Railway Freebie Stories

[cuccir]

One for a lazy Bank Holiday evening perhaps: what stories do our members have of free rides, merchandise, food, drinks or other perks that you've got from the UK's railways? I'll discount free staff travel or confessions of fare evasion here - I'm interested in circumstance, serendipty or luck that has led to freebies!

This is prompted by a journey I did yesterday (28th May) from Lealholm to Castleton Moor on the Esk Valley line in which the guard explained with a smile that his ticket machine battery was empty so no tickets were available!

 

[Minilad]

Quite a common one back in the day was to get a 7 day rover and be given 8 days validity by booking clerks who just added 7 days to todays date when writing in the "valid from/to box.

 

[cf111]

Got a free toffee biccie when Abellio took over the ScotRail franchise but beyond that nada!

 

[Alistair G.]

Went up to Newcastle in VTEC earlier in the year, went to the on board "shop" and wanted a chocolate bar and a hot drink. For whatever reason the lady couldn't get the machine to work. She had asked the 2 people in front if they had the cash instead (which they did), she asked me the same question but sadly I hadn't!, but as there no others queuing at the time she just let me have them!

Pretty sure VTEC still made enough profit that day to allow that to happen!!

 

[Hadders]

East Coast Rewards tickets - sadly missed. Travelled loads of times on those.

Not exactly free but as good as - the Scotrail £1 specials/error from Tweedbank to loads of places in Scotland...

 

[rosschap]

Free water bottles (filled and empty) given out by Southeastern at Victoria a couple years ago in the heat of summer.

Free Costa coffee gift card with about £3 on it from southeastern at Victoria to apologise for a delay.

A free hot meal on the Caledonian Sleeper when I missed my connection at Inverness and had to take the sleeper to Edinburgh.

When my Abellio Greater Anglia train hit a person near Romford, the buffet car gave out free water to all passengers, which eventually turned into free bacon rolls after we were stuck for 2 hours.

Sidenote - IMO Greater Anglia's bacon rolls are by far the best on the UK's railways. £3 or £2 for first class passengers and they have real bacon, a far better offering than VTEC and VTWC.

 

[route:oxford]

Easy one.

It's Scotrail policy not to sell tickets to Edinburgh Airport (EDA) at its TVMs*
It's Scotrail policy not to program their on-train handheld machines to sell tickets to EDA*
It's Scotrail policy not to man the gates at Edinburgh Park (EDP) station at the weekend*

So time after time on a Sunday, I have to board a train without buying a ticket from the machine, the on-train staff have no abilty to sell me a ticket and there's nobody at EDP to sell me one either!

*Correct when I last travelled to EDA on the last Sunday in April.

 

[sheff1]

I boarded a train from Stansted Airport to Leicester and was just getting my laptop up and running when the guard appeared and said "if you want to use that go through into first class, we won't get anyone else in there".

I did, and we didn't.

First class on that route is not really worth paying for, but I certainly wasn't complaining

 

[chubs]

Sidenote - IMO Greater Anglia's bacon rolls are by far the best on the UK's railways. £3 or £2 for first class passengers and they have real bacon, a far better offering than VTEC and VTWC.

Did they have enough for everyone? They never seem to have more than half a dozen.

I'm afraid I cannot share your enthusiasm for a microwaved soggy bacon roll though. The cheeseburger is even worse (if they still do it).

 

[TimboM]

At Euston the other week when there was the big power outage, I'd just stepped forwards to order a Burger King when the lights went out. Despite having not ordered at that point and all the equipment/tills being off, they insisted on taking my order, then providing me with my full meal for free.

 

[Polarbear]

A good few years back, (think 47 & Mk2's), I was out on New Years Day on a Heart of England. Train diverted via Worcester & the Cotswold line for good measure so was sat in 1st, with £5 in hand.

When the conductor came round, he told me & my mate not to be daft paying the extra as the train was almost empty!

 

[TimboM]

I boarded a train from Stansted Airport to Leicester and was just getting my laptop up and running when the guard appeared and said "if you want to use that go through into first class, we won't get anyone else in there".

I did, and we didn't.

First class on that route is not really worth paying for, but I certainly wasn't complaining

I used to get free First Class wifi on Pendolinos by sitting at the very end of Standard (e.g. Coach U) next to First. Not sure if that still works, or even still necessary.

 

[Gathursty]

One for a lazy Bank Holiday evening perhaps: what stories do our members have of free rides, merchandise, food, drinks or other perks that you've got from the UK's railways? I'll discount free staff travel or confessions of fare evasion here - I'm interested in circumstance, serendipty or luck that has led to freebies!

This is prompted by a journey I did yesterday (28th May) from Lealholm to Castleton Moor on the Esk Valley line in which the guard explained with a smile that his ticket machine battery was empty so no tickets were available!

Cuccir, I was sat behind you a couple of seats on the other side of the train!

I've undertaken short hops on quiet Northern Rail rural lines where the conductor didn't have chance to come to me before I got off.

 

[Master29]

Once got free first class from Bodmin Parkway to Westbury. I offered the £15 weekend upgrade but the tm,s ticket machine went wrong. She just said don't worry as I know you've offered to pay. Didn't complain about this of course.

 

[Qwerty133]

Nothing overly interesting, only ever got a couple of ticket wallets from various TOCs from memory. Also had pens, a highlighter a notepad and half a ticket roll (when I was about 5) from various bus companies, various promotional merchendise from a taxi company (including a Pizza cutter and bottle opener), and a SYTPE lanyard at various points, but mostly at university's freshers fair.
Oh and used to aim for the standard class part of coach D in EMTs Meridians when the WiFi thought it was part of first class

 

[trainophile]

Found a TPE plastic ticket wallet (empty) once on a, unsurprisingly, TPE train. Got given another wallet by BTP a couple of years ago - I thought it was a leaflet and nearly said "no thanks", but when I accepted it out of politeness it turned out to be an unfolded wallet with BTP contact information on.

Have "tidied up" more daily papers than I could count on a football team's digits, so kind of people to leave me their finished with reading material to take home to the other half .

Strangest thing I have found was on a Friday evening - a copy of the next day's Daily Mail Weekend TV mag. I've often wondered how it got there a day before release.

 

[Lrd]

I remember years ago getting 5 x free scratch off carnet tickets from First Capital Connect. Not entirely sure why but I vaguely remember having to apply for them.

I also got a chocolate brownie from London Midland at Easter...

 

[Parallel]

I had a free biscuit from GWR employees when they were stood at Swindon station last halloween handing them out.

 

[185143]

A few things here!

Had many free upgrades from knowing guards. Had biscuits and things given to me by Catering staff (again, that I know) whilst sat in Standard.

One of the best I've had (aside from winning VT's never ending ticket, was a manager (I won't name the TOC, but its an intercity one that serves London) who I know putting me on a Morning peak train to London-completely free of charge!

Been told to 'stay on and don't be silly' (so to speak) when I've had a rail ranger and the train has been travelling beyond that point.

I wasn't charged when I went to Sugar Loaf-as the guard (and driver!) Were in total shock and disbelief someone was boarding there!

I was on the first TPE 350 in public service. They dished out the first class breakfast boxes to every passenger-I had three senior TPE bods at my table for the duration of the journey (including the TPE MD at the time.)

I've not done so bad!

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

Not a UK company, but when I lost all connections in the Netherlands to go to Germany with local trains, the train manager on ICE International sold us tickets without the on-board supplement (€12.50) and insisted that I was still a child (i.e. paying child fares).

 

[Fiyero]

Only one that comes to mind from the train company was South West Trains / Network Rail nets of chocolate eggs when there was major disruption over Easter. I also have a recollection of a free ice lolly at Waterloo though couldn't say for certain if that was me or something I saw!

 

[43096]

On a busy Sheffield-St. Pancras HST several years ago, so went in first, ready to pay the weekend first upgrade. Guard comes round and I asked him for the upgrade: "Sorry, my ticket machine is broken, so I can't issue the ticket." Free upgrade it was!

 

[96tommy]

Had a split ticket from Leeds to Donny then Donny to Kings X. Leeds to Donny part was in first class but the guard let me stay in first class the while journey.

 

[Timrud]

Coming from St Pancras to Sheffield on the last working day before xmas the train crew invited everybody to first class for a party with free food and wine

 

[Agent_Squash]

Travelled down to Euston the other week, ready to pay the weekend upgrade (as a child). Got asked for the full price, so questioned the TM. He didn't know, so got the upgrade for free

 

[cuccir]

Thanks all for the replies - some nice insights into UK rail life

 

[Roast Veg]

EMT dished out free sweets at Nottingham last year for no discernible reason, too bad they were liquorice.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Best I've ever managed was a free muffin courtesy of EMT during the Nottingham blockade back in 2013, and the guard practically insisting that I (and everybody else) sat in First on the Saturday morning Swansea-Pembroke Dock HST run on what was then FGW. I don't think passenger numbers broke double figures at any point!

 

[CheekyBandit]

Got a cheap first class return upgrade some 20 years ago in Virgin XC (as it was then) Sheffield - Winchester. The freebie was a can of booze on the return journey as the aircon failed. Another was a friend of mine (who was travelling with me) got the same Young Persons Railcard discount (early July 1991) as me on my railcard.

 

[GW43125]

The best I've managed is getting on a peak train with an offpeak ticket,
Me (rover in hand): "Do you know if I can use this on your train?"
TM: "I don't know rovers, where you going?"
Me: [name of station]
TM:"Just jump on and don't worry"

Or on a well-populated (by enthusiasts) train which has been discussed a lot here, being told not to worry about paying when I asked how much it would cost to do another round trip.