trains

[stephenjubb]

in general if you are doing fully loaded 4 pannier self supported touring and going on a train do you leave your gear on the bike when boarding the train or do you take the panniers off (and take them on as luggage) and then put the bike on the train?

In addition in relation to the above has anyone got the train from york to glasgow?

any info appreciated for my upcoming tour to scotland
cheers

steve jubb

 

[vernon]

in general if you are doing fully loaded 4 pannier self supported touring and going on a train do you leave your gear on the bike when boarding the train or do you take the panniers off (and take them on as luggage) and then put the bike on the train?

In addition in relation to the above has anyone got the train from york to glasgow?

any info appreciated for my upcoming tour to scotland
cheers

steve jubb

I defy you to board a train with all four panniers on without getting a hernia or upsetting a lot of folk trying to get on or off the train.

There's several stages to getting your bike onto the train:

Establish where you need to stand on the platform by asking station staff. This saves a sprint to the far end of the train if you find yourself ill positioned by choosing a random spot.

I'd demount the panniers as getting your bike onto the train and maneuvering it into the bike bay can be a nightmare if:

• The bike bay is equipped with 'sky hooks' to suspend your bike by the front or rear wheel.
• The bike bay is a narrow tunnel that can barely accommodate two bikes and definitely not a bike with panniers

Some trains e.g. the HST 125 and the electric 225 trains have large bays where storing the bike with panniers is easy if you can avoid getting the hernia when lifting the bike and bags en masse onto the carriage.

I usually throw the panniers on board, climb over them with the bike then recover the panniers and store them next to the bike once I've secured it using the facilities that are present in the bike bay.

Getting off the train - providing it's not a 125 or 225 involves getting the panniers next to an exit early enough to be first by the eit then recover bike and wait for the train to stop. Throw out bags then retreive bike.

I've not done York to Glasgow but I've done Leeds - Edinburgh, York - Inverness, Newcastle - York...why do you ask?

 

[stephenjubb]

so that I have an idea of how much space is available on the train for the bike.

Thanks to you I now will detach all panniers and load bike without.

Like they it is better to be prepared!

Thanks for the input

 

[vernon]

so that I have an idea of how much space is available on the train for the bike.

Thanks to you I now will detach all panniers and load bike without.

Like they it is better to be prepared!

Thanks for the input

The space available is a lottery. I once had a guard threaten the occupants of the bike bay with an indefinite delay of the train if they did not make room for me to get on with my pre-booked bike.

There are no certainties with bike space, the bays can have varying numbers of bikes present, be filled with luggage/people/train company junk.

I'm not a regular enough user of the trains to be able to tell which coaches/rolling stock will be used. Just be prepared for all eventualities.

 

[psmiffy]

If you are departing from a terminus its fairly easy - you can inspect the train -otherwise the best plan is to ask someone - what sort of train is it so you can decide what is the best course of action - I travelled from Newcastle to Northampton via York, Manchester and Milton Keynes on four different types of train one of which was a Pendolino without unloading the bicycle - I asked the staff on the platform what was best way to tackle it and the they went out of their way to ensure that I got on the trains quickly - in this case in one piece - Im not saying you will be that lucky with the people you meet

 

[Proud2Push]

In our (not very extensive) experience, the attitude of the guard towards bikes makes a big difference. Some are officious jobsworths who make life as difficult as possible, others like the one on the Caledonian Sleeper last week couldn't have been more helpful and even gave the bikes their own sleeping compartment!

It is always best to take the panniers off before loading, but locating the position of the cycle storage is usually hit and miss and almost invariably involves legging it up the platform and getting stressed.

The worst was the Paddington to Penzance train. The platform was only announced five minutes before departure and we had to push loaded bikes to the front of the very long train through the hordes who had just got off it and wouldn't make room for us. We only just got the bikes and us on in time.

Having said that I still think it's a great way to travel

 

[andym]

P2P - I thought the Caledonian sleepers had a guards van, was it full?

 

[Proud2Push]

Yes it does, with hooks, but we were going to Fort William and it saved moving the bikes to a different guards van at Edinburgh at 5 am. It was only possible because the disabled berth was unoccupied.

 

[TheDoctor]

The trains from York to Glasgow are 125s, so you'll be fine leaving panniers on. Probably.
You need to reserve a bike space. I've always been asked if I've reserved, but never been asked to show the reservation

 

[ColinJ]

I've just done a return trip from Hebden Bridge to Coventry with my bike. Here are some of my observations...

You can't rely on the straps that are supposed to be provided - they may be missing or broken. I took 2 bungee cords and used them to secure my bike. If you don't do that, your bike could be swinging about all over the place.

You may well find the bike compartment full of luggage, baby buggies, catering supplies etc. Don't expect to be able to just jump straight on and slot your bike in.

Sometimes there is a separate compartment for the bikes and it may be locked. It may be locked again after you put your bike in. Make sure the guard knows which station you will be leaving at, and ask if they will still be on the train at your destination station (sometimes the crew will change halfway).

On a previous trip, my seat reservation was at the opposite end of the train to the bike compartment. If the train is overcrowded, you may not be able to physically get through the train to your bike in time. I had to exit the train and run along the platform to get to it - that's pretty stressful. Especially when you get to the other end and there are 20 people crammed in by the doors and you have to plead with them to make way for you to get the bike off before the doors close. It might be worth going to your bike the stop before the one you want to disembark at so you can get your bike down and be ready to go.

Make absolutely sure that you don't leave anything on the train! A young lad took his bike off the Hebden Bridge train ahead of me on Tuesday. As we walked down the exit ramp from the platform, he suddenly realised that he'd left his rucksack and helmet on the train. He ran back but got to the train just after the doors closed. I left him trying to get the people at the station to phone ahead and organise someone to pick the stuff up and send it back on another train.

That train was a local one from Leeds. You can't reserve bike spaces on those trains, so avoid the rush hour if possible because you may have to stand with your bike. I don't think that there was a bike compartment on that train, though there should have been. The driver told me that it wasn't the right train for the route, but the other one had broken down. I had to hold my bike in a crowd of commuters and people kept walking into it as they got on and off the train. I'm surprised that the guard even let me on with it.

Definitely try and find out which end of the train the bike compartment is at. At Birmingham New Street they have blue signs on the platform to show you but I don't know if they are always correct. Getting your bike from one end of a long crowded platform to the other is not going to be easy and the train might not stop for long. You need to be ready to get on with your bike before you end up with a load of people crammed in ahead of you.

It was nice when I got to Coventry and was able to cycle to my destination. It took about the same time as a taxi and saved me £7.

 

[andym]

... we were going to Fort William and it saved moving the bikes to a different guards van at Edinburgh at 5 am.

Well that's something that's worth bearing in mind - not that I sleep that well on sleepers anyway.

 

[coopman]

I have taken my bike on scotrail trains a few times with the panniers still on, however 1 time I did pull a muscle and it was sore for quite a while! I think it was because I was rushing and pulled bike up harder and faster than required because of the jostle of passengers trying to beat me out the way!
The joys!

 

[Kirstie]

How much space you get depends on the train company too.

Many national express east coast (ie the east coast mainline) trains actually have the old guards van at the back so there's bags of room and you can get up to 8 bikes on a train. The same is true for East Midlands Trains. Both of these companies also allow you to book bikes on by phone so you don't have to go traipsing down to the station every time you want to go somewhere.

Cross Country trains only have two bike spaces per train on their long distance services, and it's a total pain in the arse every time i have to take one of their services. I have also managed to get bike bookings done by ringing them up.

Virgin have four spaces per train, you need to go to the station to book your bike on. Three months before is what I always try to do.

First scotrail are fairly mellow about things, although they do stipulate that bikes need to be booked on some services (to the highlands from glasgow). Calling them is also a good idea as they tend to be very helpful.

I would imagine your route will take you to Edinburgh and then across to Glasgow? You'll have to book your bike on to Edinburgh - services are either cross country trains or national express east coast from there. Then first scotrail, non bookable from Edinburgh to Glasgow?

 

[Amanda P]

Horror story/cautionary tale:

Many years ago when I was a teenager, I was doing a tour beginning at Aberystwyth. I got there on the train. Having already learned all the above advice, I had my bike and panniers separated. At Aberystwyth, I threw my bike off the train and leapt back on for my panniers. One of the panniers hooks had got tangled in the wire luggage rack, and by the time I'd untangled it (a matter of seconds) the train was on the move again, with me insde but leaving my unsecured bike on the platform!

I endured an agony of suspense, getting off the train at the next stop and catching the next one back to Aberystwyth wondering if my bike would still be there.

It was.

 

[wyno70]

I recently did a scotland trip on the caledonian sleeper and was asked for my bike ticket each way. Bike compartment was full in both directions and the guard insisted on the bikes being hung from the racks (i.e. suspended by the front wheel), so absolutely no chance of leaving the panniers on!

Hope that helps.