cjp
Member
cjp might have been thinking of the guards van areas that units like piggies used to have, ideal locations for storing a number of bikes
Yes. And for luggage, newspapers and during busy times people standing.
Real trains
cjp might have been thinking of the guards van areas that units like piggies used to have, ideal locations for storing a number of bikes
Towards the end of the BR era in the early to mid 1990s, BR introduced colour-coded waiting zones (Blue Zone, Purple Zone, Gold Zone, etc) at stations served by InterCity trains to help you wait in the correct part of the platform for whichever coach you wanted.
There were signs located at intervals along the platform, and posters inviting you to "zone in on your seat", telling you which coach would stop in which zone. Naturally, 1st class was normally in the Gold Zone, but of course trains sometimes turned up (and still do turn up) in reverse formation.
Today, Virgin East Coast and Hull Trains have their own system of waiting zones, but instead of coloured zones, they just have signs saying wait here for Coach A, wait here for Coach B, etc.
Back in them days if a loco failed on a long distance intercity service they could find a replacement - these days when the loco fails the whole train is cancelled.
The double deck trains ran from Charing cross IIRC and possibly elsewhere, Southern "Bulleid DD" stock IIRC.
Not proper double deck trains in which one could walk along the upper deck, but split level compartments with a short set of stairs to the upper level.
I am showing my age by admitting to having travelled on these !
Remains of at least one unit still exist.
Eh? Apart from the Sleepers, the ECML Class 91s and the Norwich express services, are there any other loco-hauled trains?
Is intercity loco failure a big problem today?
In the 70's, ... and women were not allowed to be guards as it was deemed that in the event of a train seperation, they would not be physically strong enough to lower the buckeye couplings and use the emergency one
There was a comparable operation at the end of the London-Brighton annual mass bike ride in those days. Returning from Brighton station to London, special 8EPBs, rear unit with seat squabs turned over and filled with masses of bicycles. Front unit normal seats for riders. Used to take about half an hour to load it at Brighton, same to unload at Victoria.Masses of Christmas mail and parcels extra services - even 4EPB sets commandeered from places like Redhill , with the seat bases overturned to protect them.
Norwich to London trains definitely still have this.Signs on the door of the nearest toilet to the buffet counter on InterCity trains saying this toilet is not for public use, and is for use only by the catering crew. This was universal in BR days, but for some reason since privatisation the powers-that-be seem to have decided that catering staff no longer need to have their own exclusive toilet. (Maybe this is because in BR days there were more catering staff per train than there are nowadays - certainly that would have been the case on trains with a full restaurant car service.)
Signs on the door of the nearest toilet to the buffet counter on InterCity trains saying this toilet is not for public use, and is for use only by the catering crew. This was universal in BR days, but for some reason since privatisation the powers-that-be seem to have decided that catering staff no longer need to have their own exclusive toilet. (Maybe this is because in BR days there were more catering staff per train than there are nowadays - certainly that would have been the case on trains with a full restaurant car service.)
Back in them days if a loco failed on a long distance intercity service they could find a replacement - these days when the loco fails the whole train is cancelled.
Still around - including the famous Daffodil display around Wellington (Salop) and some odd + rare orchids twixt St Albans and Radlett.Lupins on railway embankments
There was a comparable operation at the end of the London-Brighton annual mass bike ride in those days. Returning from Brighton station to London, special 8EPBs, rear unit with seat squabs turned over and filled with masses of bicycles. Front unit normal seats for riders. Used to take about half an hour to load it at Brighton, same to unload at Victoria.
Nowadays special artic lorries have to be hired ...
Didn't those pre-Christmas mail trains do some decidedly odd routes between main mail centres, such as Redhill to Twickenham, using the special mail sidings at both ends?
I could be sure a lot of Mk3 stock around the country still has toilets which are for staff only, but they are not labelled or necessarily even given a conventional door handle (perhaps just a key slot) so the uninitiated would never know. If I remember correctly, I think the GWR Mk3s may still have these, but I haven't been on one for a few months so I might be getting confused with some of my other journeys!
A walk on 'long distance' fare ticket that represented a financial figure that was cheaper than using a car? Especially if that ticket is for a London terminal the cost today is often far greater than using a private motor vehicle.
I know when I go in to London with family and friends (we live just under 50 miles out) it costs around £8 return for fuel in the car along with parking which in parts of Central London is just under £10 per day. Websites such as JustPark allow very good rates for parking in the central area. Even with the congestion charge and the recent stealth T-Charge it is far cheaper than the train.
Every other country I have been to (which was 9 last year alone) has a cheaper public transport than the private car but not in 'modern' Britain. For 4 adults to use the train to central London costs just under £200 for a peak day return plus parking at the station is nearly £7! The car can deliver a door to door service far cheaper and with higher comfort levels, the train is totally priced out of the market at the current prices. Fuel could go over £2 per litre and the train is still far more expensive.
That's comparing apples and spanners.
Firstly there's not many vehicles that will average 67mpg all the way into and out of central London in average traffic.
Secondly, you can get much cheaper, or free, parking near most stations if you are prepared to walk a bit.
Thirdly, there aren't many 'family and friends' day trips to London who will choose to travel out in peak time.
Fourthly, even if you did take leave of your senses and decide to travel at peak time by car to central London, the journey would be rather, well, interesting. It can easily take an hour to do MK to the M25 in the morning peak.
Finally you are using 4 adults in one car as a comparator, and the proportion of car journeys with 4 adults in them at peak time is frankly rather small.
more useful comparisons would be:
1 adult driving to central London at peak time
4 adults driving to central London at off peak time
Taking the last one, 4 adults can get from Bedford to London via Thameslink for a total of £39 return on groupsave. Frankly I would happily pay that just to avoid trying to get up the A41 from Hendon.
I woud say it is far too expensive the current system precludes multiple adults being able to travel at peak times, why should an overpriced system dictate when you can travel and when you can not? When I was in NSW Australia peak travel was very cheap and it was capped, many locals use the network because it is far cheaper than the private motor car.
That to me is the issue today the rail network cannot compete on costs against other modes of travel, we need to ask why is the cost base so out of control in the UK? Serious questions need to be asked why can other countries offer a rail service that does undercut the motor vehicle but the current system in 'modern' Britain is unable to come close to doing this. Nearly £200 for four adults to travel under 50 miles each way for one day, yes ONE day in to London at peak times is such an embarrassing scandal in my opinion.
In NSW I did make a medium distance trip of over 80 miles in the peak and it worked out less than the sterling equivalent of £10 (and salaries are higher in Australia) and that was a capped fare rate so the return was at no additional cost. I could mention more countries (9 last year alone) it is always a stark comparsion against the current TOC operated model.