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Saphos Trains 2020

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by 61994, Sep 15, 2019.

  1. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    For one thing they will be educated by the stewards, but there will need to be management at the smaller stations like Clitheroe and Hellifield as well. I'm sure the system will be on the case.
     
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  2. Gareth

    Gareth New Member

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    Don't forget someone complaining about locos being in the wrong colour...
     
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  3. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Or the cabside number being slightly too big or small.
     
  4. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Or even wearing its current identity on the cab side (remember 98818?)
     
  5. 61994

    61994 Member

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    From personal experience working through this damn pandemic, common sense isn't applied by 90% of the population, social distancing is forgotten about and when questioned about it, abuse is given to those who have to work their way through this on a daily basis. I feel for the station staff who will have to deal with certain passengers who will be damned if anything or anyone gets in the way of there photo opportunity.
     
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  6. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Be intriguing to note the dwell times at pickups and set downs as even if 1 metre social distancing is the norm by 15th July, it will be all single file a metre apart with folk no doubt being told to join their designated coach at the end nearest their seats and not to walk through and get too close to passengers in aisle seats. Might be difficult to keep social distancing at Carlisle too if leisure travelling has picked up with the Euston off P4 at 1312; the Glasgow off P1 at 1312; then The Fellsman coming in on 3 at 1315.
     
  7. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    That's an interesting point. On the whole what people tend to do anyway at present is board the train at the coach where they are seated but I can see that being enforced more rigidly with possibly more stewards needed at joining stations to ensure that people are waiting on the platform pretty close to where their coach will stop before the train arrives. As you say, that may add to station stop time.

    And suddenly those water stops where the train does not fit the platform - e.g. Appleby - will become problematic as I guess that walking through the train will be frowned upon. Buffet car queues in Standard? Maybe more 'at the seat' service instead?

    Let's hope that the early restart trains, as with Saphos, provide a blueprint for others to follow. In this kind of climate, anyone who feels that they can continue to act as stewards on steam charters - and there are several of them on Nat Pres - deserve our grateful thanks and admiration for a hard task that has suddenly become even more difficult. Never mind the TOC staff, without them it just won't work.
     
  8. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    I was surprised that the station dwell times, at least for this first train had not been extended as presumably a full network service may not be back by then still.
    If Al is correct and there is more attempt to steer passengers towards "the correct door" will that even require more stewards or out stationed stewards to attempt to get folks to roughly the correct place on the platform. As mentioned short platforms, such as Blackburn become a problem as passengers are usually advised to walk through the train well before arrival on south bound journeys.
    I guess we will all have to learn as we go.
     
  9. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Contacted Saphos to find out what carriages will be used for First Class Non-Dining. Unfortunately their answer was Mk2 Coffins. Rather hoped they'd dispense with them but no; Mk 1 FOs are for dining only. Hope that changes soon as we did intend doing the Bristol-Based trains.
     
  10. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    I do not know how the air conditioning system on a Mk 2 coffin works, I suspect here is someone on here who can it explain it to us. However I am guessing it will not be equipped with regularly replaced True HEPA filters that a commercial airliner would be fitted with as part of the aircraft's Environmental Control System. To the uninitiated this would appear to magnify the risk of transmission of Covid-19 over a BR MK1 where fresh air con be obtained via opening windows, or am I missing something?
     
  11. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    That's our concern. Toplights Good; Air Con Bad.
     
  12. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    There have been quite a few occasions when my wife and I have boarded steam excursions at first stop out of London, on different lines, and the train has not been marshalled in the way the stewards were expecting. Whole train reversed can cause chaos.
     
  13. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    One answer to the short platform problem, make sure the passengers boarding and alighting at those stations are booked to sit in the coaches that will be on the platform, or the train forward as required. The latter method has been used at Bettws before now on the Blaenau trains. Just needs a bit of forward planning.
     
  14. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    Not really possible Ralph when you never know which way around the train will be out of the depot (Southall in my case). Some weeks dining at the front out of London, next week on the back on the same trip. Could be juggled with some reversals e.g. Willesden SWS but you need a loco each end to do that quickly, and paths in the system and a CME for example the train only has the one ECS loco as it picks up the 86 at Euston.
     
  15. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    But @Ralph is on the money when he says that 'a bit of forward planning' is needed. Suddenly pick up stations where you cannot park the whole train are problematic so do you stop using them? And all pick ups may have to have enough stewards on the platform before the train arrives to ensure that folk are standing in roughly the correct place.

    Don't forget that with steam charters, it's not really about family groups. It's couples and some singletons, many of whom are not in the first flush of youth and almost certainly will be looking for all the safeguards that possibly younger folk may feel a little more relaxed about. And what is the average age of stewards? How comfortable will they feel about doing that job now?

    I'm impressed that Saphos is on the move. Obviously, we wish them well. There are still many questions though.
     
  16. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    And also of course those with limited mobility (strollers, wheelchairs etc) who may also need help with getting on and off. We have always coped before, there may be issues for both parties going forward with physical contact. Under disability legislation not even sure you can refuse bookings other than for such things as the electric buggies that are just too large to get in the doors on a slam door coach.
     
  17. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    In a way that's a significant change if required. Stewards at Warrington, Wigan, Leyland, Blackburn, Clitheroe and Hellifield in the case of the Fellsman. Or the equivalent for the CME, Dalesman etc with multiple pick up points. My impression is that the stewarding has usually been done by a few groups joining at the main stations and with no responsibilities for pre-train crowd organisation on the platform.

    Maybe the Fellsman schedule is not so bad after all if there needs to be 30 mins boarding time between Crewe and Hellifield!
     
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  18. We've booked dining seats on the Pembroke Coast Express for much the same reason.

    Now wondering what will happen in the (likely?) event restaurants are still banned in Wales on 29th July. Will breakfast service have to cease as we exit the Severn Tunnel, and dinner start when we dive in?
     
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  19. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    I wonder if such restrictions apply to moving trains, particularly ones that set out from England? I seem to remember that licencing laws can't be applied to trains because they pass through too many separate juricdictions, so the bar can open once the train's on the move. Wasn't this the reason that the squire was prepared to support the railway preservationists in The Titfield Thunderbolt?

    However, IIRC alcohol licences are granted at a city / district level whereas the public health regulations are national, so maybe they're not comparable. You'll be able to sip champaigne all the way to Pembroke but dinner must wait until you recross the Severn.
     
  20. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Our beloved First Minister is a very cautious man, as is the Welsh Government as a whole. Very risk averse; so unless the science says it's safe, it isn't. Our Health Minister said yesterday that the advice hadn't changed and in all probability pubs and restaurants, won't be opening this side of mid-August. What's 'one metre plus' mitigation all about anyway???? The devil will be in the detail. Looking at the Seating Plans on the Statesman Website can't see how they really meet the 2 metre standard. Then again, don't know where the perspex panels will be; presumably alongside the aisle seats? Assume Saphos will be the same.

    Fun thought about serving food either side of the border. Can imagine the announcements 'Would all passengers in Dining please lower your knives and forks as you're now in Wales'!!!
     

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