David Cantrell wrote:

Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit 10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without *very*
expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads and bridges,
and demolishing houses.

SDO?

Neil
--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK. Put first name before the at to reply.

On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 07:22:13PM +0000, Neil Williams wrote:
David Cantrell wrote:
Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit 10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without *very*
expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads and bridges,
and demolishing houses.
SDO?

It appears that train companies are allergic to SDO, for no good reason.

Incidentally, I'm not even convinced that they need to lengthen the
platforms at Thornton Heath. There is a long section of unused platform
under the main station building and Brigstock Road that hasn't been used
for decades. It's dark, dingy, covered in umpty years of debris, but I
can't help but feel that restoring that to use would be cheaper. I also
don't see the point of installing shelters on platform four (only ever
used for five or six days a year, and would question whether it's worth
putting in a lift there - it's used so seldom that they would save money
by just putting old crumblies and their ilk in taxis on those handful of
days). Those shelters and the lift only become good value for money if
they're going to have a lot more trains stopping at the station, and so
use all four platforms regularly.

But the best money-wasting of all on this project is that a few weeks
before it started, there was a large gang of construction chappies
installing metal fencing down the middle of the island platform, between
the faces numbered 2 and 3, presumably to stop the inconsiderate from
leaping in front of trains running past platform 3 - not that I ever
recall anyone actually *doing* that at Thornton Heath. So anyway, they
installed this fencing, went away, then the next construction crew
arrived to extend the platforms, install a lift and a new footbridge -
and the first thing they did was rip out the fencing because it was in
the way. Brilliant!

--
David Cantrell | Cake Smuggler Extraordinaire

People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to
compete with children from privileged homes like ... Tony Benn
-- Margaret Thatcher

In message
.
net, Neil Williams wrote:
Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit 10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without *very*
expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads and bridges,
and demolishing houses.

SDO?

SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the platform,
not an entire coach at each end.

--
Clive D.W. Feather | Home:
Mobile: +44 7973 377646 | Web: http://www.davros.org
Please reply to the Reply-To address, which is:

Clive D. W. Feather wrote
Neil Williams wrote:
Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage
trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit
10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without
*very*
expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads and
bridges,
and demolishing houses.

SDO?

SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the
platform,
not an entire coach at each end.

LDO ?

For some NR services two or more coaches can be right off the platform.

On SWT, Clapham Junction, New Milton, Hinton Admiral, Ash Vale, Alton
and of course Bentley (Hants) with room for only 4 coaches.

And I remember taking my bicycle from Banbury to High Wycombe (about
1960) and the train having to be moved to let me get off from the rear
coach with the guard's van.

--
Mike D

"Clive D. W. Feather" wrote:

SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the platform,
not an entire coach at each end.

SDO is presently used at Bletchley for 4 cars (a whole unit) off the end of
the 8 car platform on a number of trains. The platform is being extended,
but it has been used in that manner for well over 2 years.

I've also seen SDO 4 in use of 12 when (because of a points failure) a 12
car set departed Bletchley P6.

Why not? It of course helps if your units are gangwayed as LM's are and
all should be, IMO.

Neil
--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK. Put first name before the at to reply.

On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 11:38:01PM +0000, Clive D. W. Feather wrote:
In message
.
net, Neil Williams wrote:
Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit 10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without *very*
expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads and bridges,
and demolishing houses.
SDO?
SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the platform,

No. On National Rail it's normally used to allow one or more carriages
to be off the end of the platform. eg at Billingshurst, where it's
common for 8 carriage trains to stop at a 4 carriage platform, or
Battersea Park where 8 carriage trains stop at a 7 carriage platform.

not an entire coach at each end.

You're right about that though. Trains normally stop so that the front
or the rear of the train is at the platform.

--
David Cantrell | Hero of the Information Age

Just because it is possible to do this sort of thing
in the English language doesn't mean it should be done

In message

..net, at 09:36:55 on Mon, 25 Feb 2013, Neil Williams
remarked:
SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the platform,
not an entire coach at each end.

SDO is presently used at Bletchley for 4 cars (a whole unit) off the end of
the 8 car platform on a number of trains. The platform is being extended,
but it has been used in that manner for well over 2 years.

Until they recently lengthened the platform, northbound HSTs stopping at
Loughborough had the rear three coaches locked out, and the front three
southbound. That's for decades.

They also used SUO (selective unit opening - I just made that up) on the
rear unit of some 4+4 (or maybe 5+5) Meridians between Nottingham and
Loughborough southbound in the morning each hour, opening up the rear
unit for the first time at Leicester.

Infamously, Meridians (like Voyagers) don't have a corridor connection
between the two units.
--
Roland Perry

SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the
platform, not an entire coach at each end.

The Southern 377s have the capability not to enable the doors on one or
maybe more coaches, and they make helpful automated (though not always
correct) announcements like 'Customers for XYZ should travel in the front 7
coaches; this is coach 4 of 8'.

Peter

--
|| Peter CS ~ Epsom ~ UK | pjcs02 [at] gmail.com |

On Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:07:15 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
Infamously, Meridians (like Voyagers) don't have a corridor connection
between the two units.

They're also unpleasently narrow and cramped and very noisy because of the
underfloor engines. Hideous things both of them.

Spud

In article 01ce1205$f45a0600$LocalHost@default, (Michael R
N Dolbear) wrote:

Clive D. W. Feather wrote
Neil Williams wrote:
Because the platforms are being lengthened for *10* carriage trains,
which isn't a multiple of 4. And they're being lengthened to fit 10
carriage trains because they can't squeeze any more in without
*very* expensive work with things like acquiring land, moving roads
and bridges, and demolishing houses.

SDO?

SDO is normally used to allow one set of doors to be off the platform,
not an entire coach at each end.

LDO ?

For some NR services two or more coaches can be right off the
platform.

On SWT, Clapham Junction, New Milton, Hinton Admiral, Ash Vale, Alton
and of course Bentley (Hants) with room for only 4 coaches.

At Shawford with 10-car class 444 trains they stop so that only the first
door of the front coach actually opens. The back unit is well off the
platforms.

--
Colin Rosenstiel