Trivia: Furthest station away from their intended destination that you have seen someone accidentally end up at.

[MadMac]

Perhaps they are friends with the folk who turn up periodically with buckets and spades at Carshalton Beeches......?

I’ve told the story before of working at Redondo Beach station (west end of the Green/C line on LA Metro) when a chap got off a train and asked how to get to the beach. The station is named after the road running underneath, Redondo Beach Boulevard: the actual City of Redondo Beach and its beach are about 4 1/2 miles away…..

 

[RJ]

I was on the 2330 from Euston to Birmingham a couple of months ago. A couple who had got on at Euston were trying to get to Welwyn Garden City. They got off at Rugby in the small hours, unsure what they did but the woman was on the phone to her husband sounding frantic…

 

[duncanp]

I was on the 2330 from Euston to Birmingham a couple of month ago. A couple who had got on at Euston were trying to get to Welwyn Garden City. They got off at Rugby in the small hours, unsure what they did but the woman was on the phone to her husband sounding frantic…

Just as well it wasn't the overnight sleeper to Inverness/Fort William/Aberdeen.

I wonder how on earth that could have happened though.

The final destination and calling pattern of each train from Euston is clearly advertised, and whilst people can sometimes get on the wrong train, no train from Euston goes to Welwyn Garden City, or any destination that sounds remotely like it.

 

[RJ]

Just as well it wasn't the overnight sleeper to Inverness/Fort William/Aberdeen.

I wonder how on earth that could have happened though.

The final destination and calling pattern of each train from Euston is clearly advertised, and whilst people can sometimes get on the wrong train, no train from Euston goes to Welwyn Garden City, or any destination that sounds remotely like it.

Trust me, I was just as perplexed as you are!

 

[D6130]

One night about fifteen years ago, I was walking down platform 1 at Leeds ready to drive the last train (23 14) to Skipton, when I came across a well-dressed, but slightly dishevelled - and extremely drunk - middle-aged business type lady sprawled out on a bench in the waiting shelter at the far end of the platform, sobbing gently to herself. Trying to help her, I eventually ascertained that she had been to a leaving do (perhaps her own?) in London; boarded the Kings Cross-Bradford train which had arrived and departed in platform 1 an hour or so beforehand; tipped out in Leeds and collapsed into the shelter. She had intended to alight at Peterborough, where her husband was supposed to be meeting her, but had obviously fallen asleep. She couldn't find her phone - and indeed may well have lost it - so I lent her mine. She was so drunk that she couldn't type in her husband's number, so I had to do it for her. At this point the platform despatcher arrived, as it was almost my departure time. I 'helpfully' suggested that she should maybe take a room at the nearby Travelodge, to save her husband from having to drive all the way from somewhere near Peterborough to Leeds and back in the middle of the night....at which point she broke off from shouting and swearing at her husband and screamed at me "I'm not going to spend the f***ing night in some f***ing doss house in some god-forsaken Northern f***ing city!" At this point I retrieved my phone and entered the cab of my 333 ready for departure, leaving Madame Foulmouth in the capable hands of my platform colleague. There's gratitude for you!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

One night about fifteen years ago, I was walking down platform 1 at Leeds ready to drive the last train (23 14) to Skipton, when I came across a well-dressed, but slightly dishevelled - and extremely drunk - middle-aged business type lady sprawled out on a bench in the waiting shelter at the far end of the platform, sobbing gently to herself. Trying to help her, I eventually ascertained that she had been to a leaving do (perhaps her own?) in London; boarded the Kings Cross-Bradford train which had arrived and departed in platform 1 an hour or so beforehand; tipped out in Leeds and collapsed into the shelter. She had intended to alight at Peterborough, where her husband was supposed to be meeting her, but had obviously fallen asleep. She couldn't find her phone - and indeed may well have lost it - so I lent her mine. She was so drunk that she couldn't type in her husband's number, so I had to do it for her. At this point the platform despatcher arrived, as it was almost my departure time. I 'helpfully' suggested that she should maybe take a room at the nearby Travelodge, to save her husband from having to drive all the way from somewhere near Peterborough to Leeds and back in the middle of the night....at which point she broke off from shouting and swearing at her husband and screamed at me "I'm not going to spend the f***ing night in some f***ing doss house in some god-forsaken Northern f***ing city!" At this point I retrieved my phone and entered the cab of my 333 ready for departure, leaving Madame Foulmouth in the capable hands of my platform colleague. There's gratitude for you!

Hopefully her husband finally got a good night's sleep for the first time since before their wedding night!

 

[D6130]

Hopefully her husband finally got a good night's sleep for the first time since before their wedding night!

I strongly suspect that he got no sleep at all that night, with having to drive all the way to Leeds and then drive his 'lovely' wife all the way home again....unless, of course, he declined and left her to her own devices for the rest of the night. What would other forum members have done in the circumstances? (Sorry, going a wee bit OT here....but I'm curious!)

 

[Furryanimal]

Isn't platform 4A the same as platform 4 at Reading? They are the same at Southampton!

No idea -it’s so long since I’ve got off a train at Reading I may have the platform numbers wrong...but the Waterloo trains left from the neighbouring dead end platforms to the ones arriving from Paddington.And had ‘A‘ and ‘B’ added
to the number.
I knew this because i made the trip often-despite the staff at Newport station always insisting I’d be better off going via Paddington and the tube!

 

[Gloster]

No idea -it’s so long since I’ve got off a train at Reading I may have the platform numbers wrong...but the Waterloo trains left from the neighbouring dead end platforms to the ones arriving from Paddington.And had ‘A‘ and ‘B’ added
to the number.
I knew this because i made the trip often-despite the staff at Newport station always insisting I’d be better off going via Paddington and the tube!

For many years Platform 4 at Reading was the Down Main Platform, while 4A was a separate, narrow one stuck on the London end for the Southern Region trains to Staines/Waterloo and Tonbridge/Redhill/Gatwick. Later they added a second face on the south side, which was (I think) 4B. 4A was there when I first knew it in the 1970s and dated from the closure of the old Southern station, but it was all renumbered by the rebuilding.

 

[jfollows]

For many years Platform 4 at Reading was the Down Main Platform, while 4A was a separate, narrow one stuck on the London end for the Southern Region trains to Staines/Waterloo and Tonbridge/Redhill/Gatwick. Later they added a second face on the south side, which was (I think) 4B. 4A was there when I first knew it in the 1970s and dated from the closure of the old Southern station, but it was all renumbered by the rebuilding.

My post #94 above includes a diagram of the layout prior to the recent remodelling.

 

[TwoYellas]

One night about fifteen years ago, I was walking down platform 1 at Leeds ready to drive the last train (23 14) to Skipton, when I came across a well-dressed, but slightly dishevelled - and extremely drunk - middle-aged business type lady sprawled out on a bench in the waiting shelter at the far end of the platform, sobbing gently to herself. Trying to help her, I eventually ascertained that she had been to a leaving do (perhaps her own?) in London; boarded the Kings Cross-Bradford train which had arrived and departed in platform 1 an hour or so beforehand; tipped out in Leeds and collapsed into the shelter. She had intended to alight at Peterborough, where her husband was supposed to be meeting her, but had obviously fallen asleep. She couldn't find her phone - and indeed may well have lost it - so I lent her mine. She was so drunk that she couldn't type in her husband's number, so I had to do it for her. At this point the platform despatcher arrived, as it was almost my departure time. I 'helpfully' suggested that she should maybe take a room at the nearby Travelodge, to save her husband from having to drive all the way from somewhere near Peterborough to Leeds and back in the middle of the night....at which point she broke off from shouting and swearing at her husband and screamed at me "I'm not going to spend the f***ing night in some f***ing doss house in some god-forsaken Northern f***ing city!" At this point I retrieved my phone and entered the cab of my 333 ready for departure, leaving Madame Foulmouth in the capable hands of my platform colleague. There's gratitude for you!

I fully sympathise with the lady here. Despite your best effort above to prove otherwise; your suggestion was most unreasonable and the ladies reaction to it completely justified.

To investigate your claim that you were being "helpful", I did some research on the establishment you recommended as a suitable solution. A review on TripAdvisor of this central hotel (about 20 reviews down) describe travellers being kept awake all night by couples engaging in sexual relations!

So I conclude that the ladies suspicion that the place is a "f---ing doss house" to have been quite a reasonable assumption and therefore your advice was total pants!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I fully sympathise with the lady here. Despite your best effort above to prove otherwise; your suggestion was most unreasonable and the ladies reaction to it completely justified.

To investigate your claim that you were being "helpful", I did some research on the establishment you recommended as a suitable solution. A review on TripAdvisor of this central hotel (about 20 reviews down) describe travellers being kept awake all night by couples engaging in sexual relations!

So I conclude that the ladies suspicion that the place is a "f---ing doss house" to have been quite a reasonable assumption and therefore your advice was total pants!

So traincrew are now expected to check up on reviews of local hotels before directing drunk and rude individuals to them? If they don't they aren't being "helpful" enough?

"We are sorry to announce that the 0530 Northern service to By'ecksville is delayed by 15 minutes. This is due to a member of staff acting as travel agent to a drunken entitled wino".

 

[D6130]

So traincrew are now expected to check up on reviews of local hotels before directing drunk and rude individuals to them? If they don't they aren't being "helpful" enough?

"We are sorry to announce that the 0530 Northern service to By'ecksville is delayed by 15 minutes. This is due to a member of staff acting as travel agent to a drunken entitled wino".

To be fair to @TwoYellas , I think that their post was very tongue-in-cheek....but they forgot to add the 'smiley' icon! Furthermore, I wouldn't have delayed my train unless the woman was in immediate medical danger and there was no other member of staff present.

 

[TwoYellas]

So traincrew are now expected to check up on reviews of local hotels before directing drunk and rude individuals to them? If they don't they aren't being "helpful" enough?

"We are sorry to announce that the 0530 Northern service to By'ecksville is delayed by 15 minutes. This is due to a member of staff acting as travel agent to a drunken entitled wino".

I forgot to put a at the end of my post.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

To be fair to @TwoYellas , I think that their post was very tongue-in-cheek....but they forgot to add the 'smiley' icon! Furthermore, I wouldn't have delayed my train unless the woman was in immediate medical danger and there was no other member of staff present.

I forgot to put a at the end of my post .

Fair point, I shouldn't have needed a smiley for that!