1960s station Announcements

[Evertrainz]

If anyone remembers, did the station announcements from the 60s/early 70s in the midlands sound similar to how they sound today? In terms of what is announced, and the frequency? I ask because the technology back then would obviously have been less robust and the announcements might have been less frequent. 
 

Anyone’s input or memories are welcome

Edited August 2, 2021 by Evertrainz

[MidlandRed]

1 hour ago, Evertrainz said:

If anyone remembers, did the station announcements from the 60s/early 70s in the midlands sound similar to how they sound today? In terms of what is announced, and the frequency? I ask because the technology back then would obviously have been less robust and the announcements might have been less frequent. 
 

Anyone’s input or memories are welcome

I recall at Birmingham New Street they had a number of ‘live’ announcers rather than electronic announcements. I recall particularly that one of them used the announce the ex Western Region Snow Hill trains as calling at Kidderminister, in a very regional accent!! (As opposed to Kidderminster).

[Evertrainz]

12 minutes ago, MidlandRed said:

I recall at Birmingham New Street they had a number of ‘live’ announcers rather than electronic announcements. I recall particularly that one of them used the announce the ex Western Region Snow Hill trains as calling at Kidderminister, in a very regional accent!! (As opposed to Kidderminster).

 

This informative film has quite a bit of interesting old footage. At one point the announcer calls for a carriage and wagon examiner to check for faulty brakes on the stopped express. All live, like you say. Another question - was it only the big stations that had announcements? Or did smaller stations also have them?

 

Now the tough part will be finding a text-to-speech software that has that posh old style of spoken English!

 

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

Not sixties as I wasn't there.

 

But in the 1970s and '80s it was just the big mainline stations and it was usually a woman like on Hi De Hi (I know that's a holiday camp).

 

 

You could never understand a word they were saying though....

[pH]

In the sixties, they were definitely live!

 

I was at Carlisle Citadel twice in a week in the summer of 1964. It would appear that the announcer was in the control office (makes some sense, since that would be where there would be information about arrivals, delays etc.). It would also appear that the announcer(s) were rather negligent about switching off the microphone between announcements.

 

On my midweek visit, there was a broadcast of one end of a phone call in which the announcer was describing in detail the packed lunch he was about to eat. 

The Saturday visit was at the end of the Glasgow Fair. In those days many (most?) people still holidayed in the UK. There would be a steady stream of extras for people returning to the Glasgow area from holidays in England. Most of these would not be stopping in Carlisle, and so would be routed round Citadel on the goods lines through Carlisle. Passengers on the platforms in Citadel were treated to a controller’s very colourful opinion of the Leeds Holbeck shedmaster, who had sent one special with a driver who did not know the goods lines, and for which the controller was therefore going to have to find a path through a very busy Citadel station.

[Wheatley]

I don't recall any automated announcements on the ER much before the 1990s. Sheffield, Leeds and Doncaster station announcers were in the signal boxes, those at Sheffield sitting between the panel and the regulators where they picked up what was going on without having to be told. Some smaller stations could do their own announcing, usually by the station supervisors and usually by exception. At Barnsley the signalmen did it (or didn't do it depending on how militant we were feeling, we weren't paid any extra to do it) with no training and predictably hilarious and occasionally x-rated results on occasions. 

[Rivercider]

I have some memories of the late 1960s/early 1970s announcers (I think there were two regular men) at Exeter St Davids, the announcer office was located in a small wooden cabin constructed on the half landing of the western side footsteps to platforms 3/4. One of the announcers had a very pronounced way of saying platform 'foive'.

 

cheers

[Oldddudders]

On Southern, most stations of any importance would have a PA system, operated typically by a member of platform staff, although at major stations, e.g. East Croydon, the announcer might be in the signalbox. Small stations lacking a system might have a loudhailer for use by staff. 

 

From the mid-60s, Long-Line PA began to be introduced as a part of resignalling schemes - I think Guildford in 1966 and certainly Basingstoke in 1967 had this. This enabled a dedicated person in the box to broadcast to one or more stations - useful if a train was delayed or cancelled. This new system was typically in parallel with the local PA at each station. 

 

I'm not sure when recorded announcements first came into use, but Southern's principal supplier was Informat Services of Mitcham, and by the late '70s these systems were being rolled out to key locations. They were taped messages recorded at Informat's studio by people, sometimes railway staff, chosen for their speaking voice. A lady called Angela was a very popular choice, with a BBC accent and clear enunciation. It was usual to provide a contrasting voice for opposing platforms, thus if both systems were broadcasting at once, the two voices remained distinct, so John might be on the other side of the station from Angela. 

[Tim Chambers]

Early '60s, the announcer at Plymouth North Road had the most superb Cornish accent, you couldn't wait to hear him list all the Cornish stations for a down service! 

[Nearholmer]

The old, locally made, announcements had a bit more character. I particularly remember a jovial West Indian guy at Norwood Junction who always announced the stop as “Narra-wad Yonk-shun”, and a young guy at Lewes, who had a very distinctive way of calling a train to “Newhaven and Seeeeeford”, rather like a donkey braying.

 

The earlier auto ones were distinctive too, always beginning “Click….ssss…..The next train at Platform …….”.

 

If you want a flavour for classic announcing at a big terminus, watch the 1961(?) film “Terminus”, in which the announcer at Waterloo gets major billing.

 

Some minor stations still got by on a member of staff shouting at the top of his voice, sans technical assistance, even in the 1970s.

 

 

[kernowtim]

When on the annual holiday to Felixstowe I would often get the train to Ipswich and spend the afternoon on the station, like you do!

The announcements would always start something like "Ipswich, this Is Ipswich, the next train arriving at platform 1 is the .... departure for ....... Calling at.."

This was late 70s, early 80s before electrification,  still a signal cabin on one platform with a large armchair, when I first went!

Never took any photos though.

[billy_anorak59]

If it's any use, there is a station announcer soundbite just about halfway through the Supertramp song 'Rudy' which was on the Album 'Crime of the Century'. I reckon that the album was dated 1974, so the recording was probably round about then too. The station sounds to be Paddington, given the destinations in the announcement:

"The 19.45 train to Bristol Temple Meads will depart from Platform 2, calling at Reading, Didcot, Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa, and Bristol Temple Meads. Passengers for Radley, change at Didcot".

 

As a bonus, the track starts with a brief sound clip of what sounds like a Class 50 too!

[Oldddudders]

The scope for local interpretation of names was interesting. South from Dorking North - as it then was - local trains called at Holmwood, Ockley & Capel, Warnham and Horsham. This became "'Olmwood, Hockley, Warnem an 'Orsham" to one regular broadcaster. 

 

Which reminds me of the morning SM Harry Pawsey came into the ticket office chuckling. The announcing point at Dorking North was by the ticket-collector's box. Harry had just been announcing the next trains for Waterloo and London Bridge. A woman passenger stood patiently near him while he made his announcement and then asked "Is that right?"

[The Border Reiver]

7 hours ago, pH said:

In the sixties, they were definitely live!

 

I was at Carlisle Citadel twice in a week in the summer of 1964. It would appear that the announcer was in the control office (makes some sense, since that would be where there would be information about arrivals, delays etc.). It would also appear that the announcer(s) were rather negligent about switching off the microphone between announcements.

 

On my midweek visit, there was a broadcast of one end of a phone call in which the announcer was describing in detail the packed lunch he was about to eat. 

The Saturday visit was at the end of the Glasgow Fair. In those days many (most?) people still holidayed in the UK. There would be a steady stream of extras for people returning to the Glasgow area from holidays in England. Most of these would not be stopping in Carlisle, and so would be routed round Citadel on the goods lines through Carlisle. Passengers on the platforms in Citadel were treated to a controller’s very colourful opinion of the Leeds Holbeck shedmaster, who had sent one special with a driver who did not know the goods lines, and for which the controller was therefore going to have to find a path through a very busy Citadel station.

As a Carlisle lad, very few trains used the goods lines through Carlisle as nearly every train had an engine change in the station. In the 8 years I was on the Station spotting on the Glasgow Fair  Saturdays, we only saw 2 trains use the goods lines. We spent the Glasgow Fair Saturdays running from one end of the station to the other so not to miss anything. One Saturday, trains were stacked up as far as Rockcliffe a few miles north of the station waiting for free platforms in the station. Great days indeed!

[iands]

Back in the early/mid 80s a former colleague of mine (who shall remain nameless) related a story to me how one day he and his supervisor were investigating a number of faults reported on the PA at Parkeston Quay, which involved checking each speaker on each long platform. Rather than the announcer makeing  repeated announcements, the announcer said she had a music tape somewhere that she could play between "proper announcements". After a little searching in the draw she found an unlabelled tape which she assumed was the said music tape. Tape duly inserted into the  cassette deck and switched on. After a few seconds of hiss and crackle, a guitar instrumental was heard. The announcer said it wasn't the usual music she remembered, but the supervisor said it would do very nicely so he and my mate set of down the platform checking speakers. They got about half way down the platform when the tune stopped and after a few seconds another tune started. My mate stopped and said "I think I know this tune". Too right he did, all of a sudden bursting into song all over Parkeston Quay station PA was Ivor Biggun and "I'm a wa*ker". Cue the scene of a purple faced supervisor running down the platform screaming at the top of his voice "switch it off, switch it off", and my mate laid on his back on a trolley, tears rolling down his face in helpless with laughter! 

A very true story that couldn't possibly happen in today's modern technologically sophisticated world - could it? 

Ah, happy days. 

[jonny777]

9 hours ago, Evertrainz said:

 

This informative film has quite a bit of interesting old footage. At one point the announcer calls for a carriage and wagon examiner to check for faulty brakes on the stopped express. All live, like you say. Another question - was it only the big stations that had announcements? Or did smaller stations also have them?

 

 

At Sleaford in the 1960s, it was a regular job for one of the porters to walk out onto the platform and shout "Boston train. All stations to Boston" (or equivalent if the train was heading for Grantham or Lincoln). 

 

As people have hinted, at large stations with overall roofs, it was impossible to understand what the announcer was saying because the sound just echoed back and forth and mixed with the general noise of steam, diesel, platform whistles, engine whistles, etc. If a Deltic was moving under the roof at Kings Cross, it was difficult to hear any other noise, let alone the station announcer. I presume the same applied at York, Newcastle and Edinburgh; but I didn't visit those stations regularly (more's the pity). 

[Oldddudders]

Your mention of York reminds me that the BT Film 'This Is York' includes shots and many sounds of the station announcer there, who has an accent that seems quite out of place in Yorkshire. She and Angela Peberdy I mentioned earlier were chosen for the same reasons. 

[shipbadger]

Weybridge gained a member of platform staff who added an extra line to his announcements 'please don't leave your newspaper on the train'.  I assume he must have worked at one of the London terminii previously as at Weybridge people would be looking forward to reading their paper on the way up to 'town'.

 

Tony Comber

[45655]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

The scope for local interpretation of names was interesting. South from Dorking North - as it then was - local trains called at Holmwood, Ockley & Capel, Warnham and Horsham. This became "'Olmwood, Hockley, Warnem an 'Orsham" to one regular broadcaster. 

 

Which reminds me of the morning SM Harry Pawsey came into the ticket office chuckling. The announcing point at Dorking North was by the ticket-collector's box. Harry had just been announcing the next trains for Waterloo and London Bridge. A woman passenger stood patiently near him while he made his announcement and then asked "Is that right?"

I travelled by train to school in Dorking in the late 60s and early 70s and I distinctly remember that one of the regular porters used to announce “Olmwood, Ockley, Warnorsham”. I always wondered where that was. 

[Michael Hodgson]

At Kings Cross in the 70s the services running through Fife were sometimes announced as stopping at ... Burntizland, Kirk-Caldy....

 

On-train announcements could be unorthodox too.  On the suburban services for some months we had a Guard who would sing us a few songs, and once when diverted via the Hertford loop a driver who needed a pilot as he didn't know the road decided to pass on what he was leaning for the commuters by giving a running commentary with such gems as  We are about to enter Ponsbourne Tunnel, the longest in the Eastern Region

[The Johnster]

The there was the legendary (it made the local news) override from a harassed member of staff at Cardiff Queen Street back in the 80s; ‘the xxxx Merthyr is delayed due to a c@ck-up at Cardiff Central’. 
 

I mean, fair enough, he was telling it like it was…

[Nearholmer]

For a while, I commuted to work on an inter regional service that was forever getting heavily delayed due to no diesel loco available to take it forward where it departed from 25kV electric haulage.

 

On morning the guard went off on a huge frustrated rant over the PA about all this - it started as a polite apology to the passengers, but a few sentences in he began to give full vent to his emotions ……. Which probably wasn’t really a great idea. 
 

Many passengers looked shocked and stunned, and probably decided there and then never to go by train again!

[Right Away]

There are some PA announcements on some of the old Peter Handford “Transacord” recordings. One which springs to mind was made at Brazingcoke in August ‘59, denoting a service to the west - that is until being drowned out by a rapidly approaching newly rebuilt Pacific. 

(Incidentally, for those interested, these recordings have been made available in digital format.)

[Oldddudders]

Then there was the young lady announcer at Victoria - an SM's daughter, no less - who told a surprised concourse that trains were being delayed due to a fertility at Purley....

[The Lurker]

If I recall correctly, the Two Ronnies had a sketch that was an interview for the job of station announcer. The woman who was given the job spoke with a typical PA crackle lack of clarity.

 

Small stations had announcements made over the PA by members of staff well into this century. Our train was always greeted at Mottingham by the announcement "This is yer old Charing Crosser..." I missed him when it changed!