Motorail to Tuscany,ground clearance?

[de Sade]

Hi everyone,
Taking the Tuscan to Tuscany late summer and according to the Tuscan bible 100mm is my lowest point at the exhaust box which is the lowest accepted on the motorail,has anyone taking their car on it (Holland to Tuscany)?Or should I just pump up the tyres a little ?LOL
Many thanks in advance.
Bruce

[330p4]

Bruce we went down as a group last year not sure which car you have but we were Tuscan / Chim the ground clearance was fine BUT make sure you are on the lower deck due to ramp. Downside is car gets covered In rust and oily water had to use cutting compound to remove the real problem is missing the wheel guide rails as you go carriage to carriage especially at Italian end due to track having compound curves Xkr in front of us had barely an inch each side and scuffed his wheels. Accommodation basic but saves driving staff all Dutch students I would not use it again personally. If it is an organised tour the transit times from port to train and vice versa are tight was a hour late arriving in Holland took over an hour to get car off health and safety drove like hell still missed ferry but some on the trip were on ferries to ports where there was one a day ended up having to find somewhere to stay .was sept 2013 and large sections of dual carriageway from Calais were 40 kph may well still be glad we went early on the way and stayed at Brugge
Ian

[bomb]

We used this service two years ago. You must go on the bottom level, and if you drive the car on slowly its no problem. My car was clean when we arived ( no dust or oil etc) and they used sand bags to put behind the wheels as opposed to the steel retaining bars. It was perfectly safe and secure.

The staff on the train (loading marshalls) were most helpful indeed.

i'd use it again, but I'd make sure I book early and you MUST use the restaurant car, otherwise you get and airline style dinner in a box which is not too good.

Enjoy your trip.

[Number 7]

Maybe things have changed now, but when I looked into taking the Wedge from Calais to Bordeaux a few years back, there was very little in cost terms compared to driving. The killer though was that I would have to entrust my car to someone else to load and unload it. That was never ever going to happen.

[de Sade]

Many thanks indeed guys for the imformation,good to hear I have the ground clearance etc and will request lower level.Once again many thanks.
Bruce

[bomb]

When we travelled on the train ALL car owners loaded and unloaded their own cars (and Bikes). The marshalls supervised the securing and placement of cars etc, but were most helpful indeed. I had no worries about care of my car. At stops along the way you can wander down the platform and have a quick check of your car to se its still safe and sound. There are penty of stops where you can get off the train and have a wander whilst they change staff, refuel, load water etc.

My advice would be to book early and ensure you have a place in the restaurant car so you can enjoy a sensible meal in the evening and get the best views whilst en route.

I fully agree that the cost incurred balances out against driving the entire way ( and having to have an overnight stop and hence an hotel bill too). What you gain is 'time', and you get placed right in the depths of Italy (or whatever your destination is), quickly.

We opted to drive back on the return journey.

I would use this again to gain time in Italy.

Edited by bomb on Friday 28th February 10:24

[de Sade]

Thanks for all that Bomb,all booked for early Sept and done as you suggested,gonna live the dream for a couple of weeks,meal booked,cabin booked,sounds like a fantastic journey down and part of the experience and then explore the wonderful scenery in a wonderful car and let's hope sun all the way!!!!
Thanks again everyone.
Bruce

[jcpgasoline]

My experience of the "Autoslaap Trein" service last summer matches Bomb's and likewise I wouldn't hesitate to do use the train again. We took the Autoslaaptrein back to Den Bosch from Livorno which made the journey back to the UK much less stressful. And no problems with ground clearance whatsoever for the Tuscan.

[de Sade]

My exact route Jcpgasoline,great to hear and thanks