Sleeper route question

[Mk1dreamer]

I broke my knee and I'm off for a while so need stimulation lol so in the BR days what was the shortest route (A to B) and what was the longest ? (Aside Fort William or Inverness etc just canceled ones)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Stranraer (Harbour) to London Euston would, quite likely, have been one of the longer, now discontinued, sleeper routes. Think the so-called "Paddy Sleeper" lasted until Sunday 13th May 1990. Would have had to have operated via Ayr in its later years. Anyone got its actual routeing, immediately prior to closure?

 

[hexagon789]

Stranraer (Harbour) to London Euston would, quite likely, have been one of the longer, now discontinued, sleeper routes. Think the so-called "Paddy Sleeper" lasted until Sunday 13th May 1990. Would have had to have operated via Ayr in its later years. Anyone got its actual routeing, immediately prior to closure?

Presumably the same as the Euston/Stranraer day train: Euston to Carlisle, Carlisle to Kilmarnock, Kilmarnock to Stranraer via Troon and Ayr.

 

[eastwestdivide]

There were Euston-Manchester/Liverpool sleepers up to the early 80s Mk3 takeover I think. I slept on one to go to a job interview in the Liverpool area in about 1983ish.

 

[hexagon789]

There were Euston-Manchester/Liverpool sleepers up to the early 80s Mk3 takeover I think. I slept on one to go to a job interview in the Liverpool area in about 1983ish.

Glasgow QS to Aberdeen would be my guess for shortest at 154.5mi. Followed by Glasgow QS to Inverness, 180.5mi.

 

[The exile]

There were Euston-Manchester/Liverpool sleepers up to the early 80s Mk3 takeover I think. I slept on one to go to a job interview in the Liverpool area in about 1983ish.

And there’d been a London - Leeds as well.

 

[Mk1dreamer]

So why was there short route sleepers? How long did you get to sleep and price wise how was it

 

[The exile]

So why was there short route sleepers? How long did you get to sleep and price wise how was it

To allow much earlier arrivals / later departures than the then slower daytime services permitted. Many were just through coaches attached to/ detached somewhere en route. I suspect many sleepers also conveyed vans (newspapers etc) which changed the economics somewhat.

 

[Mk1dreamer]

Stranraer (Harbour) to London Euston would, quite likely, have been one of the longer, now discontinued, sleeper routes. Think the so-called "Paddy Sleeper" lasted until Sunday 13th May 1990. Would have had to have operated via Ayr in its later years. Anyone got its actual routeing, immediately prior to closure?

How long time wise was it ?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Jul 2025 ==

To allow much earlier arrivals / later departures than the then slower daytime services permitted. Many were just through coaches attached to/ detached somewhere en route. I suspect many sleepers also conveyed vans (newspapers etc) which changed the economics somewhat.

That's so smart honestly

 

[Rescars]

And there’d been a London - Leeds as well.

Spent a lot of time at the platform at one end or the other. Best night's sleep I ever had in a Mark 1 sleeper!

 

[Mk1dreamer]

Spent a lot of time at the platform at one end or the other. Best night's sleep I ever had in a Mark 1 sleeper!

I was wondering that as I seen pics of the rooms and beds on Google and they look really comfy and bigger than beds in the Mk5

 

[Haywain]

So why was there short route sleepers? How long did you get to sleep and price wise how was it

A big part of it was that daytime journey times were slower than they are now, by quite a margin, and domestic flights were not so common.

 

[Mk1dreamer]

A big part of it was that daytime journey times were slower than they are now, by quite a margin, and domestic flights were not so common.

How long was you allowed to sleep for ?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The 'Night Ferry' through service London Victoria to Paris / Brussels had a Basel (Switzerland) car for a short time as well.

If you go back to WW1 a regular overnight service was run Euston to Thurso for naval personnel stationed at Scapa Flow. Sleeping cars were only available for officers of course!

Pre-WW1 through sleeping cars were run from London to Strathpeffer (near Dingwall) and Cruden Bay (north of Aberdeen) for the railway hotels there.

In LMS days the Stranraer sleeper (running via the 'Port Road') had a through car to Turnberry for the railway hotel there - now owned by Trump of course.

 

[Haywain]

And there’d been a London - Leeds as well.

Paddington - Swansea is a similar distance. I can't remember if that one went on to Carmarthen or Fishguard though. I only did it once, on a Saturday night from Swansea

 

[Mk1dreamer]

The 'Night Ferry' through service London Victoria to Paris / Brussels had a Basel (Switzerland) car for a short time as well.

If you go back to WW1 a regular overnight service was run Euston to Thurso for naval personnel stationed at Scapa Flow. Sleeping cars were only available for officers of course!

Pre-WW1 through sleeping cars were run from London to Strathpeffer (near Dingwall) and Cruden Bay (north of Aberdeen) for the railway hotels there.

In LMS days the Stranraer sleeper (running via the 'Port Road') had a through car to Turnberry for the railway hotel there - now owned by Trump of course.

What was rooms like pre mk1 sleeper as I swear comfort has declined over the years lol

 

[Haywain]

How long was you allowed to sleep for ?

I think that you could rely on 6 hours if you were making the end to end journey.

 

[Mk1dreamer]

Oh ok I was wondering if they let you sleep in after arriving

 

[Mcr Warrior]

How long time wise was it ?

Good question. Believe the last one was a 10.46 p.m. Sunday evening departure from Stranraer, so it might well be eight plus hours to London Euston. Anyone able to confirm?

 

[Haywain]

Good question. Believe the last one was a 10.46 p.m. Sunday evening departure from Stranraer, so it might well be eight plus hours to London Euston. Anyone able to confirm?

In September 1982, I travelled on the Sunday night 21:00 Euston to Stranraer Harbour (86221 to Carlisle, 47546 on to Stranraer). I don't have a note of the arrival time but I left Stranraer on the 07:32 to Glasgow Central (27036), and I have no recollection of wandering anywhere in between times! On that basis I guess the overall journey time wasn't far short of 10 hours.

 

[AndrewE]

Good question. Believe the last one was a 10.46 p.m. Sunday evening departure from Stranraer, so it might well be eight plus hours to London Euston. Anyone able to confirm?

I know of 1A00, the up Barrow sleeper which was the first train of the morning to Euston, and was used for getting home to various places from drinking excursions in the north west, arriving about midnight in Crewe, I think. There are WTTs online so we should be able to dig any of these trains out.

Oh ok I was wondering if they let you sleep in after arriving

I once took the Inveness sleeper to Euston and had a horribly early awakening: It was platformed by the ramp down from the Parcels Deck and right from our arrival it was bedlam, with trains of empty Brutes thundering past the compartment window.

I have to say that my few UK sleeper journeys (all Mk Is) have been spoilt by the bogies hunting, battering your head and feet against the bunk ends... Unlike continental couchettes which seemed to ride like silk, on waking from sleep couldn't tell if you had just started moving or had just stopped. It was quite eerie and you had to wait for another clue to tell you what was happening!

 

[Haywain]

with trains of empty Brutes thundering past the compartment window.

Yes, in those days stations were much livelier places during the night.

 

[Harpo]

Paddington - Swansea is a similar distance. I can't remember if that one went on to Carmarthen or Fishguard though. I only did it once, on a Saturday night from Swansea

There were two up sleepers from West Wales, Fishguard Harbour and Milford Haven. I can’t recollect the Fishguard having a corresponding down sleeper?? I think the sleepers to/from Milford sleepers worked empty to/from Swansea in the consist of loco-hauled service trains?

 

[Mk1dreamer]

I know of 1A00, the up Barrow sleeper which was the first train of the morning to Euston, and was used for getting home to various places from drinking excursions in the north west, arriving about midnight in Crewe, I think. There are WTTs online so we should be able to dig any of these trains out.

I once took the Inveness sleeper to Euston and had a horribly early awakening: It was platformed by the ramp down from the Parcels Deck and right from our arrival it was bedlam, with trains of empty Brutes thundering past the compartment window.

I have to say that my few UK sleeper journeys (all Mk Is) have been spoilt by the bogies hunting, battering your head and feet against the bunk ends... Unlike continental couchettes which seemed to ride like silk, on waking from sleep couldn't tell if you had just started moving or had just stopped. It was quite eerie and you had to wait for another clue to tell you what was happening!

I always romanticized it I guess I imagine a cosy bed looking out in the rain as you nod off (I listen to YouTube night sleeping train noises to help sleep) I had a meal in the restaurant car and a cup of tea in the lounge car earlier lol

 

[hexagon789]

Good question. Believe the last one was a 10.46 p.m. Sunday evening departure from Stranraer, so it might well be eight plus hours to London Euston. Anyone able to confirm?

In September 1982, I travelled on the Sunday night 21:00 Euston to Stranraer Harbour (86221 to Carlisle, 47546 on to Stranraer). I don't have a note of the arrival time but I left Stranraer on the 07:32 to Glasgow Central (27036), and I have no recollection of wandering anywhere in between times! On that basis I guess the overall journey time wasn't far short of 10 hours.

1982 timetable has the 2100 Euston to Stranraer sleeper as arriving in Stranraer Hbr at 0616, so 9h16. Other way 2200 off Stranraer, arrived Euston 0753 Tues-Sat (0934 Suns)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

1982 timetable has the 2100 Euston to Stranraer sleeper as arriving in Stranraer Hbr at 0616, so 9h16.

And in the reverse direction? In May 1990, when it last ran?

 

[hexagon789]

And in the reverse direction? In May 1990, when it last ran?

Other way 2200 off Stranraer, arrived Euston 0753 Tues-Sat (0934 Suns)

Give me a minute to find my May 1990 and I'll check for you.

 

[The exile]

Spent a lot of time at the platform at one end or the other. Best night's sleep I ever had in a Mark 1 sleeper!

And probably at Doncaster as well.

 

[Mk1dreamer]

And probably at Doncaster as well.

How comfy was the mk1 sleeper

 

[The exile]

I always romanticized it I guess I imagine a cosy bed looking out in the rain as you nod off (I listen to YouTube night sleeping train noises to help sleep) I had a meal in the restaurant car and a cup of tea in the lounge car earlier lol

It’s very easy to romanticise it. My problem on sleepers is that I’m always too interested in what’s going on outside. That said, on Eastern European secondary routes the slow-speed swaying is quite conducive to dropping off - provided the temperature’s right. Best “run” was on Corona from Budapest to Brasov - and it did include dinner in the restaurant car!