Bike Rack Vans

I had this thought a few months ago; have no railways ever considered installing bike racks into a wagon (ie: a plywood door van) that they could attach to their carriage sets?

The benefits of this would be a use for wagons besides demonstration goods trains at gala events, and also that families could be encouraged to combine a bike ride with a train ride (especially if there was no added charge). Lots of preserved railways have cycle routes nearby (especially those that are extending and the rest of the track bed is used for that purpose).

I imagine the arguments against are that trains would be longer and societies wouldn't want to sacrifice a potential carriage for a wagon, and that this would mean more maintenance work on wagons.

Just had the idea when I was looking at the amount of rolling stock some railways have that barely gets used (yet is really well maintained), and was thinking up a use for it.

 

I think the Welsh Highland do this.

 

And after the Loco had run-around, how would the Steam Heating be connected?

 

A through pipe? Like on pretty much any properly designed NPCS van?

(Or, if you used a banana van, your bicycles could be lovingly warmed as they travelled...)

More seriously, I'd have thought the idea is superflous since pretty much any standard gauge heritage service will have a reasonably commodious break van in its consist that will carry a reasonable number of bikes.

Tom

 

Which invokes thoughts of "Blazing Saddles" and the RBr providing a "Cyclist's Special". Bacon Sarnie accompanied by a bowl of Baked Beans.

Found elsewhere,

I wasn't aware of that but, having once having had to take a load of Banana's from somewhere in Kent to.......Dewsbury, was it? The 'fridge' trailer had to be set to +16.5 degrees C. One of the few occasions in nearly 15 years when I drove an Artic at full weight.

 

This might be of interest about banana traffic.

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/570027.html

570027 on the Bluebell is steam heated, though I am not sure if the heating currently works - not a lot of point having it restored to working, but ultimately I'm not sure.

Tom

 

I completely forgot to think about steam heating! I guess that's the end of that then haha.

However, I've learnt about 'Banana Vans' so it's not all been pointless

Would be good if all these freight vehicles we have lying around were of some use on regular weekends, however.

 

The NNR use CCTs on both their main sets for this purpose and also prams and goods for the station shops and buffets.

 

Our wagons are having their annual quiet spell but when the running season ends our fleet of civils wagons will be back in use on a near daily basis.

 

Isnt this what BSK/BSO's are for ?

 

I have thought about doing it with one of my box vans actually, but they are too useful as storage space to run around empty all the time. Maybe if someone were to give me a single garage somewhere (they go for about £10k round our way), to keep all manner of cr*p in, I can clear one of the vans out...

 

I've never been to the NNR unfortunately so I did not know this.

There, someone has thought of it! Good idea sir

 

I'd rather not have the "reasonably commodious break van" used for bikes. On more than one trip we spent all our time trying to stop a stack of bikes falling on our son sat alongside in his wheelchair. Not my idea of fun. Either provide decent accommodation for those in wheelchairs or put bikes/pushchairs somewhere else. So this "bike van" idea sounds a good one to me.

Steve

 

That's not an argument for not carrying bikes; it's an argument for having custom-designed wheelchair accessible carriages!

At a guess, I'd have thought on many lines it isn't bikes which need the majority of carrying space, but buggies...

Tom

 

What the NNR have done is fit out the brake vans in suitable wheelchair accommodation with fixed seats for carers but extra width etc and windows for the views. Some of the coaches have had their toilets removed to enable further bike and pushchair storage too. There are still adequate toilet facilities on the rest of the rake.

 

My point was that bikes can be a serious hazard when stacked in the guard's van - even the bog-standard van - and it was clear on that particular journey that the train staff were unaware of the danger. I just wanted to use this point to support the idea of "bike vans" which might avoid the risk of being injured by a falling stack of bikes, or a mass of shifting buggies for that matter (yes buggies do slide around, buggies do fall over). If wheelchair-users must travel in the guard's van then at least that place should be made safe. I wasn't arguing for "custom-designed wheelchair accessible carriages" - not this time anyway.

Steve

 

We have travelled on the NNR and the facilities were very good. And at least that space is not likely to be shared with unstable inanimate objects like bikes and buggies.

Steve

 

Years ago, when Mark 1s were still common on BR, I travelled extensively with a bike in the brake van - a bungee cord would secure it very well to any convenient hook or the mesh cage such vans typically had. But my general point is that in any case, if heritage railways are serious about carrying passengers in wheelchairs, they should do something a bit more than just putting people in the brake van and hoping for the best - that is what I mean by "custom-designed wheelchair accessible carriages".

Examples:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pic2/lcdr/51.html
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/5034.html
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/4941.html

Or Isle of Wight LBSCR carriage 2403.

Tom

 

Totally agree that more should be done. But the heritage sector is very slow at adapting.....

 

As if by magic:

http://www.national-preservation.com/threads/iowsr-test-run-after-82yrs-out-of-service.67616/

Tom