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3-day first class trip

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an7li721

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My first ever long train bash a few months back now :) Was in first class so wasn't so painful but I definitely would not be able to do more than 1 consecutive night on the seated coach again. Here is the journey I took, as well as what I got offered.

0530 9/9 New St - Chester 0643 (Virgin 221)
Scrambled egg and smoked salmon. Egg was made from a powder and overall quite small portion.​
0716 Chester - Newport 0941 (TfW 67 + mk3s)
Full English breakfast. Very good portion size, very impressive meal.​
1010 Newport - Bristol Parkway 1031 (GWR 800)
Biscuit and juice. Not much more to ask for a 20min journey​
1040 Bristol Parkway - Leeds 1400 (XC 220)
Pre-BHM person very generous in giving biscuits, snacks and drinks. Post-BHM got a BLT sandwich and muffin​
1421 Leeds - York 1443 (TPE 68 + mk5s)
Biscuit and water. Offerings seemed more limited than other companies​
1458 York - KGX 1650 (LNER HST)
Chicken casserole. Good portion size, nice meal.​
1707 EUS - Stafford 1824 (Virgin 390)
Fish linguine. Tiny portion size, but otherwise tasty.​
1843 Stafford - EUS 2003 (Virgin 390)
Chicken curry. Again tasty, but tiny portion size. Also got a tiny lemon cheesecake as dessert.
Euston lounge: decent range of snacks and drinks on offer, but busy. Bathroom clean enough to freshen up in, showers not so clean so wouldn't particularly like to have a shower there.​
2115 EUS - Stirling 0457 (CS 90/67 + mk3s)
Was too stingy to pay for a berth supplement.
Stirling lounge: small but I was the only person to use it. Very nice array of scottish drinks and snacks to help yourself to. Very clean bathroom, and they provide towels to have a shower.​
0549 10/9 Stirling - Glasgow Queen St 0627 (Scotrail 385)
No first class​
0648 Glasgow Central - Edinburgh 0752 (LNER IC225)
Full LNER breakfast. Portion on small side, but no complaints
Edinburgh lounge: my favourite lounge. Large, wide unique array of snacks.​
0830 Edinburgh - Newcastle 0955 (LNER HST)
Full LNER breakfast.
Newcastle lounge: small, basic offering compared to other LNER lounges​
1026 Newcastle - York 1128 (LNER IC225)
Vegetarian tomato + cheese cannelloni. Piping hot, very tasty​
1138 York - Leeds 1205 (TPE 185)
Biscuit + water​
1230 Leeds - Wakefield Kirkgate 1301 (Northern 144)
Only standard class​
1315 Wakefield Kirkgate - Mirfield 1327 (GC 180)
Nothing was offered​
1339 Mirfield - Leeds 1403 (Northern 142)
Only standard class​
1415 Leeds - KGX 1633 (LNER 800)
Chicken casserole
KGX lounge: busy like EUS, but well stocked.​
1718 KGX - Newark North Gate 1841 (LNER 800)
Chef signature salmon dish + chocolate cheesecake. Very nice meal​
1842 Newark North Gate - Darlington 1957 (LNER 800)
Chef signature salmon dish. Given less potatoes + veg compared to the previous journey, probably because of not getting on at KGX.​
2022 Darlington - Edinburgh 2219 (LNER HST)
Crew didn't seem to be doing hot food anymore. Got a beef sandwich after I asked if there was any food at all.​
2233 Edinburgh - Stirling 2318 (Scotrail 385)
This had first class. No catering this late, and the seats were my least favourite of all the trains I went on.​
0017 11/9 Stirling - EUS 0749 (CS 67/90 + mk3s)
Same train as I had caught up from London. Could just about get to sleep but not comfortable.​
0831 STP - Derby 1010 (EMR 222)
Full English Breakfast. Better than LNER, not as good as TfW​
1016 Derby - Doncaster 1116 (XC 220)
BLT sandwich + muffin​
1124 Doncaster - Grantham 1159 (HT 180)
Chicken sandwich + crisps. Busy first class but pleasantly surprised at how efficient the service was​
1208 Grantham - KGX 1323 (LNER 800)
Fishcakes. No other hot food choice available (This service had started from Newark before the Lincoln services had started, potentially explaining the lack of food availability)​
1415 PAD - Cardiff 1622 (GNER 800)
A vegan wrap (apparently the only thing they had when I asked for a sandwich) and biscuits
Cardiff lounge: small, but had biscuits and drinks​
1716 Cardiff - Chester 1957 (TfW 67 + mk3s)
Kebab starters, pan fried lamb main, apple pie + ice cream dessert. Very impressed at what is included with the ticket​
2019 Chester - Crewe 2041 (TfW 175)
Only standard class​
2054 Crewe - New St 2154 (Virgin 221)
Hot sausage roll. Good size.​
 
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Blinkbonny

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16 Mar 2018
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Goodness me, you like your food! :smile:

(Though I'd like to know what tickets you were on.)
 

route101

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You managed to get a hot breakfast on the LNER between Glasgow and Edinburgh !
 

an7li721

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18 Sep 2014
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You managed to get a hot breakfast on the LNER between Glasgow and Edinburgh !
Having left on time at 0648 the toast came round at 0719 with the food shortly after at 0725 at the Carstairs Junction so enough time to eat before getting off at Edinburgh to catch the next train down for seconds.

Goodness me, you like your food! :smile:

(Though I'd like to know what tickets you were on.)
It was a 3 day Britrail, so essentially an All Line Rover but without the 1000 restriction
 
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Blinkbonny

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Ah that explains it. No wonder I was confused. Us natives can only dream of such wonders! :smile:
 

route101

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Having left on time at 0648 the toast came round at 0719 with the food shortly after at 0725 at the Carstairs Junction so enough time to eat before getting off at Edinburgh to catch the next train down for seconds.


It was a 3 day Britrail, so essentially an All Line Rover but without the 1000 restriction

Ah , i thought they never offered the full breakfast to Edinburgh passengers. When i was on it there was some commuters in first class who dont want anything or just a tea.
 

an7li721

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18 Sep 2014
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Ah , i thought they never offered the full breakfast to Edinburgh passengers. When i was on it there was some commuters in first class who dont want anything or just a tea.

I don't recall ever being asked where I was travelling to on LNER services, only XC. I probably would have said Newcastle if they had asked to ensure I got food..
 

voyagerdude220

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13 Oct 2005
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Very interesting report, thank you OP.
I've always loved the "Welsh Premier" evening meal service. In my opinion it's the very best you can experience on a train in the UK.
(I admittedly haven't yet got around to sampling GWR Pullman service, but given how brilliant value the Welsh one is, it would have to be out of this world to beat it.)

I asked Virgin (at the time a few months ago) if the 17:40 GLC to BHM (your 20:54 from Crewe) offered the full evening meal service from Glasgow and they said it would.
I suspect it would only be a hot snack, similar to the sausage roll you got offered. Could be wrong though. I remember having the sausage roll several years ago on a Super Voyager from Chester to Crewe (diverted via Sandbach) and it was very good.
 

Mike99

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I can agree completely, I've done the evening dinner out of Cardiff twice on an ALR and its the only time I've taken a photo of my dinner and sent it to my wife, the second time was about three years or so and I had pie, boiled potatoes, veg and gravy and I don't even like veg but it looked and tasted great, she had had to quote "a bit of egg and bacon, as your out!!!
 

voyagerdude220

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1415 PAD - Cardiff 1622 (GNER 800)
A vegan wrap (apparently the only thing they had when I asked for a sandwich) and biscuits
Cardiff lounge: small, but had biscuits and drinks​

Sorry to be pedantic, but I've just noticed a very tiny error. GWR.
 

an7li721

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18 Sep 2014
Messages
15
Sorry to be pedantic, but I've just noticed a very tiny error. GWR.
Whoops! Clearly my mind drifted back to the 2000s there, spambot isn't allowing me to edit. I did start off taking down unit numbers but by the first evening I gave up traversing the length of the HSTs to find the powercar numbers.
 

voyagerdude220

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Whoops! Clearly my mind drifted back to the 2000s there, spambot isn't allowing me to edit. I did start off taking down unit numbers but by the first evening I gave up traversing the length of the HSTs to find the powercar numbers.

No problem! I just found it amusing mentioning GNER. ;)
 
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