I thought the idea behind the Cambrian Coast line was to run at absolute 
minimum service. So RETB to eliminate signalling staff, lots of request 
stops, ticket sales on the train instead of at the station, and so on.

Yet at Dyffryn Ardudwy station there's a Portacabin with someone working 
in it even late at night (well, 21:30). He doesn't sell tickets that I 
can see, and the UWC hardly needs a full-time keeper [*]. So what's he 
doing?

[*] Admittedly, I wasn't ever there when a train was.

-- 
Clive D.W. Feather                       | Home: 
Tel: +44 20 8495 6138 (work)             | Web:  <http://www.davros.org>
Fax: +44 870 051 9937                    | Work: 
Please reply to the Reply-To address, which is:

"Clive D. W. Feather"  wrote in message 
news:FH5W7iOtuj4CFwD5@romana.davros.org...

>I thought the idea behind the Cambrian Coast line was to run at absolute 
>minimum service. So RETB to eliminate signalling staff, lots of request 
>stops, ticket sales on the train instead of at the station, and so on.
>
> Yet at Dyffryn Ardudwy station there's a Portacabin with someone working 
> in it even late at night (well, 21:30). He doesn't sell tickets that I can 
> see, and the UWC hardly needs a full-time keeper [*]. So what's he doing?
>
> [*] Admittedly, I wasn't ever there when a train was.


I've seen him there when a 158 was pulling out and he appears to be a 
Network Rail guy involved with the gates.  I assumed he was a crossing 
keeper at the time, but like you, I wondered if he was a full time 'keeper.

Chris...

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 22:57:18 +0100, Chris Pelling wrote in
, seen in uk.railway:

> "Clive D. W. Feather"  wrote in message 
> news:FH5W7iOtuj4CFwD5@romana.davros.org...
>
> >I thought the idea behind the Cambrian Coast line was to run at absolute 
> >minimum service. So RETB to eliminate signalling staff, lots of request 
> >stops, ticket sales on the train instead of at the station, and so on.
> >
> > Yet at Dyffryn Ardudwy station there's a Portacabin with someone working 
> > in it even late at night (well, 21:30). He doesn't sell tickets that I can 
> > see, and the UWC hardly needs a full-time keeper [*]. So what's he doing?
> >
> > [*] Admittedly, I wasn't ever there when a train was.
> 
> I've seen him there when a 158 was pulling out and he appears to be a 
> Network Rail guy involved with the gates.  I assumed he was a crossing 
> keeper at the time, but like you, I wondered if he was a full time 'keeper.


I wonder if there have been any 'incidents' at that UWC, or if there's
adjacent work going on.

One of our UWCs was temporarily manned when there was construction
work being undertaken at the works on the other side of the crossing.
I suspect the traffic density took it over the level permitted for
UWCs. 

-- 
Ross, Lincoln, UK

We're *not* afraid
http://www.werenotafraid.com

There is a similar situation at  Kings Sutton, following a near miss at
the miniture R/G footcrossing there.
The crossing keeper has his own portakabin there too.