Re: Newspaper "beat ups" - and its not the Terrorgraph!! (was:News about fire on train near Linden Blue Mountains)

[matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au (Matthew Geier)]

In article <t4Nf5.21$1%6.7656@news0.optus.net.au>,
David Bromage <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote:
>Dave Proctor (daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au) wrote:
>> "Matthew Geier" <matthew@mail.usyd.edu.au> wrote in message
>> news:8lo3s2$ji9$1@spacebar.ucc.usyd.edu.au...
>
>> >  Having no emerency unlock at all is bad, but it can't be easy either. I
>> > agree with no inside emergency release, but there should be clearly marked
>> > external releases for emergency services personal to use.
>
>> External releases are fitted, the cops did not use them.
>
>And apparently nobody saw any need to use internal releases?
>

 NSW doesn't have internal emergency door releases any more. Too many
idiots operated them so they could hang out the doors. For a while
suburban stock had NO releases, they disabled the lot, now they seem
to be putting new external emergency releases back again.

 In all but a few cases the doors could still be released by the
guard is they thought it wise. Certainly this fire incident probably had
not killed the door controls, its just the crew thought it safest to
channel every one out one door, presumably so they could help people down
and keep an eye on them.

 I have been on a suburban train that had a jumper cable catch on fire. The
doors couldn't be opened on that car. I complained to Cityrail after that
about the fact that the guard had NO way to release the doors on the 'dead'
carrage, the external releases had been disabled. (Circlips around the air
valve!) It would appear the hoons discovered they could remove one of
the vestibule seat backs and operate that valve from the inside. Fortunatly
5 years later, they seem to be putting the external releases back again.