Hi,

I recently discovered that First Great Western operates a motorail service
to Penzance. Came as a bit of a surprise - i thought motorail had gone out
with BR!

Now, this service starts from Paddington, which means the cars are loaded
there. However, i can't imagine quite how this is done - i've been to
Paddington many times, and never seen a car queueing at the gateline. The
motorail website says "cars need to be loaded well in advance of the
advertised departure time to allow the Motorail section to be attached to
the main train", which indicates that there's a separate loading area for
cars, following which the car cars (as it were) are coupled to the
passenger cars between loading and departure. Is that the case? Where do
the cars board? Where is the coupling done? How, generally, does this all
work?

The prices are actually pretty reasonable - a car plus a driver, who
spends the night in a seat in standard class, costs 103 UKP for a return;
it's 137 UKP if the driver wants a bunk. Given that a super advance return
just for a foot passenger is 54.00, that's really fairly cheap. I'm
thinking my next holiday might be down in Cornwall; now all i need is a
car ...

Thanks,
tom

--
Everybody with a heart votes love

Tom Anderson wrote:
Hi,

I recently discovered that First Great Western operates a motorail
service to Penzance. Came as a bit of a surprise - i thought motorail
had gone out with BR!

Now, this service starts from Paddington, which means the cars are
loaded there. However, i can't imagine quite how this is done - i've
been to Paddington many times, and never seen a car queueing at the
gateline. The motorail website says "cars need to be loaded well in
advance of the advertised departure time to allow the Motorail section
to be attached to the main train", which indicates that there's a
separate loading area for cars, following which the car cars (as it
were) are coupled to the passenger cars between loading and departure.
Is that the case? Where do the cars board? Where is the coupling done?
How, generally, does this all work?

I used the 'Night Riveria' service a couple of weeks ago: was pleasant
enough (and better than the return leg which I did in First Class on a
day train.) I definitely appreciated a bunk rather than a seat on the
overnight leg.

We didn't take a car (hired one at Penzance) but I have seen the
Motorail entrance clearly signed as you drive into Paddington. You
should also note the days on which the Motorail runs, and the
appropriate directions. No doubt someone with direct experience will be
able to tell you more on the Motorail side of things, but you should
certainly be aware of the threat to the wider service and sign
http://www.petitiononline.com/sleeper/petition.html for what good it
will do

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...

However, i can't imagine quite how this is done -
i've been to Paddington many times,
and never seen a car queueing at the gateline.

As you leave Paddington by train, the motorail facility is on the left.

--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acro...69/tpftla.html
A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
That's why my vehicle's the Piccadilly Line -
It's the size of a county and it comes every two and a half minutes

Tom Anderson wrote:

The prices are actually pretty reasonable - a car plus a driver, who
spends the night in a seat in standard class, costs 103 UKP for a return;
it's 137 UKP if the driver wants a bunk. Given that a super advance return
just for a foot passenger is 54.00, that's really fairly cheap. I'm
thinking my next holiday might be down in Cornwall; now all i need is a
car ...

autoroute gives 612 miles return Paddington to Penzance.

Total cost by car at 40p per mile would be £245.
Fuel cost by car, at 12p per mile, would be £74.

And you'd have to spend 12 hours driving, and accept the associated
dangers of driving.

So £103 seems a bargain, if you live in London.

This service would need a stop on the M25 to be really useful. Another
case for Iver Parkway.

John Rowland wrote:
"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...

However, i can't imagine quite how this is done -
i've been to Paddington many times,
and never seen a car queueing at the gateline.


As you leave Paddington by train, the motorail facility is on the left.

Indeed... you can see it clearly from a Hammersmith & City train, or you
can see the entrance for cars as you travel between Bishops Bridge Rd
and Eastbourne Terrace, e.g. on bus routes 7, 23, 27 or 36.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

In article ,
Tom Anderson wrote:
Hi,

I recently discovered that First Great Western operates a motorail
service to Penzance. Came as a bit of a surprise - i thought motorail
had gone out with BR!

Cars are loaded from the remnants of the former excursion platform 1a,
which can be reached on foot by walking right to the country end of
platform 1 and just keep on going. Most of this area is now a covered car
park, and is served by a separate road access (off Bishops Bridge Road ?)
which also leads to another car park on the site of the former Ranelagh
Bridge loco servicing depot. At one time there was a parcels depot here
with two platforms. I have twice caught passenger trains from here in the
dim and distant past. It was a long long way from the main concourse !

After cars are loaded, the Motorail vehicles are shunted by the train
engine onto the front of the sleeper train in platform 1. The reverse
operation takes place on arriving services using the ecs loco from Old Oak.

David

Would it be a better, more popular idea to run a motorail service from
Slough, or as near to the M25 as possible. Lets say a couple of car
carriying cariages, and a passenger carriage, join 8 carriages that
have left Paddington.

In article ,
() wrote:

I used the 'Night Riveria' service a couple of weeks ago: was
pleasant enough (and better than the return leg which I did in First
Class on a day train.) I definitely appreciated a bunk rather than a
seat on the overnight leg.

We didn't take a car (hired one at Penzance) but I have seen the
Motorail entrance clearly signed as you drive into Paddington. You
should also note the days on which the Motorail runs, and the
appropriate directions. No doubt someone with direct experience will
be able to tell you more on the Motorail side of things,

The time I tried to use it (for a Cornish holiday in 2004) I couldn't
get a booking. It fills up quick at busy times at least.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

On Sat, 13 Aug 2005, Dave Arquati wrote:

John Rowland wrote:
"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
h.li...

However, i can't imagine quite how this is done - i've been to
Paddington many times, and never seen a car queueing at the gateline.

As you leave Paddington by train, the motorail facility is on the left.

Indeed... you can see it clearly from a Hammersmith & City train, or you
can see the entrance for cars as you travel between Bishops Bridge Rd
and Eastbourne Terrace, e.g. on bus routes 7, 23, 27 or 36.

Funnily enough, i saw it yesterday - i was cycling to Paddington to catch
a train, and got slightly lost, so i ended up coming in along that very
road!

Thanks to everyone who replied. In a way, it's good news that the service
gets booked out - that means there's demand to sustain it; it might even
be profitable for FGW to expand it.

I have to agree with the point about having a pick-up point outside
London, though - it's crazy to make people drive into central London to
catch a train! This Iver Parkway idea is all very well, but i'd have
thought that Slough was 80% as good for, er 0% of the cost, since it's
there already. Alternatively, if the Heathrow Intercity (or whatever it's
called) station gets built, that could be a suitable terminus.

tom

--
Force the weird stuff down!

Tom Anderson wrote:
I have to agree with the point about having a pick-up point outside
London, though - it's crazy to make people drive into central London to
catch a train! This Iver Parkway idea is all very well, but i'd have
thought that Slough was 80% as good for, er 0% of the cost, since it's
there already.


For interest's sake:

In an emergency (if Paddington is shut), Motorail trains may be
unloaded on the up relief platform at Slough. At Paddington, only
authorised staff may load/unload cars, passengers being deemed
incapable of driving thier own vehicles. At Slough, they are suddenly
capable, and only need to be supervised by the senior conductor.

PhilD

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