If someone in the train pulls the communication cord/handle to signify an emergency the emergency brakes will come on and stop the train. The driver can press the override button to stop the brakes coming on. I don’t know the rules for when they would do that but it would be necessary if allowing the brakes to come on automatically would result in the train stopping in an unfavourable place like a tunnel.
Probably because it is there and also it could be used in a scenario where a passenger does pull it (if it is fully simulated and not just a dummy button). Without modelling it that option is automatically ruled out. I’m quite surprised that I’ve never encountered a scenario where that has happened in TSW as far as I can remember.
Also, it is nice just having a button to press. It allows for people to take their imagination away with them, without affecting the gameplay. Take the fine control valve in the... what was it? Ah yes the DB BR 363 from Dresden-Riesa. I have no idea what it does IRL, but I like to send it back and forth on occasion to make it feel more mechanical and involved. It does nothing in game, so I needn't worry about stalling the engine with it. I can pretend it controls the coolant levels if I want, or I can pretend it does something to some non-existent injectors. Same goes for the Pass-comm override. I can be like "Ooh, someone has pulled the passcom. Let's see. Ealing Broadway is coming up in a minute, I might override it and stop at Ealing Broadway to see what's going on." Then I can pretend to go on the cabphone (or better yet get up and go to the relevant carriage and yell at some pretend schoolchildren who thought it might be funny to pull it, making me 5 mins late!)
I recall a couple of scenarios in TSC when someone pulled the comm. cord and the train made an emergency stop. But they were purely narrative, told through text messages on screen. The conductor would investigate and the train then resumed its journey.
I was on a thameslink service a few months ago and some feral kids kept pulling the emergency alarm. Perhaps the stop override come in handy on this occasion.
The driver can override the PassComm because they may not want/need the train to stop immediately. Eg, if the train was on fire you wouldn't want to stop in a tunnel or on a high viaduct. It's better for the driver to choose a place where people can evacuate easily and safely. The name PassComm means that it is a Passenger Communication device - when a passenger pulls the handle, a microphone opens which the driver can hear, and they can speak back to the passenger. Additionally on modern trains like 387s and 700s, the Passcom also operate the CCTV camera in the vicinty of the alarm, so the driver can see what's going on and who's pulled it.
Do you mean Egress handle? Yes, the Egress stops the train because it breaks Traction Interlock which on modern trains immediately operates the emergency brake. Passcomm can be overidden if the driver steps on the 'mushrooom' quickly enough.* (Edited due to brain fart)
The passenger emergency door release? I remember being on a 375 and again some kids or mischievous teenagers. Pulled the door release and the brakes instantly come on and the train come to a stop. Maybe the driver applied the brakes then. My local line, I feel sorry for the staff because there's little a holes on it all the time.
It's annoying when people do that. Almost every single alarm and door Release glass has been broken on every train I've been on, on my local line and the doors between caridges are broken. There is alot of anti social behaviour on trains and I hope the train companies stamp down on this.
Will be dependent on traction but units that I’m aware of, egress can also be overridden the same way as passcom. Edited to add, I’d be curious and surprised to know if there are any (modern) units where driver has no control whatsoever following an egress pulled.
Wow! That is unbelievable! I have very rarely experienced this! Even during school time. A friend of mine said that a schoolchild accidentally pulled the pass-comm, but it was an accident and he was really sorry. The driver was calm and reset it and everything was all good. Actually I remember two teenagers sitting over the platform edge at a bay platform. It took a while before they heard the horn of that train that stopped at the beginning of the platform. They got up and moved back, but you should've heard that driver when he moved his train over to them! Those kids won't just be staying behind the yellow line from now on, they'll be all the way behind the station building! I was on the other side of the station (probably 5 platforms away at a station that has about 6 platforms), and I could hear the driver telling them off! Apart from that, my train journeys are quite pleasant!
