Hello there,

Just trying this for the first time..

I need to get a load of kit across the country. Thing is none of us drive. Can I do this cheaply in, say, the goods carriage of a train?

Also, anyone got any tips for cheap flight cases / second hand cases or options for hiring them..?

Thank you,

Nick T

Short answer, no you can't. Best to find local man with van or mate who drives and hire van
We can supply custom flight cases in a few days and more popular sizes from stock.
We also do case rentals. If you are not trucking in artic or airfreighting equipment you may find that the SKB type plastic case will do. We can supply these too at good prices. Please contact with details of what you need.

Andy
email andy@re-production.co.uk www.re-production.co.uk

If you really, really want to take it on the train it's possible, but bloody stupid, IMHO.
Shelling out for the man + van combo is worth the expense (a mate driving a 'rent-a-wreck'), hiring the heavy stuff near the gig and getting it delivered would cost money too but would mean having more freedom to get the train with smaller gear = not so stupid, is there a budget? (which is most economically viable in the context of the job?)
As for cases, try www.spider-engineering.co.uk/ i've never used them but the site is pretty..

Thanks for the advice!

We tried phoning Virgin Trains - nothing doing. National Express (ie GNER) said they would take things in the goods carriage for £5 per item if they could be carried by one person alone. The rules on this seem a bit flexible and varied depending on who we spoke to, but someone quoted boxes of no more than 1.5m by 0.5m by 0.5m.

In the end posted a free wanted advert on Gumtree liftshare section and got a couple of calls, one guy who is driving a van nearby, so we're sharing the petrol costs and getting our stuff up there.

Cheers for the flightcase tips. Didn't know of the SKB cases.

Never had much joy with equipment on trains, was once, a long time ago ordered off a train at gunpoint by Italian police for trying to carry a band's backline on a train.
SBK cases(google them) are black plastic cases that are used for equipment, they come in all sorts of sizes, rack etc. and are cheaper and much lighter than full flightcases. There are also lots of cheap copies around