Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Adelante's - 105/224
Written by Nick Field on Wednesday, 4th January 2006

As well as HST's on longer distance services first great western also run a fleet of Class 180 Adelante DMU's, these are five car units capable of 125mph.

Re: Adelante's - 105/226
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 5th January 2006

The fabulous news about the Adalantes is that they have selective door opening so they COULD stop and Melksham and have only doors at the platform opening. With the 125s, I've been told that they can't stop at Melksham because there's no way that the doors can be opened on the section of the train that's at the platform only.   

This is a very odd business - you may have come across many other cases of trains such as 125s stopping at short platforms. The difference is that in the case of Melksham the station was closed from 1966 to 1985 and re-opened under different laws /  a different health and safety, so in "our" case it's regarded as unacceptably dangerous to release door locks when a coach isn't alongside the platform.

Re: Adelante's - 105/230
Written by Nick Field on Thursday, 5th January 2006


This is a very odd business - you may have come across many other cases of trains such as 125s stopping at short platforms. The difference is that in the case of Melksham the station was closed from 1966 to 1985 and re-opened under different laws /

Re: Adelante's - 105/232
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 6th January 2006

Yes, trains can only stop to load and unload passengers at Melksham station if either the train is shorter than the platform or the train doors are set up in such a way that the staff can allow ONLY those doors that are alongside the platrotm to be opened.

This means that 125s cannot make a passenger stop, and it's also prevented special trains calling to pick up or drop off passengers.

Re: Adelante's - 105/273
Written by Sion Bretton on Tuesday, 17th January 2006

Yet when Wessex Trains ran the  "Summer train" from Weymouth to Bristol. It stopped at Avoncliff & Freshord.
125's do stop at short platforms like Stonehouse (in Glos).

Re: Adelante's - 105/277
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Tuesday, 17th January 2006

[quote author=Sion Bretton link=topic=105.msg273#msg273 date=1137529320]
Yet when Wessex Trains ran the

 
link to index of articles


Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham.

Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome.

The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users.

We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can.

-- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021


This site is hosted by Well House Consultants Ltd. (http://www.wellho.net)
Contact Information
 

Further Information:
 Home
 Current Summary
 Daily update
 User forum
 Consultation
 Service now
 Service future
 Future Analysis
 Recent Statistics
 Recent letters
 Letter to DfT
 Save the train
 Presentation
 Support us
 Other Maps
 Station facilities
 Station approach
 Pictures
 Trains diverted
 History
 About Melksham
 Site Map
 About this site