Night Riviera

[CallySleeperKid]

Hi all,

In the early stages of looking at taking a trip on the Night Riviera, Paddington to Penzance, When I first started taking the Caledonian Sleeper a few years back, I also looked at the Night Riviera, but there was no lounge car and the service looked pretty average compared to the Caledonian Sleeper, since then I have noticed the £2million refurbishment they had last year, including TVs in single berths, a lounge car for sleeper passengers etc.....

I would like to hear from anyone who has used the service recently and any feedback you may have, Me and my partner intend to travel in a sleeping berth, rather than seated, and looking at timings will travel down on the sleeper and return during the day.

A few things I have noticed while reading around online....

Have to book by phone, can't book online
There is no first and standard class, only seated and berths
Boarding is from 22.30, with a 23.45 departure, is the lounge car available from 22.30?
On the First Great Western site, when you click the link for food served in the lounge car you get the following page http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=66 but which of the menus is served on the sleeper? (Guessing Express Cafe or Travelling Chef)
As the link to order tickets is down as I am typing this, does anyone have any ideas of prices? I know the sleeper berth suplements are £30 for sharing a cabin and £45 for a solo, there will be two adults with one disabled adult railcard.

Any advice or help would be great,

Cheers, CSK

 

[87031]

i did the night riviera back in July whilst on an ALR on a sunday evening from penzance, i did wanna travel in a berth but left it too late and it was fully booked 2 days before. Even in the 87 bashing days i found it hard to sleep in the normal coaches as it was cold so i hardly got any kip. Early that week id done the Caledonian sleeper 3 times and slept well 2 of them. If i did the night riviera again id make sure i got a berth! As for the catering the chief steward went sick so it was a bit of a farce as one of the attendents was doin both jobs. in all fairness they where givin out free complimentary tea coffee biscuits soft drinks to all passengers. Despite a few recent class 57 failures it made it to Paddington early but i bailed and sat in the 1st class lounge before heading to Kings X for the GC HST at 0804. All in all staff where friendly but i enjoyed the Caledonian sleeper more but id try the Riviera agian but only in a berth.

 

[MCR247]

Butif oyu only enjoyed the Caledonian sleeper because you were in a berth, then surely thats an unfair comparison?

 

[EltonRoad]

Hi - most of the info you need to know is here:

http://www.seat61.com/Cornwall-sleeper.htm

There's also useful info for the Caledonian Sleepers.

 

[87031]

Butif oyu only enjoyed the Caledonian sleeper because you were in a berth, then surely thats an unfair comparison?

Fair comment, think the Caly sleeper is hard to beat in terms of scenery expecially the Fort William part as you can wake up around 730am and enjoy over 2 hours of awesome scenery whilst having breakfast either in the lounge car or cabin. The lounge car is a big plus over the FGW sleeper as well. Think they should add a couple of sleeper coaches on in the summer as well i was one of many people who was looking for a berth at Penzance.

 

[TEW]

It runs at the full length of nine coaches at times during the summer.

 

[fgwrich]

Think they should add a couple of sleeper coaches on in the summer as well i was one of many people who was looking for a berth at Penzance.

Problem is though is that there isnt any left...

But somewhere about there are aload of Ex BR, Ex Danish state railways SLEPs somewhere, but being sold off from BR, they would require a pretty hefty overhaul to bring them up to standard of the current Night Rivera SLEPS...

If only BR didnt have a habit of selling anything and everything then who knows what we could have left still...

rich

 

[87015]

If only BR didnt have a habit of selling anything and everything then who knows what we could have left still...

To be fair, its not as though post-BR privatised system has done a wonderful job of not selling/scrapping stuff either. At least a few Mk3 sleepers at Long Marston when I wandered round a year or so back.

 

[fgwrich]

To be fair, its not as though post-BR privatised system has done a wonderful job of not selling/scrapping stuff either. At least a few Mk3 sleepers at Long Marston when I wandered round a year or so back.

True...At the time i was thinking of quite a few of the ex Intercity Mk3 Sleepers that was sold off and laterally became a wreck owned by Cotswold Rail...

rich

 

[TEW]

It's not the lack of coaches that is the problem, it's the length of Penzance station, it can't take more than 9 coaches and the engine, and even that is a tight fit.

 

[devon_metro]

Also the fact that 9 coaches will hang off every platform in Cornwall with the exception of Truro, plus Totnes in Devon.

 

[bennorthyork]

I used the Night Riviera in a berth recently and slept very well. The train is de-classified as you say - all one class. Worth knowing that you can use the first class lounge at Paddington before you board for free soft drinks / tea / coffee and biscuits and nuts.

 

[CallySleeperKid]

I used the Night Riviera in a berth recently and slept very well. The train is de-classified as you say - all one class. Worth knowing that you can use the first class lounge at Paddington before you board for free soft drinks / tea / coffee and biscuits and nuts.

Thats always good to know

 

[Death]

It's not the lack of coaches that is the problem, it's the length of Penzance station, it can't take more than 9 coaches and the engine, and even that is a tight fit.

Hang on a second...A full length FGW HST manages to fit into Penzance with room to spare. How does the Night Riviera manage to leave it's backside hanging out? hock:

Also the fact that 9 coaches will hang off every platform in Cornwall with the exception of Truro, plus Totnes in Devon.

Is that really a problem though? I've been on full length HSTs that have called at stations with platforms only designed for 153's, and they still manage. Isn't it just a matter of asking passengers to pass through to the Xth carriage if they wish to alight?

 

[TEW]

Also the fact that 9 coaches will hang off every platform in Cornwall with the exception of Truro, plus Totnes in Devon.

That's what the SDO is for, you just have to have all the carriages in the platform at Penzance or it will be past the signal blocking the junction at the terminus.

Hang on a second...A full length FGW HST manages to fit into Penzance with room to spare. How does the Night Riviera manage to leave it's backside hanging out? hock:

A 2+8 HST is slightly shorter than 1+9 on the sleeper, if either were longer they would overhang the platform.

Is that really a problem though? I've been on full length HSTs that have called at stations with platforms only designed for 153's, and they still manage. Isn't it just a matter of asking passengers to pass through to the Xth carriage if they wish to alight?

All FGW MK3s have now been fitted with SDO to lock doors that are not on the platform so no problem except at terminus.

 

[devon_metro]

Sorry, I didn't realise the sleepers had SDO fitted!

 

[TEW]

Neither did I until I saw it, they use it to lock the sleeper coaches at all the Cornish stations on the way to Paddington as well as at short platforms.

 

[gwr]

There is an interesting webcam which shows part of Penzance station:
http://www.cliffhotelpz.co.uk/cliffpz/html/webcam.html
Click on "Click on the image to view the webcam" and you can see part of the platform - The sleeper is in at the moment, and you can see the one end of the loco - but I can't tell what it is - it looks like a 47 - anyone know what the livery is?

 

[Zoe]

That is a 57. For some reason they seem to switch that camera to monochrome at night these days. The traffic camera stays colour though.