little notice. All through the journey, the PIS was displaying 'We will shortly be arriving at Kent House'.

As A-Driver says. It is GPS based.

In your case the Driver is at fault. They should have cleared the PIS. It takes a few seconds to do it !! Was it also announcing stations or just the display stuck ?

As it ran fast to Vic I assume they made announcements accordingly ?

The PIS had a serious distraction problem and was rectified internally. However; it caused a new error and will stick on the last announcement. It is supposed to clear automatically and blank all displays. The message in the cab is that all displays are clear but it doesn't always work.

 

[BurtonM]

If the doors get re-opened at a station due to whatever problem, will that also throw it out?

That's a good point...

It was a stuck display - the driver made a manual announcement at BKJ saying the train was fast to Victoria, but that was it. Obviously, can't say if he said anything before I got on. The PIS was cleared when we got to Victoria.

An aside: to announce a variation in service, the platform announcement at BKJ lists all the stations the train isn't calling at at the end, so it sounds like a normal announcement. Confusing!