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GWR Cornish Night Riviera Sleeper and GWR Class 57 updates from Long Rock

S

Sleepy

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Mogz said:
Since the Riviera is keeping Mk3s for the foreseeable future, and the Caledonian has just ditched a load, I wonder whether GWR could grab some to lengthen the Riviera, especially for in the Summer when the trains are usually fully booked?
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GWR would like to add another SLEP but inside info. recently received suggests drivers unhappy with increasing beyond load 8, of course 2 seated coaches are not really necessary now that Plymouth - Cornwall local journeys now not permitted - but as bikes go in 1 coach & wheelchair space is in the other unlikely anything will change any time soon.
 
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GBM

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As as old codger, why are these diesels struggling with a load of 8? Surely they could take up to 10 or so without effort, especially as the schedule is loose.
Thinking of Hymeks/Warships on a tight schedule with a full load.
 
J

JN114

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GBM said:
As as old codger, why are these diesels struggling with a load of 8? Surely they could take up to 10 or so without effort, especially as the schedule is loose.
Thinking of Hymeks/Warships on a tight schedule with a full load.
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Are they struggling? Not seen any suggestions as such?
 
Ashley Hill

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There's been a few occasions of them slipping to a stand on slippery rail. Perhaps that's why drivers are objecting to heavier loads?
 
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JN114

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Ashley Hill said:
There's been a few occasions of them slipping to a stand on slippery rail. Perhaps that's why drivers are objecting to heavier loads?
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Again, where have there been suggestions any objections are based on weight, or train performance.

There’s other reasons why beyond load 8 is objectionable; and they’re nothing to do with performance or weight; and entirely to do with managing stopping positions with trains considerably longer than the platform they’re stopping at.
 
B

Bletchleyite

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JN114 said:
There’s other reasons why beyond load 8 is objectionable; and they’re nothing to do with performance or weight; and entirely to do with managing stopping positions with trains considerably longer than the platform they’re stopping at.
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Crikey, best not let them near the Cally, then! :)

I assume the issue with dropping to one seated car is not in fact *bikes* but brake/guard facilities, otherwise it'd be easy enough to convert bike space in another coach. Mounted vertically bikes really don't take up much room at all, it needn't lose more than one compartment's worth of space or so to easily accommodate 6.

Does it still take surfboards, given that the daytime trains don't? Again though you could just pile them all in a sleeper compartment with the bed removed. Brake vans are a UK thing - UIC coaches all come with brake facilities built in (the handbrake wheel can normally be seen by the doors at one end) and the guard just works from a seating compartment or the saloon, or a small Pendolino style hut in one of the coaches.
 
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P

popeter45

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pretence entirely speculative ideas here
depends on demand but could always use extra coaches to split into two services (fast to Plymouth then stopping to Penzance and another that runs stopping from Bristol to Plymouth then terminates)
alternatively could introduce a welsh sleeper to Carmarthen or Swansea?
 
I

irish_rail

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The reason we don't want load 9 yet is there are no stop boards and it all gets very confusing the longer the train gets. Not that it's relevant to us at Plymouth as we won't be driving the sleepers come May apparently.
Expect some very rough rides in Cornwall after that haha.
 
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popeter45

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irish_rail said:
The reason we don't want load 9 yet is there are no stop boards and it all gets very confusing the longer the train gets. Not that it's relevant to us at Plymouth as we won't be driving the sleepers come May apparently.
Expect some very rough rides in Cornwall after that haha.
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wait what happening?
 
Ashley Hill

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Plymouth drivers only drive it on the down from Plymouth so it's van on anyway and guard opens forward. No stop boards required. If it's reverse then put the loco past the 2+8 board and guard opens backwards or if 9 put the first coach past the 2+8 and then open backwards,simples!
 
Ashley Hill

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superjohn said:
It may be for you but I’m struggling to understand any of that post. “Van on”? “guard opens forward/backwards”???
A little help please.
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Going down to Penzance the guards van should be at the front,therefore stopping with the first coach on the platform. Opening forward or backwards refers to the selective door opening. With the front coach stopped at the PZ end of the platform the guard can open doors forward from say coach F whilst keeping the coaches at the rear (off the platform) locked.
If the sets reverse ie guards van at the rear then to keep it platformed the driver will need to stop the train with the loco or first coach past the old HST 2+8 stop board depending on length of train. Some sleeper coaches at front will now not be off the platform so the guard will open the doors from say coach F but backwards thereby keeping those coaches unplatformed coaches at the front locked.
 
M

Mogz

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Maybe use them for an additional Riviera service that departs earlier in the evening then?

Just a thought...
 
co-tr-paul

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Due to the current health crisis, the Friday night Night Riviera services will be the last until further notice. Pullman dining on other services will also stop.
 
D

Deafdoggie

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There’s no real reason to close it now, Covid-19 isn’t passed by food, it is passed by close contact. Not serving food won’t change it in anyway. There is therefore another reason to suspend it-save money. If it’s costing money it’s unlikely to restart.

Same argument can be applied to sleeper.
 
M

Meerkat

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Deafdoggie said:
There’s no real reason to close it now, Covid-19 isn’t passed by food, it is passed by close contact. Not serving food won’t change it in anyway. There is therefore another reason to suspend it-save money. If it’s costing money it’s unlikely to restart.

Same argument can be applied to sleeper.
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It is passed by contact - the plates and cutlery doesn’t levitate to and from the tables
 
R

robk23oxf

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My guess is that reduced demand for travel also means reduced demand for dining on the train so it's currently not viable.
 
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jimm

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Deafdoggie said:
There’s no real reason to close it now, Covid-19 isn’t passed by food, it is passed by close contact. Not serving food won’t change it in anyway. There is therefore another reason to suspend it-save money. If it’s costing money it’s unlikely to restart.

Same argument can be applied to sleeper.
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No reason... apart from the number of staff required to provide Pullman silver service probably outnumbering the number of customers in recent days.

GWR traffic was dropping like a stone this time last week. On my last trip on Monday - before switching to home-working - there were six of us sat in a coach on a morning peak period IET between Oxford and Reading, where the usual crowds surrounding the door when I got off were nowhere to be seen.
 
Mikey C

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Deafdoggie said:
There’s no real reason to close it now, Covid-19 isn’t passed by food, it is passed by close contact. Not serving food won’t change it in anyway. There is therefore another reason to suspend it-save money. If it’s costing money it’s unlikely to restart.

Same argument can be applied to sleeper.
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There are bugger all passengers now, it's hardly a comparable situation with normal passenger numbers and demand!
 
A

ainsworth74

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Deafdoggie said:
Oh. That’ll be why they’ve stopped ticket checks and opening doors then.
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Well, Northern I believe have now stopped ticket checks and of course having the doors open and close is rather important and it's a lot easier to make sure you wash your hands immediately after dealing with doors. Plates and cutlery on the other hand aren't exactly essential and are a vector for transmission...
 
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SteveM70

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ainsworth74 said:
Well, Northern I believe have now stopped ticket checks and of course having the doors open and close is rather important and it's a lot easier to make sure you wash your hands immediately after dealing with doors. Plates and cutlery on the other hand aren't exactly essential and are a vector for transmission...
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There was a ticket check on my Northern train home last night. And a seat, for the first time ever
 
M

Meerkat

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BRX said:
Most people don't put tickets or door buttons in their mouth. So, slightly different from food.
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Am I the only one who has often put tickets in their mouth when sorting themselves out at the ticket machine or for a ticket check?
 
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