No more Travelling Chef on FGW?

[Peter Mugridge]

Ooh, will have to try that. Am very partial to a greasy spoon !

It's called Sullivan's Diner and it's literally a one minute walk from the railway station. Look to your eleven o'clock position when you exit the station - you can't miss it.

 

[Searle]

didn't someone have a takeaway curry delivered to an ECML train at York station some time back? May have been pre-privatisation

Many stories of that, including a takeaway pizza at Newport :P

 

[Blindtraveler]

Without wanting to drag the thread further off, I used to make a semi regular Friday Night trip down the HML with a 30 minute hang round at Perth at about 19:30. The local chinese became accustomed to my order for a crispy duck roll and special fried rice delivered to The Railway station no later than 19:55. I'd then take my seat on the usually half empty 20:05 to EDB, Formed usually of a 158 with declassified First compartment and scoffit! ↲

 

[berneyarms]

I see that the additional Pullman services are now advertised on the FGW site:

https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Your-journey/On-board/Pullman

05:53 Plymouth to Paddington
10:06 Paddington to Plymouth

05:58 Swansea to Paddington
10:45 Paddington to Swansea

 

[Be3G]

Great if you're travelling during the week, useless if you want some decent on-train food at the weekend.

 

[Flamingo]

Great if you're travelling during the week, useless if you want some decent on-train food at the weekend.

There were never any Pullman services at the weekend anyway.

 

[CC 72100]

There were never any Pullman services at the weekend anyway.

I think he was referring to the Travelling Chef, which there were. While the upshot of this is more Pullman services, it is at the former's expense and in much lesser numbers.

 

[Be3G]

There were never any Pullman services at the weekend anyway.

I think he was referring to the Travelling Chef, which there were. While the upshot of this is more Pullman services, it is at the former's expense and in much lesser numbers.

Yes, couldn't have put it better myself (evidently)!

 

[merlodlliw]

Yes, couldn't have put it better myself (evidently)!

I note all the start routes are to London, a good bit of Market research here, as an aside I recall the Chester Pulman many years ago, using Pulman stock with nothing to do all all day, the project was a failure, no one wanted Pulman departing after 10am to Chester.

Looking at the menu, Welsh Brunch is a new one

 

[Techniquest]

Very pleased that the 1045 PAD-SWA is to get a Pullman service, as I'll have a chance of using that next month (if all goes to plan!) which will be my first Pullman service in over 9 years! Rather liking the idea of trying it out again

 

[SickyNicky]

I take it that Travelling Chef is still there at the moment? Taking the Cathedrals Express on a 1st advance tomorrow and it may my last chance to get a proper breakfast on the Cotswold line.

Do we have a date for the demise of the service?

 

[berneyarms]

The additional Pullman services launched on 29 September according to the latest edition of Modern Railways.

The Travelling Chef is still in place on other services as liste on the FGW website.

 

[cambsy]

Have used the FGW Pullman dining a couple times in the last few weeks, and now consider myself to be a fairly regular user, have always found the service and the food, considering how small the kitchen is, to be outstanding, just something about eating a really nice meal in a lively restaurant on the move at speed, its a cosy atmosphere in the dining/kitchen car,can recommend anyone to do it, though not cheap, as normally cost me £50 for 3 courses and couple drinks of coke, I had Mussels, Steak and a Panacotta last time, For Techniquest information, the Morning breakfast trains will have 2 sittings taking about a hour each, because its a cheaper set price of £18, you get various choices, I had the Porridge and Honey, and the Great Westerner, both really good and good value for money, hope you enjoy.

 

[Be3G]

Do we have a date for the demise of the service?

The closest thing I've seen to a date is this post, dated 21 October, in another thread:

You have got about 4 weeks to do it, then its bye bye Chef!

 

[455driver]

Oh that a guesstimate on my part, nothing definitive.

 

[ainsworth74]

It was still going on the 27 October as I had my first, and probably only, experience of the travelling chef with a very tasty plate of sausage, egg and chips for an early lunch on a service between Reading and Westbury (if I'd been on East Coast I'd have been entitled to nothing hot on a journey of that length but that's by the by).

I wasn't the only person to take advantage as at least one other passenger had something from Reading and at least three others had had breakfast leaving Paddington and had some bacon baguettes after Reading. I don't know what take up was like at the other end of the carriage or in the buffet (it was a 1.5 first class set) or from standard class.

 

[SickyNicky]

Glad to say it's still going. Here's this morning's breakfast.

Edit: just spoke to the the chef - the service finishes on the 29th November. So this will almost certainly be the last time for me :cry:

 

[infobleep]

Some months or a year or two after the travelling chef has gone, will they then reduce the number of pullman services back to what it was or even less?