Caledonian Sleeper arriving 49 minutes early

[pkkelly]

I was on the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow to Euston a couple of nights ago and it arrived in Euston 49 minutes early. (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G90585/2013/01/23/advanced - link active until 29th January).

It looks like this was partly because it was on a revised (slower) schedule for engineering work but the engineering works either didn't happen or caused no delay.

The early arrival didn't cause me a problem (I woke up in my berth after we had arrived at Euston), but what if I'd been getting off at Watford Junction (where the train arrived 48 minutes early)? Would I have been woken up by the attendant nearly an hour early? That would seriously have hacked me off. Would I have been allowed to stay on the train and make my way back out to Watford Junction on my original ticket, ie arriving at roughly the originally scheduled time?

 

[CallySleeper]

I'm sure the driver would have been happy to get off early (unless of course he was working back to Wembley)

Yes you would have been woken up. On your original ticket, I suspect not, they might let you travel to Euston to then purchase a new ticket to Watford. Not quite sure how it would work in this case.

Also, I would probably take issue with leaving five minutes early from Motherwell.

 

[Vicpaul]

The low landers run religiously early. If we had Crewe or Watford drop offs we would advise them accordingly

 

[PaxVobiscum]

What are the chances of staying on board until the "vacate cabins by" time of 8:00 am at Euston on occasions when it arrives so early?

 

[MCR247]

Also, I would probably take issue with leaving five minutes early from Motherwell.

It left 1 minute early at 2356, the -5 is shown for the difference between real time and the WTT time.

PTT: 2357
WTT: 2359
Actual: 2355

And actually, it will have arrived 54 minutes early according to the PTT

 

[pkkelly]

It left 1 minute early at 2356, the -5 is shown for the difference between real time and the WTT time.

PTT: 2357
WTT: 2359
Actual: 2355

I suspect the Motherwell departure was only a few seconds early. The Glasgow Central departure is also shown as a minute early but when I looked at my watch (synced with the pips recently!) on starting off from there I thought we were bang on time.

 

[Vicpaul]

What are the chances of staying on board until the "vacate cabins by" time of 8:00 am at Euston on occasions when it arrives so early?

You are entitled to stay on till 0745 as then that gives us 15 minutes to check our carriages and do what we need to.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Thanks for that reply. I'm usually off fairly sharpish but I haven't had any really early arrivals yet (I travel more from Euston by sleeper than to it).

It would probably help both staff and passengers if the "vacate by" time was given as 07:45 in the timetables instead of 08:00 though.

 

[Vicpaul]

officially it is 0800 but local arrangements say 0745, In all fairness 99% of people are off by 0730 on the low lander

 

[craigwilson]

It looks like this was partly because it was on a revised (slower) schedule for engineering work but the engineering works either didn't happen or caused no delay.

I note it picks up 12 minutes between Hilmorton Jn and Hanslope Jn. Does this suggest it was originally routed via the Northampton loop, but went the direct way in reality - especially as there are no reports along the loop?

 

[tsr]

I note it picks up 12 minutes between Hilmorton Jn and Hanslope Jn. Does this suggest it was originally routed via the Northampton loop, but went the direct way in reality - especially as there are no reports along the loop?

That is almost exactly what I thought!

Either that, or Long Buckby is home to a significant defect in the space-time continuum, and the blokes in orange just can't fix it...

 

[causton]

I note it picks up 12 minutes between Hilmorton Jn and Hanslope Jn. Does this suggest it was originally routed via the Northampton loop, but went the direct way in reality - especially as there are no reports along the loop?

I believe so yes, saying that I was on the sleeper going the other way which picked up 4 or 5 minutes going round the northampton loop as booked! So timings are very slack :P

 

[reb0118]

My official railway watch which is radio controlled, my personal watch which is Swiss, and the station monitors all show my train leaving bang on time. TRUST, realtraintimes, & opentraintimes all show me as one minute early.

I suspect the Motherwell departure was only a few seconds early. The Glasgow Central departure is also shown as a minute early but when I looked at my watch (synced with the pips recently!) on starting off from there I thought we were bang on time.

Not just me then...............

 

[causton]

My official railway watch which is radio controlled, my personal watch which is Swiss, and the station monitors all show my train leaving bang on time. TRUST, realtraintimes, & opentraintimes all show me as one minute early.



Not just me then...............

The last 3 will all probably be coming from the same source then. Where Realtimetrains doesn't use signalling-derived data it just uses TRUST - and it's likely OTT does the same so it they will show the data wrong.

Perhaps it's something simple like the offset of the train passing X point being wrong!

 

[D1009]

The last 3 will all probably be coming from the same source then. Where Realtimetrains doesn't use signalling-derived data it just uses TRUST - and it's likely OTT does the same so it they will show the data wrong.

Perhaps it's something simple like the offset of the train passing X point being wrong!

It isn't necessarily wrong, as to be totally accurate all trains would have to be going at the same speed. The TRUST system is ridiculously inaccurate considering the amount of money which passes around the industry based on it.

 

[455driver]

It isn't necessarily wrong, as to be totally accurate all trains would have to be going at the same speed. The TRUST system is ridiculously inaccurate considering the amount of money which passes around the industry based on it.

But look how many jobs TDA has created! :roll:

 

[The Planner]

Worth remembering that TRUST rounds down from 59 seconds, so it could be 1 second early departing but seen as 1 minute.

 

[reb0118]

Worth remembering that TRUST rounds down from 59 seconds, so it could be 1 second early departing but seen as 1 minute.

Good point. I bell the driver at 15 seconds prior to departure. If he is sharp away that could be the reason.

 

[JB1601]

On the subject of the sleeper, does anyone else find it harder to locate Bargain Berth tickets since Scotrail rolled them into the "mixing deck" booking system? It was quite easy to find when they were available before but now you have to keep checking individual days to see when they are around. Anyone got any tips on that front (other than avoiding Fridays and Sundays)?