Fare evasion on railtours.

[notverydeep]

Mid Kylesman Railtour - Midland Railfans - 15/9/84
37 114 and 37 171 hauled the combined stock, 16 coaches, of the railtour and 17:10 Kyle - Inverness as a service train.

That sounds like a good tour!

A rummage through my old "moves book" (I haven't done that for a while) has yielded some of the details of my combined rail tour / service train experience. It ran on the 25th April 1987 and was operated by the Severn Beach Line Passenger Association. 47481 hauled the train - I am guessing that it was routed from Bristol via Avonmouth (I boarded at Redland, then my local station) and then the Hallen Marsh to North Filton freight line and then via East Usk Junction to Shrewsbury, where 37431 took over and worked the train to Pwllheli. I didn't get to Pwllheli - I was a young volunteer on the Talyllyn at the time and alighted at Tywyn for a return trip to Nant Gwernol, before catching up with the 37431 on the return journey at Barmouth after a short hop on 150130. Sadly, my memory can no longer replay the ascent up Talerddig in my mind, but a single 37 on at least load 10 should have been quite good! 47481 returned the train from Shrewsbury to the Bristol area. My book records the train as having the headcode 1Z43, but I don't have any record of the timings. Interestingly, the normally comprehensive Six Bells Junction does not list this train...

 

[DanNCL]

I've heard tales of people who have genuinely attempted to board the New Measurement Train in the past, so it's not entirely impossible for someone to accidentally board a charter.

I’ve witnessed someone ask how to board a container train before thinking it was their LNER to Leeds. Apparently the lack of windows and doors wasn’t enough of a giveaway to them!

So yes, entirely believable and in my eyes likely that people quite often accidentally try boarding charters.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I’ve witnessed someone ask how to board a container train before thinking it was their LNER to Leeds. Apparently the lack of windows and doors wasn’t enough of a giveaway to them!

And these people are allowed to vote and make babies...

 

[james_the_xv]

I’ve witnessed someone ask how to board a container train before thinking it was their LNER to Leeds. Apparently the lack of windows and doors wasn’t enough of a giveaway to them!

For some reason when travelling (Airports are also bad for this) some people lose all common sense and go blinkers on, see train get on train.

 

[bleeder4]

I've been on several steam tours where random commuters have boarded thinking it's their normal service train. As if the steam engine at the front wasn't a giveaway! On most tours now though stewards are at every door during station stops so can easily triage arrivees before they board. LSL's short 2+5 HST set is a popular one for commuters trying to board. As it's got "Luxury Trains to the Scottish Highlands" emblazoned in big letters by all the doors, people often try to get on it thinking it's their Voyager or Pendolino to Edinburgh/Glasgow.

 

[robert thomas]

I was involved in running a railtour from West Wales to Devon in the 70's.Our last pick up point was Bristol Temple Meads and I saw a well known enthusiast who was notorious for not paying get on further down the train. I walked through the train to check his ticket but he was nowhere to be seen. I walked back through the train and noticed that a toilet which was engaged when I first passed it was still engaged. I waited outside the door until we were past Taunton when the door opened and the suspected individual emerged. As soon as he saw me he said I've been looking for you and promptly paid up his fare!

 

[jumble]

The one I was thinking of originally would have treated “normals” to a 20 or Sarah Siddons on the Chesham branch - though it may just have been that one branch working was cancelled to give us a path.

We went to either the Rickmansworth Canal festivals or Amersham heritage day provably 20 years ago
Sarah was at Harrow on the Hill on a normal service train
In July 2004 there were a couple of rail tours with the 1938 TS to celebrate 100 years of Uxbridge branch
After the final train reached Uxbridge a "friend" who had young kids and could not come any where near affording the rail tour price was lucky enough to get on the train and asked if they could take the kids to look at the cab However the train started moving and no one told the family to leave the cab until the train got to Ealing Common
Slightly amusing was that the train stopped at Rayners Lane to let off a load of Met managers who apparently were not in the slightest bit bothered about Children being in the cab

 

[Mike Machin]

I’ve witnessed someone ask how to board a container train before thinking it was their LNER to Leeds. Apparently the lack of windows and doors wasn’t enough of a giveaway to them!

So yes, entirely believable and in my eyes likely that people quite often accidentally try boarding charters.

Even this doesn’t surprise me! On the Saturday when the four Castle Class locomotives were at Didcot in March 2023, I took a ride on the shuttle train running on Didcot’s demonstration line.

As we waited to depart, a young Chinese couple boarded and asked ‘is this the right train for London?’ How on earth they had made their way into Didcot Railway Centre rather than the station I don’t know, but they were not in the least bit phased by the fact that what they assumed was their London train consisted of two ancient GWR auto coaches, about to be propelled by a Prairie tank locomotive!

 

[Taunton]

God only knows how they confused a six-coach historic set of vehicles, for a 2/3car bright green multiple unit.

Having seen people on a London Underground platform stepping forward to board a works train, cement mixers on wagons etc, which was coming slowly through, despite multiple announcements to stand clear, anything is possible.

 

[Dave S 56F]

When I started off doing charter trains steam hauled before I realised I needed a bank account to pre book the tours I went with £40 cash in hand to go on the scarborough spa,s that ran from York via castleford Normanton Wakefield Westgate via outwood on the ex G.N. line and Woodlesford.
This was back in 2012 with west coast they used to let me pay cash in hand and let me stand in the vestibule listening to 46115 thundering up the hill to Ardsley from Wakefield Westgate and the 2nd time I did this I got 45699 fresh out from been overhauled it was failed at York coming back with a dodgy crosshead. Following on from then I opened a bank account and booked the correct way when I got fond of mainline steam charters.

 

[brad465]

For some reason when travelling (Airports are also bad for this) some people lose all common sense and go blinkers on, see train get on train.

Earlier this year this happened at Bristol Parkway while 2x 465s (towed by a 37) destined for scrap were sat in P1 for 20 minutes for a scheduled stop. At least one passenger tried to board (at least the doors wouldn't open anyway) in that time, but this was nowhere near as extreme as the container train example above..

When did Central Door locking (or manual locking with stewards at every door) become mandatory on railtours? I wouldn't be surprised if before this, there were railtours where someone boarded it while it was at a red signal, in a station it otherwise wasn't scheduled to call at, although they would be very easy to spot as I assume the guard(s) would be on watch at the time.

 

[unlevel42]

After a bad tempered ending to a Cup match in 1974 between Burnley and Wrexham, I was forced onto Football Special in Burnley by the police, no amount of explaining worked as my ticket was a return back to Sheffield via Manchester Victoria. Off we went, next stop Chester! I found the Guard who gave me chit to travel from Chester to Manchester. Thank you Guard.

 

[Lloyds siding]

And these people are allowed to vote and make babies...

Yes, and I have to deal with their queries in the polling station! Then I look at our elected politicians...and everything is explained!

 

[boiledbeans2]

Even this doesn’t surprise me! On the Saturday when the four Castle Class locomotives were at Didcot in March 2023, I took a ride on the shuttle train running on Didcot’s demonstration line.

As we waited to depart, a young Chinese couple boarded and asked ‘is this the right train for London?’ How on earth they had made their way into Didcot Railway Centre rather than the station I don’t know, but they were not in the least bit phased by the fact that what they assumed was their London train consisted of two ancient GWR auto coaches, about to be propelled by a Prairie tank locomotive!

Maybe that was their impression of British trains?

 

[xotGD]

Earlier this year this happened at Bristol Parkway while 2x 465s (towed by a 37) destined for scrap were sat in P1 for 20 minutes for a scheduled stop. At least one passenger tried to board

With a 37 on the front, I might have been tempted!

 

[norbitonflyer]

I did once almost make such a mistake a few years ago. I and three other people were biooked on the 1000 from Paddington to Bath. On the departures board was a 1000 Bristol service at platform 10 so off we went to that platform.
A little surprised to find a 47 on the stops and a rake of Mark 1s, instead of the expected HST.
Slight reality check, and I realised that there were TWO departures at 1000, this was a special, and ours was not yet platformed.

Eventually we found the right train and were treated, on departure, to a GWR "Castle" racing us on a parallel track - needless to say our HST won!

But I wonder if any "normals" did find their way onto the wrong Bristol train that morning.

 

[bunnahabhain]

There are the occasional people who seem to take delight in reliving the 1980s and getting away without paying for a diesel hauled tour. I recall having some intel passed to me from a few years ago when the Shakespeare Express was running with a pair of Class 20s as no steam was available.

I think the most impressive reverse scenario of bashers turning up with lots of money was when 37240 dropped onto a Vintage Trains S&C tour earlier this year, word was let out around 1200 it would be happening and a huge number of enthusiasts turned up and duly put their money in the till for what turned out to be a rather epic bash from Blackburn to Birmingham.

 

[Furrysquid]

Even this doesn’t surprise me! On the Saturday when the four Castle Class locomotives were at Didcot in March 2023, I took a ride on the shuttle train running on Didcot’s demonstration line.

As we waited to depart, a young Chinese couple boarded and asked ‘is this the right train for London?’ How on earth they had made their way into Didcot Railway Centre rather than the station I don’t know, but they were not in the least bit phased by the fact that what they assumed was their London train consisted of two ancient GWR auto coaches, about to be propelled by a Prairie tank locomotive!

Once overheard someone at Tywyn Wharf ask "Is that the train to Birmingham?"

(To be fair, the two stations in Tywyn are relatively close to each other. And TfW have had quite a lot of new trains recently, although it takes a bit of a stretch of the imagination to assume they've acquired some narrow-gauge steam locos!)

 

[30907]

Once overheard someone at Tywyn Wharf ask "Is that the train to Birmingham?"

Tom Rolt in "Railway Adventure" references not dissimilar issues in 1952

 

[The exile]

Earlier this year this happened at Bristol Parkway while 2x 465s (towed by a 37) destined for scrap were sat in P1 for 20 minutes for a scheduled stop. At least one passenger tried to board (at least the doors wouldn't open anyway) in that time, but this was nowhere near as extreme as the container train

Given the generally useless nature of the auto-announcements at Parkway I expect there was a train due at that platform. The announcement played would have been something like “The fast train approaching this platform does not stop here. Stand clear of the platform edge” Modernish looking train arrives and stops (so quite clearly not the one in the warning) so passenger understandably assumes it’s their train. If they were waiting for a local service GER’s semi-random unit generator means that “this doesn’t look the same as usual” would only be of limited help.