Misapprehensions by normals

My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
different from the reality?

--
Gordon

<tshanazt@> wrote in message
news:ce63b8c4-623b-4962-9f71-e0e6f75bd080@j22g2000hsf..com...
> My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
> the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
> switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
> for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
> the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
> different from the reality?
>
> --
> Gordon

Sitting on a San Francisco Cable Car:

"How does the electricity get to the motors? There is no overhead wire".

<tshanazt@> wrote

> Anyone got any
> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
> different from the reality?
>
Passengers lingering on the Brighton Belle platform at Victoria in the
1930s, as 11 o'clock strikes:
'There's plenty of time. The engine hasn't come on yet.'

Peter

tshanazt@ wrote:

> My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
> the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
> switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
> for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
> the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
> different from the reality?
>
> --
> Gordon
Young male passenger who had just leapt off the platform at Grove Park
to retrieve a football: "The electric rail is only live when there's a
train coming!"

Stuart J

On Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:48 +0100, Paul Rigg wrote:

> A similar misapprehension is that the Great Orme Tramway is an electric
> tramway.
>
> The overhead wires are used for signalling purposes only.

They're not used for anything now, as they no longer exist! Communication
went over to radio in the early 1990s sometime, IIRC. I think that at
least some of the trackside poles which held it remain, though, and the
poles on top of the tramcars themselves.

--
Bewdley, Worcs. ~90m asl.

The message
<ce63b8c4-623b-4962-9f71-e0e6f75bd080@j22g2000hsf..com>
from "tshanazt@" <tshanazt@> contains these words:

> Anyone got any
> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
> different from the reality?

While we were waiting at Llandudno Junction for the loco of the NWCE to
take on water, a 57 dragged a Pendolino into an adjacent platform. "Oh
look!" said the bloke across the table from me, "that Virgin train has
broken down." I didn't need to explain to him, his wife was quite
capable of doing it, and she did.

--
Dave,
Frodsham

"Graham Harrison" <edward.harrison1@remove.> wrote in message
news:GZSdnZAfZqBkqlzVnZ2dnUVZ8sLinZ2d@bt.com...
>
> <tshanazt@> wrote in message
> news:ce63b8c4-623b-4962-9f71-e0e6f75bd080@j22g2000hsf..com...
>> My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
>> the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
>> switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
>> for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
>> the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
>> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
>> different from the reality?
>>
>> --
>> Gordon
>
> Sitting on a San Francisco Cable Car:
>
> "How does the electricity get to the motors? There is no overhead wire".

Sitting on a plane 5 mins from take off in New Orleans airport on a flight
from N.O. to Boston "where does this flight go"?

McK.

On Sep 5, 1:41 pm, "tshan...@" <tshan...@> wrote:
> My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
> the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
> switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
> for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
> the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
> different from the reality?

That when the doors shut automatically in modern units (eg 376s) it is
appropriate to force them open rather than press the button.
(Although you can't blame them, given the inconsistent behaviour of
doors on the same route.)

On Sep 5, 6:51 pm, "Railsigns.co.uk" <nos...@railsigns.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sep 5, 1:41 pm, "tshan...@" <tshan...@> wrote:
>
> > Anyone got any good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms
> > Normal is rather different from the reality?
>
> "It's okay for me to smoke on the platform, and if you try to tell me
> otherwise, I'm allowed to push you onto the track."


And that the ban on smoking on stations is due to last year's
legislation relating to enclosed public spaces (not helped by false
information displayed at many stations and given in many
announcements).

"McKev" <scotsman_uk@-@m> wrote in message
news:OOcwk.301537$ah4.161917@newsfe15.ams2...
>
> "Graham Harrison" <edward.harrison1@remove.> wrote in
> message news:GZSdnZAfZqBkqlzVnZ2dnUVZ8sLinZ2d@bt.com...
>>
>> <tshanazt@> wrote in message
>> news:ce63b8c4-623b-4962-9f71-e0e6f75bd080@j22g2000hsf..com...
>>> My post was inspired by Tony Miles remarking in another thread about
>>> the propensity of people to think that units whose engines had
>>> switched off had broken down. Reminded me a bit of passengers waiting
>>> for departure on old electic units saying "we'll be going soon that's
>>> the engines started" the compressor having kicked in. Anyone got any
>>> good examples where the perspective of Mr or Ms Normal is rather
>>> different from the reality?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Gordon
>>
>> Sitting on a San Francisco Cable Car:
>>
>> "How does the electricity get to the motors? There is no overhead
>> wire".
>
> Sitting on a plane 5 mins from take off in New Orleans airport on a flight
> from N.O. to Boston "where does this flight go"?
>
> McK.
>

I can understand people getting on the wrong train but I always find it
difficult to understand how they end up on the wrong plane. I accept that
it does happen and that no system is perfect but still.....