BBC1 Drama Nightsleeper

[Cowley]

One thing I couldn't work out is why they evacuated all the buildings opposite the railway station in the final episode. There was no suggestion the train was carrying explosives or anything of the sort.

Didn’t someone say “Can you imagine what will happen if a train going at that speed hits the boiler room!?” Or something similar? I remember it because I burst out laughing.

If there are strategically placed potentially explosive boiler rooms behind the buffers of London termini I feel that we should be told!

 

[Peter Sarf]

Didn’t someone say “Can you imagine what will happen if a train going at that speed hits the boiler room!?” Or something similar? I remember it because I burst out laughing.

If there are strategically placed potentially explosive boiler rooms behind the buffers of London termini I feel that we should be told!

Furthermore we lived with several such potentially explosive boilers (probably actually more explosive) the other side of the buffers you refer to for over a century . Heaven forbid but almost all of them also whizzed around the country in all sorts of directions close to each other at up to 100mph . Nasty .

 

[wilbers]

Just noticed in the credits at the end of the last episode that there were 3 railway consultants, and one of them was Gareth Dennis.

 

[Magdalia]

Impressed that they actually used a GatEx 387 in an exterior shot as one of the characters heads back to London from Gatwick Airport. The interior shots appear to use an unrefurbished 455 instead, but the red moquette is close enough substitute for not being able to film on a 387.

EDIT: Looks like I was wrong and it was a former GA 321.

There is a story on the BBC website about this:

Nightsleeper: Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex train stars in BBC drama

An old commuter train that carried passengers from Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk features in the TV series.

www.bbc.co.uk

A train that once carried the region's commuters to London has played a starring role in a hit BBC drama.

The Class 321 train was retired by Greater Anglia in 2023 and bought by Great Yarmouth-based Eastern Rail Services, a company that hires rolling stock to film and TV production companies.

It appeared in the first episode of Nightsleeper, a tense drama set on a train hacked by cyber criminals. The finale of series one is on BBC One at 21:00 BST on Monday.

The Class 321, which once carried commuters from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, had to be rebranded with Gatwick Express livery and taken to Glasgow by road for filming.

 

[HarryL]

Managed to watch all 6 episodes on iPlayer. The central plot was interesting. I wonder though with the twist being

Spoiler

the train was aimed at the command centre in Victoria,

realistically how far would that locomotive have actually reached once it smashed the front of the station?

 

[65477]

My question is who needs HS2? In the final episode the first named location was Wolvercote Junction and if the programme was in real time it covered the 71 miles to the final station in 43 minutes. That is roughly an average of 100mph.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

That is roughly an average of 100mph.

Wasn't that supposedly the speed at which the 'Freedom of Britain' was travelling on its magical mystery trip?

 

[Bletchleyite]

My question is who needs HS2? In the final episode the first named location was Wolvercote Junction and if the programme was in real time it covered the 71 miles to the final station in 43 minutes. That is roughly an average of 100mph.

While the Caledonian can't because its locos have a top speed of under 100mph, there are trains that average over 100mph, e.g. the Avanti non stop Euston-Warrington Scotland services over that section.

 

[65477]

While the Caledonian can't because its locos have a top speed of under 100mph, there are trains that average over 100mph, e.g. the Avanti non stop Euston-Warrington Scotland services over that section.

But not over the various London suburban tracks that the train in the show would have negotiated at that stage on the story. The average made me think that the writers were given the mileage and timed it to 100mph.

 

[wilbers]

But not over the various London suburban tracks that the train in the show would have negotiated at that stage on the story. The average made me think that the writers were given the mileage and timed it to 100mph.

Its not like the train was being restricted to line speed, nor for that matter was it even a full length train in episode 6. May have been the 5th episode where it was stated as being above it (as well as an earlier episode).


Still don't know what stopped them getting off when it was stationary on Ribblehead viaduct with an emergency window already opened - single track on there where there were previously 2 tracks, so half a train width on each side so plenty of space to avoid being crushed when it moved again. Noting that most watching it wouldn't know that.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Its not like the train was being restricted to line speed, nor for that matter was it even a full length train in episode 6. May have been the 5th episode where it was stated as being above it (as well as an earlier episode).


Still don't know what stopped them getting off when it was stationary on Ribblehead viaduct with an emergency window already opened - single track on there where there were previously 2 tracks, so half a train width on each side so plenty of space to avoid being crushed when it moved again. Noting that most watching it wouldn't know that.

The writers covered that by having a member of cast look out of the opened window and looking down a LOOOOOOng way !. The fact that the other side may well have been a space where the second track was originally should not be allowed to spoil the fictional drama possibilities .

 

[65477]

At least the train was not designed by Microsoft AI I asked it create a picture of a Nightsleepder Train





or

 

[HarryL]

Still don't know what stopped them getting off when it was stationary on Ribblehead viaduct with an emergency window already opened - single track on there where there were previously 2 tracks, so half a train width on each side so plenty of space to avoid being crushed when it moved again. Noting that most watching it wouldn't know that.

None of them considered using the staff key that opened the door to the locomotive to open the doors on the opposite end of the train either to be fair. Given the locomotive one wasn't "hacked" closed like the main doors that would possibly be the easiest option of escape away from the direction of travel in this situation.

 

[Peter Sarf]

At least the train was not designed by Microsoft AI I asked it create a picture of a Nightsleepder Train

View attachment 166624



or

View attachment 166625

First Pic
Oh those lovely twee stairs leading down to the narrow gauge line adjacent to the train.
Not sure elf an safety would like the large coach side opening with not even a railing.
Not a bed in sight yet the passengers upstairs are all wearing pyjamas.

Both Pics
When is the super moon coming round again.
I see no bar (hic).

If this gets red penned then I will have proof that AI has taken over moderating this forum .

 

[GusB]

It was reasonably enjoyable for me until the last episode when I lost interest. My feelings were similar to those that I experienced when I watched the final series of Line of Duty; it seemed to go from "plausible" to "far-fetched" rather quickly.

Still, it's entertainment after all. Does anyone have any ideas for improving the performance of a 158 with a Raspberry Pi?

 

[345 050]

One thing I couldn't work out is why they evacuated all the buildings opposite the railway station in the final episode. There was no suggestion the train was carrying explosives or anything of the sort.

Agreed, it was difficult to suspend disbelief at this point. Plus the cold hard fact that it would be much more lucrative to hack financial data rather than hacking a train. In reality how much damage would crashing a train into buffers at 100mph+ actually be able to achieve, assuming the station could be evacuated?

 

[Harpo]

Many thanks to all who watched and posted here. Sounds like it saved me wasting 6 hours!

 

[Dougal2345]

Arriving rather late to the party, caught up with this over the weekend. Quite fun although it had an annoying habit of putting 'character' moments - policeman recounts his fractured relationship with son, or whatever - at times when they really should have been concentrating on more pressing matters.

But to railway issues - a few episodes in, it seemed that it had been decided that the best way to stop the train was to park a stationary goods train in its path.

I'm sure this would have worked, in a rather messy way, had the hacked train not been diverted around it.

But wouldn't a better way have been to put another 'Class 94' on the line ahead of the speeding train, get it up to a speed such that the hacked train closed up slowly behind it, then let the two touch and put the brakes on? Or would the lack of buffers on the front of the hacked train cause it to ride up over the loco in front?

So if that idea were a non-starter, surely damaging the track at a place where it's running through level fields, would have derailed and stopped the train but in a less destructive way than the goods-train method?

The other thing that slightly irked was the sequence where they separate the rear coaches. As I understand it, this would have led to the brakes on the rear section coming on as soon as it broke away - so was it wise for everyone to be clustered around the corridor door watching events, when they would have popped out onto the tracks like corks from a bottle when the brakes came on?

 

[dosxuk]

None of them considered using the staff key that opened the door to the locomotive to open the doors on the opposite end of the train either to be fair. Given the locomotive one wasn't "hacked" closed like the main doors that would possibly be the easiest option of escape away from the direction of travel in this situation.

Remember the train reversed direction here - so which end of the train didn't have the loco?

 

[HarryL]

Remember the train reversed direction here - so which end of the train didn't have the loco?

If I recall correctly that was the first time the train reversed direction, the locomotive was still pointing towards London at that point. Since they had no idea the train was going to do anything other than go 'forward' the door at the back should have been the obvious way out of danger (until the train reversed obviously).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What was the "Heart of Britain" sleeper train's supposed route, as taken from Glasgow Central to London Victoria?

 

[Class15]

What was the "Heart of Britain" sleeper train's supposed route, as taken from Glasgow Central to London Victoria?

Someone did actually post it on the first page of this thread.

 

[dosxuk]

If I recall correctly that was the first time the train reversed direction, the locomotive was still pointing towards London at that point. Since they had no idea the train was going to do anything other than go 'forward' the door at the back should have been the obvious way out of danger (until the train reversed obviously).

The loco was at the front leading when they went onto the viaduct, and also on the front leading when they left the viaduct heading in the opposite direction.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What was the "Heart of Britain" sleeper train's supposed route, as taken from Glasgow Central to London Victoria?

Someone did actually post it on the first page of this thread.

So noted. Which post?

 

[Ashley Hill]

the door at the back should have been the obvious way out of danger

Or lean out to open the air brake cock and stop the train. Can’t override that!

 

[HarryL]

The loco was at the front leading when they went onto the viaduct, and also on the front leading when they left the viaduct heading in the opposite direction.

I didn't notice this when I watched it, good catch if so. The train just did a really fast turn around on the single track obviously

 

[43055]

What was the "Heart of Britain" sleeper train's supposed route, as taken from Glasgow Central to London Victoria?

I took it as:

Glasgow Central - Motherwell - Carlisle - Settle - Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield - Alfreton - Derby - Tamworth - Banbury - Reading - Guildford - Redhill - Clapham Junction - London Victoria

 

[45669]

I took it as:

Glasgow Central - Motherwell - Carlisle - Settle - Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield - Alfreton - Derby - Tamworth - Banbury - Reading - Guildford - Redhill - Clapham Junction - London Victoria

Yes, it went through one of my local stations. If I'd known about it, I would have got up early and gone out to see it.

 

[co-tr-paul]

Was it on RTT ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Was it on RTT ?

Probably not beyond Carlisle.