TimboM
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Caledonian Sleeper
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Surely you don't need instructions for a simple "point and shoot"
An instruction book on how to do a wee - that is comprehensive!
Arf! Ho ho! Maybe the en-suite toilet wasn’t built as a wetroom simply because of the shower? Anyway, back on topic...
Not quite what I meant, but the ‘little’ instruction book did seem rather superfluous to me. That said, having read comments elsewhere about some passengers being unaware there was a sink under the lid on the Mk3’s, then Serco seem to be making no assumptions about users’ knowledge this time around.
Highlandspring
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If I remember correctly you get such an instruction book on the refurbished Night Riviera.
Statto
Established Member
An instruction book on how to do a wee - that is comprehensive!
That's taking the wee wee
I'll get my coat.
leightonbd
Member
Back to my question a couple pages back, which hasn’t been answered - is there a common reason for the boarding delays over the past two weeks?
BRX
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I think the answer given was that there is maintenance /repairs being done during the day which is still going on into the evening.
TimboM
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All manner of reasons to do with introducing new stock which may be referred to as teething issues, snagging etc. - and that includes new operating methods to refine and bed in, as well as glitches to sort with the vehicles themselves. I doubt anyone is going to give you the warts and all list of what's caused the specific delays each night in a public forum.
TimboM
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You got/get them on the old Caledonian Sleeper stock too.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
You get them in most hotels too. They are mostly more about the facilities in the hotel, but sometimes you do get a little guide on how to work the aircon, TV and the likes.
Travelled last night from Glasgow, in a club room.
Likes:
Bed very comfortable.
Convenient having a toilet
Very quiet - to the extent I couldn't decide if ear plugs were helpful or not, as they seemed to accentuate some noise that was inaudible without them in. Left them in due to rail/wheel noise but I was near the bogie.
Very friendly host in the lounge car. Service was fine, no long waits and I enjoyed eggs royale for breakfast.
The chargers points are great. I was sceptical my phone would stay on the shelf, but the high friction coating on the shelf worked well.
Needs tweaking:
The room temperature control seems biased towards hot. I got it just about cool enough to sleep, and the duvet is quite cosy so would have liked it properly chilly like you could do on the old stock. The panel under the sink was almost too hot to touch, perhaps a water heater is in there, but it seemed to be the source of some of the unwanted heat. Took a long time to cool down and didn't seem to really cool until we got underway. In contrast I turned the heat up a couple of notches after my shower and was sweltering in moments.
As someone commented recently, the illumination around the lighting switches is far too bright, a donut of blu tak sorted that. Wasn't bothered by the light in the toilet, it didn't seem to escape from round the door.
The shower temperature was "refreshing".
Sink water wasn't hot enough for a shave.
Ride was OK. Very smooth on good track, but a bit "clunky" and bumpy on points and poorer track. It would help if the train slowed down a bit and kept to time. We were half an hour late leaving Carstairs, so fair enough to make that time up, but we then arrived half an hour early into Euston. I'd have preferred an on time arrival and less interrupted sleep.
Breakfast was good, nice poached eggs and good quality muffin and toast (although in true hotel style it was soggy, I don't know what hotels do to turn toast into plastic - it's a universal problem).
Dislikes:
The stool seating in the lounge car is awful. The seat is too small and the distance between it and the footrest/floor too short to be able to sit comfortably. Dunno what they can about this as the height is set by the table height which in turn is set by the lower window edge, there's something awkward about using the zigzag table too. It was ok for a drink whilst stationary. The couch seating is comfortable.
[Edit to add the cabin lights came on when power was restored after the Carstairs shunt. Maybe the systems needed resetting (delayed leaving Carstairs so perhaps some computer issues). The physical shunt itself was imperceptible.]
Teething problems:
The toilet stopped working, got halfway through a flush cycle and then just sat there with the button flashing. No big deal as it was just before I got off. Let the steward know and he put it on some kind of defect list.
Other observations:
The check in at the end of the platform is a bit silly. I stood for a couple of minutes whilst the two guys argued with someone at Serco over the phone and got in a flap about "well we can't unless there's a no-show, it's full" - appears someone senior was trying to get a VIP on board. Anyway when they finished that one checked my ticket, ticked my name off a list and told me which berth I was in, which I already knew.
The bed is a little wider but feels a little narrower, I think because of the bolster on the wall.
Overall I think it's a massive improvement on the old stock. I booked ages ago so paid old prices, I'm not sure it's worth the current asking price. I'd have to think hard about club or classic - I'd rather have a proper shower at Euston if they can't get the water properly hot but it's convenient having a toilet, especially when my insomnia hits.
Likes:
Bed very comfortable.
Convenient having a toilet
Very quiet - to the extent I couldn't decide if ear plugs were helpful or not, as they seemed to accentuate some noise that was inaudible without them in. Left them in due to rail/wheel noise but I was near the bogie.
Very friendly host in the lounge car. Service was fine, no long waits and I enjoyed eggs royale for breakfast.
The chargers points are great. I was sceptical my phone would stay on the shelf, but the high friction coating on the shelf worked well.
Needs tweaking:
The room temperature control seems biased towards hot. I got it just about cool enough to sleep, and the duvet is quite cosy so would have liked it properly chilly like you could do on the old stock. The panel under the sink was almost too hot to touch, perhaps a water heater is in there, but it seemed to be the source of some of the unwanted heat. Took a long time to cool down and didn't seem to really cool until we got underway. In contrast I turned the heat up a couple of notches after my shower and was sweltering in moments.
As someone commented recently, the illumination around the lighting switches is far too bright, a donut of blu tak sorted that. Wasn't bothered by the light in the toilet, it didn't seem to escape from round the door.
The shower temperature was "refreshing".
Sink water wasn't hot enough for a shave.
Ride was OK. Very smooth on good track, but a bit "clunky" and bumpy on points and poorer track. It would help if the train slowed down a bit and kept to time. We were half an hour late leaving Carstairs, so fair enough to make that time up, but we then arrived half an hour early into Euston. I'd have preferred an on time arrival and less interrupted sleep.
Breakfast was good, nice poached eggs and good quality muffin and toast (although in true hotel style it was soggy, I don't know what hotels do to turn toast into plastic - it's a universal problem).
Dislikes:
The stool seating in the lounge car is awful. The seat is too small and the distance between it and the footrest/floor too short to be able to sit comfortably. Dunno what they can about this as the height is set by the table height which in turn is set by the lower window edge, there's something awkward about using the zigzag table too. It was ok for a drink whilst stationary. The couch seating is comfortable.
[Edit to add the cabin lights came on when power was restored after the Carstairs shunt. Maybe the systems needed resetting (delayed leaving Carstairs so perhaps some computer issues). The physical shunt itself was imperceptible.]
Teething problems:
The toilet stopped working, got halfway through a flush cycle and then just sat there with the button flashing. No big deal as it was just before I got off. Let the steward know and he put it on some kind of defect list.
Other observations:
The check in at the end of the platform is a bit silly. I stood for a couple of minutes whilst the two guys argued with someone at Serco over the phone and got in a flap about "well we can't unless there's a no-show, it's full" - appears someone senior was trying to get a VIP on board. Anyway when they finished that one checked my ticket, ticked my name off a list and told me which berth I was in, which I already knew.
The bed is a little wider but feels a little narrower, I think because of the bolster on the wall.
Overall I think it's a massive improvement on the old stock. I booked ages ago so paid old prices, I'm not sure it's worth the current asking price. I'd have to think hard about club or classic - I'd rather have a proper shower at Euston if they can't get the water properly hot but it's convenient having a toilet, especially when my insomnia hits.
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BRX
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Is the door opening/closing beeping an issue as some predicted? And how was the shunting at Carstairs?
Barely heard the door closer when we set off from Glasgow, I was still up and about so no ear plugs in at that stage. I actually thought it was a train on another platform departing until we started moving. Also the doors don't seem to close themselves after a time delay like most other stock, which means less disturbance from constantly opening and closing doors if you board early.
Shunting was fine. Didn't feel anything, although (and I forgot to mention this above), the main cabin light came on for a few seconds when the ETH was restored. This was a bit annoying as I was just nodding off in the still and quiet and we started rolling shortly after. I reckon I'd have had a good sleep if the light hadn't come on. I guess it was the system resetting itself, but annoying none the less and ideally needs to be engineered out.
Shunting was fine. Didn't feel anything, although (and I forgot to mention this above), the main cabin light came on for a few seconds when the ETH was restored. This was a bit annoying as I was just nodding off in the still and quiet and we started rolling shortly after. I reckon I'd have had a good sleep if the light hadn't come on. I guess it was the system resetting itself, but annoying none the less and ideally needs to be engineered out.
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leightonbd
Member
Thanks - to be clear, I wasn’t expecting inside info at all, just a sense of whether it is one consistently recurring issue or a series of different ones. It sounds like the latter and if it really is ‘snaggings’ then I’m sure all will be well pretty soon.
Still struggling to get a booking though!
Kite159
Veteran Member
You barely hear it in the seats when the 'vestibule' doors were closed, so better than in some modern stock.
(well the doors which separate the seating area from the luggage area & from the toilet)
Excellent summary. Agreed on pretty much all points.
Must try the eggs royale, but preferred to receive breakfast in my room where the eggs royale is not available.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Can I just clarify... are you saying the main light came on briefly even though you had it switched off?
BRX
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I actually observe it as quite a common feature of sleeper trains everywhere around the world, that what happens when ETH is disconnected/restored is one of the most sleep-disturbing aspects - usually involving ventilation systems cranking into action, or lights going on and off. Even the sudden silence from the power going off can wake me up, if that makes any sense. Also, when you are parked up in a siding for a period of time, at which point all the stuff like snoring in adjacent cabins (or even others in a couchette compartment) that was previously disguised by the movement of the train is revealed in its full glory.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I've never noticed it happening in the Mk3 ones, and I've used those heavily - or maybe I've just slept through it each time?
Highlandspring
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Agreed, I always stir if/when the ETH goes off during stops. And the most disturbing thing that can happen on the sleeper is having a persistent snorer or cougher in the adjacent cabin. Also the sound of someone walking along the corridor can be seriously loud if the train is stopped at the time (the corridor floor is suspended over ducting for wiring and air conditioning). Hopefully the mk5 coaches are rather better soundproofed than the mk3s.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
I've dozed off during turbulence on a flight and was woken up by it stopping. Sleep is an odd thing sometimes.
The other odd one was the old Megabus sleeper, where my memory of the night is of pulling off into the services repeatedly about 5 times then getting a "we are now approaching Glasgow" announcement.
I reckon the body must be programmed to wake up when "something changes" as that might indicate a threat from a predator.
BRX
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One of the joys of going on the fort william sleeper is gradually gaining consciousness in the morning to the sound of clickety-clack jointed track, which means you've made it to the west Highlands.
I generally get a terrible night's sleep on any sleeper train but kind of quite enjoy the delerium of the whole experience, if not the exhaustion that clouds the following day.
I generally get a terrible night's sleep on any sleeper train but kind of quite enjoy the delerium of the whole experience, if not the exhaustion that clouds the following day.
Yes that's exactly what happened. Just as I started to scrabble around to find the switch it went off again.
In the Mk3, the switch is a physical switch similar to what you'd find at home. So if it's "Off" there's a physical disconnection on the lighting circuit (or perhaps on a control circuit on a train).
The Mk5 "switch" is a button similar to what you'd find on a smart socket or smart lightswitch at home. I imagine when you switch the light off, you're actually sending a signal to a computer somewhere to "switch this light into the opposite of its current state". Hence if the computer is reset for any reason I can understand why all equipment might be briefly returned to some default state before it loads and applies the last configuration. I guess light on is a fail safe condition but it would be nice if they found a way to avoid it happening during a routine shunt.
Scotrail84
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Issues with 73971.
Scotrail84
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Rescued by 92043.