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Caledonian Sleeper discussion

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87015

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CosherB said:
+1

The future use of 37s on the CS is in the febrile realms of the end-of-platform fantasy or late-night drinking hostel musings. :lol:
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And wasn't the last use (37516, so an NB one anyway!) vice 67s under GB operation, having been absolutely unheard of in the best part of a decade previous of 67/EWS operation when at least it was a bit more theoretically likely?
 
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jamieP

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fgwrich said:
And 3. How a 50 year old 37 will be more reliable than a rebuilt 73 working as an ETHEL? They can at least do that, most 37/4s won't have used their ETH for some time. And are hardly proving themselves just as reliable on the Cumbrian coast circuits. Unless you still keep the 66 powering, which would then be more expensive and heavier than the 73...
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Just to point out most of the 37/4s use there ETH regularly.

JP
 
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robbeech

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66737 to Inverness Tuesday night. (Makes sense). Arrived a couple early I think.
I'm just about to go and board the ABD to EUS tonight. We will see how that goes.

Update.

66737 on the front of the Aberdeen to Euston this evening.
47739 on the back.
 
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Scotrail84

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43096 said:
Love the way people just start repeating rumours that don't stand up to even the slightest scrutiny.

Perhaps you can explain:
1. Where ETH fitted 37s are coming from.
2. How an ETH fitted 37 (index 30) will heat 6 sleepers, a buffet and seated coach in the middle of winter.
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Ft wiiliam and Aberdeen are less than 8 coaches.


All I've been told is that someone from serco was away looking at 37s and other locos at a location I will not disclose with a view to bringing them in. Happy?
 
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Scotrail84 said:
Ft wiiliam and Aberdeen are less than 8 coaches.


All I've been told is that someone from serco was away looking at 37s and other locos at a location I will not disclose with a view to bringing them in. Happy?
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On the end of a platform? Lots of people talk all the time. But this is not going to happen for a catalogue of reasons.

Anyone who thinks that 37s offer an improvement is deluded. Look at the Cambrian. Locos fail, 68s still have problems, and 88s are delayed until next year. New designs always have teething and with a small class that is exacerbated as there's less running miles.

What does it matter if a loco fails, it's replaced and the train runs. That's the key. Wasn't perfect under previous operators, folk need to remove their rose tinted glasses and stop speculating garbage.
 
43096

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Scotrail84 said:
Ft wiiliam and Aberdeen are less than 8 coaches.





All I've been told is that someone from serco was away looking at 37s and other locos at a location I will not disclose with a view to bringing them in. Happy?
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So Serco, not GBRf. As GBRf are under contract to be traction provider you'd think they would be involved. That still doesn't answer the issue of a lack of 37/4s and their questionable reliability on regular passenger services.

In short I'll believe it when I see it....
 
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Scotrail84

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43096 said:
So Serco, not GBRf. As GBRf are under contract to be traction provider you'd think they would be involved. That still doesn't answer the issue of a lack of 37/4s and their questionable reliability on regular passenger services.

In short I'll believe it when I see it....
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That's correct, someone from SCS. I have never said this a 100% goer and it would depend if GB could provide drivers as one the reasons 1S25 took a bit hit on Friday morning was because the driver on it doesn't sign 92s so the B26 loco couldn't be used.
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captainbigun said:
On the end of a platform? Lots of people talk all the time. But this is not going to happen for a catalogue of reasons.

Anyone who thinks that 37s offer an improvement is deluded. Look at the Cambrian. Locos fail, 68s still have problems, and 88s are delayed until next year. New designs always have teething and with a small class that is exacerbated as there's less running miles.

What does it matter if a loco fails, it's replaced and the train runs. That's the key. Wasn't perfect under previous operators, folk need to remove their rose tinted glasses and stop speculating garbage.
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I do not stand on the end of platforms an most certainly did not hear this from enthusiasts, photters, spotters or whatever you call them these days.
 
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robbeech

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Well we arrived early at EUS this morning even after a delay at Edinburgh. 92010 took us down to Euston.
There felt to be some significant (and likely additional) neutral sections so I'm assuming they are coasting panto down through the bits they have had trouble with.

Couldn't see what was on the north end of the lowland sleeper, do they have some 86s ?
 
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CosherB

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jamieP said:
Neither do 67s but your not wibbling about them are you ;)

JP
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Me wibbling about 73/9s? I just don't get my knickers in a twist when a heavily rebuilt and unproven new locomotive is introduced and has a few problems. More so, the one major problem the 73/9s on CS duties is known (unless anyone else can list any other reliability deficiencies?) and there is a solution pending.

I'll start castigating them when the alternator problem has been fixed and they have had a decent run in service as sole traction and in pairs on their designated CS Scottish routes.

Others on here claim that they said these locos would be a failure - I'm predicting they'll be a success.

And the ability to multi-work a 73/9 with a 66 is (i) an excellent contingency and (ii) might be useful in really grim weather.
 
fgwrich

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CosherB said:
And the ability to multi-work a 73/9 with a 66 is (i) an excellent contingency and (ii) might be useful in really grim weather.
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That multi-working capability is already being used - not just for grim weather. The 66/73 combo I had to Inverness a few months ago were running in Multi, and there's a video of one leading a 67 last winter on youtube.
 
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jamieP

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CosherB said:
Me wibbling about 73/9s? I just don't get my knickers in a twist when a heavily rebuilt and unproven new locomotive is introduced and has a few problems. More so, the one major problem the 73/9s on CS duties is known (unless anyone else can list any other reliability deficiencies?) and there is a solution pending.

I'll start castigating them when the alternator problem has been fixed and they have had a decent run in service as sole traction and in pairs on their designated CS Scottish routes.

Others on here claim that they said these locos would be a failure - I'm predicting they'll be a success.

And the ability to multi-work a 73/9 with a 66 is (i) an excellent contingency and (ii) might be useful in really grim weather.
Click to expand...

Wibbling when 67s get used for all sort of trains when there ETH has been used less than a 37/4.
 
43096

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Scotrail84 said:
I do not stand on the end of platforms an most certainly did not hear this from enthusiasts, photters, spotters or whatever you call them these days.
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It doesn't matter if it's platform end BS, mess room BS or any other form of BS. It's still BS.
 
47271

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What's funny about the most recent sequence of posts is that, try as I might in conversation, I can't get very regular users of the Inverness sleeper to register the slightest interest in the implications of unreliable traction. Their view is that it gets through 99% of the time and that they can't think of a recent occasion when they've been inconvenienced by a motive power or ETS problem. If they have been in the past then they've got longer in bed and are quite happy with that.

Maybe the 73s are rubbish, but I can't seem to find any reports of serious dismay, presumably so long as the 66s are doing the business alongside them.
 
Johnuk123

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47271 said:
What's funny about the most recent sequence of posts is that, try as I might in conversation, I can't get very regular users of the Inverness sleeper to register the slightest interest in the implications of unreliable traction. Their view is that it gets through 99% of the time and that they can't think of a recent occasion when they've been inconvenienced by a motive power or ETS problem. If they have been in the past then they've got longer in bed and are quite happy with that.
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So to sum up you've talked to (how many) regular sleeper passengers who all say they don't mind being late as it gives them a couple of hours extra in bed.
 
47271

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Johnuk123 said:
So to sum up you've talked to (how many) regular sleeper passengers who all say they don't mind being late as it gives them a couple of hours extra in bed.
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Three passengers, who combined make anywhere between 150 and 200 single journeys per year on the Highlander.

My point is rather more that regular users aren't *noticing* traction problems in the way that this thread is concerned by them. On the rare occasions that they have noticed, they've been lucky and not been on a critical schedule.
 
Peter Mugridge

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I have long been of the opinion that if I was to experience a long delay on a train, it would be preferable if it were to happen on the Sleeper for that exact reason; namely I would have a bed to lies down on while they sort it out.
 
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47271 said:
What's funny about the most recent sequence of posts is that, try as I might in conversation, I can't get very regular users of the Inverness sleeper to register the slightest interest in the implications of unreliable traction. Their view is that it gets through 99% of the time and that they can't think of a recent occasion when they've been inconvenienced by a motive power or ETS problem. If they have been in the past then they've got longer in bed and are quite happy with that.

Maybe the 73s are rubbish, but I can't seem to find any reports of serious dismay, presumably so long as the 66s are doing the business alongside them.
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And that is the point. Whatever issues there may be, the perception of the passengers is that there isn't a problem. That's exactly how it should be, and shows that GBRf are successfully mitigating the issues and still delivering the service.
 
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Peter Mugridge said:
I have long been of the opinion that if I was to experience a long delay on a train, it would be preferable if it were to happen on the Sleeper for that exact reason; namely I would have a bed to lies down on while they sort it out.
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My experience of European sleepers (dying out as they presently are) is that you go to sleep, wake up and then find out precisely how late you are, a figure which is normally measured in hours, not minutes.
 
marks87

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Suggests a problem with the 73 (or 47?) again, as happened with the Aberdeen portion last week.

According to Twitter passengers are being bustituted, presumably only as far as Edinburgh to meet up with the stock.
 
47271

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Temperatures are low again, you do wonder if this has anything to do with it.

HML has been shut all day for engineering, so a lot of Inverness section passengers would've been bussed anyway. Still very poor though.
 
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Scotrail84

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When the 73 ETS was switched on all power in the vehicles went out, loco a failure. Passengers forward in taxis as no buses could be sourced. They will rejoin the stock at Edinburgh to travel onwards to London. 1M16 will be a tad late from Edinburgh tonight but there is quite a bit of make up time on a Sunday night.
 
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