Trains London--Portsmouth Harbour

[HTFB]

Do I believe either Southwest Trains who say that they'll take a tandem on a Saturday but only if I can reduce it to the length of a singleton by removing the wheels? Or Southern who say they'll take it with "absolutely no problem at all, sir"?

Or neither?

[Wowbagger]

We took a tandem twice on SW trains, but it had S & S couplings. At Brockenhurst station, these were recognised by the station master and we boarded the train with his blessing.

[Tim Hall]

I've used various Southern trains with a tandem, including to Pompey.  The bike area is in the second or third coach of a set of four (depends which way round it is).  It's by the loo and the wheelchair space, located by red stripes either sides of the doors.  That and a picture of a bike.

[HTFB]

That's great to know, Tim. Many thanks. I even called in at Victoria and buttonholed a manager with the problem: he talked about 377s and 453s and told me he'd call me---he hasn't.

[Tim Hall]

he talked about 377s and 453s and told me he'd call me---he hasn't.

You need a trainspotter, enthusiast,gricer, Martin/Zoom to explain the numbers.  But I think 377 is the thing you'll be travelling in. Sometimes these come as sets of 3, giving a 9 coach train. This of course screws up my 2nd or 3rd coach method of locating the bike zone.

[Martin]

You won't be travelling in a 377 on SWT that is pure Southern; but to all intents and purposes the bike space will be the same; on a 377 you can fold up one of the seats by the bog to accomodate a tandem; (they often have 2 bikes end to end) as long as 2 wheelchair users don't also get on and need to use the space. When I manage to blag this folding seat it enables me to put the unfolded folder beween the side of the coach and the seat and reduces it to almost Brompton footprint (with a token fold of the handlebar stem)

[HTFB]

OK, we're going to try it. Southeastern into Victoria can't tell me which train type it will be, though in all probability it's the suburban sort (465?) without any particularly good storage areas. They tell me, though, that as far as they're concerned on Saturdays a bike is a bike and we are welcome to travel with the tandem if we can get it on board. I think it will fit on and we can just half-block an exit door.

Then a 377 with Southern to Portsmouth. It won't go on the Island Line railway so I might just get myself a ticket to Ryde (and I don't care).

[HTFB]

And just for the record, it all worked beautifully. Southeastern's commuter services, and the long slow Southern train to Portsmouth, and the ferry; not a hitch in either direction. Definitely no go on the Island line.

We were able to take the tandem onto a South West Trains service at Portsmouth Harbour on the way back without any comment from the train or platform staff, but the Beloved Stoker's ticket was only valid via Horsham so we had to change at Havant. Otherwise I'd have tried to bluff it out to London.