Does anyone remember Virgin Trains freebies in the early 2000s?

[thenorthern]

While going through my attic I found an old deck of Virgin Trains cards from the Virgin Trainz kid bags which were give out free on Virgin Trains in the early 2000s.

Does anyone else remember the early 2000s when Virgin Trains used to give our freebies? I know I had a lot of the free Kidz bags and the goodies that came with them. Also I remember the Windowgazer guides that Virgin Trains introduced for their CrossCountry services in the early 2000s which would describe things to see along the route.

 

[Russel]

That's brought back memories, these were introduced with the Voyagers and Pendolinos I think.

There was also the free tea and coffee on MML services, we didn't know how good we had it back then!

This has also reminded me of Virgin Cola...

 

[WesternLancer]

Yes I certainly recall the windowgazer guides. A simple thing to commission and yet so useful.

I think I have two complete sets of them.

I’m too old to recall or to have taken an interest is the kids stuff. But it sounds interesting.

Free music from the seat sockets and didn’t they give you free headphones for these in first class?

 

[Russel]

Yes I certainly recall the windowgazer guides. A simple thing to commission and yet so useful.

I think I have two complete sets of them.

I’m too old to recall or to have taken an interest is the kids stuff. But it sounds interesting.

Free music from the seat sockets and didn’t they give you free headphones for these in first class?

I remember buying a set of headphones from the buffet and recall the sound quality being pretty bad.

 

[Belperpete]

There was also the free tea and coffee on MML services, we didn't know how good we had it back then!

Somewhere I have a stock of MML notepads and pencils, which I think they gave out in the first class lounges.

Virgin XC used to give out free "meals" and drinks in first class. Most of the day the "meals" were basically just snacks, cake and biscuits, but if you travelled on early morning trains you got a free "breakfast" - basically a microwaved bacon roll or the like, and a small dish of porridge or youghurt. In the afternoon, on the right trains, you got scones and cream. I am not sure if the free drinks included wine or not, but I certainly got given as many tins of the Virgin cola as I wanted per trip.

I travelled down on a Derby to Plymouth train one morning, and didn't have breakfast before leaving home as I thought I would be getting it on the train. When we left Derby, the host started working her way down the coach from her galley, dishing out the breakfasts. She would take the order from one table, go back to the galley to microwave the meals, return with them, then move onto the next table to take orders. This all took some time, so when we got to Burton, she hadn't even made it half-way down the coach. She retreated to her galley, to get out of the way of passengers boarding, and then on departure started with the breakfasts again, but not starting from where she had left off, but starting again from the galley end of the coach. When we got to Tamworth, she had again only made it part way down the coach. The same thing happened again at Birmingham, and subsequent stops. I forget where we were before she finally made it down to the far end of the coach where I was sitting. When I asked for the breakfast, I was told that I was too late - she had run out! I pointed out that I had been sitting there for nearly two hours by then, and hadn't yet received anything to eat or drink. In the end, the standard-class steward brought me down a selection of sandwiches.

 

[thenorthern]

I remember buying a set of headphones from the buffet and recall the sound quality being pretty bad.

I think they were £2 which even in those days for a set of headphones on a train was relatively good value. But yes their audio quality was poor. I remember as well on the voyager trains the only "live" radio they could get was BBC Radio 4 while the rest were pre-recorded stations. I remember the "Kidz" radio station was presented by Dick and Dom. On the Pendolino trains they had all the BBC National stations at the time.

 

[Sealink]

I remember arriving at Euston Station sometime around 2002 and getting to tour a Pendolino that was on display. And there was a leaflet all about it, which I have in the house somewhere.

 

[superalbs]

First Great Western also had some sort of kids' pack, I remember a paper model of a Class 43 being included. That was so cool.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Virgin XC used to give out free "meals" and drinks in first class. Most of the day the "meals" were basically just snacks, cake and biscuits, but if you travelled on early morning trains you got a free "breakfast" - basically a microwaved bacon roll or the like, and a small dish of porridge or youghurt. In the afternoon, on the right trains, you got scones and cream. I am not sure if the free drinks included wine or not, but I certainly got given as many tins of the Virgin cola as I wanted per trip.

I often (maybe early/mid 2000s) travelled First Class on Voyagers and remember them serving "Snack Boxes."

They all had fresh fruit (sliced apple), pretzels, a Lily O'Brien's Uglie Chocolate and a savoury roll.

The rolls would be either Bacon or possibly Egg for Breakfast.
Daytime options would alternate, I remember liking a Beef and caramelised onion one.

 

[Russel]

First Great Western also had some sort of kids' pack, I remember a paper model of a Class 43 being included. That was so cool.

I think the Virgin kids packs had paper models of what could have been either a 220 or 390.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

First Great Western also had some sort of kids' pack, I remember a paper model of a Class 43 being included. That was so cool.

Yep. I still have one of them. My Mum through away the rest of my collection in 2005.

I had a stack of Virgin Trains playing cards until quite recently I think. When I finally threw them away.

A thread I once made about the FGW freebies: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/first-great-western-family-carriages-fgw-kids-fun-pack.176394/

 

[WesternLancer]

Yep. I still have one of them. My Mum through away the rest of my collection in 2005.

I had a stack of Virgin Trains playing cards until quite recently I think. When I finally threw them away.

A thread I once made about the FGW freebies: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/first-great-western-family-carriages-fgw-kids-fun-pack.176394/

I think you can replace much of this stuff via e-bay luckily.
Whether you can pass on the invoices to your mum is a different question of course....

I was pleased to find the collection of carriage window labels I had put together in the early 1980s in the top of a wardrobe at my parents house last year when doing a tidy up there. Left safe and sound since at least 1984!

 

[thenorthern]

I remember in 2003 the Virgin Trainz kidz bags had an Incredible Hulk wordsearch which all my other friends were very jealous of. I think it was designed to tie in with the film which is ironic given the film has a BBFC rating of 12.

 

[Trackman]

Still got my VT cards, somewhere.
Got a bag on a RRB from Euston to Wolverhampton.
Think you got cards, a sort of board travel game, sandwich, drink and a piece of fruit. Could be I missed some items out.

 

[mangad]

I think the Virgin kids packs had paper models of what could have been either a 220 or 390.

The pack we had for my son had both Victor(?) Voyager and Penny Pendolino. I think the made models were floating around my son's room until a few years ago!

 

[CharlieSpotted]

This has also reminded me of Virgin Cola...

I used to love that stuff, in the silver bottles, so much tastier than Coca Cola. Picked it up at every opportunity.

For a while M&S did an 'American Cola' that was quite similar but that too is now gone.

 

[Efini92]

I often (maybe early/mid 2000s) travelled First Class on Voyagers and remember them serving "Snack Boxes."

They all had fresh fruit (sliced apple), pretzels, a Lily O'Brien's Uglie Chocolate and a savoury roll.

The rolls would be either Bacon or possibly Egg for Breakfast.
Daytime options would alternate, I remember liking a Beef and caramelised onion one.

I wish they still had the uglies

 

[thenorthern]

I know they are widely hated on here but I remember when the Voyagers came in for Virgin Cross Country which at the time was seen as amazing. These were (at the time) trains that tilted and he first ones to operate on the UK railway network.

It wasn't just Virgin Trains back in the early 2000s each operator had it's own unique feel. Virgin was modern while GNER was very traditional rail travel. Now all services just feel the same which I suppose to the non enthusiast was how the railways felt all along.

I used to love that stuff, in the silver bottles, so much tastier than Coca Cola. Picked it up at every opportunity.

For a while M&S did an 'American Cola' that was quite similar but that too is now gone.

In the early 2000s the Virgin brand was seen as amazing as we had Virgin everything. Virgin trains, mobile, internet, megastores, airlines and much more. However Sir Richard Branson became a bit arrogant and his Virgin Care which was seen as privatising the NHS ruined the image.

 

[Chutters 73]

The best Virgin Trains ‘Freebie’ was the Virgin Traveller Club. Through some carefully planned and very wasteful company-expensed 1st class travel, I think 12 singles in 3 months was the qualification , you got free weekend first class travel for a YEAR for two people. My friends and I saw pretty much every destination - Cross Country went to a lot more places then.

During the week some tables in Coach G were always reserved for Virgin Traveller Club and the onboard crew thanked Club members with a third or fourth beer, a whole table of curry dishes on curry days and lounge access seemed unrestricted.

I was devastated when Arriva won the franchise. I pretty much drove everywhere after that. Or flew Air SouthWest Manchester to Plymouth. My fingernails are still embedded in seat 10A of an elderly Dash 8…

i remember also having some goodies sent with the membership card. I think possibly some bottles of Virgin Wine, a notebook and a nice pen? I think a cardboard Pendolino was involved too.

A truly astonishing amount of goodies, goodwill and great times.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, the little cans of Virgin cola when the mk2 buffet car had broken down.

 

[route101]

First Great Western also had some sort of kids' pack, I remember a paper model of a Class 43 being included. That was so cool.

Scotrail too, with a paper model of a Class 170.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2026 ==

I used to love that stuff, in the silver bottles, so much tastier than Coca Cola. Picked it up at every opportunity.

For a while M&S did an 'American Cola' that was quite similar but that too is now gone.

Yes, the M&S own brand I thought was Virgin Cola. Now they dont offer own brand cola.

From Virgin XC days I remember snack boxes in first.

 

[cin88]

I still have a deck of Virgin Trains playing cards somewhere in a pile of moving boxes that i'm yet to unpack. Not the only railway related deck in my possession, efforts to locate the other, much older set are ongoing and so far fruitless.

 

[WesternLancer]

I still have a deck of Virgin Trains playing cards somewhere in a pile of moving boxes that i'm yet to unpack. Not the only railway related deck in my possession, efforts to locate the other, much older set are ongoing and so far fruitless.

Great North of Scotland Rly playing cards?