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Trolley Thoughts

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Waldgrun

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A great deal has been stated in the thread entitled "Swansea Mum's Horror as Daughter is Left Alone" about the role (or should I use the word roll:p) the catering trolley played.
Personally I have always hated the things and never felt they where safe, I have had times when I wondered if I would ever get off the train, because the damn thing was blocking the gangway by my seat!
So what's your views?
 
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TCDD

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Personally I don't much like Trolleys. On my frequentish trips from Waterloo to Weymouth they're never there when you want them, and always there when you don't (like trying to get past them to the Weymouth portion or to empty seats). Heading down from Waterloo, you've barely left the station throat when the trolley shoots past, never to be seen again. Coming back, you're gasping for a cuppa until Basingstoke. And when the trolley does come and you actually want to use it, the tea is lukewarm, the beer is lukewarm too, and there's no decent food. It wouldn't be so annoying if there wasn't also an unused buffet counter, making you wonder what delights it would offer if it was actually ever opened. That's enough of a rant...
 

ryan125hst

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I think they're a good idea as it allows passengers to buy drinks and snacks at their seat without having to walk down the train (six coaches in some cases) to get to the buffet counter. However, they should certainly move the trolley to allow people to get on and off the train if they have to.

What I don't agree with, however, is when buffet cars are replaced with trolleys. In my opinion, a trolly service should supplement a buffet counter. After all, you can't buy a bacon sandwich from a trolley! East Coast do this right, as i believe they aim to have a buffet and a trolley service on every train (unless this has changed since i read it on a timetable). It's just a shame they got rid of the restaurant.
 

Hyphen

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Not really ever paid much attention to trolleys to be honest, but they seem to get it right on the XC Cardiff-Nottingham runs (which, unlike catering on the Voyagers, are outsourced to an external firm).

Trolley boards at NWP at the front, waits until 5/10 mins after departure, then does a run backwards through the train. Trolley stays stationary until after CMN, when it does another run to the front (not enough time between GCR and CMN). Manages another run between BHM and TAM, then again between BUT and DBY, then DBY-NOT.

The trolley operators are always careful to never be in the middle of a carriage approaching a station and they're always attentive to which sides the doors are opening. And they always seem to give a few mins for people who have just boarded to wander through as necessary.

I used to do that run every Monday morning for about 2 years - Julie who ran on the 0945 ex CDF was/is a gem :)
 

BestWestern

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...It wouldn't be so annoying if there wasn't also an unused buffet counter, making you wonder what delights it would offer if it was actually ever opened. That's enough of a rant...

The 'delights' would be exactly the same I believe, as they are essentially just a cubby in which to park the trolley and serve the stock. I suppose the tea might be hotter if the urn is plugged in!
 

Chew Chew

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As a Scotrail user I just love their poor sandwich selection and warm pop and beer. :cry:
 

GatwickDepress

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I recall Southern offering the usual fare of motorway service snacks during a calm late evening Brighton - London Victoria semi-fast on a 442. The trolley found itself wedged in the gangway several times.
 

Yew

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The 'delights' would be exactly the same I believe, as they are essentially just a cubby in which to park the trolley and serve the stock. I suppose the tea might be hotter if the urn is plugged in!

I get the feeling it would still be extortionately priced though..
 

swj99

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I'm not a great fan. My impression is that they are a nuisance, bordering on being dangerous. I would much rather have the option of being able to walk to a counter and buy refreshments if I wanted to, rather than the possibility of a trolley arriving at some point in the journey. I also feel sorry for whoever has the job of pushing or dragging such a thing in the confines of a train aisle, with the added hassle of having to try and avoid obstructing passengers at station stops. Due to the size, weight and shape, there is also the potential for a trolley to cause some very serious injuries in an accident.

I think the concept of having a trolley on a train is an example of a good idea which doesn't always work so well in practice.

To me, something like this is much more desirable.

VolOppsCatering3.jpg


I guess there are plenty here who will recall the jokes during the 70s and 80s about British Rail meat pies. The jokes went on for so long that it became part of British culture, despite only being marginally funny the first time. On the subject of flogging a dead horse, the recent stories about horse DNA in ready meals etc reminded me of a spoof railway advert on Not The Nine O Clock News, where they showed an InterCity 125 logo, with a caption which said "This is the age of the spam !" Now I'm not suggesting we go back to that, and a trolley is fine for aeroplanes on journeys lasting several hours, but it's hardly necessary if you're on a 70 odd minute journey from Petersfield to Waterloo. I would have thought that on journeys with frequent stops, a trolley is likely to be more of a liability than anything else.

Although if it was one like this, it would be worth taking on the Antiques Roadshow.

young-boys-manning-a-refreshment-trolley-at-paddington-station-about-1910.jpg


From - http://railways.national-preservati...ter-its-sandwiches-other-station-stories.html
 

Goatboy

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They are a complete pain and I wouldn't shed a tear if they were all completely removed.

The prices are ridiculous enough that I never use them anyway - a buffet offers things a trolley does not, and everything on a trolley is easily obtained elsewhere for half the price.
 

Ferret

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They always get in my sodding way when I'm trying to check tickets or do the customer service thing. This subject could turn me into a grumpy old man!:D
 

DDB

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I also prefer a buffet and I expect most people if asked would say the same. However I assume that although we all say this we must buy more stuff from the trolley as the companies (are they all rail gourmet) would't run them if they didn't sell more than a buffet.

DDB
 

Mugby

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They've simply priced themselves out of the market as far as I'm concerned.

When I saw someone recently purchase two coffees, just instant coffee emptied from a sachet into the cup, and the price came to £4.20, I resolved never to use them again!
 

trainophile

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I wouldn't dream of getting on a train without my own supply of refreshments, but some people rely on there being a trolley service because that's what it said on the booking information, only to find that it isn't coming on board until an hour along the track, or was taken off at the last interchange. I'm thinking of ATW in particular, who have no such thing as a dedicated buffet area, so no trolley = very thirsty people.

Don't mind them being on board, and the staff are always pleasant, but if it says on the schedule that there is a trolley service then they should make sure that there actually is one.

A couple of times they have had to apologise for running out of hot water, which is annoying for anyone gasping for a cuppa.
 

BestWestern

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They are rather pricey. Unfortunately in our neck of the woods, the level of service provided is variable, due to a largely uninterested outside contractor. I understand that they are paid so as to make a profit before they've even sold anything, so I guess it's money for old rope really. Trouble is, once they've failed to show up a few times, anybody who experiences a lack of catering when it's advertised as being there, will just buy before they board, to be on the safe side. What's also daft is that SSP - who operate Rail Gourmet trolleys - don't accept Bite cards on board despite being the same outfit who run all the station outlets.
 

route101

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Last saturday i upon departure from Glasgow Central on a xc service the trolley was out as we passed Eglinton Junction:D

First time i noticed a trolley service on Glasgow XC service , usually only from Edinburgh.
 

185

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Self Employed was a good solution. Staff had input into the prices being charged and it was competitive. Many were earning £400-£500 a week, and the level of service to customers was simply excellent - staff were motivated to go through the train often and carefully.

As soon as the greedy train company got wind of how much money was being made, they put a stop to it. Went from £1 for a Tea/Coffee to £1.60 overnight.
 

swj99

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They are a complete pain and I wouldn't shed a tear if they were all completely removed.
Considering the recession, the price of scrap metal, couldn't someone arrange for them all to be weighed in. :roll:

They've simply priced themselves out of the market as far as I'm concerned.
And that also. I bought a coffee once, off a trolley. For the price they charged, I could have bought the same thing in a nice cafe somewhere. I prefer to get refreshments either at a station, time permitting, or somewhere else. I've driven further by road with no refreshments than any train journey I've been on, so it's no big deal anyway.
 
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Self Employed was a good solution. Staff had input into the prices being charged and it was competitive. Many were earning £400-£500 a week, and the level of service to customers was simply excellent - staff were motivated to go through the train often and carefully.

As soon as the greedy train company got wind of how much money was being made, they put a stop to it. Went from £1 for a Tea/Coffee to £1.60 overnight.

Yes, i seem to remember at Leeds the stock was kept in a lock up near the staff smoking area behind boots, taking to some of the guys that worked them they said they could earn a pretty penny, especially on the Carlisle and Blackpool services.
I wouldnt be sorry to see trolleys gone on EC, i agree with most of the points of them been a bit of a pain and dangerous. Most people will get off their bums and come to the buffet if the trolley is cancelled anyway. My only concern would be the elderly or people with certain disabilities on long journeys.
 

island

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I'm on a Shinkansen at the moment, the trolley comes back and forth throughout the journey. Serves hot drinks, snack food, and bento boxes. Vending machines do cold drinks in every other carriage, and a couple sell souvenirs too. A second vendor has a cool bag with ice cream tubs. Prices are more or less the same as convenience stores.

And as a plus, the trolley lady is wearing a fetching dress and bows to the passengers when entering and exiting each coach.

It can be done where there's a will.
 

yorksrob

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As a Scotrail user I just love their poor sandwich selection and warm pop and beer. :cry:

Beer is supposed to be warm.

Trolleys are a wonderful thing, particularly on a service which doesn't justifya buffet. I love being able to get a cup of tea and a kittkat whilst going over the Settle Carlisle.

All trolleys should stock a decent ale though.
 

broadgage

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I normally regard a trolley as a poor substitute for a buffet owing to the limited range and volume of goods available, better than nothing certainly.

On a long or busy service a trolley can be useful AS WELL as a buffet, by reducing queues and walking distances.

In recent years trolleys have generally replaced buffets, and buffets have generally replaced restaurants, this is known as progress.
 

Michael.Y

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Unsurprisingly I have differing views to many of you in this thread - suffice to say some of the "concerns" :roll: raised herein are bordering on the ridiculous. I can assure you we are not all anti-social aisle blockers peddling overpriced lukewarm tat and soggy sandwiches. Some of us love doing our job, getting massive job satisfaction and receive positive feedback from our passengers so it's disheartening to hear the level of hatred aimed at us by some of those on here. We may not be the most glamorous or essential of railway workers and I appreciate we may not be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended), but to read some of the "thoughts" on here you'd think we were the worst blight to hit modern rail travel since Dr Beeching's little red pen.

Are those of you anti-trolleyites seriously suggesting ripping out seating space on DMUs such as 158s or 175s in favour of a permanent buffet? Do those of you who prefer buffets find that pax meandering precariously down aisles carrying hot drinks preferable to having it prepared at your seat by someone who has had months, if not years of practice balancing on trains? I can work in a single shift up to 4 different types of DMU - would you convert all of these to include a buffet? A poster mentioned "progress" - frankly it's just a case of needs-must to be honest - persons may have a romantic image of trains with buffets and restaurants but they are not fashionable, practical or popular on certain services.

In mitigation, I am not naiive enough to think that one size fits all, and I will admit I am biased because of the position I am in, and my experience of other services is limited to a certain number of TOCs that I have travelled on (or have heard about through family.) As indeed, I expect, a number of views on here are based on limited exposure to differing types of service levels, so apologies if you feel put out by my reaction. I just felt it necessary to put across my views at this time. I would say though, to those of you who think them dangerous or a nuisance (perhaps in reactionary mode to the Swansea incident, of which I have little to no knowledge outside of what has been reported in the rags) that we are not all cowboys, and some of us know how to intelligently and safely work a train without inconvenience to pax or safety-critical crew.

Rant over!
 

Be3G

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Do those of you who prefer buffets find that pax meandering precariously down aisles carrying hot drinks preferable to having it prepared at your seat by someone who has had months, if not years of practice balancing on trains?

I don't really feel strongly about trollies either way, but there's something I would like to mention in response to what I've quoted above. This is no reflection on you personally because I have no idea about the quality of service you provide to customers, but from what I have sometimes seen, ‘prepared’ is rather overstating the role of the person operating the trolley. I've witnessed my mother pay whatever it was – a couple of quid I suppose – for a coffee, to merely be given a cup of hot water and an unopened instant coffee sachet.
 

Michael.Y

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I don't really feel strongly about trollies either way, but there's something I would like to mention in response to what I've quoted above. This is no reflection on you personally because I have no idea about the quality of service you provide to customers, but from what I have sometimes seen, ‘prepared’ is rather overstating the role of the person operating the trolley. I've witnessed my mother pay whatever it was – a couple of quid I suppose – for a coffee, to merely be given a cup of hot water and an unopened instant coffee sachet.

I don't mean to overly aggrandise what we do by saying "prepared", but it's a shorter way of saying "add hot water to teabag" :D I at least put the coffee / teabag / hot chocolate mixture in the cup before adding the hot water, so that at least the fiddly bit with most potential for scalding is done away from the passenger's seat. Pax then, as in a cafe or restaurant, add milk and sugar at their leisure from sachets.

PS - the coffee sachets are only used when we've run out of filter coffee!
 

Tom B

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On intercity services I much prefer to go up to the buffet. There's a better selection - possibly hot food too - and it's good to stretch your legs on a long journey. Trolleys tend to get in the way but, as others have said, they are presumably commercially lucrative ("oh well, I wasn't going to, but since you're here I'll have a cup of tea... oh and a kit kat...")
 

Muzer

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Passengers, me inclusive, generally prefer sitting in their seats and having the tasty snacks come to them. In my case, I generally don't use the trolleys due to the price, but use them (like today), mostly for drinks, if there wasn't any (open) facilities at the station. I probably wouldn't mind having to go to a buffet, but I'm probably more likely to buy things if they come past. Some trolley operators though practically run past at the speed of light before I've even managed to register they're there, let alone realise that I am, in fact, thirsty ;)

I would like it if they sold hot food, though; and this is where a buffet might presumably manage to have an advantage (I've never really experienced one, though.)

Incidentally, are the XC trolleys done in-house? There wasn't an RG logo in sight...
 

PaxVobiscum

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I think trolley operators who are likely to find themselves on a 6 car Class 170 should be given Hogwarts departure style training so that they can charge through the cabs and get to the other half of the train that I always seem to be on. :D
 

Michael.Y

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@ Muzer - Depends on the service. Long distance is in-house. Regional / ex-Central Trains provided by a Birmingham-based external company.
 
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