mmmmartin
Random geezer
@Tim Hall fear not. You WILL go to the ball.
Clever people such as @Trickedem and @Flying Dodo (I think) have worked out that you can buy a ticket but have no bike space ticket, and place into the guard's van a steel frame with a saddle and handlebars but no wheels, so this is not a "bike" and thus requires no "bike ticket". You may well have in your other hand a black plastic bin liner containing two round things with tyres on but that is completely irrelevant. Take the aforesaid black plastic binliner on to the train and place in luggage rack. When in York, reverse aforesaid actions.
I saw someone else do this on that ride last year, not a FNRttC peep, just a civilian, as it were.
There is a logic to this in that the guard will expect you to lock the bike to the railing thingy so it doesn't disappear en route to York while the "steel frame" can simply be put in the end of the guard's van and moved in an emergency.
It seems to me this trick has become so popular with cyclists that some operators, such as Eurostar and National Express, now limit the length of these "steel frames" so you can't do it anymore.
I know you will have your heart in your mouth as you perform this con trick on an unsuspecting Virgin train guard, but it should work and I have seen it once with my own eyes.
Finally, if you can, I suggest you travel first class. It is only a bit more, and much more comfortable, and you will be awake all night so you might want to snatch a doze for an hour or so on the journey - and so won't want to be with all those other noisy, smellyand poor people.
Clever people such as @Trickedem and @Flying Dodo (I think) have worked out that you can buy a ticket but have no bike space ticket, and place into the guard's van a steel frame with a saddle and handlebars but no wheels, so this is not a "bike" and thus requires no "bike ticket". You may well have in your other hand a black plastic bin liner containing two round things with tyres on but that is completely irrelevant. Take the aforesaid black plastic binliner on to the train and place in luggage rack. When in York, reverse aforesaid actions.
I saw someone else do this on that ride last year, not a FNRttC peep, just a civilian, as it were.
There is a logic to this in that the guard will expect you to lock the bike to the railing thingy so it doesn't disappear en route to York while the "steel frame" can simply be put in the end of the guard's van and moved in an emergency.
It seems to me this trick has become so popular with cyclists that some operators, such as Eurostar and National Express, now limit the length of these "steel frames" so you can't do it anymore.
I know you will have your heart in your mouth as you perform this con trick on an unsuspecting Virgin train guard, but it should work and I have seen it once with my own eyes.
Finally, if you can, I suggest you travel first class. It is only a bit more, and much more comfortable, and you will be awake all night so you might want to snatch a doze for an hour or so on the journey - and so won't want to be with all those other noisy, smelly
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