In message , at 14:03:48 on
Sun, 3 Aug 2008, David Hansen
remarked:
Some years ago a lady got off a HST at Markinch. She had not checked
to see if there was a platform to put her feet on and as a result
she broke her ankle when she landed on the lineside. Such things
are/were not common, but are a reason to slowly eliminate the
possibility.

On lines equipped with conductor rails the result might be worse. In
some places, generally in built up areas, lines come together
quickly after the platform and someone could fall onto or near
another line. Some platforms are near bridges and there is the
possibility of people stepping off into a river or over a large
drop, or onto a bridge parapet which they then fall off. The
relatively well known case of the former was at Bath Spa, with a
soldier stepping out of a train and falling into the river.

I've seen people almost getting off an over-length slam-door southern
region train at Wokingham - the result would be landing on the level
crossing!
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote

I've seen people almost getting off an over-length slam-door southern
region train at Wokingham - the result would be landing on the level
crossing!

Overlength, or just stopped short? Anything over 8 coaches on the Windsor
Lines would be an embarrassment, as few if any of the platforms are longer,
and particularly nothing longer than 8 can use platforms 4A/4B at Reading -
indeed, they had to move the starting signals to get 8-car 458s in there.

Peter

In message , at 16:04:47 on
Sun, 3 Aug 2008, Peter Masson remarked:
I've seen people almost getting off an over-length slam-door southern
region train at Wokingham - the result would be landing on the level
crossing!

Overlength, or just stopped short? Anything over 8 coaches on the Windsor
Lines would be an embarrassment, as few if any of the platforms are longer,
and particularly nothing longer than 8 can use platforms 4A/4B at Reading -
indeed, they had to move the starting signals to get 8-car 458s in there.

This would have been about 1980. Does Wokingham normally have room for 8
cars?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote

This would have been about 1980. Does Wokingham normally have room for 8
cars?

It's had 8-car trains for many years - although IIRC until the 1970s the
more common arrangement was for 8-car trains to split at Ascot into Reading
and Guildford via Aldershot portions.

Peter