On Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:04:43 -0800 (PST), Mizter T
wrote this gibberish:

On 13 Jan, 19:58, MarkVarley - MVP
wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:37:46 -0800 (PST), MIG
wrote this gibberish:



On Jan 12, 3:29*pm, Huge wrote:

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:12:41 +0000, MarkVarley - MVP wrote:

(snip question 1)

2. why are there drivers sometimes?

Unionisation?

They can occasionally be driven manually in emergencies, but the
reason why you sometimes see them at the front isn't because they are
driving.

As well as from each doorway, they can also operate the doors from the
front of the train. *Sometimes it may just happen to be convenient,
and sometimes, eg at Canary Wharf, they need to be able to use the
mirrors to see both sides.

but why be on the train, operating the doors for a few stations, and
then not for the rest of the line?

As is made clear downthread but is worth emphasising anyway, a
Passenger Service Agent (PSA aka Train Captain) - is always on board a
train [1], just maybe not the particular vehicle you're on.

I say vehicle because I mean what is effectively a two carriage
articulated thing that forms a self-contained unit - currently they go
around in twos, so four 'carriages', and will go around in threes,
hence six 'carriages' - note however that in official parlance a unit
or vehicle is a "car", so we will be getting three car trains, not
six! (Have I confused you yet?!)

By the by, Train Captains were renamed as PSAs quite a number of years
ago, but the old name seems to have stuck. At least they're PSAs not
CSAs!

-----
[1] Always on board, except when they're not!:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11...f_on_platform/


Ah, I had assumed they were fully automated, now I understand, the
times I've been alone there must have been a PSA in the other car.

Thanks for the clarity!

"Eventually, a slightly out-of-breath Passenger Service Agent arrived,
having presumably just legged it from the previous station" - this is
just hilarious )
--
Mark Varley
www.MarkVarleyPhoto.co.uk
www.BeautifulBondage.net
www.TwistedPhotography.co.uk
London, England.