Bikes on trains.
Bikes on trains.
The last time I took a bike on a train was well over twenty years ago when all you had to do to board the train was find the guard's van and get on. I have booked a ticket next month to travel with my bike to Scotland from Cumbria. Now this may sound like a silly question to all you seasoned rail travellers but, how do I board the train with my bike? When the train arrives do I seek permission first from the guard? Is there only one area on the train where bikes travel? Will the guard offer me advice on what to do or will I have to take pot luck and try and sort myself out. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
If you're going up the coast from Millom to Carlisle, there is a space at the end of the coach for your bike, where exactly depends on which type of train Northern have sent. On Virgin trains the bike space is usually at the Northern end of the train. Ask the station staff at Lancaster or Carlisle or whereever before the train arrives.
Robbo, thanks for the reply. I'm driving over to Kendal to my friends house and leaving my car there. We are catching the train at Oxenholme to Glasgow Central then a quick bike ride to Glasgow Queen St Station to catch a train to Oban. Ferry from Oban to Castlebay, Barra and then cycle the length of the Outer Hebrides. Ferry from Stornaway Lewis, to Ullapool and then cycle to Garve to catch a train for Inverness and then home. At least I now know what to expect at the Station, thanks again.
Bikes on Trains
Oh dear, this is where my mis-spent youth as a trainspotter, and mis-spent adulthood as a railway employee, come out. 
Local trains often have a small picture of a bike on the relevant door. If it's a class 158 (doors near the ends of each coach, each door opens into two parts, coming out then sideways), then the bike rack is near the join between the two coaches. If a class 156 (doors near the ends of each coach, but a single sliding door), then near the extreme front or back. There used to be a light blue stripe above the bike store, but I think the latest re-paint got rid of these. The Glasgow to Oban, Garve to Inverness and Inverness to Edinburgh/Glasgow will probably be one or the other.
Virgin services: Voyagers (4 or 5 car, Diesel) have the coupling cover painted yellow at the first-class end. The bike storage space is at the OTHER end.
Here's a picture with the yellow coupling cover (in between the red fake buffers) quite visible.
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/gb/die ... xx6-02.jpg
If your train from Oxenholme to Glasgow has come from Euston, then it'll be a Pendolino - 9 coach electric. I've no idea how to tell one end from the other. You can't get into the bike space (again, at the extreme end away from the first class) without a special "carriage key" held by the guard. Which is why the reservation is needed - the guard knows to expect you. Station staff may have a carriage key too.
I assume you've looked at
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/ga ... yTrain.pdf
Get to the station early; find some Train Operating Company employee who can advise as to where the first-class will be - then go to the other end of the platform!
Another little-known gem of bikes/trains friction: you MUST switch OFF your lights when on the station. I nearly caused an accident on one dark night - I ran with my bike along the platform towards the guard in his van, the front dynamo light grew in brightness, and the guard thought it was the station staff waving a white 'right-away' lamp, so belled to the driver to start, even though passengers were still getting on and off. (Before Central Door Locking - 1985.) He realised in time, cancelled his "start" bell to the driver, let me on, then gave me such an earful that I remember it to this day.
And red lights on the platform are sometimes used as 'stop here' markers.
Biking from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Queen Street; take your time, it's very busy and all uphill.
Enjoy your ride - both on and off the train!
Local trains often have a small picture of a bike on the relevant door. If it's a class 158 (doors near the ends of each coach, each door opens into two parts, coming out then sideways), then the bike rack is near the join between the two coaches. If a class 156 (doors near the ends of each coach, but a single sliding door), then near the extreme front or back. There used to be a light blue stripe above the bike store, but I think the latest re-paint got rid of these. The Glasgow to Oban, Garve to Inverness and Inverness to Edinburgh/Glasgow will probably be one or the other.
Virgin services: Voyagers (4 or 5 car, Diesel) have the coupling cover painted yellow at the first-class end. The bike storage space is at the OTHER end.
Here's a picture with the yellow coupling cover (in between the red fake buffers) quite visible.
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/gb/die ... xx6-02.jpg
If your train from Oxenholme to Glasgow has come from Euston, then it'll be a Pendolino - 9 coach electric. I've no idea how to tell one end from the other. You can't get into the bike space (again, at the extreme end away from the first class) without a special "carriage key" held by the guard. Which is why the reservation is needed - the guard knows to expect you. Station staff may have a carriage key too.
I assume you've looked at
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/ga ... yTrain.pdf
Get to the station early; find some Train Operating Company employee who can advise as to where the first-class will be - then go to the other end of the platform!
Another little-known gem of bikes/trains friction: you MUST switch OFF your lights when on the station. I nearly caused an accident on one dark night - I ran with my bike along the platform towards the guard in his van, the front dynamo light grew in brightness, and the guard thought it was the station staff waving a white 'right-away' lamp, so belled to the driver to start, even though passengers were still getting on and off. (Before Central Door Locking - 1985.) He realised in time, cancelled his "start" bell to the driver, let me on, then gave me such an earful that I remember it to this day.
And red lights on the platform are sometimes used as 'stop here' markers.
Biking from Glasgow Central to Glasgow Queen Street; take your time, it's very busy and all uphill.
Enjoy your ride - both on and off the train!
"Little Green Men Are Everywhere... ...But Mostly On Traffic Lights."
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ianmel
I travel reguarly between Southport or Preston and Dumfries with my bikes so know the route from Cumbria to Scotland well.
Basically always ask a guard as they are always eager to help and point you in the right direction. I presume you will be travelling on the Virgin trains - it is especaily important to ask a guard on one of these as you need to find where you are going and sometimes have the door to the bike storage opened for you. They should know on the station that there is someone with a bike due to your booking, but this is not always so. Also make sure you always book a bike on the mainline Virgin trains - they can only ever carry four bikes (though I have never seen more than two) and I am ALWAYS asked by the staff on Carlisle, Wigan or Preston stations if my bike has been booked on. THe annoying thing is you cannot book a bike online but all stations after a period of re-training and confusion from the ticket seller will do it for you. I have sometimes boked the travel online then gone to the station and booked the bikes afterwards. However I dont think you can book a bike on the day of travel, but I might be wrong. Usually on the Virgin trains to Glasgow / Edinburgh if you are travelling north you will be at the front of the train, south at the rear. Once you get your bike on you have to strap it in which is self-explanatory, but the problem here is that their is often moutains of other luggage in the cycle area that should not be there for you to negotiate.
Scotrail trains have spaces for around 8 bikes at one end, again ask the guards. You dont need to book bikes on these trains just roll them on and off. Again the problem here is that at busy times there is often luggage or people in the area where you are meant to put your bike. I have often worried that one day I will get on to find all the bike spaces taken - but this has never happened, and even when I am travelling without my bike I count to see how many bikes are being carried and I have never seen more than two.
Make sure you get up nice and early to untangle you bike and get ready to leave. This is especially important if you are getting off before the end of the line. I recently went to get off at Carlisle and found another bike locked in agianst mine and a moutain of luggage which took much longer than I had given myself to negotiate!
Make sure the trains are running and there is no rail replacement bus services on the route! THis has happened to me a couple of times when travelling with a bike. Once I was lucky that it would fit in the bottom of the replacement coach, but the other time it was a just a bus and even though I had booked my bike the driver refused until I took the wheels off my bike in a temper and said "it is no longer a bike but parts of a bike" and put it in the luggage rack!
Basically always ask a guard as they are always eager to help and point you in the right direction. I presume you will be travelling on the Virgin trains - it is especaily important to ask a guard on one of these as you need to find where you are going and sometimes have the door to the bike storage opened for you. They should know on the station that there is someone with a bike due to your booking, but this is not always so. Also make sure you always book a bike on the mainline Virgin trains - they can only ever carry four bikes (though I have never seen more than two) and I am ALWAYS asked by the staff on Carlisle, Wigan or Preston stations if my bike has been booked on. THe annoying thing is you cannot book a bike online but all stations after a period of re-training and confusion from the ticket seller will do it for you. I have sometimes boked the travel online then gone to the station and booked the bikes afterwards. However I dont think you can book a bike on the day of travel, but I might be wrong. Usually on the Virgin trains to Glasgow / Edinburgh if you are travelling north you will be at the front of the train, south at the rear. Once you get your bike on you have to strap it in which is self-explanatory, but the problem here is that their is often moutains of other luggage in the cycle area that should not be there for you to negotiate.
Scotrail trains have spaces for around 8 bikes at one end, again ask the guards. You dont need to book bikes on these trains just roll them on and off. Again the problem here is that at busy times there is often luggage or people in the area where you are meant to put your bike. I have often worried that one day I will get on to find all the bike spaces taken - but this has never happened, and even when I am travelling without my bike I count to see how many bikes are being carried and I have never seen more than two.
Make sure you get up nice and early to untangle you bike and get ready to leave. This is especially important if you are getting off before the end of the line. I recently went to get off at Carlisle and found another bike locked in agianst mine and a moutain of luggage which took much longer than I had given myself to negotiate!
Make sure the trains are running and there is no rail replacement bus services on the route! THis has happened to me a couple of times when travelling with a bike. Once I was lucky that it would fit in the bottom of the replacement coach, but the other time it was a just a bus and even though I had booked my bike the driver refused until I took the wheels off my bike in a temper and said "it is no longer a bike but parts of a bike" and put it in the luggage rack!
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MarySkater
- Posts: 104
- Joined: 7 Mar 2007, 2:17pm
- Location: SW Scotland
Thanks - I found this interesting. I'm making my first long rail/bike trip next month. (Oxford to Northumberland, Virgin cross-country.) I'm cheating a bit, because I'm taking a Brompton, which will be folded, bagged and put (I hope!) in the normal luggage rack. I've teamed it with a Cyclone trailer. Unclip and stow the wheels and towbar from the Cyclone, and it's a holdall 90cm long. I figure that the Brompton and Cyclone will be my "permitted" two large luggage items. I'll take along a printout of Virgin's luggage regulations in case I meet any arguments from staff.
Mary
Mary
ianmel wrote:Scotrail trains have spaces for around 8 bikes at one end, again ask the guards. You dont need to book bikes on these trains just roll them on and off.
I wish
This may be true of some Scotrail services, but I do not know where. Commonly cycle capacity is 2 bikes, and booking is strongly advised.
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ianmel
Ron wrote:ianmel wrote:Scotrail trains have spaces for around 8 bikes at one end, again ask the guards. You dont need to book bikes on these trains just roll them on and off.
I wish
This may be true of some Scotrail services, but I do not know where. Commonly cycle capacity is 2 bikes, and booking is strongly advised.
Sorry I tend to travel in Southern Scotland on the Carlisle to Glasgoe route which always has good number of spaces. I forgot that they use differnt trains in central Scotland and you have to book ahead.