I had a good look Reg, but I couldn't see you...

[Borderer]

https://bikepacking.com/news/british-tr ... ial-video/

[BigdummySteve]

Cheers what a great film, Just imagine a time when trains were run for people not profit, what japes we could have! Imagine a time before the CTC was hijacked for political ends, such innocent bliss.
Apart from it being local to me and hence recognising many places it’s nice to how inclusive cycling was then, so many more women than we’d see now.

[pistonbroke]

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Great film. Our club still does this, 20 or 30 riders take the train about 80km up the Ebro valley and ride back off road. Slightly different bikes and terrain though. Imagine this number just pitching up and getting on the train hassle free.

[RIP]

All the other boys and girls are being horrible to me Miss!

Good spot Bridg, will watch later with a little snifter of something. Proper guardsvans... mumble mumble... comfy seats... mumble... window pillars that line up with the seats.. grumble...

What a great bunch of people on Here, mad family that we are.

[MuddyPete]

....cos he's not THAT old .

Great film. I love the traffic levels and relentlessly chirpy music . As someone on BP observed: nothing's new, including flared bars and even mug-dangling .

On a more serious note: as virtually no one's going to be commuting to the office ever again, that'll release capacity on trains for carrying bikes, perhaps by removing all the seats from one carriage of a 4/5/9/11-carriage train and replacing them with bike hooks (oh go on, and some flip-up plastic seats as well) .

Time to partition parliament?

[Borderer]

Yes a very mixed crowd and European levels of bike provision on the train. Fantastic stuff. I was also surprised at the food available as I thought we still had rationing then. I know it continued for quite a while after the war anyway. I also hadn't realised that the term 'bonk' was that old....

[RIP]

Well that was marvellous. BTF made some brilliant films.

So, I reckon CTC hired a whole train in that instance. In the good old days of Proper Trains and a unified rail system it was very easy to cobble together various carriages to match the requirement, and to go wherever you liked on the system. You can't do that with modern fixed formation trains. There are advantages to fixed formations, particularly at terminus stations, but total lack of flexibility.

That train borrowed bike-friendly vehicles used on Channel boat trains I think (Europe, how quaint ) - note the "via Calais" - plus some quite old carriages. The whole train probably waited in the sidings at Rugby during their day out.

Many years ago I organised six excursion trains, simply using a landline phone to converse with Sheffield travel office, advertised in magazines, bookings done by post. It was far easier than it is now, sadly!

[Supernova]

That’s a great film. Smoking a pipe and riding at the same time.

[belugabob]

That’s a great film. Smoking a pipe and riding at the same time.

He should paying 'road tax', with emissions like that

[thenorthwind]

...is he not the fellow seeing off half a pint of stout in one gulp around lunchtime?

Great film. I really enjoyed watching it, but it did make me sad to see the backwards progress we've made in this deparment in the last 65 years

I also hadn't realised that the term 'bonk' was that old....

I was surprised to hear that too!

[sean_iow]

I was surprised to hear that too!

My FIL uses it, it was around when he was racing* in the 50s and 60s, but apparently we now use it incorrectly.

Bonk - eaten too much so struggling
Hunger Knock - not eaten enough

I've not watched the film yet, which context do they use it in?

* He raced in France and Belgium so I'll take his word for it but I think it's the other way round? He also used to have a mixture of cold coffee and brandy in his b1don** in the winter so his memory might be blurred

** Swear filter avoidance as it was in France and a French bottle so technically correct.

[thenorthwind]

Interesting! It's definitely used in the modern lack-of-energy sense in the film.

[woodsmith]

According to my dad who was an avid club cyclist through the 1950's , Bonk was definiteley used to denote the energy crash from lack of eating.

[sean_iow]

I think the brandy fuddled his memory. I'm in the bonk - lack of food camp.

[Charliecres]

Loved that. The bliss of quiet roads and before the tyranny of marketing

[AlasdairMc]

Cycle Touring without a map is like new potatoes without the smell of mint.

I love this. So of its time.