# Trikes on trains?



## tdr1nka (31 Jan 2008)

I know I misplaced this question in another thread but has anyone had experience(good or bad)of taking their trike on an intercity train?

Ta,

T x


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## Fiona N (20 Feb 2008)

Has no one had experience or has no one replied?

Anyway ... I've taken my WIndcheetah on a few trains and the experience has been variable but mainly good (in the case of the old Virgin rolling stock with a guards van - the experience was fabulous: leaving London on a Friday evening I had a ticket and a reservation for the trike but not for a seat so the train conductor suggested I sit in First, where there were free seats, as it was nearer to the bike storage. I think he must have been a cyclist - knowing that you like to stay close to your steed)
Newer Virgin trains on the West Coast line (Pendolinos) have bike storage which will take a trike although, if there's another bike or already piles of luggage (which shouldn't be there), it's tricky. Staff have always been helpful and reminded me to let the train manager know there's a bike to unload at my stop (as you have to get a member of staff to open the access door from the outside - good security)
The smaller commuter trains used by First NorthWestern and Scotrail are pretty hopeless - the bike storage areas double as luggage/disabled areas in the middle of the trains so your chance of getting a trike in is low unless it's an empty train. Even if you have a booking/reservation, a disabled person without a reservation will take precedence (what do they do if there's more than one wheelchair?) but again staff have usually been obliging (one case in Scotland of a real miseryguts of a conductor was, I feel, an exception).

So overall, probably do-able but I'd find out what sort of bike storage the trains you intend to use have. The old guard's vans are so rare now they're hardly worth mentioning.


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## CopperBrompton (28 Mar 2008)

Technically trikes are banned from most trains, but I think if you make a reservation for a bike (required on most train companies) you are unlikely to have anyone arguing that it's a trike.

On local services, I've so far had no problems just hopping on.

Ben


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## tdr1nka (28 Mar 2008)

Cheers Ben,
I've taken my trike on local trains with no bother, avoiding rush hours of course.

I have, as yet, to try taking the trike on an Intercity, I'd imagine that if the guards van is near empty unless they are real 'jobsworths' they won't quibble about it. I just wonder what it would be like once the holiday season starts.
Funny 'cos I could always just book the trike into the guards van as extra luggage and then see what they make of it.


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## CopperBrompton (28 Mar 2008)

As Fiona says, guards vans are almost a thing of the past. Virgin Trains have something resembling one, but most services have just a small amount of luggage space in a carriage.


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## Trillian (31 May 2008)

Fiona N said:


> Has no one had experience or has no one replied?
> 
> a disabled person without a reservation will take precedence (what do they do if there's more than one wheelchair?)



when a disabled passenger arrives at a station they have to go to the station office stating their intended destination, they are then booked onto the next train available, letting both station staff at departing station and destination station know. they rarely put more than the capacity on the train, I was the exception one day, but fitted well in the corner since mine was a small wheelchair.


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## Rhythm Thief (31 May 2008)

Fiona N said:


> leaving London on a Friday evening I had a ticket and a reservation for the trike but not for a seat



I suppose he could have made you spend the journey sitting on your trike seat.


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## Riding in Circles (4 Jun 2008)

Some delta's can be stood upright on the seat back so are fine but tadpoles are a no go down here. I lament the guards van.


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## CopperBrompton (4 Jun 2008)

With a tadpole, a small chock for the rear wheel (and removing the quick-release mudguard on the TRICE) enables it to be stood upright in the same way as a delta, albeit needing support.

Ben


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## Riding in Circles (5 Jun 2008)

Ben Lovejoy said:


> With a tadpole, a small chock for the rear wheel (and removing the quick-release mudguard on the TRICE) enables it to be stood upright in the same way as a delta, albeit needing support.
> 
> Ben



We have a new model that we are designing a cargo rack for and one of the criteria for the design is to allow the trike to stand on it's back with the rack, primarily for storage.


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## CopperBrompton (5 Jun 2008)

Sounds sensible. This is how I store my TRICE at home:










Ben


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## Riding in Circles (5 Jun 2008)

I have trikes on various walls around the house, it is a bone of contention.


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## Valiant (15 Jul 2008)

Where is the storage on the new Virgin trains?


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## Riding in Circles (15 Jul 2008)

Valiant said:


> Where is the storage on the new Virgin trains?



HA HA HA HA! (cue manic grin, runs around biting a rubber chicken)


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## gavintc (15 Jul 2008)

I put my bike on a GNER (now Cross Country) train last summer and there was a large storage area behind the driver. It was quite an experience as I was given a tour of the driver's cab as the driver was a cyclist. The area was certainly large enough to take a trike and there were a number of hooks to hang bikes vertically. I suggest that you ask Cross Country trains for more details. As for Virgin - forget it (tiny tiny space just about big enough to hang a bike.


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