Blimey, current WTT's on line!

[Robin Summerhill]

The gobby female insisted that they had checked on the internet and there were trains leaving every half hour via Cheltenham, i.e. 1030,1100,1130 etc. Unfortunately, at 2230 they didn't like the answer they got and when I refused to give them a taxi at the Company's expense I ended up on the deck courtesy of her trained gorilla.

Used to have the same sort of thing on nights at BTM virtually every Tuesday morning, in the days before the internet.

You probably wouldn't be surprised at how many people used to turn up about 2345 on a Monday night hoping to get on the 0015 MO to Paddington

[jules]

You'd be amazed how many members of the general public used to try and board our charter trains, despite the fact it was obviously a loco hauled Pullman service, with white tablecloths, waiters, stewards and all the rest of it.

Even though the "Next train is not for public use" would be announced and shown at most stations, there were usually a few idiots who would board, regardless of next stop or destination. Having said that, we would often give lifts to stranded passengers of the major TOCs when the need arose ... IF they were well behaved and polite about it ...

[the green mile]

Absolutely correct Robin - I am not at all surprised because it still happens.

Totally agree Jules - manners and courtesy cost absolutely nothing. Customers (note: not passengers) with a genuine problem who approach staff with the right attitude will generally receive a sympathetic hearing.

We have in the past used spare capacity on the up Torbay Express charter to help clear people away from Weston-super-Mare after T4 On The Beach. In limited numbers of course so as not to upset the clientele who have paid handsomely for a special day out.

[Robin Summerhill]

when I refused to give them a taxi at the Company's expense....

Nothing to do with WTTs, but all this talk of misplaced or confused passengers and taxis reminded me of another story from my BTM days.

It was in the summer at about 0430 on a Saturday morning, in the days when overnight holiday trains still ran. The platform inspector wheeled four bleary-eyed Asians into the office, clutching Stockport to Euston tickets, who needed to get to Heathrow by 0730. If I remember correctly, Steve Dent was ASM that night.

He explained to them that it was clearly their own fault they were here because they got on the wrong train, and we didn't have a London train that would get them to LHR in time for their flight. He suggested they take a taxi at their own expense but, as their English wasn't too good, he told me to go over to the Taxi driver's room in the old station to get a price from somebody.

Did you know that walking into that room at 0430 in the morning and saying "Anybody want a Heathrow?" could shift a driver into action even if rigor mortis had set in?


Just to bring that story up-to-date in today's "modern" railway - if that happened today would the TOCs charge 'em a single from Stockport to Bristol?

[jules]

A friend of mine once happened upon an extremely drunken Irishman, in uncontrollable fits of laughter at Kings X, wildly waving goodbye to several of his equally drunken friends, who were hanging out of a rapidly departing Edinburgh train.

Once my friend had calmed the Irishman down he managed to get from him what he found so funny. "I'm the one that's going away!" he said, before bursting into fits of laughter again.

[oldchapie]

in 1952 i use to catch that train to return to longmoor military railway via padd and waterloo there was ticket inspector on that train who was a very good man when checking my ticket he always asked after my dad with whom he worked with before the 2nd world war.the train by the way was heavey loaded with national service lads after a short week end pass.

[jules]

Some of you have probably heard this one before, but we also used to have great fun with Australian students heading for Loughborough University.

On asking for Loughborough, one would look blankly at them and say "Where?". Repeat this act two or three times, before suddenly showing an understanding and saying: "Ah! You mean Lougabaarouga ..."

We often wondered what happened when they were changing trains further down the line: "Is that the train for Lougabaarouga mate?"

[the green mile]

That's a classic one which is is still doing the rounds. There is also the story of a flustered young foreign lady at Paddington who was trying to get home to Turkey. She was put on a train to Plymouth and told to change at Newton Abbot for the Paignton service.