New Cycle racks on 165

[whole diary]

[ray951]

I have just seen this new cycle rack on a 165 (165128), it is large and would certainly be very useful on the Didcot - Oxford services.


I am stood behind the driver so that it stretches the whole length of the carriage except for the rather squashed seat at the end.
This is 2 coach train also has a wheelchair space so has lost quite a few seats.

It looks like it was put together at the last minute, see the labels on the window sill, but nevertheless it is very welcome.

[Bmblbzzz]

Interesting. Any chance of a photo?

[ray951]

I have a photo but having problems uploading!

[ray951]

Hopefully photo attached.

[Bmblbzzz]

The photo is there, thanks.

I've never seen anything quite like that before. Having the luggage rack above makes more efficient use of space, I suppose. I wonder if it will also tend to dissuade people from leaving big suitcases in the cycle space or encourage them to view it all as luggage space?

[ray951]

I guess the biggest issue is people knowing it is there.

[CMRail]

Good for 5-car units, bad for two cars.

[Richard Fairhurst]

A 2-coach train with 4 bike spaces, vs the new 5-coach trains with 2 bike spaces? Are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) just making it up as they go along these days?

[grahame]

Good for 5-car units, bad for two cars.

A 2-coach train with 4 bike spaces, vs the new 5-coach trains with 2 bike spaces? Are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) just making it up as they go along these days?

I guess the biggest issue is people knowing it is there.

As part of the 5 car (2+3) consist on Cardiff - Portsmouth services, a significant increase in cycle / luggage space will be very welcome for both cruise traffic to / from Southampton, and for peak hour travel with cycles into Bristol. Previously constrained by lack of cycle spaces or the ability to store cycles there, Patchway for Aztec West becomes a marketable ride and cycle opportunity.

As noted, big issue with people knowing its there - especially the occasional users off on their cruise who'll have to get in the 2 car set rather than the joined but not through-ganwayed three car set.

On TransWilts which is set to become 165 for a year or two - not so sure.  We certainly managed to get 4 cycles on a 153 quite often ... so I expect we could expand and get 6 cycles in the space on these, and at all the core stations on the Westbury to Swindon run there is a considerable urban area that's logically reached by cycle from the station.

Perhaps we should ask GWR what the intended diagrams for this change are, or whether it's to be applied to all the 165s.

[ray951]

Only 4 on a 153 we had 5 full size bikes and 3 Bromptons in a vestibule on a 165 yesterday. I did suggest to the cyclists that there were too many but they just ignored me.
I never understand why GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) never enforce their own policy about the number of bikes on a train, especially as nobody can get on and off through that vestibule unless 3 cyclists got off first.

And in case anyone thinks I am anti-bike, one of those Bromptons was mine and I was first on.

[grahame]

Only 4 on a 153 ...

I think I said "usual"; sure, we have managed rather more.

Although the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) policy was 3 / first come, first served it would have been a very brave train manager to turn a cyclist away from the 07:48 at Melksham to wait for next time he came around at 10:04, in the hope that (this time) there weren't three cycles already on from Westbury and Trowbridge!

[PhilWakely]

Only 4 on a 153 ...

I think I said "usual"; sure, we have managed rather more.

Although the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) policy was 3 / first come, first served it would have been a very brave train manager to turn a cyclist away from the 07:48 at Melksham to wait for next time he came around at 10:04, in the hope that (this time) there weren't three cycles already on from Westbury and Trowbridge!

Imagine turning up at Barnstaple on a Sunday evening after a pleasant day cycling on the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) trail for either the 19:26 or 21:30 alongside the dozen or so other cyclists doing the same. 

[TaplowGreen]

Only 4 on a 153 we had 5 full size bikes and 3 Bromptons in a vestibule on a 165 yesterday. I did suggest to the cyclists that there were too many but they just ignored me.
I never understand why GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) never enforce their own policy about the number of bikes on a train, especially as nobody can get on and off through that vestibule unless 3 cyclists got off first.

And in case anyone thinks I am anti-bike, one of those Bromptons was mine and I was first on.

They don't even enforce the "no full size bikes on rush hour trains" rule - we had two clowns on my train this morning, blocking the doors on both sides of the train with their bikes, when they were asked (by another passenger) to move them so that people could get on/off we had the usual tutting, rolling of eyes "can't you use another door" etc etc.