British Railway Class Door Procedures

Doors stopped being universal in British Railway when version 1.4 shipped class-specific Guard workflows. Fourth Rail’s Coastal Update split who opens, who closes, who uses the cab door as a local door, and when buzzers replace physical door cycles. This guide is the procedure map Drivers and Guards share before a scored run. Read it alongside how to guard, controls, and class door-adjacent ticket work.

Why doors are a crew contract now

A SPAD hurts score, but door chaos hurts dwell—and dwell chaos causes rushed departures that lead to SPADs. After v1.4:

• Drivers may request a Guard via Looking For Guard listings, auto-accepting the first request
• Guards pick trains from Looking For Guard / Friends / Other sections
• Door steps change by class group, not by “I always press T”

If Driver and Guard use different mental models, OFF-safe departure culture breaks. Fix that in depot chat, not at Saltcombe with a Danger aspect waiting.

Default keys you still need

Desktop defaults from controls and the controls cheatsheet:

• T — doors in context / buzzer loops
• R — local door when procedure demands it
• U — unlock panel
• H — Guard whistle
• Y — Guard signal bell

Drivers own W/S throttle and A/D brake; Guards own platform choreography. Neither role “wins” by spamming the other’s keys.

Procedure group A — Driver opens, Guard closes (most Regionals)

Examples: Class 142 Pacers, many Class 150/230/321 patterns, and numerous multiple-unit groups listed in v1.4 notes (231, 755, 756, 745, 800–807 families in changelog language).

Driver flow:

1. Stop safely at the platform marker.
2. Open doors on the correct side using contextual T / panel flow.
3. Hold departure until Guard confirms closure culture.

Guard flow:

1. Open panel (U if required), release doors on the platform side.
2. Process tickets when dwell allows (ticket checking).
3. Close doors with T / procedure buttons—not by hoping the Driver remembers.
4. Whistle (H), then bell (Y) for departure when OFF-safe.

This is the bread-and-butter loop for starter trains and early Coin farming with Guard +2 score bonuses.

Procedure group B — Driver owns doors, Guard buzzes (Class 220/221 style)

Intercity units in the 220/221 family flip responsibility: the Driver opens and closes doors while the Guard uses the buzzer to cue “close now” timing.

Driver flow: Watch for Guard buzzer intent before closing; do not close early because chat is quiet.

Guard flow: Use buzzer discipline instead of fighting Driver door UI. Tickets happen in the saloon without blocking the buzzer contract.

If you buy flashy intercity stock before learning Group A on a Class 150 local, you will hate Group B timing. Train unlock order: trains tier list.

Procedure group C — Cab door as local door (Class 150 / 230 / 321 emphasis)

v1.4 explicitly calls out Class 150, 230, and 321 Guard habits where the cab door acts as the local door. Guards re-enter via R local-door culture after platform work.

Guard checklist:

1. Finish platform-side releases.
2. Re-enter through cab/local door path.
3. Close local door with R before bell (Y).
4. Only then expect Driver traction.

Drivers: do not notch power because the Guard “looks close enough.” Wait for the bell.

Driver-request Guard feature

Drivers can flag a train into Looking For Guard, auto-accepting the first Guard request and bypassing some request timers. Use it when:

• You genuinely want Group A/B procedure help
• You are learning a new class on a busy public server
• You are running Fayre or Brynmouth diagrams with heavy dwell (Fayre Branch, Brynmouth coastal)

Do not use it to AFK-drive. Guard score bonus (+2 per stop) still requires real procedure.

OFF indicator and departure safety

Doors are only half the departure chain. OFF-related safety culture means:

• Brakes released only when platform work is complete
• Guard bell answered by Driver buzzer where required
• No power against a Danger aspect because doors “probably” finished

Signalling context: signals and SPAD. Ghosting changes after v1.4 mean another unit may occupy sighting differently—slow down instead of guessing.

Practice plan by role

Driver week one: Group A on Class 142 or 150 local; zero Guard optional.

Driver week two: Enable driver-request Guard; same local diagram.

Guard week one: Group A only on Looking For Guard listings.

Guard week two: Add Group C cab-door units after reading starter notes.

Both: One private-server drill (private server tips) before coastal or Fayre terminus flex.

Coin and score angle

Clean doors protect +10 stop ticks and the Guard’s ~+2 contribution. Rushed doors cause skip penalties, Passenger grief, and abandoned runs under partial payout thresholds (score and penalties). Codes do not skip procedure (Codes Hub).

Related reading

Guides Hub · How to drive · Roles overview · Version 1.4 · Tools Hub

Doors are choreography. Learn the script for your class before you perform on a live platform.