Anyone else think this is disgusting?

[68904]

I was a guard on the railway for 27 years.

I have worked every type of train apart from the Royal Train, until last year.

I started off on DMU's made in 1950's

Recently we used to work charter trains consisting of upto 12 coaches, with steam engines and old deisel locos.

The guard where provided is in charge of the train, I am totally responsible for what happens on that train. The driver is i/c the engine, and works to the instructions of the guard.

Wheel chairs, scooters and other conveyances were loaded onto the train with a ramp and made secure either in the brake van, or in a place set aside within the train for mail bags/parcels/ owt else that was bulky.

With the HST's there is provision for wheel chairs within the coach, as they take seats out to make room for these items.

On todays railway, it all down to money and some operators are good others are just rat bags.

I would help anyone onto a train, and make the comfortable, but its all about fining you and making money.

[68904]

Throughout West/South Yorkshire on the trains they carry proper ramps for wheel chairs.

The guards will help those users on and off the trains as part of thier on train duties. When you arrvie at main line stations eg York/Leeds/wakefield/ Newcastle you can be met by station staff to help you on and off the train.

At York thre are ramps on all platforms for this use.

Stations have to be adapted by law or disabled passengers.

When i was on duty it was a pleasure to help these citizens on and off the trains.

As usual we get rail operators who own bus companies and have no idea about running trains the motivating factor is profit, and disabled people do not fit into this buisness plan.

If people were falling onto the track, then a risk assessment should be done to stop this happening.

But wheelchairs/scooters take up valuable seating spaces, so that is why some cowboy rail companies do not like the above modes of conveyance.

[68904]

Once on a Green Express Charter starting at Leeds, with pick ups at Normington. The train was 12 coaches long, which is 720 feet.

At Normington, passengers have to cross the main line to acces the platform, and the platform could not accomodate this length of train.

Me and my driver got on the train at Leeds.

THe brake van where we loaded wheel chair passengers was next to the engine.

I arranged with the driver to stop short of the crossing, and we brought the disabled passengers in front of the train onto the platform.

We then brought the train on to the platform loaded, these wheelchairs through the double doors of the brake van, and completed the loading. After this was done we moved the whole train over the passenger crossing so we could load the rest of the passengers.

AS a result there were about 7 coach lengths of the train hung over the Wakefield end of the platform, with the rear coach just clear of the foot crossing at the Leeds end.

All these movements were done in complete safety by myself and the driver with the use of radios, and each of us knowing what we were going to do.

My driver and I had did this because this could have been my grandma, uncle, brother , mother or son, and that is what right people do. It perhaps delayed the train, but I was the guard, I was in charge and thats what we did.

When the train came back at night this would happen in reverse.

That is what you call customer care.

I think the train went down south somewhere and we bailed out at Doncaster.

Another good days work.

The brakevan on this train had a ramp as part of the equipment required the Railway Rule Book.

The loco was a Class 47 with ETH.

[68904]

Ask these monkeys if they have done a risk assessment for wheel chairs et al.

If so request a copy.

All the stations, public building and other facilities must be made user friendly for disabled passengers.

Go to local paper/tv/thier managing director and really wind it into them with your compaint.

If you just sit back and accept what they do, we would still be paying bank charges.

Be like one Ceaser Milans dogs, as me old dad wouk say

" Shak em to bits. "

Big moto here, " THe pen is mighier than the sword . "

To quote Jonesy from Dads Army

" They dont like it up em......."

Take the dog of the leash and set it on em.

[68904]

On new rolling stock there are spaces provided for bike. motorcycles and wheel chairs.

A wheelchair/ scooter are about the same size, these can be accomodated in the vestibule end of the coach and the disabled person can either stop with the machine or be helped by the guard into a seat.

On most coaches, there are only 2 doors on each side of a coach., and enough room to stow a wheel chair/ scooter.

I have travelled thousands of miles whilst performing my duties as a guard, and in all that time 27 years, I have never seen any problems with wheelchair/ scooters.

The only problems have been made by bus conductors/ barrow boys who are running our trains to day.

You get more problems from silly 40 year old trainspotters who act like little spoilt brats.

[68904]

Forget the doors being iffy.

If these trains were old DMU's or MK1 or 2 coaches you may have a problem.

All coaches now have central locking, which secures the doors. The only way they can open is by with the guard/driver opening them.

If any door did open, which they wont, the train loses its brake and stops.

Central locking was introduced as a lot of folk were falling out of train doors.

Some heritage operators of early CS have had dispensation from from ORR to run trains without central locking. They have to have attendents in each vestibule end to stop this happening.

 

[EDIT]

[68904]

Have a look at this link from RIAB.

In 2 years it seems that 2 trains in the whole UK had open doors whilst travelling on the track.

Both software/mechanical problems.

The railways today are not run by people who started at 15 years old, but by penny pinching accountants, and bus operators. As I say bus conductors and trainspotters.

The fault lies with the managmental systems in place not the driver or the guard et al.

 

Rail Accident Investigation Branch: Investigation Reports

[68904]

There have been a worrying number of accidents on level crossings involving cars and Metros and yet nothing has been done to make them any safer. They arent it seems interested in adapting... they just want to make things easier for themselves.

 

Accidents on level crossing are not caused by trains, they are caused by silly motorists jumping the red lights at level xings.

If a train is going at 90mph, under clear signals, the train has the right of way over the roads.

If a vehicle is foul of the line the train is on all the train driver can do is make an emergency brake application, then fold his arms waiting for the bump.

If the rail is wet, then the brakes might pick up and slide into the obstructing road vehilce.

If a train is doing 90mph and it hits a car then we start to have a few problems. This is what we call a major disaster as there could be 200 people on the train, and the first coach will be smashed to pulp by the impact.

It is the motor vehicle who cause thses accidents not the trains., so let the Police go out and chase and prosecute all these drivers that jump red light.

I have been in the cab of a train doing 75mph when confronted with a kid on a motorbike coming at you waving his hands in a two finger salute.

The driver just looked at me and feard the worst.

That was an every day happening.