Anyone want to be a train announcer?

[Thehooperman]

I saw a notice this morning at the station stating that Virgin Trains are offering the opportunity to see how the train operator works.

You can have a go yourself for a £10 donation to Clic Sargant, the children's cancer charity.

Sounds like a novel way to raise funds for a good cause.

 

[tek-monkey]

The train now arriving at platform 4 is overcrowded and smells of urine, despite the massive government subsidies we get to run them.....

However it is a good charity for a very good cause, I already donate monthly myself.

 

[Thehooperman]

The train now arriving at platform 4 is overcrowded and smells of urine, despite the massive government subsidies we get to run them.....

However it is a good charity for a very good cause, I already donate monthly myself.

Tek Monkey were you on the same train as me this morning? Oh no that's every train arriving at platform 4

 

[United57]

The train now arriving at platform 4 is overcrowded and smells of urine, despite the massive government subsidies we get to run them.....

However it is a good charity for a very good cause, I already donate monthly myself.

I travel regularly on trains and generally find them OK. This week it was 4 journeys to Liverpool. All trains on time and in good order.

Generally Cross Country, Virgin and London Midland are Ok through Stafford.

Arriva and Southern are another story.

So Tek Monkey are your comments based on being a regular user or occassional user or what I heard from somebody down the pub ?

 

[Thehooperman]

The train now arriving at platform 4 is overcrowded and smells of urine, despite the massive government subsidies we get to run them.....

However it is a good charity for a very good cause, I already donate monthly myself.

I travel regularly on trains and generally find them OK. This week it was 4 journeys to Liverpool. All trains on time and in good order.

Generally Cross Country, Virgin and London Midland are Ok through Stafford.

Arriva and Southern are another story.

So Tek Monkey are your comments based on being a regular user or occassional user or what I heard from somebody down the pub ?

United57, I agree with you about Virgin and London Midland but not Cross Country. I caught a Cross Country to Basingstoke today and the rubbish on the tables that was there when I got on was still there when I got off. I know there are bins provided and passengers should use them but they were soon filled up and overspilling.

It doesn't take much for the on board staff to walk through 4 carriages with a bin liner does it? The train coming back was just as bad as well as being overcrowded from Reading and the reservation system not working causing mayhem and arguments. I find this sort of thing happens too often with "Make you Cross Country" trains.

 

[United57]

Hooperman used to do the same run twice a week. In the morning the train is niot bad but evenings pretty poor.

Virgin tend to get people onbpard clearing up. On the Liverpool run somebody boards the train ast Runcorn and clears up. The same the otherway, generally last stop before London.

The return to Basingstoke was cheaper than Oxford? Work that out when Oxford is nearer

 

[tek-monkey]

A year of travelling to Stoke and back daily, luckily I was able to drive instead for half of it. Paying a fiver a time to usually stand up all the way is not my idea of good service, and yes it usually stank of wee!

 

[Thehooperman]

A year of travelling to Stoke and back daily, luckily I was able to drive instead for half of it. Paying a fiver a time to usually stand up all the way is not my idea of good service, and yes it usually stank of wee!

Something your friends wouldn't tell you perhaps???

 

[henryscat]

Generally Cross Country, Virgin and London Midland are Ok through Stafford.

Arriva and Southern are another story.

Cross Country is owned/operated by Arriva, and Southern is Go Ahead Group same as London Midland...

 

[John Marwood]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

 

[United57]

Arriva and Southern are another story.

Cross Country is owned/operated by Arriva, and Southern is Go Ahead Group same as London Midland...

I think a lot of the problems are in the case of the Arriva out of Chester are the trains.

Southern its trains, piss poor maqnagement and some of the staff.

I know Virgin is expensive unless you book well in advance on a later train but their service is good and the trains are generally OK. Free Wifi until the ned of Feb.

I was told that the Government appears not to like them and they may loose the franchise.

 

[wizzard]

Arriva and Southern are another story.

Cross Country is owned/operated by Arriva, and Southern is Go Ahead Group same as London Midland...

I think a lot of the problems are in the case of the Arriva out of Chester are the trains.

Southern its trains, piss poor maqnagement and some of the staff.

I know Virgin is expensive unless you book well in advance on a later train but their service is good and the trains are generally OK. Free Wifi until the ned of Feb.

I was told that the Government appears not to like them and they may loose the franchise.

Just because Virgin refuse to use the new snazzy trains provided.

 

[The Hawk]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford .

My favourite though was the delay "due to a monkey loose on the train at Lancaster".

 

[John Marwood]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford .

My favourite though was the delay "due to a monkey loose on the train at Lancaster".

My memory is not a guarentee for anything, however, I was on said train and my recolection was platform one

Barry, as we all probably know, is not a place to stop, even when the lights are on red

My other memory is of a huge loco graveyard we passed along the way

 

[Thehooperman]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford .

My favourite though was the delay "due to a monkey loose on the train at Lancaster".

I think you'll find the actual announcement was "the train arriving at platform ? is the special train to Barry Island" and was misquoted by our ever trusty local rag. I know because it was made by late father who was the station supervisor doing announcing duties on a Sunday in the absence of the usual announcer. I subsequently saw the train script used for this train and can confirm it was described as a special and not mystery train.

 

[John Marwood]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford .

My favourite though was the delay "due to a monkey loose on the train at Lancaster".

I think you'll find the actual announcement was "the train arriving at platform ? is the special train to Barry Island" and was misquoted by our ever trusty local rag. I know because it was made by late father who was the station supervisor doing announcing duties on a Sunday in the absence of the usual announcer. I subsequently saw the train script used for this train and can confirm it was described as a special and not mystery train.

Blimey!

Strewth!

Haha!

Well thanks for the correction

The trip was advertised as a mystery trip, hence the news item

If Id been privvy to Google in the sixties i might have turned around and popped into the Railway Hotel

 

[Gramaisc]

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford

In the old days, Platform 1 was the bay platform that was little used, next to where the multi-storey car park is now. This platform is no longer used for passengers. The platform as you walk through from the foyer was Platform 2, but nowadays the first platform is Platform 1 and the platform opposite it is Platform 3 - strangely, there is no Platform 2 at Stafford Station today.....

 

[John Marwood]

I

The train arriving at platform one is the mystery trip to Barry Island...

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford

In the old days, Platform 1 was the bay platform that was little used, next to where the multi-storey car park is now. This platform is no longer used for passengers. The platform as you walk through from the foyer was Platform 2, but nowadays the first platform is Platform 1 and the platform opposite it is Platform 3 - strangely, there is no Platform 2 at Stafford Station today.....

Gawd..

This is turning out like an episode of the Prisoner

Can anyone confirm a loco graveyard between Stafford and Barry that I might have travelled by on this train?

Dozens of em

Otherwise I might be losing the plot ( again )

 

[basil]

I'm not sure if the platform number is correct, but, as JM obviously knows, that announcement really did happen at Stafford .

My favourite though was the delay "due to a monkey loose on the train at Lancaster".

I think you'll find the actual announcement was "the train arriving at platform ? is the special train to Barry Island" and was misquoted by our ever trusty local rag. I know because it was made by late father who was the station supervisor doing announcing duties on a Sunday in the absence of the usual announcer. I subsequently saw the train script used for this train and can confirm it was described as a special and not mystery train.

Blimey!

Strewth!

Haha!

Well thanks for the correction

The trip was advertised as a mystery trip, hence the news item

If Id been privvy to Google in the sixties i might have turned around and popped into the Railway Hotel

or the Station Hotel maybe....

 

[John Marwood]

Mp

I think you'll find the actual announcement was "the train arriving at platform ? is the special train to Barry Island" and was misquoted by our ever trusty local rag. I know because it was made by late father who was the station supervisor doing announcing duties on a Sunday in the absence of the usual announcer. I subsequently saw the train script used for this train and can confirm it was described as a special and not mystery train.

Blimey!

Strewth!

Haha!

Well thanks for the correction

The trip was advertised as a mystery trip, hence the news item

If Id been privvy to Google in the sixties i might have turned around and popped into the Railway Hotel

or the Station Hotel maybe....

Right, thats it.. im obviously an unreliable witness, has this got me off Jury Service for ever?