Great Western Coffee Shop

Reported over on the Cycling UK forum that LNER are adjusting their bike spaces to be a little less awkward than the original build:

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=151016

The main changes seem to be:

• Hooks moved a little lower
• Small ramps to make it easier to get the bikes up
• Weird central divider removed

It's a bit "lipstick on a pig" but these look like helpful improvements. It'll be interesting to see if these improvements to what are ultimately DfT-specced and -controlled trains make it onto the GWR fleet.

Good if changes are made.

At Swansea yesterday, a slightly late arrival, and I didn't have time to tot up the number of people with touring cycles + gear, people with children, and people with children in pushchairs waiting to board the returning 10 carriage IET.

Given that the platform next to the door through which I left started to host a sustained pushchair / touring cycle unpacking session along with some suitcase wrangling, that train would have needed its turnaround time. It emphasised that there was a mismatch between what people need from a long distance train and what's provided.

I did wish I could have joined in with some *checks memory* previous adventures:

* 8 foot paddle boathook (Bath Spa to Penzance, helped by the fact that there was then a through train)

* A pair of 12 foot oars (Hampton to Greenwich wasn't an issue)

* A coracle and its paddle (Shrewsbury to Richmond - last train to Hampton was cancelled and yes, we found that a coracle *does* fit in a London black cab)

It was encouraging that a guy *did* step down from the Swansea train carrying a cello in a case - though that would have been outside the maximum dimensions for accompanied luggage - as is my (normal sized) rucksack.

Mark

I will admit to taking a few oversized items on trains back in the good days.
Including a double bed and a freezer from Waterloo to Tisbury. This was arranged in advance and suitable gratuity offered, the driver even stopped the train with the van on the level crossing in order to ease unloading. Proper train of course, do not think that would be possible on a 159.

The most recent was a very large drum of cable from Paddington to Taunton, for that I wore an orange overall which sort of implies railway staff, without actually making any false claim. "Can I put this in the rear power car please, mate ?" The train manager even got two people to help. Cant do that on an IET !

Even though the improvements are minor, it's a positive sign that they realize improvement is needed.

However, if I were to nitpick, which I shouldn't but will, lower hooks will actually be worse in some cases, such as long wheelbase recumbents. Overall though it will inconvenience fewer people than it will help.