Caledonian Sleeper discussion

47271 · 15 Jan 2017

work-traveller said:
2. If the journey being taken was Crewe to Newtonmore on a Thursday evening, what might be the chance of having to share? I'd assume they'd only lump you in with someone if they were also getting on at Crewe and taking the route to Inverness as well.

It very much depends on the season, but Thursdays can be very busy on the Inverness at any time of year and I suspect Clansman benefited from the post festive lull. As per my earlier post, I'm told on good authority that last Thursday 12 January was full in First and well filled in Standard with the lounge rammed for the first hour out of Euston. If you're going ahead of a Bank Holiday or in the summer, don't delay in making your booking.

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Scotrail84 · 16 Jan 2017

Hadders said:
The useless Serco have removed the berth supplement for solo occupancy of a standard berth.

It is no longer possible to do this. Only solo occupancy is in 1st unless you're in a quiet standard where you'll get a berth to yourself.

AlterEgo · 16 Jan 2017

Scotrail84 said:
It is no longer possible to do this. Only solo occupancy is in 1st unless you're in a quiet standard where you'll get a berth to yourself.

However the First Sleeper Advances can sometimes be good value. £99 on the Highland Sleeper isn't bad at all considering it includes breakfast and a bed for the night, as well as your travel. Far more cost-effective than day train/plane and a hotel.

The Sleeper does quite well out of employers like mine who have a London office and concerns in Scotland.

work-traveller · 16 Jan 2017

Thanks for the various replies and the knowledge contained within. Think I'll chance it on the advanced purchase standard ticket next month and see what happens.

Gonzoiku · 18 Jan 2017

AlterEgo said:
However the First Sleeper Advances can sometimes be good value. £99 on the Highland Sleeper isn't bad at all considering it includes breakfast and a bed for the night, as well as your travel. Far more cost-effective than day train/plane and a hotel.

Not bad indeed, better than a Flexipass at £150 (allegedly only £140 online, albeit then not fully flexible as the physical ticket*), although Flexipass does not require advance booking. Always worth asking here if anyone has a Flexipass to spare!

But, by the way, it seems the Flexipass T&C have changed - no longer can you use up to three soon-to-expire tickets as part-payment for a new carnet. Instead, you can have up to five soon-to-expire tickets extended to the expiry date of the new carnet. Not good!

GZ

*https://www.sleeper.scot/news/180-coming-soon-online-flexipass

Scotrail84 · 18 Jan 2017

Gonzoiku said:
Not bad indeed, better than a Flexipass at £150 (allegedly only £140 online, albeit then not fully flexible as the physical ticket*), although Flexipass does not require advance booking. Always worth asking here if anyone has a Flexipass to spare!

But, by the way, it seems the Flexipass T&C have changed - no longer can you use up to three soon-to-expire tickets as part-payment for a new carnet. Instead, you can have up to five soon-to-expire tickets extended to the expiry date of the new carnet. Not good!

GZ

*https://www.sleeper.scot/news/180-coming-soon-online-flexipass

Are these flexi passes non transferable? Is there any documentation to tell you so?

Gonzoiku · 18 Jan 2017

Scotrail84 said:
Are these flexi passes non transferable? Is there any documentation to tell you so?

They definitely ARE transferable (else I would not have made the suggestion):

"The flexibility doesnt end there though - you can allocate your tickets to a friend, or travel as a group. So five people could use a Flexipass carnet to travel from London to Fort William, and then travel back."

from https://www.sleeper.scot/tickets-timetables/flexipass-tickets

But I can't be sure that applies to the online print-your-own flexipass, needs to be verified.

GZ

crewmeal · 18 Jan 2017

Can you buy sleeper tickets 'at the door' so to speak? I would imagine yes if the coaches are running light.

najaB · 18 Jan 2017

crewmeal said:
Can you buy sleeper tickets 'at the door' so to speak? I would imagine yes if the coaches are running light.

Yes, at least you used to be able to. I've done it on a couple of occasions out of Euston.

Peter Mugridge · 18 Jan 2017

najaB said:
crewmeal said:

Can you buy sleeper tickets 'at the door' so to speak? I would imagine yes if the coaches are running light.

Click to expand...

Yes, at least you used to be able to. I've done it on a couple of occasions out of Euston.

There have been posters up at Euston for about 3 years now which suggest otherwise and that buying on the spot is no longer possible.

najaB · 18 Jan 2017

Peter Mugridge said:
There have been posters up at Euston for about 3 years now which suggest otherwise and that buying on the spot is no longer possible.

It was less than three years ago that I last did so. Though I can't remember clearly if it was just a berth upgrade (having already had a ticket) or a completely new ticket.

Edit: Actually, the more I think about it the more I'm sure that it was a berth upgrade from a seated reservation. For some reason the website said there were no berths available when there actually were plenty free.

Gonzoiku · 18 Jan 2017

najaB said:
It was less than three years ago that I last did so. Though I can't remember clearly if it was just a berth upgrade (having already had a ticket) or a completely new ticket.

Edit: Actually, the more I think about it the more I'm sure that it was a berth upgrade from a seated reservation. For some reason the website said there were no berths available when there actually were plenty free.

And in the same timeframe I have done so. At Preston on the Highland sleeper. Two of us, on spec, having failed to get to Inverness on the evening fligh from Manchester. Truth be told we got to Inverness, but couldn't land....

I had a Flexipass, my partner in crime bought a full price standard class ticket (sole occupancy) with no bother, on a Friday, neither berth having been reserved in advance in any sense, so yes, it is certainly possible to buy on the door, if space is available.

Best of all I handed the problem to the travel agent who had booked the flight, and they eventually won compensation for the train ticket cost, and full refund for the airfare.

GZ

knockknock81 · 18 Jan 2017

47271 said:
If it was northbound on a Monday night you'll have got the Inverness crew who are without a doubt the best on the railway, and on top form are like an advert for Visit Scotland. There's nothing wrong with the London lot (they work opposing nights so they end up at base for the weekend) but the teamwork from the Inverness guys is so good because it's the same small group who work together all the time, and they get to know the regulars as friends.

Northbound you get them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I've heard of people who make their business travel plans around this pattern.

I very much doubt people manage their travel plans around this

Sealink · 19 Jan 2017

knockknock81 said:
I very much doubt people manage their travel plans around this

I find some of the Inverness crew to be very overbearing and smug. They have slagged off the London crew to me repeatedly. My issue being that I've found the London crew to be amazing.

gsnedders · 19 Jan 2017

Anyone know what the Fort William sleepers did last night/this morning given the fire near Blackridge?

Blindtraveler · 19 Jan 2017

At a guess diverted over the E and G which is admittedly having work done but may have been kept open as a result of the A to B disruptions?

fraser158 · 19 Jan 2017

Apparently it was diverted via Carstairs and Whifflet.

*Edit* According to scot-rail.co.uk group.

Blindtraveler · 19 Jan 2017

Oo nice diversion, wouldnt have minded being on that one.

gsnedders · 19 Jan 2017

Blindtraveler said:
At a guess diverted over the E and G which is admittedly having work done but may have been kept open as a result of the A to B disruptions?

Closed as planned, hence why I wasn't sure what it would've done! I'd ended up caught up in all this last night, albeit merely from Edinburgh to Glasgow…

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

fraser158 said:
Apparently it was diverted via Carstairs and Whifflet.

*Edit* According to scot-rail.co.uk group.

Ah, that makes sense, and explains the appearance at Shettleston on realtimetrains, presumably to reverse on to the City Union Line? I presume Shettleston because there's enough points to run around there…

[Edit: wait, there's no need for that, just run via Coatbridge and the link line there!]

Scotrail84 · 19 Jan 2017

Sealink said:
I find some of the Inverness crew to be very overbearing and smug. They have slagged off the London crew to me repeatedly. My issue being that I've found the London crew to be amazing.

Saying what?

47271 · 19 Jan 2017

Sealink said:
I find some of the Inverness crew to be very overbearing and smug. They have slagged off the London crew to me repeatedly. My issue being that I've found the London crew to be amazing.

Wow, that's a bit strong, unless you've gone out of your way to encourage that type of comment from them. Repeatedly? Can you provide specific examples?

Kite159 · 21 Jan 2017

Just passed some sleeper coaches being hauled by a 66 south of Crewe (08:57), has a 90/92 failed again? Heading north

PHILIPE · 21 Jan 2017

Kite159 said:
Just passed some sleeper coaches being hauled by a 66 south of Crewe (08:57), has a 90/92 failed again? Heading north

Appear to have run normally according to RTT

Mag_seven · 21 Jan 2017

Kite159 said:
Just passed some sleeper coaches being hauled by a 66 south of Crewe (08:57), has a 90/92 failed again? Heading north

There have been a number of tests involving four sleeper coaches and 92023/92033 this week between Rugby and Carnforth. Suggest what you saw was something to do with that.

TimboM · 21 Jan 2017

Mag_seven said:
There have been a number of tests involving four sleeper coaches and 92023/92033 this week between Rugby and Carnforth. Suggest what you saw was something to do with that.

I think you're right - this looks like it: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O65820/2017/01/21/advanced

Blindtraveler · 21 Jan 2017

Is this to do with establishing if the 92s are capable or otherwise of passing the affected stretch of the WCML?

najaB · 21 Jan 2017

Blindtraveler said:
Is this to do with establishing if the 92s are capable or otherwise of passing the affected stretch of the WCML?

That seems a reasonable assumption - they are likely testing the modifications that have been made.

TimboM · 21 Jan 2017

TimboM said:
I think you're right - this looks like it: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O65820/2017/01/21/advanced

92033 was on this, so was another test run.
92023 was doing the Dagenham-Garston car train yesterday as part of its reintroduction/"testing".

leomartin125 · 22 Jan 2017

TimboM said:
92033 was on this, so was another test run.
92023 was doing the Dagenham-Garston car train yesterday as part of its reintroduction/"testing".

This was very much the same as 92014 once it was released from Loughborough. Made it's way back to Crewe H.S. where it was stored for a few days before WCML testing began between Crewe and Rugby, running both light and using loaded tests. Here is my picture of this at Stafford, would be very much the same as what 92033 is doing now:

https://flic.kr/p/HHmrkR

TimboM · 23 Jan 2017

leomartin125 said:
This was very much the same as 92014 once it was released from Loughborough. Made it's way back to Crewe H.S. where it was stored for a few days before WCML testing began between Crewe and Rugby, running both light and using loaded tests. Here is my picture of this at Stafford, would be very much the same as what 92033 is doing now:

https://flic.kr/p/HHmrkR

Nice pic

92023 is on the cars again this week (or today at least). 92033 had a test run up to Carlisle this morning and is heading back to Crewe this afternoon - this is it I believe: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O66230/2017/01/23/advanced

Apparently O23 was in Loughborough in Nov and was just back in for a couple of weeks some extra tweaks, so it's ahead of the game vs 92033.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

...0Z94 was indeed 92033 running light engine. Arrived at Crewe 37E.

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