Station announcer phraseology no longer used

[Sad Sprinter]

I would guess that mobile phones have largely rendered that kind of thing redundant. Not sure if they would still do it if you were meeting someone who didn't have a mobile and needed to leave a message for them, though.

I heard this kind of announcement at Clapham Junction the other day - for some reason it happens fairly frequently there

 

[Mike Machin]

In my train spotting days at Reading in 1970 me and my friends used to think she switched on a bit late so the first Reading came out as eading!

Yes, that’s absolutely right - I think she was a bit late sometimes! I’m glad someone else remembers her, I always imagined she was a lovely woman, her voice was quite authoritative but had a very kindly tone. But it was the spontaneity and random nature of her announcements, together with the way they were phrased that made announcements at Reading so unique.

 

[Western Sunset]

Exeter, Exeter, this is Exeter St David's... (Accompanied by a background of diesel-hydraulics)

 

[D6130]

Yes, that’s absolutely right - I think she was a bit late sometimes! I’m glad someone else remembers her, I always imagined she was a lovely woman, her voice was quite authoritative but had a very kindly tone. But it was the spontaneity and random nature of her announcements, together with the way they were phrased that made announcements at Reading so unique.

Mrs Mortimer - reputed to be the wife or widow of a senior army officer - and sounding very much like an old school teacher (much like my late mother!)

 

[Rescars]

Mrs Mortimer - reputed to be the wife or widow of a senior army officer - and sounding very much like an old school teacher (much like my late mother!)

My memory may be playing tricks, but IIRC passing through Reading c1970, the very distinctive announcements referred to the station (at least sometimes) as "Reading General". Am I imagining this?

 

[BrianW]

My memory may be playing tricks, but IIRC passing through Reading c1970, the very distinctive announcements referred to the station (at least sometimes) as "Reading General". Am I imagining this?

Which would have been accurate until the 'incorporation' of Reading Southern, IIRC. Date?

 

[FGW_DID]

My memory may be playing tricks, but IIRC passing through Reading c1970, the very distinctive announcements referred to the station (at least sometimes) as "Reading General". Am I imagining this?

Which would have been accurate until the 'incorporation' of Reading Southern, IIRC. Date?

Reading was 'Reading General' 1949 - 1974 according to the large 'totems' that are dotted around Reading Station.

Reading General

Explore jamesfletcher567's 11305 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

 

[Mike Machin]

Mrs Mortimer - reputed to be the wife or widow of a senior army officer - and sounding very much like an old school teacher (much like my late mother!)

Thank you so much for that information and yes, my late mum was very much like that too! After more than 50 years I now know who she was. Such a shame we can't have live, 'personality' announcers nowadays.

 

[gaillark]

Luton station ... never to be heard again. Always live manual announcements made by the platform supervisor.
Your attention Platform 3 (4) - next train to arrive will call at King's Cross Midland City, Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate only. then repeated several times - King's Cross, Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate.


King's Cross Midland City then became King's Cross Thameslink (now closed) and Farringdon to Moorgate line closed completely with the expansion of Farringdon station for enhanced Thameslink "2000" project.

 

[AY1975]

"Station, this is Station".

I would guess that that format dated back to the days before on-train public address systems and was intended to ensure that passengers who were already on a train knew where they were! On-train PA systems mean that is no longer necessary.

Another format that I haven't heard for a long time is that used at Peterborough in the 1980s and 90s, with the platform number at the end as well as the beginning of each announcement so that passengers who only caught the tail end of the announcement (e.g. those who had just arrived on the station) still knew which platform it was going from: "Platform 2 for the 13.00 to London King's Cross, calling at Stevenage and London King's Cross, passengers for intermediate stations to London please change at Stevenage, platform number 2."

 

[GordonT]

I don't think I am imagining this - were announcements at York station at one time "sung" or at least "chanted" presumably because of the local significance of York Minster Cathedral?

 

[Forty29]

'Please do not flush the toilets at the station' (not the exact words!)

I heard this and saw it being displayed on the PIS on a GWR 166 recently.

Can you see the joke there?

I all my days of travelling over the network for more than 50 years, for me at least nothing beats the wonderful lady station announcer at Reading in the early 1970s. Her phrases, and indeed her entire style of delivery, posh with long pauses and the stressing of certain words, are truly something from the past but they still remain firmly in my memory.

Click brrrrrrrr......'Station announcer! The train from Paignton,.....the train expected at 11.50 but running late because of operational difficulties.................................now approaching number faive.........................Reading!......Reading!...... Reading!.....................................Faaaast Train to.........Paddington STATION,................LONDON.............now standing at Platform faive........Reading! Reading!'
So posh and truly exentric in her style of delivery - she WAS Reading in my youth.

Yes remember her during my 70s spotting days. I think her voice loves on on a Westerns locomotive LP record by a member of pop group luitenant pigeon.

 

[D6130]

Can you see the joke there?


Yes remember her during my 70s spotting days. I think her voice loves on on a Westerns locomotive LP record by a member of pop group luitenant pigeon.

....Mrs Mortimer!

 

[Davester50]

The Perth (Well, I'm sure it was Perth, it might not have been) announcements began with "Train Announcer calling! as there wasn't a wee jingle before.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

About the only nice things of standing on the freezing cold , dark and bleak pre-rebuild Blackfriars station was a real old boy of presumably West Indian heritage who manually called out the southbound suburban services in a distinctive accent with the odd variation - "the Elephant and Castle" for example.

Reading would ocassionally warn of any passing non stop freight trains by telling you what sort they were - e.g "stand well clear on Platfrom 4 - fast Freightliner train approaching" - that and operational messages about "will the shunter note the Cross Country for Bournemouth is late - but has passed Didcot"........

 

[LickeyIncliner]

One announcement I recall hearing at Doncaster, fairly late one evening, along the lines of: "Please watch the screens for further information as there will be no more announcements this evening." Unless Doncaster station has particularly sensitive neighbours, that presumably hasn't been heard since automated announcements came in.

The same announcer has previously repeated several times "The next train at Platform 3A will be the LAST TRAIN TO LONDON TONIGHT" - making it sound very much as if the next train at Platform 3A would be the last chance to escape before some calamity overwhelmed the town. (Closing time, perhaps...)

 

[Skiddaw]

I all my days of travelling over the network for more than 50 years, for me at least nothing beats the wonderful lady station announcer at Reading in the early 1970s. Her phrases, and indeed her entire style of delivery, posh with long pauses and the stressing of certain words, are truly something from the past but they still remain firmly in my memory.

Click brrrrrrrr......'Station announcer! The train from Paignton,.....the train expected at 11.50 but running late because of operational difficulties.................................now approaching number faive.........................Reading!......Reading!...... Reading!.....................................Faaaast Train to.........Paddington STATION,................LONDON.............now standing at Platform faive........Reading! Reading!'
So posh and truly exentric in her style of delivery - she WAS Reading in my youth.

I would have loved that! I moved to Reading (as a student) in 1982 so I fear I just missed her....

 

[Springs Branch]

Back in InterCity days - before automated announcements and scrolling platform PIS - one manual announcement regularly heard at Wigan North Western went something like:-
"Attention passengers on platform 4. The delayed 09 23 service to London Euston has been reported leaving Preston sixteen - one, six - minutes late."

Some days you'd get lucky and the same guy would announce:-
"Attention passengers on platform 4. The 09 23 service to London Euston has been reported on time leaving Preston".

Quite helpful to know your delayed train was on its way and how many minutes 'down' it was running - whilst giving just a statement of current facts, and subtly offering no guarantee it would eventually arrive 16 minutes late / on time, as the case may be.

I never remember hearing this “has been reported leaving on time / X minutes late” phraseology used at other stations at the time - particularly the "sixteen - one, six - minutes" bit. Maybe an ex-military man used to precision in communications?

 

[GordonT]

I never remember hearing this “has been reported leaving on time / X minutes late” phraseology used at other stations at the time - particularly the "sixteen - one, six - minutes" bit. Maybe an ex-military man used to precision in communications?

Not quite the same thing but pre-1970s the manually operated arrivals board at Glasgow Central used to display reported late running times of Anglo-Scottish trains specifically at the time at which they passed Carstairs.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've definitely heard "one six" and similar elsewhere. It's just to clarify it a bit as sixty/sixteen etc sound similar.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Anne does a much more bored-sounding version which mentions pushchairs and wheelchairs too.

Anne's varies by TOC. Since Amy took over WMT, she no longer has an announcement like that.

"The train now approaching Platform 2 does not stop here. Please stand well clear of the edge of Platform 2." is Anne's generic announcement. Ruth's, Matt's and I believe Mike's announcement is the same.

The recently replaced Anne announcements at West Midlands Trains stations (usually prior to a 390 flying through at 125mph) said:

"Please stand back from the platform edge. The next train at Platform 2 does not stop here. Please hold onto pushchairs, wheelchairs, and your belongings. Stand behind the yellow line."

Traditionally at Great Western Railway and west side TfL Rail/Elizabeth line stations Anne said:

"The train now approaching Platform 2 does not stop here. Stand back from the edge of Platform 2, the next train is not scheduled to stop."

I believe west side Elizabeth line stations still have that, but Great Western Railway seem to have modified it slightly. Anne and Rodger now say "The fast train now approaching," etc.

South Western Railway's odd Worldline system has her and Rodger say "The next train on Platform 2, doesn't stop here" of course, which I just think sounds terrible and unprofessional.

The one that does annoy me a little is LNER station announcements, which seem to go out of their way to use a different kind of phrasing for literally everything to the standard, some of which are rather long winded.

It's poor but nowhere near as bad as SWR's, which is ridiculously deviant.

For some reason Anne says "THIS! Train has X coaches" on GWR, SWR and LNER systems, saying "This" in a bizarrely excited way. It's said far more naturally on Avanti and GTR's system.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I suspect there was some sort of incident on a WMT/LM station that resulted in the waffle about pushchairs. There was also a related one (on board I think) about taking them off the train backwards.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I've definitely heard "one six" and similar elsewhere. It's just to clarify it a bit as sixty/sixteen etc sound similar.

"Hundred hours" seems to have declined largely. I think Celia still says it for Northern and Chiltern, as her and Phil definitely did for SWR, but ATOS announcers only say "Hundred."

I suspect there was some sort of incident on a WMT/LM station that resulted in the waffle about pushchairs. There was also a related one (on board I think) about taking them off the train backwards.

Possibly, as Julie Berry whines on about it on-board their stock too. I know a trap and drag at Hayes & H is the reason David Sheppard moans about leaving closing doors alone on GWR services.

 

[gabrielhj07]

South Western Railway's odd Worldline system has her and Rodger say "The next train on Platform 2, doesn't stop here" of course, which I just think sounds terrible and unprofessional.

I still quite like the authoritative "Stand well away from the edge of platform (x). The approaching train is not scheduled to call at this station." Usually followed by a late running 159.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I still quite like the authoritative "Stand well away from the edge of platform (x). The approaching train is not scheduled to call at this station." Usually followed by a late running 159.

That’s obviously long gone now since Ditra got the boot, along with the creepy warning chime.

 

[Jimini]

Back in InterCity days - before automated announcements and scrolling platform PIS - one manual announcement regularly heard at Wigan North Western went something like:-
"Attention passengers on platform 4. The delayed 09 23 service to London Euston has been reported leaving Preston sixteen - one, six - minutes late."

Some days you'd get lucky and the same guy would announce:-
"Attention passengers on platform 4. The 09 23 service to London Euston has been reported on time leaving Preston".

Quite helpful to know your delayed train was on its way and how many minutes 'down' it was running - whilst giving just a statement of current facts, and subtly offering no guarantee it would eventually arrive 16 minutes late / on time, as the case may be.

I never remember hearing this “has been reported leaving on time / X minutes late” phraseology used at other stations at the time - particularly the "sixteen - one, six - minutes" bit. Maybe an ex-military man used to precision in communications?

Ooh, that’s just given me a flashback to the Sutton loop about 20/25 years ago. I remember there used to be automated announcements broadcasted from the help points (bit odd) at Tooting that would say “the next train has just left Streatham and will be with you shortly”, or something similar.

(Reading this thread for the first time, and another vote from me for missing the old “station, this is station” announcements, particularly at Clapham Junction in the ‘90s!)

 

[Rescars]

I fear this is now beyond living memory, but my great aunt used to recount with relish the pre-Tannoy announcements for trains heading south from Dorking North (as it then was). Confusing for the unwary, the cry was "OckleyCapelWarnhamOrsham, not stopping this side of Chichester!"

 

[Strathclyder]

Never mind the four chime jingle, I miss the three chime jingle! I always felt the addition of the 6th to the 1st 3rd 5th arpeggio was awkward!

Glasgow Central's erstwhile 3-chime jingle lives rent-free in my head. Been so long since I heard it in person, but along with 318s and 334s at full pelt between Paisley & Kilwinning, it defined so many family trips to Ayr & Largs:

(Reading this thread for the first time, and another vote from me for missing the old “station, this is station” announcements, particularly at Clapham Junction in the ‘90s!)

Videos of Clapham Junction in the late 90s and early 2000s have somehow given me a case of second-hand nostalgia for the 'Station. This is Station' announcements despite never hearing it in person. Videos like this one:

 

[CyrusWuff]

I suspect there was some sort of incident on a WMT/LM station that resulted in the waffle about pushchairs. There was also a related one (on board I think) about taking them off the train backwards.

I believe there was a (fortunately empty) pushchair incident at Banbury a few years ago, with turbulence from a passing freight train causing the pushchair to be swept off of the platform.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

That’s obviously long gone now since Ditra got the boot, along with the creepy warning chime.

What did it sound like again? Was that the one that went LOW-HI-LOW or the Connex one?