11:43 Bedford to Brighton FCC train overshot Preston Park Station this morning.

[Lord Bracknell]

If anyone is interested in what it takes to be a train driver, take a look at this:-

http://www.traindriver.org/training.html

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

The driver will most probably now face disciplinary action, unless it was a fault with the train. Mistakes happen, though they would rarely endanger lives due to the safety systems on board trains (IE passing a yellow or red signal will sound alarms in the cab, which if not responded too will apply the emergency brake).

It would have NEVER happened when approaching Brighton as safety systems would kick in well outside the station.

Pretty pointless rant about nothing major - boohoo.

 

[nordicgod]

Driver announced he wasn't concentrating ! Signaller wouldn't let him reverse back. So therefore he couldn't open the doors and had to proceed to Brighton.

Bloody inconvenient !

What would have happened if he had lost concentration approaching Brighton??

Email sent to Neal Lawson

Disgraceful.

Get a life

 

[fataddick]

Don't know if this happens to other people but I clicked on the thread title (thinking it was about a serious incident) without looking at who started it. Then in the split-second before the thread loaded up my heart sank as I suddenly (correctly) realised it was just going to be that titbiscuit HB&B mistaking NSC for his own personal Diary of Insonsequential Incidents again. *sigh*

 

[Guinness Boy]

If anyone is interested in what it takes to be a train driver, take a look at this:-

http://www.traindriver.org/training.html

And to think, if you survive the selection process, read and digest all those manuals, watch and digest all those videos and pass the 29 week training course you could still get posted to the island of Sodor where the trains just drive themselves. You do get a nice conversation from them though, plus the chance to take part in some jolly japes. I wouldn't mention it at the depot mind.

Sir, I was only late because Thomas told me he wanted to drop the children at the petting zoo before school and I let him.

*mandatory drugs test*

 

[BN9 BHA]

haven't you got anything better to do than tell the world of NSC the events that befall you? Train overshooting the platform, emailing a complaint, whatever next? I can't wait for the next instalment

Well said, I forgot to put the dustbins out yesterday, not the end of the world.

 

[Yoda]

What would have happened if he had lost concentration approaching Brighton?

Err! The AWS would've kicked in and stopped the train on the first double yellow light he would've gone through if he didn't acknowledge it.

 

[Creaky]

Ridiculous reaction to a trivial and minor inconvenience.

That's what I thought

 

[Taybha]

[yt]193hOTS5xUI[/yt]

 

[nomoremithras4me]

He probably thought its a Saturday & no ****er wanted to get off at PP, as it's not a Mon-Fri, cba to stop

 

[theboybilly]

Train Driver here....just to let you know this incident, while being much frowned upon by FCC, won't necessarily require Drugs & Alcohol screening. There will be a full investigation and the driver will put his side (and he sounds the sort to hold his hands up). I've done this myself (Burgess Hill in the 'up' direction in 1999 IIRC) No excuse, just left my braking fractionally too late but enough to put the front door off the platform ramp. Embarrassing isn't the word. A quick okay from the signaller, a change of end cabs and I got all the train back on the platform. Made up time by London Bridge. It happens and, thankfully, I've not done it since. I could bore you with why I prefer the brakes on the Class 442 Gatwick Express stock to that on FCC 319s but the best brakes were on the sadly departed 460s that used to grace Gatwick Express until a couple of years ago. The braking system on those was second to none.
There was a brief spell when 2 of the 4 trains per hour DIDN'T stop at East Croydon (fast Gatwick to L.Bridge or L.Bridge to Gatwick) and I was the first service of the new timetable to work a 'non-stopper'.....the amount of abuse I took at London Bridge was amazing, yet I'd announced the new stopping pattern all the way up from Brighton. I was so pleased they reinstated the correct stops.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Train Driver here....just to let you know this incident, while being much frowned upon by FCC, won't necessarily require Drugs & Alcohol screening. There will be a full investigation and the driver will put his side (and he sounds the sort to hold his hands up). I've done this myself (Burgess Hill in the 'up' direction in 1999 IIRC) No excuse, just left my braking fractionally too late but enough to put the front door off the platform ramp. Embarrassing isn't the word. A quick okay from the signaller, a change of end cabs and I got all the train back on the platform. Made up time by London Bridge. It happens and, thankfully, I've not done it since. I could bore you with why I prefer the brakes on the Class 442 Gatwick Express stock to that on FCC 319s but the best brakes were on the sadly departed 460s that used to grace Gatwick Express until a couple of years ago. The braking system on those was second to none.
There was a brief spell when 2 of the 4 trains per hour DIDN'T stop at East Croydon (fast Gatwick to L.Bridge or L.Bridge to Gatwick) and I was the first service of the new timetable to work a 'non-stopper'.....the amount of abuse I took at London Bridge was amazing, yet I'd announced the new stopping pattern all the way up from Brighton. I was so pleased they reinstated the correct stops.

Fair play to you for posting that, my father was a train driver(48 years on the railways) I am not sure if he did it, sadly not with us now, so I cant ask him, but I would have known if he didn't stop at Brighton

 

[Guinness Boy]

It happens and, thankfully, I've not done it since. I could bore you with why I prefer the brakes on the Class 442 Gatwick Express stock to that on FCC 319s but the best brakes were on the sadly departed 460s that used to grace Gatwick Express until a couple of years ago. The braking system on those was second to none.

Are you talking about the ones that looked better, were more comfortable and didn't have door mechanisms that broke every 3 stops? They had better brakes too? Only Southern / Gatwick Express seem to think the 442s are an improvement

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Are you talking about the ones that looked better, were more comfortable and didn't have door mechanisms that broke every 3 stops? They had better brakes too? Only Southern / Gatwick Express seem to think the 442s are an improvement

The 442s are suited to long-distance services (they are actually basically Intercity train coaches with motors installed), not commuter services. Didnt help that the 460s were needed by South West Trains to lengthen their existing trains.

The base equipment for the 442s is about 50 years old too, should be replaced soon too.

 

[theboybilly]

As I said, my incident was in 1999 (ish). Things have moved on so much since then as far as safety systems are concerned, in what was already a very safe industry. Nobody will feel as bad about that train not calling at Preston Park than the driver himself. I certainly feel for him. Mind you I have also been on a train that has missed my home station

 

[theboybilly]

442s are all I drive now. Actually driving them is a pleasure (well okay the cab is a bit cramped) but it's the unreliability that us blokes at Victoria (and, I'm sure our passengers) find frustrating. The 442s were in storage for quite some time at, I think, Eastleigh which didn't do them a lot of good. I'm afraid we're stuck with them for a fair while yet. I think that any Southern manager that praises the 'Wessex Electrics' is just singing from the company songsheet and not from any heartfelt opinion

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Train Driver here....just to let you know this incident, while being much frowned upon by FCC, won't necessarily require Drugs & Alcohol screening. There will be a full investigation and the driver will put his side (and he sounds the sort to hold his hands up). I've done this myself (Burgess Hill in the 'up' direction in 1999 IIRC) No excuse, just left my braking fractionally too late but enough to put the front door off the platform ramp. Embarrassing isn't the word. A quick okay from the signaller, a change of end cabs and I got all the train back on the platform. Made up time by London Bridge. It happens and, thankfully, I've not done it since. I could bore you with why I prefer the brakes on the Class 442 Gatwick Express stock to that on FCC 319s but the best brakes were on the sadly departed 460s that used to grace Gatwick Express until a couple of years ago. The braking system on those was second to none.
There was a brief spell when 2 of the 4 trains per hour DIDN'T stop at East Croydon (fast Gatwick to L.Bridge or L.Bridge to Gatwick) and I was the first service of the new timetable to work a 'non-stopper'.....the amount of abuse I took at London Bridge was amazing, yet I'd announced the new stopping pattern all the way up from Brighton. I was so pleased they reinstated the correct stops.

Fair enough. I was with my two kids and I said as we went under the bridge by Withers 'this ain't stopping at PP for some reason' we approached the platform I would estimate at about 50mph.

Then braked hard which pushed us all around a bit as we were standing in the doorway ready to alight.

We were in the second unit of two, (coach 8) and we stopped almost opposite the platform exit. The smell of the brakes, plus the fact he was desperate for a pee , really upset my lad.

After a couple a minutes the driver announced he had lost concentration , and the signaller had declined his request to reverse. I estimate the front unit well overshot the platform.

Fair play the bloke held his hands up, but losing concentration to that magnitude, really?

I haven't emailed Lawson re this and probably won't , but as British Bulldog says, I doubt it will go unnoticed.

 

[theboybilly]

Fair enough. I was with my two kids and I said as we went under the bridge by Withers 'this ain't stopping at PP for some reason' we approached the platform I would estimate at about 50mph.

Then braked hard which pushed us all around a bit as we were standing in the doorway ready to alight.

We were in the second unit of two, (coach 8) and we stopped almost opposite the platform exit. The smell of the brakes, plus the fact he was desperate for a pee , really upset my lad.

After a couple a minutes the driver announced he had lost concentration , and the signaller had declined his request to reverse. I estimate the front unit well overshot the platform.

Fair play the bloke held his hands up, but losing concentration to that magnitude, really?

I haven't emailed Lawson re this and probably won't , but as British Bulldog says, I doubt it will go unnoticed.

Indeed it won't. The signaller with be duty-bound to report the conversation with the driver. If it was a Bedford/Blackfriars-based driver (with work still to do) I imagine he will have been met by a manager and a spare Brighton driver would have finished the shift. If it was a Brighton driver on his last working, he still would have been met at the buffer-stops by a manager but wouldn't have been on his way home for over an hour.
I don't want to speculate but approaching Preston Park at (you say) 50mph suggests his (the driver's) mind was already fixed on Brighton. FCC (and Thameslink before them) had some weird and wonderful stopping patterns and he might just have realised his mistake too late (well, let's face it he did) but once done there's nothing you can do. It was a bit unfortunate that he wasn't allowed to 'set-back' into the platform....this is permitted in the Rule Book but the signaller must've had his reasons. Was the train running late with another service close behind? Further delay may have impacted on the return journey departure from Brighton. As I say, it's only speculation but it's unlikely that the safety of the train was in any way compromised. Had the driver been travelling under cautionary signals (ie Yellows) then he would have reduced speed accordingly. This is most likely a case of not looking at his schedule card (showing the stopping pattern) properly.

 

[Urchin]

Fair enough. I was with my two kids and I said as we went under the bridge by Withers 'this ain't stopping at PP for some reason' we approached the platform I would estimate at about 50mph.

Then braked hard which pushed us all around a bit as we were standing in the doorway ready to alight.

We were in the second unit of two, (coach 8) and we stopped almost opposite the platform exit. The smell of the brakes, plus the fact he was desperate for a pee , really upset my lad.

After a couple a minutes the driver announced he had lost concentration , and the signaller had declined his request to reverse. I estimate the front unit well overshot the platform.

Fair play the bloke held his hands up, but losing concentration to that magnitude, really?

I haven't emailed Lawson re this and probably won't , but as British Bulldog says, I doubt it will go unnoticed.

1st post: 'Email sent to Neal Lawson'.
2nd post: 'I haven't emailed Lawson'.

 

[nomoremithras4me]

Any of you lot fancy going out for a drink one evening? Would love to hear all about your near misses