[Anonymous]

[NTarrant]

Everyday operation of Southern Region electric trains of the slam door variety finishes on the 22nd May. The final resting place of these trains has been the Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier branch since their replacements in the south.

So if you wish to savour the big comfortable seats and the sound of the echo of the door being slammed shut you only have a week to do it.

[transtraxman]

I hope somebody remembers to save a couple of sets of these iconic trains for a museum. I am sure they will be in demand for some “period” film or TV series. Who knows, maybe some bright spark might offer nostalgic trips on them. Victoria, Waterloo and other south facing termini are not the same without them.

[TerryMcManus24]

” iconic trains for a museum”

Should have been sent to a museum 50 years ago.

Thats the problem with our rail network it is all a museum piece.
While other countries are building super duper 21st century mass transport rail systems …especially MAGLEV we actually boast about our little HS 1 between St Pancras and the countrys exit door at Dover.

Thats when its working of course.

[Bunnahabhain]

Do the East Coast HSTs not count as still being slam door? Yeah they now have a locking system for safety, but you still slam the door and for unmanned stations the cabin services director (guard as it’s better known) requests alighting passengers to do so behind them.

Wasn’t there also a passenger security issue with the SR ones? Wasn’t Murder on the 4.45 or whatever by Agatha Christie set around one?

[NTarrant]

It was the 4.50 from Paddington Jim. Southern electrics are the slam door trains. They were okay until H&S decided they were unsafe after god knows how many years with relatively few accidents. Like people getting out the wrong door and falling on the track bed, usually on a Friday or Saturday night after a skin full.

HST’s or the rest are not slam door in the same sense, look at the old films of them arriving at London Terminals (Waterloo, Victoria, Charing Cross) window down, door open and you are running down the platform before the train has stopped along with hundreds of others. Oh what nostagia and all very unPC and H&S!

There are not many countries building lots of railways, frankly HS2 will probably never be built. The UK rail system is better than it was 10 years ago but it still has a way to go. People sometimes forget that we have virtually a turn up and go system of high frequency services which some countries even with super dooper trains would dream of. Investment needs to be made in improving what we have and opening lines which made sensible connections.

Anyway only two days to go!

[transtraxman]

This is not the first time that I have seen the term MAGLEV used, I am sure that the use of it is erroneous since it means a type of transport system using magnetic levitation. This has only proved successful as an experimental or exhibition service as in Shangai.
High speed rail services as in operation in Japan and Continental Europe have nothing whatsoever to do with MAGLEV. Please make this clear as it has already been rejected by the vast number of countries who have looked at it.

[MarkCymru]

First Great Western has recently tarted up its slam door trains in the interests of keeping them going until 2017 (the slamming doors are at the end of the carriages on the “High Speed Sets”, not by the seats). Maybe it will be a boost for our tourism business — all those Europeans who want to see what trains used to be like in their grandparents’ day. To add insult to injury, journey times to South Wales are longer than they were in the 60s and a first class return to London in peak time costs over £250. Is this what they mean by the efficiencies of private enterprise? Give me SNCF any day.

[NTarrant]

Sorry Mark but HST’s are not slam door trains, even though you have to slam the door to shut it. There is a distinct difference. Agree about timings though, but it has nothing to do with the private enterprise.

Why would you want SNCF, other than main routes some of their stock is old, hard plastic seats and they operate a timetable that no one can remember and don’t both with trying to catch a train between 1200 and 1430 on the rural services as the crew are off for lunch and a glass of vino!

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