Caledonian Sleeper discussion

[TimboM]

Interesting that they have bothered to repaint them, given that in theory they will only be in use for less than a year.

They’ve had extensive work done on them at Bishop Auckland, so needed a repaint.

 

[Mag_seven]

Looks like the southbound highlander has terminated at Preston this morning - reason code given on RTT is ML (Wagons, coaches and parcel vehicle faults).

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C78550/2018/06/13/advanced

ECS forward to Wembley at 05.57 (5M16):

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O08812/2018/06/14/advanced

 

[pitdiver]

Just received this information from Cally Sleeper
SERVICE UPDATE, Thursday 14th June: Euston-Fort William cancelled at Airdrie. Onward road transportation is being organised.
We apologise to all guests affected by this disruption.

 

[duncananderson]

Question regarding booking a seated ticket that someone might be able to shed some light on.

I wanted to book from Watford Jn to Edinburgh on 19th - 20th July. When I entered this into the booking engine on the CS website it said "sold out". However when I changed my search to start from Euston it quite happily sold me a seated ticket. So clearly not "sold out", but rather "can't have a seated ticket starting from Watford".

Is there a reason for this? Presumably it means I can't board at WFJ and will have to travel into London only to come out again through Watford?

 

[Deafdoggie]

I’m not an expert, and I’m sure one will be along, but somewhere in the foggy bit of memory is the train being too long for platform & the seat carriage being off the end. But I could be totally wrong. And probably am.

 

[GW43125]

Question regarding booking a seated ticket that someone might be able to shed some light on.

I wanted to book from Watford Jn to Edinburgh on 19th - 20th July. When I entered this into the booking engine on the CS website it said "sold out". However when I changed my search to start from Euston it quite happily sold me a seated ticket. So clearly not "sold out", but rather "can't have a seated ticket starting from Watford".

Is there a reason for this? Presumably it means I can't board at WFJ and will have to travel into London only to come out again through Watford?

The Edinburgh seats are at the extreme London end of the consist and as such are off the platform at Watford. I have a feeling you have to go into London but I’m sure someone else will confirm

 

[47421]

Usage stats published today, passenger km on Caledonian Sleeper Jan - March 2018 v Jan - March 2017, minus 28.8%. Ouchee.

 

[LeylandLen]

The Edinburgh seats are at the extreme London end of the consist and as such are off the platform at Watford. I have a feeling you have to go into London but I’m sure someone else will confirm

It must be possible to join the train on the platform and walk through to the end carriage as you can with other trains that are too long for platform ; or the reverse when u leave a similar train?

 

[paul1609]

Just received this information from Cally Sleeper
SERVICE UPDATE, Thursday 14th June: Euston-Fort William cancelled at Airdrie. Onward road transportation is being organised.
We apologise to all guests affected by this disruption.

Tell me about it arrived just outside Airdrie at around 6. I abandoned the train at Airdrie for a £90 taxi to work at around 9 when no decision had been made. The whole of the Edinburgh to Helensburgh line had collapsed today with no road replacement transport offered. The train also had ETH problems yet again leaving Edinburgh although this was fixed by the GB RF staff unplugging and plugging back in the coaches until the fault was located in the lounge car during the sightseeing stop alongside Airdrie station.

 

[Scotrail84]

Question regarding booking a seated ticket that someone might be able to shed some light on.

I wanted to book from Watford Jn to Edinburgh on 19th - 20th July. When I entered this into the booking engine on the CS website it said "sold out". However when I changed my search to start from Euston it quite happily sold me a seated ticket. So clearly not "sold out", but rather "can't have a seated ticket starting from Watford".

Is there a reason for this? Presumably it means I can't board at WFJ and will have to travel into London only to come out again through Watford?

Because the Edinburgh is off the platform, book it from London and board at Watford but make sure you phone up and tell them so they know to put a note to the staff saying that you're joining in Watford incase you're treated as a no show and they sell your seat.

 

[Scotrail84]

Overheads are down at Carstairs as well, services still expected to run as normal.

 

[BRX]

I did a trip on the CS back in May, and have only just got around to putting together some filming that I did. The theme of these springs from the fact that the old stock will be sorely missed by me, for the simple reason that on the new stock there will be no window you can open and gain some kind of connection with what's going on outside.

While it might seem obscure to some, a great proportion of the pleasure I get from travelling on the sleeper comes from the ability to look out of an open window.

Anyway, these films are an attempt to capture a bit of what it's like to travel on the train whilst you can still do this. I was lucky with the weather on both legs of this trip - a beautiful spring morning going up the Highland Mainline with the gorse flowers out and the birch trees just coming into leaf, and then a warm summer's evening coming back down the West Highland Line. The latter is really quite an extraordinary journey; I'm probably biased as I grew up in the Highlands but I've done a lot of train travel around Europe and elsewhere and there's not much that can match it.

RIP the Mk2s and Mk3s when the time comes ... hopefully I'll still get a couple more journeys in before the end.

 

[duncananderson]

The Edinburgh seats are at the extreme London end of the consist and as such are off the platform at Watford. I have a feeling you have to go into London but I’m sure someone else will confirm

It must be possible to join the train on the platform and walk through to the end carriage as you can with other trains that are too long for platform ; or the reverse when u leave a similar train?

Because the Edinburgh is off the platform, book it from London and board at Watford but make sure you phone up and tell them so they know to put a note to the staff saying that you're joining in Watford incase you're treated as a no show and they sell your seat.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I was wondering if it was something to do with the length of the train, but good to have it confirmed by those in the know.

I still find it odd though that the booking engine would show it as "sold out", rather than something like "unavailable from this station". Surely there's a chance that would deter potential customers? It's not much of a hardship to travel into Euston from Watford, and I for one would rather do that than look for a flight or something else, but if I hadn't thought to check from Euston, I probably would have gone elsewhere.

 

[Scotrail84]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I was wondering if it was something to do with the length of the train, but good to have it confirmed by those in the know.

I still find it odd though that the booking engine would show it as "sold out", rather than something like "unavailable from this station". Surely there's a chance that would deter potential customers? It's not much of a hardship to travel into Euston from Watford, and I for one would rather do that than look for a flight or something else, but if I hadn't thought to check from Euston, I probably would have gone elsewhere.

To make you think your only option is the more expensive berth?

 

[Caleb2010]

Probably not! More than likely it’s one of the many quirks of the booking system!

A quick call to Customer Services usually results in help and understanding. No doubt they would explain the problem with booking seats in coaches off the platform! And often reach a workable solution!

In any customer vs operator communication though, the more polite and understanding the customer is, the better the customer service.

 

[mde]

Their booking system is fairly rubbish IME - shame, because it lets down the other aspects of the service.

 

[marks87]

Surely the number of people wanting to book the seats from Watford isn't so many as to prevent boarding from another door and walking down through the lounge?

It seems such a trivial issue with an obvious solution.

 

[TimboM]

Surely the number of people wanting to book the seats from Watford isn't so many as to prevent boarding from another door and walking down through the lounge?

It seems such a trivial issue with an obvious solution.

From the above posts, I believe it's the booking system that's the issue not letting you book seats from Watford - not a practical issue if you actually want to board there physically. That can be relatively easily arranged as you suggest.

 

[Flying Snail]

From the above posts, I believe it's the booking system that's the issue not letting you book seats from Watford - not a practical issue if you actually want to board there physically. That can be relatively easily arranged as you suggest.

Indeed, the only logical explanation is an entirely illogical restriction on the booking system. It is one train at WFJ, that the exact coach a passenger is booked for is off the platform is immaterial. I could just about understand the idea for a drop-off stop, but it would still be a ridiculously OTT reaction.

It is not as if all passengers board the exact coach they need in all circumstances anyway. I used to watch the Highlander boarding at Crewe on occasion, passengers unfamiliar with the consist would mostly hang around the main stairs area and board there which would be around the 4th coach, I am sure some of those were for the Inverness portion will have had a long walk through the train.

 

[Mainliner]

I did a trip on the CS back in May, and have only just got around to putting together some filming that I did. The theme of these springs from the fact that the old stock will be sorely missed by me, for the simple reason that on the new stock there will be no window you can open and gain some kind of connection with what's going on outside.

While it might seem obscure to some, a great proportion of the pleasure I get from travelling on the sleeper comes from the ability to look out of an open window.

Anyway, these films are an attempt to capture a bit of what it's like to travel on the train whilst you can still do this.

Thanks for sharing these, lots of lovely shots.

 

[73001]

With regards to the length of the train, I've been up early the last few weeks and have a habit of putting on Railcam at Crewe to watch the southbound sleeper go through. This morning the train didn't cross over from the up lines to platform 6 until it was in the station. This left the last coach off the platform sitting on the points and out onto the down fast for the duration of the stop. I've never seen this before... are the doors locked on some of the carriages to prevent someone stepping out into nothing and would stopping like this cause any operational issues?

 

[Deafdoggie]

With regards to the length of the train, I've been up early the last few weeks and have a habit of putting on Railcam at Crewe to watch the southbound sleeper go through. This morning the train didn't cross over from the up lines to platform 6 until it was in the station. This left the last coach off the platform sitting on the points and out onto the down fast for the duration of the stop. I've never seen this before... are the doors locked on some of the carriages to prevent someone stepping out into nothing and would stopping like this cause any operational issues?

Certainly unusual. I don't know about SDO on the sleeper, but a steward normally sees you off anyway. At that time in the morning, particularly on a Saturday, can't see it affecting much through traffic at Crewe. There is nothing around much anyway, as it has to cross from up to down before the station, and down to up after the station, so it needs a fairly clear path anyway

 

[Flying Snail]

With regards to the length of the train, I've been up early the last few weeks and have a habit of putting on Railcam at Crewe to watch the southbound sleeper go through. This morning the train didn't cross over from the up lines to platform 6 until it was in the station. This left the last coach off the platform sitting on the points and out onto the down fast for the duration of the stop. I've never seen this before... are the doors locked on some of the carriages to prevent someone stepping out into nothing and would stopping like this cause any operational issues?

Is 5 or 1 not long enough? 5 would definitely be longer than 6 from the points within the station.

 

[TimboM]

Is 5 or 1 not long enough? 5 would definitely be longer than 6 from the points within the station.

I believe P6 is used as 1M16 then heads on the Up Slow to Stafford, so saves it cutting across as it leaves the station. 6 is long enough (if the train switches over before it enters the platform as it usually does).

 

[Deafdoggie]

I believe P6 is used as 1M16 then heads on the Up Slow to Stafford, so saves it cutting across as it leaves the station. 6 is long enough (if the train switches over before it enters the platform as it usually does).

I had forgotten it carries on on the slow! They could have used 12, but I guess there was some issue with the crossover.

But 1 and 5 are not long enough for the whole train anyway. Indeed, only 6 and 12 are.

 

[Scotrail84]

Crewe is the only intermediate station between London and Edinburgh were the loco plus all 16 vehicles can be fully accommodated on a platform

 

[Deafdoggie]

Crewe is the only intermediate station between London and Edinburgh were the loco plus all 16 vehicles can be fully accommodated on a platform

Can it not just squeeze into one at Preston-3, I think, or 4

 

[Scotrail84]

Can it not just squeeze into one at Preston-3, I think, or 4

Not a load 16, back end is off the platforms.

 

[73001]

I can't remember if I've read anywhere but are the new sleeper trains also this long. If the train overhangs other stations it's not uncommon for the end to stick out then here and there. It's a shame it doesn't justify making 2 trains in terms of numbers.

 

[marks87]

I can't remember if I've read anywhere but are the new sleeper trains also this long. If the train overhangs other stations it's not uncommon for the end to stick out then here and there. It's a shame it doesn't justify making 2 trains in terms of numbers.

16xMk5 is 4ft longer than 12xMk3+4xMk2 (1168ft vs 1164ft).