A new reason for a train delay

[whole diary]

[didcotdean]

At least it's nice and simple with Turbo's - as long as there's no more than two per vestibule they can be loaded anywhere ...

In my experience very often against the doors - which might be fine if only the doors on one side were used throughout the journey, but this often is not the case at several stations including Reading and Didcot. The owners of the bikes don't always appear promptly to move them unfortunately.

[trainer]

bikes will remain problematic . 

Bikes are not the problem.

I strongly agree.  

A small semantic defence of my post on this subject.  I used the term 'problematic' (not 'problem') of bikes because I recognise that the issue is NOT solely the bike, but a complex range of issues around their use both on the railways and the roads.  I apportion no blame, but merely point up the ongoing discussion, to which of course both RS and ellendune have added interesting points-of-view.

I perhaps should declare a small interest in a bicycle business (not in the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area) and would not want to disrespect potential customers. 

[gpn01]

I thought that it was simply that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) had switched to its Summer Edition excuses book.  This offers new and improved reasons for service interruption and delay, including the introduction of a special section dedicated to "It's not us, it's Network Rail...".

[Red Squirrel]

bikes will remain problematic . 

Bikes are not the problem.

I strongly agree.  

A small semantic defence of my post on this subject.  I used the term 'problematic' (not 'problem') of bikes because I recognise that the issue is NOT solely the bike, but a complex range of issues around their use both on the railways and the roads.  I apportion no blame, but merely point up the ongoing discussion, to which of course both RS and ellendune have added interesting points-of-view.

I perhaps should declare a small interest in a bicycle business (not in the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area) and would not want to disrespect potential customers. 

Since the railways no longer have a common carrier obligation, it's really up to them to decide whether to accept bicycles on trains - though it'd be good if they could come up with a clear, consistent and usable policy. However my little bushy ears are (perhap s over-) sensitive to any suggestion that non-motorised vehicles do not have as much right to be on the roads as evil community-destroying vile smelly noisome mobile death greenhouses cars. Not that you were suggesting that! 

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

One of the problems is that some 40 years ago, many platforms were reduced in length, presumably as some sort of cost saving measure thought necessary to cope with lower levels of income from falling passenger numbers. Many of these platforms now need to be lengthend again but this usually at enormous expense so very few get lengthened.
60 years ago my family went by train from Bridgwater to Weymouth for our annual 7 day holiday - very few people had or could afford anything longer. In those carless days (for most people) I used to take my bike with me, after paying the bike fare. It meant using 3 trains - Bridgwater to Durston, Durston (on the Taunton to Yeovil Pen Mill flyer - just a few coaches pulled by a tank engine but always a guards van) and then on to Weymouth. There was a guards van on all these trains and I never thought much about the arrangements for taking my bike. I just turned up and went!
Those were the days!

[stuving]

Why was the van there? Not just for bikes; I rather fancy it was provided mainly for urgent goods and the local parcels service that was dying out at the time.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Of course it was not just for bikes. Large items of passenger luggage, a multitude of big and small parcels for the then extensive railway parcels service. I remember when thousands of day old chicks were sent by rail for a speedy delivery all over the country. Some how or other our supplies of day old chicks came as a gift via our neighbouring railway porter! And of course, the guards van housed the guard's accomodation. It was a true multi-purpose vehicle.

[ChrisB]

Areas for bikes are more often than not, empty. Spaces where fare-earning seats could be, and will be, as the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) more often than not 'encourage' every space to be fare earning.

It is really Government policy that is to blame. Maybe charge child prices for bikes?.....Might encourage TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) to provide better spaces?

[Fourbee]

It sounds like the issue was that at Tilehurst the front 5 carriages only were opened, which would not include the TGS at the back where the bike was stored. At nearly all station the TGS is on the platform and that is the correct place to load a bike. If the cyclist was not a regular traveller they may well not have known that at Tilehurst their bike would not be accessible. Staff nearly always direct passengers to the TGS at the rear as well if they have bicycles.

Is it possible to get into the TM^‡(resolve) office from the saloon of coach A as a passenger? It's been a long time, but I seem to remember once having big luggage, putting it in there and having to quickly walk round from the door at the London end of coach A (in correct formation) on arrival.

Also, are the storage areas in the power cars accessible? I seem to remember reading somewhere that since additional equipement was put in the public was not allowed in these areas.

[IndustryInsider]

Is it possible to get into the TM^‡(resolve) office from the saloon of coach A as a passenger? It's been a long time, but I seem to remember once having big luggage, putting it in there and having to quickly walk round from the door at the London end of coach A (in correct formation) on arrival.

Also, are the storage areas in the power cars accessible? I seem to remember reading somewhere that since additional equipement was put in the public was not allowed in these areas.

It's possible to get into both areas if someone lets you in with a 'T' key.  The power cars can be used for bike storage (they have racks for three bikes) or luggage storage - so the public is allowed in them to load/unload such items under the supervision of staff.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

Yes ChrisB - in days of old fares were charged to take bikes on trains. But basic train fares were much more modest in those days and many more people could afford to travel by rail. A child fare now for a bike could well decimate bikes on trains, but perhaps that is what some parties would prefer to see to match demand more against supply?

[Super Guard]

Is it possible to get into the TM^‡(resolve) office from the saloon of coach A as a passenger? It's been a long time, but I seem to remember once having big luggage, putting it in there and having to quickly walk round from the door at the London end of coach A (in correct formation) on arrival.

Also, are the storage areas in the power cars accessible? I seem to remember reading somewhere that since additional equipement was put in the public was not allowed in these areas.

It's possible to get into both areas if someone lets you in with a 'T' key.  The power cars can be used for bike storage (they have racks for three bikes) or luggage storage - so the public is allowed in them to load/unload such items under the supervision of staff.

The luggage area of a PC while inside the train requires a high-secure key to access, (T-key from external platform doors).

The public are not allowed through the TM office door (except in an emergency), as the guards doors do not have CDL^▸ (Central Door Locking) locking.

[thetrout]

Out of area but a few months ago I witnessed several bikes being loaded onto a Severn Beach Service at Bristol Temple Meads. 150's are meant to accomodate 3 bikes, however they often take 6 bikes and use the space allocated to a Wheelchair.

I recall a rather 'snobby' lady getting irate because a chap got on in a Wheelchair at Stapleton Road and she was asked to move her bike (The fourth) off the train. Needless to say that didn't go down well at all.

Also in Frome I'm not sure how bikes work there, but for at least 3 of the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) workings the TGS is also not on the platform. I believe the reason for this is when the train needs to reverse the driver cannot get into the cab as the opposite Power Car is stopped across a bridge with no room to safely get into the cab.

[rower40]

(Apologies for the thread resurrection; I'd not seen this thread until now.)

A very many moons ago, long before elfin safe tea, (and also before Central Door Locking on HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train)) I was taking my bike on an overnight Summer Saturday HST to St Columb Road.  (It had come from York or possibly Leeds, and I joined it at Derby.)  Goodness knows why, of all the stations on the Newquay branch, the train was timetabled to stop there.  The platform is, at best, 2 coaches long, and there's an AOCL^▸ (Automatic Open Crossing (Locally monitored) A level crossing without barriers that is observed by the train crew before they proceed over the crossing) level crossing at the Newquay end of the platform.  The TGS was at the rear of the train.  Well before departure from Par, I asked the Senior Conductor what I should do regarding my bike, such as move it to a door nearer the middle of the train; he said "it'll be fine where it is".

Once the train arrived at St Columb Road, the Senior Conductor let me walk through the TGS to the van part; he then used the intercom to the driver, who advised that, because of the level crossing, he (the driver) couldn't pull forward to let me out.  So the senior conductor opened the van door.  I stepped out onto a bridge parapet, and he passed me the bike.  After the train had gone, I stepped down onto the track, then along the bridge to the platform ramp!  I had about an hour and a half to complete this before the HST came back from Newquay.

Little wonder that, in the next summer's timetable, the St Columb Road stop became "Pick Up Only". So I had a 10 mile (hilly) bike ride to my destination, instead of an 8-mile flatter one.

Aside: the Derby CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) for this train showed all the passenger stops, and "St Blazey" and "Goonbarrow Junction"!