At first sight, trying to work one's way through the national rail network timetable and the rules regarding each operaters diffrent rolling stock, can be quite daunting, but if you work from start to finish taking each operater at a time, it become quite clear.
The problem I always find it is not the planning which is the problem; but some of the staff, the lower down the chain of command they are the more Numpty the seem to become.
At Carlisle station, last year I asked one of the Virgin staff, if he could open the luggage compartment door so I could load the Bike, bloody hell it seemed like then end of the world, going on about me delaying the train, then the twat shut the door, before I could get out to load my panniers.
Then complained because he had to reopen it, moaning that I had now delayed the train. Turned out he was the Cleaner.
The year before, having arrived back from Scotland On the night sleeper, cycled to St pancres station to get the First Capitial Connect service back to Crawley, the numpty on duty at the gate would not let me onto the Platforms, because it was peak period. Ok seemed reasonable, but of course thier platforms are not a terminal but a through service. The because he had refused me, he was refusing everyone else. we ended up with 20 odd bikes, 3 managers, 2 policemen and a few other staff, all with the rule book out trying to figure out the problem.
The easy way out would have been to send the numpty for a tea break, the police were all for letting us travel, but numpty was not having it.
After a hours discussing, they allowed all the other to travel, as theywere travelling within london, I had to wait a hour before being allowed.
LOL enouch to drive one crasy
