Caledonian Sleeper discussion

Iskra · 17 Feb 2016

73967, looking very smart last night at Inverness.

RailUK Forums

jopsuk · 17 Feb 2016

ASLEF were fear-mongering that these would be "terrible"- is there any feedback from the drivers on their initial impressions of performance and comfort?

66Yorks · 17 Feb 2016

I have seen a few of the 73's during the day heading North. Even though they look slightly dated in shape and style they look marvellous in the CS livery.

Lee_Again · 17 Feb 2016

Sleepers back to normal next week according to sleeper.scot . Gutted as I'm on the Aberdeen next Friday 26th. Fancied a run up the East Coast. Never mind. Another time,

Whistler40145 · 17 Feb 2016

Most likely chance of a trip on the Caledonian Sleepers on the ECML would be an emergency blocking the WCML or planned engineering works.

Maxfly · 17 Feb 2016

I would say they are more timeless looking than most other classes of their era, just look at 47's and 37's for badly dated designs.
Not sure how they can be reckoned on being a disaster when they are a greatly modernised and very different animal to standard 73's. Yes they have to prove themselves but I suppose some are just the 'pint half empty and someone's ****ed in it' type

cf111 · 19 Feb 2016

67007 heading the sleeper up alone at Inverness this evening. Has the 73 passed this wee test?

I got a proper look in the flesh on Wednesday night and I quite like the look of them especially in the CS livery.

fgwrich · 19 Feb 2016

Maxfly said:
I would say they are more timeless looking than most other classes of their era, just look at 47's and 37's for badly dated designs.
Not sure how they can be reckoned on being a disaster when they are a greatly modernised and very different animal to standard 73's. Yes they have to prove themselves but I suppose some are just the 'pint half empty and someone's ****ed in it' type

Class 47 A badly dated design? I wouldn't say that at all, they've carried some of the more modern liveries - the new DRS livery very well - and look more modern than a 67 as a 57/6.

Just like the 73 - Simple, Flat sides have always made a loco look better. I'd say that the 47 is similar to a 73 - both looked good for their age, but as more modern equivalents look more modern in rebuild form.

Essexman · 19 Feb 2016

Lee_Again said:
Sleepers back to normal next week according to sleeper.scot . Gutted as I'm on the Aberdeen next Friday 26th. Fancied a run up the East Coast. Never mind. Another time,

Same here. I'm going to Glasgow Tuesday night and was looking forward to Class 47s via Dumfries, then back from Inverness Thursday with what I thought would be a rare trip into Kings Cross.

I did come down the East Coast once before, although didn't realise until the middle of the night when I pulled up the blind and found we were in Doncaster.

Have a work meeting in Glasgow on Wednesday then going on the funicular up Cairngorm Wednesday. How much better is this than flying?

robbeech · 20 Feb 2016

I too was really looking forward to a run down the ECML as I go from Aberdeen Tuesday evening. I guess I do that route by day (or part of it) a couple of times a month so for me the WCML will be more of a change of scenery.

Rob

mikey9 · 22 Feb 2016

Inside 67007, I have a pic but it isn't much cop.

mikey9 · 22 Feb 2016

OK - so it isn't that bad - and at least it is light when they bring the sleeper in at 5pm

sprinterguy · 23 Feb 2016

mikey9 said:
Inside 67007, I have a pic but it isn't much cop.

Reminds me of the old ETHELs when it's coupled inside like that.

robbeech · 23 Feb 2016

Well I have received an email from CS today reminding me I'm travelling and giving me departure times from ABD and arrival time at EUS. However the subject line is "potential disruption to your CS journey tonight"

Nothing in the email suggests disruption.

GM228 · 24 Feb 2016

OK it's been a good while since the 92s were displaced and no obvious sign of them returning soon, any updates on if/when they will return and I'm curious what steps/mods have been/will be taken with them to improve their reliability?

The 73/9s will probably achieve full utilisation before the 92s!

CosherB · 24 Feb 2016

GM228 said:
OK it's been a good while since the 92s were displaced and no obvious sign of them returning soon, any updates on if/when they will return and I'm curious what steps/mods have been/will be taken with them to improve their reliability?

The 73/9s will probably achieve full utilisation before the 92s!

As quoted earlier in this thread, 92s have only been displaced from front-line services - they have still been used on ECS moves. It is also stated that they will be brought back onto front-line duties around Easter, although I cannot validate this claim.

I've no idea what changes have been made to the 92s, but GBRf should have enough data from the loco failures to enable measures to be taken to rectify the faults/issues. GBRf has to sort out the 92s soon as it's (currently) their only option for electric haulage!

87015 · 24 Feb 2016

CosherB said:
As quoted earlier in this thread, 92s have only been displaced from front-line services - they have still been used on ECS moves. It is also stated that they will be brought back onto front-line duties around Easter, although I cannot validate this claim.

I've no idea what changes have been made to the 92s, but GBRf should have enough data from the loco failures to enable measures to be taken to rectify the faults/issues. GBRf has to sort out the 92s soon as it's (currently) their only option for electric haulage!

92018 has been doing the odd run in the last week or so... However it came to grief this morning and needed a rescue skoda.

PHILIPE · 24 Feb 2016

87015 said:
92018 has been doing the odd run in the last week or so... However it came to grief this morning and needed a rescue skoda.

It did a week ago as well at Norton Bridge unable to take power from OHLE while working 1M11

NotATrainspott · 24 Feb 2016

If I'm not mistaken, one of the main reasons for the use of 92s is that the new CAF carriages will require more ETS than any other locomotive could supply. If the problems with 92s continue, would it be practical in the short term to add a second loco to provide ETS? Maybe even one of those Mk3 generator vans that were built for Nightstar?

cf111 · 24 Feb 2016

NotATrainspott said:
If I'm not mistaken, one of the main reasons for the use of 92s is that the new CAF carriages will require more ETS than any other locomotive could supply. If the problems with 92s continue, would it be practical in the short term to add a second loco to provide ETS? Maybe even one of those Mk3 generator vans that were built for Nightstar?

The trains wouldn't fit into the platforms at Euston with another vehicle added to them.

Edit, actually thinking about it I've never walked to the ends of the platforms when boarding the Sleeper and my mind is going blank, is there one uncoupled loco at the back (which took the train from the depot) and one at the front before they depart?

Whistler40145 · 24 Feb 2016

Yes, one loco will have worked the ECS into Euston, then another drops on the other end.

PaxVobiscum · 24 Feb 2016

cf111 said:
The trains wouldn't fit into the platforms at Euston with another vehicle added to them.

Edit, actually thinking about it I've never walked to the ends of the platforms when boarding the Sleeper and my mind is going blank, is there one uncoupled loco at the back (which took the train from the depot) and one at the front before they depart?

Yes - the ECS loco leaves soon after the sleeper.

EDIT: Sorry, beaten to it!

Steveman · 24 Feb 2016

Are the 4 surviving Nightstar generator vans stored at Kineton ?

Mag_seven · 24 Feb 2016

87015 said:
92018 has been doing the odd run in the last week or so... However it came to grief this morning and needed a rescue skoda.

so the class 92 saga goes on. :cry:

Whistler40145 · 24 Feb 2016

I'm not surprised that there's been problems with the 92s, especially the ETS equipment, considering they've spent the majority of their careers hauling freight trains without requiring the use of the ETS equipment.

NotATrainspott · 24 Feb 2016

PaxVobiscum said:
Yes - the ECS loco leaves soon after the sleeper.

EDIT: Sorry, beaten to it!

That's what I'm thinking. If there's enough space for the ECS loco, then there's enough for a second one to power the train all the way down from Scotland. If they top and tail, then the rear one could be used just to provide ECS power, and then at Euston it would be used to take the train back out to Wembley. It's not the most efficient system in the world but if the 92s continue to fail, then it would take a few years for another type of loco to be built with enough ETS capacity.

sng7 · 24 Feb 2016

Out of interest does anyone know if the Class 88s would have the ets capability to haul them since they would hopefully be in the uk by then.

sprinterguy · 25 Feb 2016

Steveman said:
Are the 4 surviving Nightstar generator vans stored at Kineton ?

There are five Nightstar generator vans (none have been scrapped to date AFAIK); one at Wabtec Doncaster, one at UKRL Leicester and three stored at Long Marston.

I think that there is very little stored at Kineton these days.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

sng7 said:
Out of interest does anyone know if the Class 88s would have the ets capability to haul them since they would hopefully be in the uk by then.

I haven't seen the train supply rating for the class 88 stated anywhere, but it's a bit academic anyway, given that GBRf have a long term contract to provide traction for the sleeper (unless they were to hire the locos in from DRS, as they are from Freightliner at present).

Steveman · 25 Feb 2016

sprinterguy said:
There are five Nightstar generator vans (none have been scrapped to date AFAIK); one at Wabtec Doncaster, one at UKRL Leicester and three stored at Long Marston.

I think that there is very little stored at Kineton these days.

I think you're right that there are 3 at Long Marston rather than Kineton although they were there at first, thanks.

marks87 · 25 Feb 2016

sprinterguy said:
I haven't seen the train supply rating for the class 88 stated anywhere, but it's a bit academic anyway, given that GBRf have a long term contract to provide traction for the sleeper (unless they were to hire the locos in from DRS, as they are from Freightliner at present).

The Class 88 ETH index will be 100 (500kW), ~~which is plenty for a full sleeper rake (assuming 2xBUO [=8], 2xRLO [=10], 6xSLEP [=42] and 6xSLE(D) [=36]).~~

Caledonian Sleeper discussion

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