Re: Amusing On train public announcements
Ian Jelf (ian@bluebadge.demon.co.uk)
Sun, 8 Feb 1998 13:03:03 +0000
In article <01bd31b3$e040ebe0$01010101@mikeya>, Mike Alexander
<malex@bigfoot.com> writes
>I heard some classics when living in London last year:
>
>"Ladies and Gentlemen, Some of you may be able to smell a burning smell.
>(Look of panic from commuters) This is quite normal, and is caused by a
>stuck brake."
>
>or this one, after the train had just ground to a halt in a tunnel with an
>obvious power failure:
>
>"Ladies and Gentlemen, as you may have noticed, we have lost power. I would
>tell you what's going on, except that the radio doesn't work without
>power!" (The P.A. system obviously must be on a battery)
>
>On one occasion, after commuters had been shuffled from train to train
>after a failure, we got the driver saying "Control has just advised me that
>they want you to change trains _again_. Bear with me while I contact them
>and see if we can't talk some sense into them." We then got to hear him
>arguing with the control centre, who finally gave in and let us continue on
>that train!
>
>The Brits can have a wicked sense of humour during a stuff-up.
>
We certainly can! I remember an announcement to passengers leaving a
train at Birmingham Snow Hill once that said "thank you for bothering"!
Even better, a few years ago I was on an Intercity train from
Birmingham, approaching London Euston. The guard came on the PA
towards the end of the journey to thank everyone for travelling and then
announced that we were arriving ten minutes or so ahead of schedule.
So far so good.
He *then* went on to say how this was especially wonderful as the driver
was a woman, and hadn't she done well, etc.!
Oh dear! The whole train erupted in laughter (good job they took it
that way). Sure that couldn't happen in Oz!
Kind regards
--
Ian Jelf http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk
Heart of England Tourist Board Registered Guide