Techniquest
Veteran Member
Pizza Hut Express Expands
As of Saturday 1st April, after months of delays due to overhauling of MK3s and locomotives, Pizza Hut Express is proud to release its first Class 87-hauled dining train to Glasgow Central. The train calls at Milton Keynes Central, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Motherwell and Glasgow Central, where it then travels out of the terminus for cleaning and prepping, including turning the set to have the 87 back at the front for the return to London Euston. The return trip will see the train calling at Motherwell, Lockerbie, Lancaster, Crewe, Rugby and London Euston under normal conditions.
However, as the WCRM continues at weekends, and the Settle and Carlisle is re-opened, the train will be dragged by a diesel locomotive (unknown class at this time) in both directions between the aforementioned stations. Preston is, in both directions, set-down only, whilst the train will call at Carlisle heading south to pick-up, whilst heading north it shall set-down only. Due to the reversal required at Preston, the DVT on the train shall be leading from Carlisle to Glasgow. Once the WCRM allows services via Lancaster again, we shall run to the pattern mentioned earlier.
Times for tomorrow's run are subject to last-minute alternation and bus replacement schemes should the engineering company in charge of the route deem it necessary, but the departure times are as follows:
1205d London Euston
1745a Glasgow Central
1845d Glasgow Central
2345a London Euston
Arrival times are packed with a good amount of slack, so early arrivals can be expected. On arrival back in London, the train will run ECS to Wembley for servicing and what have you.
As for tomorrow's menu, we shall have a very special menu for passengers to choose from to celebrate our new service.
Drivers for the service have been refreshed on the 87s for the last couple of months, with some practise runs using back-up coaching stock stored in Wembley between Euston and Glasgow at night, where paths are much more freely available. One driver had this to say about the new service:
"This is an awesome experience. An 87 on the WCML in 2006, hardly seems real sometimes to walk down the concourse at Euston to see an 87, MK3s and a DVT lined up in your platform. The 390s may be packed with computers, but ask any driver which they'd prefer, an 87 with character and atmosphere or a 390 with the feeling of driving something out of a mould. Most of them, if not all, will say they prefer the 87. Our crews here certainly prefer to be back in MK3s. I'm highly looking forward to a drive in the 87 tomorrow!"
Locomotives to be used are the recently refurbished 87004 and 87034.
But that's not all!
You may recall our HSTs we use on Euston to Crewe and Holyhead. These are still going amazingly well, proving to be as popular as ever. HST fans will be pleased to know that we are considering running one of our HSTs on another route, again using the WCML in part. This will be revealed in due course, as it is still subject to confirmation and pathing from the network bosses. We think passengers will welcome our services and HSTs on the route though!
That's all of our news for now. Tomorrow will mark the start of a new era for rail catering. We will look forward to welcoming you on board at either London Euston or Glasgow Central, or even one of the intermediate stations. Final timetables and posters will be available at stations in the morning. Or, if you are on our e-mail alert service, you'll get them by 0600.
Julian Whitby
CEO Pizza Hut Express
As of Saturday 1st April, after months of delays due to overhauling of MK3s and locomotives, Pizza Hut Express is proud to release its first Class 87-hauled dining train to Glasgow Central. The train calls at Milton Keynes Central, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Motherwell and Glasgow Central, where it then travels out of the terminus for cleaning and prepping, including turning the set to have the 87 back at the front for the return to London Euston. The return trip will see the train calling at Motherwell, Lockerbie, Lancaster, Crewe, Rugby and London Euston under normal conditions.
However, as the WCRM continues at weekends, and the Settle and Carlisle is re-opened, the train will be dragged by a diesel locomotive (unknown class at this time) in both directions between the aforementioned stations. Preston is, in both directions, set-down only, whilst the train will call at Carlisle heading south to pick-up, whilst heading north it shall set-down only. Due to the reversal required at Preston, the DVT on the train shall be leading from Carlisle to Glasgow. Once the WCRM allows services via Lancaster again, we shall run to the pattern mentioned earlier.
Times for tomorrow's run are subject to last-minute alternation and bus replacement schemes should the engineering company in charge of the route deem it necessary, but the departure times are as follows:
1205d London Euston
1745a Glasgow Central
1845d Glasgow Central
2345a London Euston
Arrival times are packed with a good amount of slack, so early arrivals can be expected. On arrival back in London, the train will run ECS to Wembley for servicing and what have you.
As for tomorrow's menu, we shall have a very special menu for passengers to choose from to celebrate our new service.
Drivers for the service have been refreshed on the 87s for the last couple of months, with some practise runs using back-up coaching stock stored in Wembley between Euston and Glasgow at night, where paths are much more freely available. One driver had this to say about the new service:
"This is an awesome experience. An 87 on the WCML in 2006, hardly seems real sometimes to walk down the concourse at Euston to see an 87, MK3s and a DVT lined up in your platform. The 390s may be packed with computers, but ask any driver which they'd prefer, an 87 with character and atmosphere or a 390 with the feeling of driving something out of a mould. Most of them, if not all, will say they prefer the 87. Our crews here certainly prefer to be back in MK3s. I'm highly looking forward to a drive in the 87 tomorrow!"
Locomotives to be used are the recently refurbished 87004 and 87034.
But that's not all!
You may recall our HSTs we use on Euston to Crewe and Holyhead. These are still going amazingly well, proving to be as popular as ever. HST fans will be pleased to know that we are considering running one of our HSTs on another route, again using the WCML in part. This will be revealed in due course, as it is still subject to confirmation and pathing from the network bosses. We think passengers will welcome our services and HSTs on the route though!
That's all of our news for now. Tomorrow will mark the start of a new era for rail catering. We will look forward to welcoming you on board at either London Euston or Glasgow Central, or even one of the intermediate stations. Final timetables and posters will be available at stations in the morning. Or, if you are on our e-mail alert service, you'll get them by 0600.
Julian Whitby
CEO Pizza Hut Express
