Have you ever been mistaken for rail staff, or helped those less familiar with the network?

[Bletchleyite]

Sorry, asking customers not to help others?

No, asking customers not to get stuff from upper shelves themselves, rather to ask staff to do it.

 

[Stewart2887]

A couple of years ago during "Beast from the east #2" wife and I stayed at Kirkby Stephen station self catering. Snow closed in, I went out for a walk on the platform. Platform phone rang, nobody else visible. I answered it, "Signal box here, Leeds train running late, still at Appleby" I said I wasn't travelling, he said tell the passengers in the waiting room. There must have been 25 in there when i looked. Train appeared then returned to Carlisle! Bus turned up a couple of hours later

 

[Bletchleyite]

A couple of years ago during "Beast from the east #2" wife and I stayed at Kirkby Stephen station self catering. Snow closed in, I went out for a walk on the platform. Platform phone rang, nobody else visible. I answered it, "Signal box here, Leeds train running late, still at Appleby" I said I wasn't travelling, he said tell the passengers in the waiting room. There must have been 25 in there when i looked. Train appeared then returned to Carlisle! Bus turned up a couple of hours later

Have the S&C stations not got any kind of PIS or long-line PA yet? Must be some of the few, even Altnabreac has an LED display and help point now if I recall.

 

[Ianno87]

Very often the high shelves carry signage asking customers not to do it themselves even if they can reach. I still do, though.

No, asking customers not to get stuff from upper shelves themselves, rather to ask staff to do it.

Yes, those are usually referring to the very, very top shelf where “overflow” stock (sometimes still in the outer cardboard boxes) is sometimes stored, which is only comfortably reachable either via a kick stool, or if you play in the NBA.

 

[Bald Rick]

The top shelf, at least in some supermarkets, seems to take cartons of products that are left without the fronts torn off so you can't get the products out, presumably to simplify restocking when they don't all fit on the shelves below.

Fortunately, I’ve never (yet) been asked to help retrieve a item from the top shelf in the newsagents.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Fortunately, I’ve never (yet) been asked to help retrieve a item from the top shelf in the newsagents.

Is that even still a thing?

 

[Bald Rick]

Is that even still a thing?

I believe RAIL magazine is up there. Personally I’m too embarrassed to pick that up, so if asked would put it inside a copy of Playboy.

 

[DaveHarries]

Yes, much to my amusement.

I was once on an 0930 train to London as part of my working day a couple of years ago. The train before had been cancelled and so the train I was on was quite full. Before the 0930 departed on time a lady on the other side of the aisle had taken her seat for the trip. Shortly after we departed, and before the ticket inspector came round, a couple came into the same carriage and said they had the same seat as that lady and their tickets had been for the service that had been cancelled. The lady in question declined to give up the seat saying she had it booked for the train we were on. Anyway the couple proceeded to be rather rude to the lady and insisted she give up the seat, despite the fact that there were other free seats in the carriage which they could have taken and still sat together.

It got to the point where I was feeling quite sorry for the lady in her seat. The bloke who was one of the rude couple took me for an employee of the operator - which I was not - asked me to adjudicate which was probably down to the fact that the tie I wear for my work uniform was a lighter shade of one of the colours of the operator's livery. I asked the lady for her ticket, which she gave me, and asked the couple for theirs - which they gave me. I then told the couple that both they and the lady were correct ()which they were) but that I would not ask the lady to move to another seat because of the way they had spoken to her; and they could therefore sit elsewhere.

Suffice it to say that I would be banned from this forum if I repeat the reply I got - - and the ticket checker hadn't shown up by the time I left the train either.

Dave

 

[Felixkoch2312]

During hot weather I often used to travel in just a collar and tie without a jacket and bag. For some reason that seems to make people think you are a member of staff!

Same in my case I also don't wear a jacket while hot weather.

 

[_SHR_]

I was at Exeter St. David's early last year, where they had their gateline split into blocks, an IN set and and OUT set.

I was wearing a long blue coat and was stood on the platform side of the IN barriers waiting for my friends to find their tickets and join me on the platform. A lady was trying to exit the station and despite the row of big red X's across the gateline was trying a multitude of ways to get the barriers to read her ticket (putting it in the slot, showing it to the scanner).

She turns to me and says, "excuse me, excuse me, can you let me through?"

"No" I say, "you need to go to the other set of barriers and put your ticket through the slot" to the response of an unimpressed look.

By now my friends had got through the barriers and we go to look for our train. I just happened to look back at the barrier and see the lady from before, now with a member of staff, and she's pointing at me as if to complain. The staff member looks and says with open palms and a shake of the head: "he's not staff!"

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I once escorted a Chinese woman from Paddington station to Victoria, who spoke no English and was trying to get from Swansea to Eastbourne. Very stressful experience for her sadly.

I believe RAIL magazine is up there. Personally I’m too embarrassed to pick that up, so if asked would put it inside a copy of Playboy.

Same, I used to hate buying train magazines as a child/teenager. Now I don't care too much-I buy them so infrequently nowadays anyway.

 

[packermac]

I have never quite understood why but standing on a platform as a railtour steward, with the word steward in big letters on the jacket, passengers seem to want to ask you for information rather than the person wearing the appropriate TOC jacket for that station, who may well be standing next to you anyway. Crewe, Preston and Bath seem to be the worse, but happens everywhere to some extent.

 

[Bald Rick]

I have never quite understood why but standing on a platform as a railtour steward, with the word steward in big letters on the jacket, passengers seem to want to ask you for information rather than the person wearing the appropriate TOC jacket for that station, who may well be standing next to you anyway. Crewe, Preston and Bath seem to be the worse, but happens everywhere to some extent.

Perhaps because passengers who are unsure of which train / platform to get are infrequent / less knowledgeable about ‘the ways’ of the railway. And therefore have no idea that stations might have staff from different companies there (why would they?). And dare I say they may not even know rail tours exist, let alone that one is due at that station.

So a fair mistake to make, I think.

 

[packermac]

Perhaps because passengers who are unsure of which train / platform to get are infrequent / less knowledgeable about ‘the ways’ of the railway. And therefore have no idea that stations might have staff from different companies there (why would they?). And dare I say they may not even know rail tours exist, let alone that one is due at that station.

So a fair mistake to make, I think.

This is normally whilst our tour is at the platform. But then I have been asked at Staines if our rake of Red BR Mk1s with a steam loco on front was the service train to Windsor!

 

[Bald Rick]

But then I have been asked at Staines if our rake of Red BR Mk1s with a steam loco on front was the service train to Windsor!

Most people really don’t know or care about what colour scheme a train is, or what sort of doors it has.

 

[ABB125]

This is normally whilst our tour is at the platform. But then I have been asked at Staines if our rake of Red BR Mk1s with a steam loco on front was the service train to Windsor!

Mk1s = red
SWT metro = red
=> Red train must be the right one

This could well be the thought process of some people!

 

[Bald Rick]

Mk1s = red
SWT metro = red
=> Red train must be the right one

This could well be the thought process of some people!

It’s simpler than that for people who are not regular travellers :

I am catching a train.
There’s a train in the platform.
Is it mine?

 

[ABB125]

It’s simpler than that for people who are not regular travellers :

I am catching a train.
There’s a train in the platform.
Is it mine?

I can't beat that for simplicity!

 

[HarryL]

In terms of the steam engine on the front, I can see it being missed. I know from experience that when my trains already on the platform, I pay little attention to what is stuck to the front of it, a bit of tunnel vision in the moment.

 

[47296lastduff]

My regular bit of helping was on the loco-hauled Manchester to Holyhead service, which finished last March. It was near enough to being the only service without automatic doors, and unfamiliar to many of the locals. When it reached my stop, I was almost always the only one who knew how to drop the window, wait for door release, and press down the external handle. This unfamiliarity also led to doors being left open all along the train, as nobody seemed to realize they would not close themselves. It kept the guard fit, walking the platform to close them.

 

[stut]

During hot weather I often used to travel in just a collar and tie without a jacket and bag. For some reason that seems to make people think you are a member of staff!

Slight diversion, but I used to do a lot of IT subcontract work, in all sorts of places - you'd have the standard dress of no jacket and no tie. I spent a while in a couple of large hospitals (doing some pretty cool IT stuff, and having some scary moments in live operating theatres), but everybody just assumed I was a consultant - of the medical kind. Never needed an access card - was buzzed through any door. Had loads of people coming up to me and had to direct them to reception of A&E. Scary how easy it was to pass off as a doctor!

On the railway, I don't get mistaken for staff, but do offer to help people out - particularly with ticketing, or odd routes (or language). There's always been a completely befuddling array of tickets to London from our station. The Moorgate loophole always goes down well too!

 

[ABB125]

Slight diversion, but I used to do a lot of IT subcontract work, in all sorts of places - you'd have the standard dress of no jacket and no tie. I spent a while in a couple of large hospitals (doing some pretty cool IT stuff, and having some scary moments in live operating theatres), but everybody just assumed I was a consultant - of the medical kind. Never needed an access card - was buzzed through any door. Had loads of people coming up to me and had to direct them to reception of A&E. Scary how easy it was to pass off as a doctor!

On the railway, I don't get mistaken for staff, but do offer to help people out - particularly with ticketing, or odd routes (or language). There's always been a completely befuddling array of tickets to London from our station. The Moorgate loophole always goes down well too!

Moorgate loophole?

 

[HSP 2]

I've been mistaken a good number of times for railway staff by the public.
But one of my more interesting ones happened last year. It would be about 07:15 in December last year and the north bound sleeper is still in Preston station. I went over to my platform to catch my train and started talking to a couple of footplate crew about the train. It turns out we were all going to the same place, so we got chatting (it was a trainee driver and his trainer). Just before they had to change ends the trainer askes me what depo do I work from. I had to reply that I don't work on the railway.

 

[stut]

Moorgate loophole?

Loophole is probably the wrong term. Referring to the fact that London Terminals tickets into King's Cross are equally valid to Old Street and Moorgate, both via Finsbury Park and on the Tube from KXSP. Have met loads of people who always pay for travelcards, but they're only going to Moorgate.

 

[ABB125]

Loophole is probably the wrong term. Referring to the fact that London Terminals tickets into King's Cross are equally valid to Old Street and Moorgate, both via Finsbury Park and on the Tube from KXSP. Have met loads of people who always pay for travelcards, but they're only going to Moorgate.

Ok, thanks

 

[FLIRTfan18]

As an A-Level mathematics student I was sat doing some work (whilst kitted out in my suit) when I realized I hadn't got my calculator so went to fetch it from my bag on the luggage rack down the train. As I was walking down the train with my great big graphical calculator an elderly lady stopped me as she thought I was holding a ticket machine. Turns out I was wearing the correct coloured tie for the operating company as well.
A few days later there was a car parked on double yellow lines outside my sixth form. Inspired by what had happened on the train, I stood in front of the car took out my calculator out started pretending to write things into it. The car swiftly drove off, much to our amusement!

 

[ABB125]

A few days later there was a car parked on double yellow lines outside my sixth form. Inspired by what had happened on the train, I stood in front of the car took out my calculator out started pretending to write things into it. The car swiftly drove off, much to our amusement!

The things you can do with a scientific calculator...

 

[Ianno87]

As an A-Level mathematics student I was sat doing some work (whilst kitted out in my suit) when I realized I hadn't got my calculator so went to fetch it from my bag on the luggage rack down the train. As I was walking down the train with my great big graphical calculator an elderly lady stopped me as she thought I was holding a ticket machine. Turns out I was wearing the correct coloured tie for the operating company as well.
A few days later there was a car parked on double yellow lines outside my sixth form. Inspired by what had happened on the train, I stood in front of the car took out my calculator out started pretending to write things into it. The car swiftly drove off, much to our amusement!

The Tesco next to the (then) Reebok Stadium in Bolton used to have attendants "recording" car registrations of cars driving into the car park on matchdays, to deter people parking there for free for the football match. Stood quite visibly on the way in to the car park.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced they were doing nothing but employing 3 pensioners to type nonsense into calculators.

 

[vlad]

It’s simpler than that for people who are not regular travellers :

I am catching a train.
There’s a train in the platform.
Is it mine?

That sort of thing is true.

Several years ago now I went on holiday with my grandmother. There was a window near where we were sitting in the airport terminal and we could see a plane docked at a stand. My grandmother decided that that must be our plane (and why not - we were at an airport and about to fly in a plane). Worryingly, she was right!

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

One hot August lunchtime a few years ago at a timee when most normal people had long since gone on holiday, I was still at work and in a suit (as was the custom then). I was taking the Piccadilly line Southbound at Russell Square to get over to Westminster. As is the custom, I just missed a train but so did an American couple. They were presumably on their vacation and, I would surmise, enjoying sampling our traditional English pageantry eg. working out how the tube works when it's clear that the Westbound trains actually go South. Perplexed, the gentleman came up to me -- I was certainly looking rather official although certainly had no roundel on my tie -- and looking wistfully at the departing train towards Heathrow and asked 'Say, when does that train come back again? We need to go to Lie-chester Square!' I am still what sure what I should have said (although I do recall that I elected not to give them a little briefing on the diagramming practices of '73 Tube Stock!)