Caledonian Sleeper

[CallySleeperKid]

Was she a basher? Did she bring a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a pair of 37s'?

Double headed? Sorry

 

[wintonian]

I've never scored in the lounge car, though i met a lassie having a smoke out the window at the loco end a few years back, she had a first class berth too, and i had her breakfast.

Am I the only one to have at first read that as; ...and i had her for breakfast?

 

[ApAp]

Last time I used the sleeper was in the good old days when NX ran ScotRail and still hadn't wrecked GNER.

There was a nice combo GNER/ScotRail ticket at the time called the Scottish Executive (different to the East Coast ticket with the same name):

includes First Class Open return rail travel valid for up to 1 month, one way by GNER and one way by ScotRail's Caledonian Sleeper. Also, one complimentary GNER meal voucher for breakfast, lunch or dinner, Scotrail light breakfast and refreshment voucher, up to 7 days free station car parking (subject to availablility) and Underground Zones 1 and 2 return tickets when travelling to London. This package is valid from most stations on the Edinburgh-Aberdeen/Inverness lines and also Fort William to London and vice versa.

This was for the brief time when I was living in Edinburgh and working in London after a career change.

There's no longer a ticket offering such benefits. I used to like it as I always used to get the 19:00 GNER service on a Friday evening, enjoy a relaxing meal and a few guest ales (remember those?) and then travel back down to London on the Sunday night sleeper meaning I'd only have to pay for 4 nights hotel every week.

Anyway time for the questions. I'd still like to travel like I did in 2004 and take East Coast up and the sleeper back, assuming first class both ways what's the most cot effective way to do this now?

Does the lounge car accept payments by credit card (preferably Amex but Visa would do)? If not I'll make sure I have cash. Are the prices reasonable?

How early before departure does the sleeper train arrive? I remember in 2004 having a drink with a friend who was not travelling in the lounge car before departure.

Anyone think reintroducing a sleeper/EC combo ticket would make sense giving East Coast's current marketing push to get people off planes? If you need to be in London for a full day it certainly beats having to get up very early for an early flight or train.

 

[4SRKT]

Am I the only one to have at first read that as; ...and i had her for breakfast?

No. I did as well. Kippers anyone?

 

[87031]

Lounge car does have a different feel to normal coaches so maybe there is some truth in the pulling thing, u do get a lot of people travelling alone on the sleeper so would be a case of tossing a coin for whos berth to use

 

[rail-britain]

In the 1990s a pair of stewards that had worked on the sleepers for some time got married

 

[CarterUSM]

No. I did as well. Kippers anyone?

Bravo! You , sir, are the winner of the best juvenile quip of the thread!

 

[4SRKT]

Is scoring on the sleeper the cranks' equivalent of joining the Mile High Club?

 

[rail-britain]

Is scoring on the sleeper the cranks' equivalent of joining the Mile High Club?

You don't even need to score on the sleeper
Try InterCity 225
I once found a couple quite literally "at it"
How the other passengers never noticed is beyond me!

 

[sprinterguy]

Do people often score in the lounge car do you think, or is this just a product of my fevered imagination?

I think it's very much the fault of the romanticism that comes as standard with the Caledonian Sleeper combined with an overactive imagination I've got a friend who travels on the Caledonian Sleeper sporadically, and he's always got his fingers crossed for just such a chance meeting of hearts, minds and more explicit parts of the anatomy during the journey. I'm sure he actually succeeded in that aim once as well...

I do believe that scoring on the Sleeper must be the crank's version of the mile high club. Though surely the question must be asked, does the kudos you get for fulfilling the act vary depending on what the traction is up front?

Was she a basher? Did she bring a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a pair of 37s'?

In the only context I would ever be caught saying this, I'd prefer a pair of 47s myself

I apologise for the complete lack of useful substance I've brought to this thread, I fear I've only further assisted it's veering off on a tangent and additionally lowered the tone, but just to add to the previous post, I know a lass who managed "the act" in the loo on a 150 on the Buxton line: Highly inappropriate behaviour but just goes to prove that such things aren't limited to trains with beds hock:

Apologies again for further corruption of this thread, I'll get me coat...

 

[4SRKT]

Surely the loo on a 150 has to be just about the most grim place to do anything at all (including actually going to the loo), never mind 'the act'? It's not a romantic image you're conjuring up. However, if she's managed it in a pacer loo she'd probably be in the Guinness Book of Records.

Much better in a 333 where you've got a lot more room, plus the added frisson of excitement that the door might slowly open at any minute!

 

[sprinterguy]

Surely the loo on a 150 has to be just about the most grim place to do anything at all (including actually going to the loo), never mind 'the act'? It's not a romantic image you're conjuring up. However, if she's managed it in a pacer loo she'd probably be in the Guinness Book of Records.

Yeah it's a pretty grim prospect if you ask me. Hardly the stuff of candle-lit fantasies. The mind boggles: Clearly some people's passions know no bounds!

Much better in a 333 where you've got a lot more room, plus the added frisson of excitement that the door might slowly open at any minute!

Anybody else imagining the scenario with a bit of cheesy cabaret music playing over the top as the door slides slowly open, revealing the scene to the rest of the carriage?

 

[4SRKT]

Anybody else imagining the scenario with a bit of cheesy cabaret music playing over the top as the door slides slowly open, revealing the scene to the rest of the carriage?

On the super-overcrowded 17:26 Leeds > Skipton! It's usually so packed that if the door opened unexpectedly half a dozen standing commuters would probably fall in on top of the happy couple!

 

[scotsman]

You don't even need to score on the sleeper
Try InterCity 225
I once found a couple quite literally "at it"
How the other passengers never noticed is beyond me!

I find the toilets on Mk4s are awfully wide.......

 

[rail-britain]

I find the toilets on Mk4s are awfully wide

They weren't in the toilet, they were right in the centre of Coach A

 

[90019]

Is scoring on the sleeper the cranks' equivalent of joining the Mile High Club?

The Metre High Club

 

[4SRKT]

I do believe that scoring on the Sleeper must be the crank's version of the mile high club. Though surely the question must be asked, does the kudos you get for fulfilling the act vary depending on what the traction is up front?

This is an interesting question that deserves further consideration. I suspect that back in the day there would have been bashers who would not have wanted to waste time shagging when there were 37s to be bashed, and would therefore have had to get the 'romance' in south of Edinburgh. These days, would it be better to join the club behind a 90 or a skip? Or behind a 57 if on the Night Riviera?

The Metre High Club

Extra points for doing it in the top bunk and joing the Two Metre High Club?

 

[scotsman]

They weren't in the toilet, they were right in the centre of Coach A

Aye, I know.

 

[wintonian]

In case anyone was thinking of taking their laptop or charging their phone onboard, I have just discoverd that the plug sockets don't work.

 

[rail-britain]

In case anyone was thinking of taking their laptop or charging their phone onboard, I have just discoverd that the plug sockets don't work

I reported on that last year, it was due to abuse so they were isolated

 

[scotsman]

I reported on that last year, it was due to abuse so they were isolated

Abuse? What were they doing to them?

 

[wintonian]

Abuse? Please tell.

Were pepole using it to much? Or prehaps sticking their fingers into the socket? :-?

 

[4SRKT]

Given the expectation of hanky-panky on the sleeper that seems often to be thwarted, I'd say self-abuse could be a common problem!

 

[wintonian]

Hmm there is quite a closem fairly romantic couple next to me, I do hope were not next door to each other.

 

[rail-britain]

Abuse? What were they doing to them?

Plugging in hair straighteners, electric toothbrushes, etc
Personally they were asking for this by not putting on advisory notices like as applied on other rolling stock; "laptops and mobile phone chargers only"
it is one of the criticisms that the power sockets do not work

Equally, there is no power socket within the berth
Otherwise I could also use/charge my laptop from this
My solution was to carrry a spare battery and to then use this for the sleeper
This would then be recharged on the next service I travelled on, or briefly at the First Class lounge at Euston

 

[Fred26]

I've been back home a few days now - I had a great time. Scotland was absolutely stunning.

The long journey from Kings Cross to Inverness didn't seem that long at all, but unfortunately I had to sit backwards the whole way. Well, I could have moved after Edinburgh, but couldn't really be bothered. It was dark by the time we arrived in Edinburgh so we couldn't see anything onwards to Inverness.
On Monday morning I headed up to Wick. The scenery is spectacular and I've got some great photos. I know Thurso is the furthest north that it's possible to go, but I wanted to go to the end of the line and I think it was worth it. Wick looks like a pleasant little town and I wandered down to the harbour, but the wind and rain made taking photos a pain and so I retreated to the Wetherspoons for a quick drink before the train went back south. I was gobsmacked to see a staffed ticket office at Wick - of all the stations in the country to have a staffed ticket office, I never though Wick would be one. Travelling back to Inverness we ran (45 minutes) late, as we had to wait repeatedly at the loops to let north bound trains through. At one point the guard told us we could alight to the platform for 'a smoke'. I took some photos.

On Tuesday I took the train to Kyle of Lochalsh and again the scenery was amazing (possibly more so than the Far North Line). As we pulled into Kyle station I had to make a decision to either stay for a couple of hours, explore a bit and then travel back, or stay just half an hour before returning. Knowing that I had to go back to Perth rather than Inverness, eat and find the new hotel, I opted for the latter, though it was a hard decision. It doesn't matter which way I turned at Kyle station, every view is beautiful. It's a shame, in a way, that the boat no longer runs to Skye, but I suppose that's progress. Again, I was stunned to see that Kyle has an operating ticket office. I didn't venture in, but I did have a nose around the gift shop and bought myself a fridge magnet and a postcard.

After that brief stop, I took the same train I arrived on back to Inverness, then ran (it was late for the same reasons as the Wick train the previous day) to another platform for the Glasgow train to Perth. That train was very busy, but I did get a seat. As we travelled towards Aviemore the scenery became more and more engrossing and my camera hardly left the window. Next time I'm definitely going to have to allow time to get out at Aviemore and take some photos - such a beautiful place. I saw my first snow of the winter on the mountains at Aviemore and then on the ground at Dalwhinnie. Wonderful.

After Tuesday night in Perth, I took the 0759 (I think) train to Edinburgh which crossed the Forth Bridge. I took lots of photos from the window, but I'm not sure how good they are. After half an hour in Edinburgh, I boarded the TransPennine service for Manchester Airport and alighted at Manchester Piccadilly. Not a bad journey, given it's length. I then had an hour to wait in Manchester, before my train to Doncaster and half an hour there before the train home.

I was surprised by how good the ScotRail 158's were interneally. I found them very comfortable. The luggage racks in the middle of the coach and the CIS screens/auto announcements were a nice touch too. I even preferred travelling on the 158's to the TransPennine 185, which surprised me. As for the Hull Train I took from Doncaster, that was starting to look grubby.
Overall, I had a fantastic time. There's positives and negatives, but the pros far out weigh the cons. I'll go back, but I'll plan it better next time so that I can have at least a couple of hours in Kyle and so that I've got time to alight at Aviemore.

One question: on my way to Perth station on Wednesday, I watched a 170 go over the bridge coupled up to (what looked like) a 158. I think that was the 0715 Perth to Glasgow Queen Street, but I can't be certain. Was I imagining things, or do ScotRail use that formation?

 

[CarterUSM]

Yes, they do indeed use that formation, someone more knowledgeable than i can tell you which services though! Pleased to hear you had a pleasant time!

 

[rail-britain]

I watched a 170 go over the bridge coupled up to (what looked like) a 158. I think that was the 0715 Perth to Glasgow Queen Street, but I can't be certain. Was I imagining things, or do ScotRail use that formation?

This used to be very common on services between Perth and Inverness / Edinburgh and Aberdeen
On the Aberdeen the train would split with the Class 158 continuing to Inverness

 

[Fred26]

That was the strangest multiple unit formation I've ever seen.

 

[scotsman]

That was the strangest multiple unit formation I've ever seen.

Common, happens countless times every day up here.