Station Announcements back in the days of British Rail.

[D6130]

I have distinct memories of the lady station announcer at Reading in the 1970s. We regular spotters knew her as 'Mrs Mortimer' and she was located in the power signalbox at the North side of the station. She was alleged to be the wife, or widow, of a senior army officer and delivered her announcements in quick-fire clipped tones....usually commencing with the words "Station announcer...."

When announcing an approaching train calling at the station, she would suddenly say (no bing-bongs there): "Station announcer! The nixt train arriving at pletform eet is the thirteen therty eet to Neewcarstle, calling et Oxfud, Benbury, Lemmington Spar, etc, etc."

When a terminating train had just arrived in a platform, it would be: "Redding! Redding! Train arraved at pletform fave terminates hair. All change! All change!" (The word 'please' never seemed to be part of her vocabulary).

When a non-stop train was approaching, she would announce: "Station announcer! Pessengers weeting on pletform four stend beck from the pletform edge. Fast train approaching!"

When I and my fellow spotters were wending our weary way home to Petersfield via Guildford on a slow, chugging 'Tadpole' (class 204) DEMU, we would amuse ourselves by seeing who could do the best 'Mrs Mortimer' impressions.

 

[EveningStar]

I have distinct memories of the lady station announcer at Reading in the 1970s. We regular spotters knew her as 'Mrs Mortimer' and she was located in the power signalbox at the North side of the station. She was alleged to be the wife, or widow, of a senior army officer and delivered her announcements in quick-fire clipped tones....usually commencing with the words "Station announcer...."

When announcing an approaching train calling at the station, she would suddenly say (no bing-bongs there): "Station announcer! The nixt train arriving at pletform eet is the thirteen therty eet to Neewcarstle, calling et Oxfud, Benbury, Lemmington Spar, etc, etc."

When a terminating train had just arrived in a platform, it would be: "Redding! Redding! Train arraved at pletform fave terminates hair. All change! All change!" (The word 'please' never seemed to be part of her vocabulary).

When a non-stop train was approaching, she would announce: "Station announcer! Pessengers weeting on pletform four stend beck from the pletform edge. Fast train approaching!"

When I and my fellow spotters were wending our weary way home to Petersfield via Guildford on a slow, chugging 'Tadpole' (class 204) DEMU, we would amuse ourselves by seeing who could do the best 'Mrs Mortimer' impressions.

As heard clearly on the LP, 'Westerns; Diesel Hydraulics on the Western Region in 1974', where a diamond tipped drill of a voice announces in tones that will tolerate neither dissent or nonsense, "Redding! Redding!". Certainly she would never descend to the level of an incident I heard at Birmingham New Street from the same period where the announcement dissolves into hastily cut off giggles following some frivolity on the background.

 

[Taunton]

Taunton had a longstanding arrangement, a lady did the daytime announcements and a chap did the nighttime ones. I think the announcer was in the West Station signal box, with a high-level view of proceedings, plus the signalmen being able to shout across. Amusing was "stand clear at platform 7, an express train is about to pass", followed by a Hymek with a holiday extra accelerating at little more than walking pace from a stop at the home signal. I suspect the night shift announcements may have been one of the signalmen.

 

[Rescars]

IIRC, it was a frustrated Gerry Fiennes when General Manager of the Eastern Region who famously stormed into the announcer's cabin at Liverpool Street one day at the height of the morning rush hour and apologised to passengers for the late arrival of their train "due to bad management"!

 

[Magdalia]

I have distinct memories of the lady station announcer at Reading in the 1970s.

As an interloper from the Fens I found that many 1970s Western Region station announcements had a distinctive standard style, with many variations of "the train at platform 12 is now ready to depart, passengers close all the doors and stand clear, Taunton will be the next stop".

Western Region station announcements were much more rigid and formulaic than what I was used to on the Eastern Region.

 

[nw1]

As I mentioned above it was important to hold the microphone the correct distance from your mouth. Too close and you got ‘feedback’ (I don’t know if it was what is technically known as feedback, but that was what it sounded like), too far back and you were indistinct.

The recording of Sound of the Suburbs has a very posh woman doing the train announcements at Staines. It is probably a recording of the genuine announcement: ‘Staines. This is Staines’. (It really should have been Camberley.)

I definitely remember the "X, this is X" style in the 80s, where X was mostly Guildford or Woking. That said, I can't remember for the life of me whether other stations I visited for enthusiast purposes in the 1983-88 period (Surbiton, Havant, Brighton, Clapham Junction and East Croydon) did the same thing.

Also remember a manual announcer doing it at Wolverhampton in December 1982, which was a bit long winded given the number of syllables in "Wolverhampton".

Something like "Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, THIS! IS! Wolverhampton! The train at platform X is ... etc ... "

And I'm fairly sure Stafford did "Stafford, this is Stafford" (again manual) in the early-mid 80s period.

Much more recently, I remember hearing the rough equivalent in France. "Arras, ici Arras" in 2000 and "Dax, ici Dax" in 2013.

As an interloper from the Fens I found that many 1970s Western Region station announcements had a distinctive standard style, with many variations of "the train at platform 12 is now ready to depart, passengers close all the doors and stand clear, Taunton will be the next stop".

Western Region station announcements were much more rigid and formulaic than what I was used to on the Eastern Region.

Reading in the 80s didn't seem to be that way: IIRC it was mostly manual announcements, surprising for such a busy station but I guess many of the services had different calling points and destinations.

Two stand out, both regarding Oxford stoppers.

3 July 1983, early evening, around 1730-1800: "The train at platform X is for Ox-ford, calling at Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring[sic], Cholsey, Didcot and Ox-ford", where he pronounced "Ox-ford" in a very sing-song way.

Early January 1984, daytime: "Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring, Cholsey, Didcot, AppleFORD, Culham Radley and OxFORD", with a heavy emphasis on the "FORD".

I have distinct memories of the lady station announcer at Reading in the 1970s. We regular spotters knew her as 'Mrs Mortimer' and she was located in the power signalbox at the North side of the station. She was alleged to be the wife, or widow, of a senior army officer and delivered her announcements in quick-fire clipped tones....usually commencing with the words "Station announcer...."

When announcing an approaching train calling at the station, she would suddenly say (no bing-bongs there): "Station announcer! The nixt train arriving at pletform eet is the thirteen therty eet to Neewcarstle, calling et Oxfud, Benbury, Lemmington Spar, etc, etc."

When a terminating train had just arrived in a platform, it would be: "Redding! Redding! Train arraved at pletform fave terminates hair. All change! All change!" (The word 'please' never seemed to be part of her vocabulary).

When a non-stop train was approaching, she would announce: "Station announcer! Pessengers weeting on pletform four stend beck from the pletform edge. Fast train approaching!"

When I and my fellow spotters were wending our weary way home to Petersfield via Guildford on a slow, chugging 'Tadpole' (class 204) DEMU, we would amuse ourselves by seeing who could do the best 'Mrs Mortimer' impressions.

That made me laugh.

My "time" at Reading was a little later, but I also travelled there from the Portsmouth Direct, though the North Downs leg by then was by 119 DMU, or not infrequently the 0900 47-hauled XC service from Guildford.

The Reading announcers of the 80s weren't quite like that but still one or two interesting ones (see above...)

I always liked the Lancaster announcements in the late 80s /early 90s.

Three chimes and a well spoken northern female voice.

"Bing-bing-bong". Also had that at Stafford in the mid 80s so I guess an LM signature. Not unlike some continental announcement preludes today (or in the past 10 years at least)

 

[MadMac]

"Bing-bing-bong". Also had that at Stafford in the mid 80s so I guess an LM signature. Not unlike some continental announcement preludes today (or in the past 10 years at least)

Glasgow Central had that. I think I told the story of an announcer there who we christened “Paddy” due to what sounded like his thick Irish accent: he was actually Lithuanian, and had ended up there after being made redundant somewhere else. One time, he announced the 17:22 West Calder as the front train with the 17:18 East Kilbride as the rear train, prompting mutterings along the lines of “If you’ve got anything to do with it, I’m not b….y surprised“. Subsequently, large numbers of complaints were received about the Central PA system, resulting in orders coming from the very top to investigate and rectify. No fault was found despite extensive troubleshooting. Then, someone started contacting the complainants for further info, revealing that every complaint related to times that “Paddy” was on duty…..

 

[Taunton]

If passengers in the train at Taunton had paid attention to the (decidedly clear) announcements of stopping points, they would have been appraised of the correct pronunciation of Teignmouth (in particular), Wiveliscombe, Liskeard, and a range of other west country names.

 

[nw1]

If passengers in the train at Taunton had paid attention to the (decidedly clear) announcements of stopping points, they would have been appraised of the correct pronunciation of Teignmouth (in particular), Wiveliscombe, Liskeard, and a range of other west country names.

Wiveliscombe I still don't know the pronunciation of, but presumably it's not the obvious "Wi-VEL-is-cum" or even "Wi-vel-IS-cum". "Wiscum" or something, I guess?

"Teignmouth" I still get wrong. I thought for a minute or two on seeing this post that it was "Tainmouth" but it's actually "Tinmouth", thinking about it. Probably didn't help that quite a few of the services from Reading in the 80s skipped the station.

Liskeard is "Liscard", isn't it? That, by contrast, was served by most Reading trains in the 80s so heard it quite a lot.

Most embarrassingly personally though is that I thought the Somerset town was "Froam" up to about the age of 16. Didn't help that I never visited any stations served by trains that called there until later.

 

[WAB]

I definitely remember the "X, this is X" style in the 80s, where X was mostly Guildford or Woking. That said, I can't remember for the life of me whether other stations I visited for enthusiast purposes in the 1983-88 period (Surbiton, Havant, Brighton, Clapham Junction and East Croydon) did the same thing.

Also remember a manual announcer doing it at Wolverhampton in December 1982, which was a bit long winded given the number of syllables in "Wolverhampton".

Something like "Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, THIS! IS! Wolverhampton! The train at platform X is ... etc ... "

And I'm fairly sure Stafford did "Stafford, this is Stafford" (again manual) in the early-mid 80s period.

Much more recently, I remember hearing the rough equivalent in France. "Arras, ici Arras" in 2000 and "Dax, ici Dax" in 2013.

The Phil auto announcements at First Capital Connect (see here) still had this format in the 2000s, presumably for the 313s and 319s which were DOO and didn't have an onboard PIS.

 

[Taunton]

Tin'muth, Liss'cud and Wiv'lis'cum. The latter being usually shortened to Wivvy, though not by the station announcer.

 

[Dr_Paul]

The spoken station announcements at Waterloo were often incomprehensible because of the general station noise and the echo. My dad, who was deaf in one ear (thanks to his being shot through the head by the Waffen SS in Holland in 1944), really had trouble making sense of them, but neither was it easy for those with adequate hearing. En route, the announcements were usually easy to comprehend. I remember a man with a strong West Indian accent at Vauxhall who always strongly emphasised that Shepperton services didn't stop at Earlsfield. 'This train do not stop at Earlsfield', he would say several times as the train came in.

Moving on to the Underground, I commuted for a couple of years via Hammersmith, and nearly all the announcers, with variously London, Irish, West Indian and (I think) Eastern European accents, would put an additional syllable in Westminster and Upminster, rendering them as 'Westminister' and 'Upminister'.

 

[Irascible]

"Teignmouth" I still get wrong. I thought for a minute or two on seeing this post that it was "Tainmouth" but it's actually "Tinmouth", thinking about it. Probably didn't help that quite a few of the services from Reading in the 80s skipped the station.

Liskeard is "Liscard", isn't it? That, by contrast, was served by most Reading trains in the 80s so heard it quite a lot.

Depends which part of the SW you're from ( while I grew up not terribly far from Taunton, it's still over the border! ) it's Tinmuff in these parts. Lisscarrd, Wivvel-iz-cum. The train guard reading the stops off in a broad SW accent always took me back to where I grew up well before I actually arrived again.

I'm sure there must be a thread in "what's the most awkward to pronounce route"...

 

[181]

I definitely remember the "X, this is X" style in the 80s, where X was mostly Guildford or Woking. That said, I can't remember for the life of me whether other stations I visited for enthusiast purposes in the 1983-88 period (Surbiton, Havant, Brighton, Clapham Junction and East Croydon) did the same thing.

I think Surbiton did; I can't remember about Clapham Junction (which would be more of a mouthful), and I rarely used the other stations mentioned (indeed I've still never been to Brighton).

The Reading announcers of the 80s weren't quite like that but still one or two interesting ones (see above...)

I think it was Reading in the 1980s where I heard an announcement that you should change at Exeter for 'Barn-STAPLE'. Another one that sticks in the memory is an announcement at King's Cross pronouncing Falkirk and Grahamston as if they were two separate stations, and going on to mention 'Pitlotchery'.

The train guard reading the stops off in a broad SW accent

From the 1990s (but I think just within the BR era) I remember an announcer at Ely with a strong East Anglian accent, something like: Maarch, Whi'lezee, Pe'erbaara (the apostrophes representing glottal stops). (For the avoidance of doubt, I think regional accents are a good thing, unless so strong that passengers dpn't understand them).

 

[Irascible]

Barn-STAPLE.

As in a stapler? that'd be hilarious (and to roll with the thread in Devon it'd be Baarn-stah'puwl - glottal stop varying depending which bit of Devon )

From the 1990s (but I think just within the BR era) I remember an announcer at Ely with a strong East Anglian accent, something like: Maarch, Whi'lezee, Pe'erbaara (the apostrophes representing glottal stops). (For the avoidance of doubt, I think regional accents are a good thing, unless so strong that passengers dpn't understand them).

Somewhat - the bigger problem is probably when the place isn't pronounced like it's spelt even if you've the crispest RP accent possible!

 

[nw1]

Tin'muth, Liss'cud and Wiv'lis'cum. The latter being usually shortened to Wivvy, though not by the station announcer.

Interesting. The Reading announcers of the 80s always pronounced the Cornish place "Liscard".

I think Surbiton did; I can't remember about Clapham Junction (which would be more of a mouthful), and I rarely used the other stations mentioned (indeed I've still never been to Brighton).

Wouldn't surprise me with Surbiton (1983); I do remember the automated announcements being of the same style and intonation as Woking and Guildford, with the same posh female voice. Announcing the (as was) half hourly all-stations 508 from Hampton Court: "Berrylands, New Malden, Ray-y-nes Park... pause ... Wimbledon, Earlsfield, CLAPham Junction, Vauxhall, and Waterloo".

I think it was Reading in the 1980s where I heard an announcement that you should change at Exeter for 'Barn-STAPLE'. Another one that sticks in the memory is an announcement at King's Cross pronouncing Falkirk and Grahamston as if they were two separate stations, and going on to mention 'Pitlotchery'.

BarnSTAPLE! Not sure if I ever thought it was that. But I don't even remember connections from the Cornwall expresses being announced at Reading.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

At Barking in the 80s they were routinely close to incomprehensible, at least as much due to poor loudspeaker systems on the platforms as due to the technique (shout, speak fast) of at least some of the announcers. Subsequent automation improved matters there immeasurably.

Yes that method is still around a bit. There was a hilarious thread a couple of years ago on someone at City Thameslink that thought the station was being evacuated due to the intensity of the announcers voice. I remember a particularly terrible announcement when I was a child, although this was the early 2000s, on the District Line which went something like: "ONCE AGAIN *incompressible blather* ONCE AGAIN *incomprehensible blather"

Celia Drummond did the best announcements for sure. Shame they replaced her across much of the network.

 

[nw1]

In 1991, the female automated announcer at Woking had changed from the 80s edition mentioned above, and I remember Farncombe being announced in a ridiculously exaggerated posh manner when the hourly '82' drew in, "Guildford, Farn-COOOOOMBE, Godalming..."

As if to say "common types call it Farncum. The Proper way of pronouncing it is FarnCOOOOMBE. Now go away and pronounce it properly!"

And I realise we're now moving into SWT days, but here's one from Guildford in 1997. Again the '82', the up one this time. "The train at platform 5 is for London. WATERLOO. Calling at Woking, Clapham Junction, and Water-LOO ,only!" (with the "WATERLOO" and "LOO" several decibels higher than the rest).

Also in 1997, for the Alton trains at Woking: "The train at platform 4 is the XX:28 to Awwwlton. Calling at Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Awwlt". (somehow the "on" was left off). By all accounts "Awlton" is the "local" pronunciation, though.

 

[Rescars]

Depends which part of the SW you're from ( while I grew up not terribly far from Taunton, it's still over the border! ) it's Tinmuff in these parts. Lisscarrd, Wivvel-iz-cum. The train guard reading the stops off in a broad SW accent always took me back to where I grew up well before I actually arrived again.

I'm sure there must be a thread in "what's the most awkward to pronounce route"...

Announcing at Shrewsbury with trains for the Heart of Wales line and all stations to Pwllheli must present challenges for those less comfortable with Welsh.

 

[Irascible]

Calling at Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Awwlt". (somehow the "on" was left off). By all accounts "Awlton" is the "local" pronunciation, though.

Farnham or Farnum? I guess that could have been Awlt'n - I doubt anyone in Woking is really going to miss a t out - and the "n" got lost in the PA

Announcing at Shrewsbury with trains for the Heart of Wales line and all stations to Pwllheli must present challenges for those less comfortable with Welsh.

I've been on a train up there from Birmingham ( some sort of summer irregular I think ) - imagine some poor brummie reading that lot out as they get progressicely more aggressively Welsh...

 

[Sad Sprinter]

In 1991, the female automated announcer at Woking had changed from the 80s edition mentioned above, and I remember Farncombe being announced in a ridiculously exaggerated posh manner when the hourly '82' drew in, "Guildford, Farn-COOOOOMBE, Godalming..."

As if to say "common types call it Farncum. The Proper way of pronouncing it is FarnCOOOOMBE. Now go away and pronounce it properly!"

And I realise we're now moving into SWT days, but here's one from Guildford in 1997. Again the '82', the up one this time. "The train at platform 5 is for London. WATERLOO. Calling at Woking, Clapham Junction, and Water-LOO ,only!" (with the "WATERLOO" and "LOO" several decibels higher than the rest).

Also in 1997, for the Alton trains at Woking: "The train at platform 4 is the XX:28 to Awwwlton. Calling at Ash Vale, Aldershot, Farnham, Bentley and Awwlt". (somehow the "on" was left off). By all accounts "Awlton" is the "local" pronunciation, though.

Was that Celia Drummond in 97? I remember she pronounced Waterloo similarly.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Somewhat - the bigger problem is probably when the place isn't pronounced like it's spelt even if you've the crispest RP accent possible!

Wymondham being a prize example! My granny's neighbours near Lowestoft always pronounced Norwich as 'Narge', which had me confused for a while. So far as I know, none of this family became railway station announcers.

The problem of spelling not matching pronunciation was solved in Buckinghamshire where the spelling of Wyrardisbury by both the local authority and the LSWR was changed to match its pronunciation: Wraysbury. I think it's pity that the old spelling wasn't maintained.

 

[Jim Jehosofat]

London Charing Cross sometime in the 80's, "Join the front four coaches only, the part of the train with the lights on!"

 

[nw1]

Farnham or Farnum? I guess that could have been Awlt'n - I doubt anyone in Woking is really going to miss a t out - and the "n" got lost in the PA

Farnum. I have never, ever, heard it pronounced "Farn-HAM" !

Yes, the missing "n" was. I think, an error in the PA system - it got cut off a second too soon - not an odd pronunciation.

Wymondham being a prize example! My granny's neighbours near Lowestoft always pronounced Norwich as 'Narge', which had me confused for a while. So far as I know, none of this family became railway station announcers.

The problem of spelling not matching pronunciation was solved in Buckinghamshire where the spelling of Wyrardisbury by both the local authority and the LSWR was changed to match its pronunciation: Wraysbury. I think it's pity that the old spelling wasn't maintained.

Buckinghamshire? If it's the place on the Windsor branch, isn't that Berks or Surrey?

Was that Celia Drummond in 97? I remember she pronounced Waterloo similarly.

The 1997 announcements were different to the 80s ones, and I remember both of those examples (Woking for Awlton, and Guildford for Water-LOO) were a male voice.

 

[zwk500]

Farnum. I have never, ever, heard it pronounced "Farn-HAM" !

Indeed. the -ham ending is very common across southern England and pretty much every time I've heard it pronounced -uhm, with a stopped vowel and no leading 'h'.

 

[nw1]

Indeed. the -ham ending is very common across southern England and pretty much every time I've heard it pronounced -uhm, with a stopped vowel and no leading 'h'.

True, and across England as a whole I believe (e.g. "Birmingum").

Pronouncing the -ham as -HAM I've always thought of as an American pronunciation, as in BirmingHAM, Alabama.

Actually I've had a quick think and I believe that oddly, despite "ham" being a common ending, Farnham is the only station to have that ending on the entire set of routes which pass through Woking.

Another example of difficult pronunciation is Meopham, Kent. First passed through it, and noticed it in the timetables, in 1986 yet didn't learn that its pronunciation was "Meppum" until early 1996 when I heard it announced at Victoria. Before that I assumed it was Me-op-um. Easy one to remember once learnt, for the units which called at MEPpum in this era were CEPs and VEPs.

 

[Gloster]

Buckinghamshire? If it's the place on the Windsor branch, isn't that Berks or Surrey?

It is Berkshire now, but until 1974 it was part of Buckinghamshire.

 

[zwk500]

True, and across England as a whole I believe (e.g. "Birmingum").

Embarrassingly, I'd tried to think of an example station and missed the rather obvious one!

Pronouncing the -ham as -HAM I've always thought of as an American pronunciation, as in BirmingHAM, Alabama.

Indeed. I tend to find it's a fairly general American trait to overemphasise the ends of words, but that may just be my prejudices.

 

[nw1]

It is Berkshire now, but until 1974 it was part of Buckinghamshire.

Ah OK, you wouldn't think that as it's south of the M4 and in "Southern" territory. I always think of Bucks as about Marlow northwards, i.e the Chilterns and the land beyond - and would have actually have guessed Wraysbury was in Surrey if asked!

 

[Pigeon]

I definitely remember the "X, this is X" style in the 80s, where X was mostly Guildford or Woking. That said, I can't remember for the life of me whether other stations I visited for enthusiast purposes in the 1983-88 period (Surbiton, Havant, Brighton, Clapham Junction and East Croydon) did the same thing.

Also remember a manual announcer doing it at Wolverhampton in December 1982, which was a bit long winded given the number of syllables in "Wolverhampton".

Something like "Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, THIS! IS! Wolverhampton! The train at platform X is ... etc ... "

And I'm fairly sure Stafford did "Stafford, this is Stafford" (again manual) in the early-mid 80s period.

Much more recently, I remember hearing the rough equivalent in France. "Arras, ici Arras" in 2000 and "Dax, ici Dax" in 2013.

Swindon used to do it too. Hard to forget after sitting there waiting for a train that turned up over 2 hours late, with that going off every few minutes to give us the latest estimatewild and random guess of how long the wait was going to be.

"Bing-bing-bong". Also had that at Stafford in the mid 80s so I guess an LM signature.

The first ones of that kind I remember were only two bongs, the same notes as a train horn but more euphonious. I'd never thought of them being regional specialities but thinking back it could have been that two bongs was a Western signature in the same way. The first time I heard one with three bongs I didn't think of it as being because it was a different reason, I just thought "coo er gosh posh eh?"