Caledonian Sleeper discussion

[Bletchleyite]

I find that abrupt starts/stops, rather than shunting, are more likely to be disturbing during the night. I wonder if there is a decline in skills for driving loco hauled passenger trains, or whether this is inevitable with such a long train.

IME you get those shock waves through the train far worse with buckeye coupled stock than you do with traditional buffers.

 

[paul1609]

Northbound in the first class west highland coach. I find the cooling fans on the class 92s keep me awake especially starting and stopping in the neutral sections. It's an awfully lot quieter when the class 73 takes over.

 

[D5645]

According to the CS website, passengers booked on the cancelled trains should receive an automatic refund if they booked directly via CS's own website, and if they booked their tickets via a third party, they should fill in the online delay repay form available via the said website. So CS ought at the very least to honour that promise.

If you read the small print, it also says in the CS Guest Charter on their website that if you are unable to travel due to the fault of the railway, they will give you a full refund and provide alternative transport and accommodation.

However, I suppose CS would say that adverse weather is outside their control, unlike train or infrastructure failures. Also, depending on where you were travelling from, it might not have been easy for them to find you a hotel.

If you are not happy with the way CS dealt with the situation, and you want to take the matter further, it might be worth raising it with Transport Focus (see www.transportfocus.org.uk).

Where were you intending to travel to and from, and what did you do in the end?

In the end we went back home for the night and then had to buy new tickets to travel with Virgin East Coast at a cost of £170 for the two of us. We finally arrived 10 hours later than planned.

Needless to say a letter of complaint is on its way to CS.

 

[TimboM]

Northbound in the first class west highland coach. I find the cooling fans on the class 92s keep me awake especially starting and stopping in the neutral sections. It's an awfully lot quieter when the class 73 takes over.

I can think of nothing more perfect to go to sleep to than a Class 92's fans on Step 3

 

[47271]

In the end we went back home for the night and then had to buy new tickets to travel with Virgin East Coast at a cost of £170 for the two of us. We finally arrived 10 hours later than planned.

Needless to say a letter of complaint is on its way to CS.

If I'm understanding you correctly then you're absolutely right to be making a complaint. Just so we're clear:

1. They had your contact details but made no attempt to reach you well ahead of departure time.
2. You arrived at the station in time for travel but were turned away by CS staff with no accommodation or following day alternative travel arrangements offered?
3. The CS employee who spoke to you didn't explain your entitlements to you.

Can you confirm each of those points, including that you spoke to a CS official and not another railway employee, there's still something about this that doesn't sound right to me?

 

[ScottDarg]

92043 brought up 1S26 last night. Re-platformed into P9 at Glasgow due to the usual P1 being occupied, result of a signal fault at Lockerbie. 86101 on the ECS.

 

[Far north 37]

Seen 87002 working this today

09.50 0Z87 wembley intercity depot - stanford le hope

Just wondering what this working was for.

 

[ScottDarg]

Seen 87002 working this today

09.50 0Z87 wembley intercity depot - stanford le hope

Just wondering what this working was for.

Route learning, don't know what for.

 

[Far north 37]

Route learning, don't know what for.

Ah ok thanks wonder what its for seemed a strange one.

 

[Mag_seven]

Seen 87002 working this today

09.50 0Z87 wembley intercity depot - stanford le hope

See my Avatar - 87002 at Stanford-le-Hope today.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I believe it was a GBRf operation, rather than a CS related move.

The 87 looked good running along the NLL earlier.

 

[TimboM]

I believe it was a GBRf operation, rather than a CS related move.

Unless there's a new sleeper service out to Stanford-le-Hope

 

[Far north 37]

I believe it was a GBRf operation, rather than a CS related move.

The 87 looked good running along the NLL earlier.

Yes i thought it must be a gbrf move was surprised seeing it though.

Unless there's a new sleeper service out to Stanford-le-Hope

Any word on what it was actually doing tim?

 

[Far north 37]

I see it wasn't meant to be due back at wembley till after 8pm but ran three hours early take it wasn't planned on being used on the ecs tonight.

 

[TimboM]

I see it wasn't meant to be due back at wembley till after 8pm but ran three hours early take it wasn't planned on being used on the ecs tonight.

It was "only" 2 hours early back to Wembley

I suspect it was more a case that when the required route learning was complete they headed "home" (from Woodgrange Park by the looks of it) but using the original path.

The original timings would have still allowed it to take the 5S96 ECS in to Euston with 0Z96 arriving an hour before 5S96 was scheduled to leave.

 

[ScottDarg]

92033 brought up 1S26, 86101 on the ECS out of Glasgow

 

[Mag_seven]

The ECS (5S95) for tonight's northbound Highlander is currently being held at Wembley awaiting for either Platform 1 or Platform 15 to become available. Euston is currently short of platforms due to the fatality at Leighton Buzzard earlier. Suspect 1S25 will be a late start.

 

[uww11x]

The ECS (5S95) for tonight's northbound Highlander is currently being held at Wembley awaiting for either Platform 1 or Platform 15 to become available. Euston is currently short of platforms due to the fatality at Leighton Buzzard earlier. Suspect 1S25 will be a late start.

They have just tweeted.


@CalSleeper 25s26 seconds ago
Thursday 14th December: Service Update: Due to an earlier incident at Leighton Buzzard we now anticipate delays to boarding and possibly the departure of the Northbound Highlander for which we sincerely apologise. Updates To Follow. GF

 

[TimboM]

CS are estimating boarding at c.21:30 and departure at c.21:50.

CS 92 on the front - probably 92014
92043 taking the ECS in so will work the Lowlander later.

 

[ScottDarg]

CS are estimating boarding at c.21:30 and departure at c.21:50.

CS 92 on the front - probably 92014
92043 taking the ECS in so will work the Lowlander later.

Everything's on time at Glasgow (so far), with 86101 ok the blocks and 92033 leading 1M11.

 

[TimboM]

Everything's on time at Glasgow (so far), with 86101 ok the blocks and 92033 leading 1M11.

92 033 you say, Scott...???!!!!

 

[ScottDarg]

92 033 you say, Scott...???!!!!

Yep, hope someone put money on that

 

[Fred43123]

1M16 is currently held at Dalwhinnie due to 1T56 20:15 Inverness - Stirling striking a deer at Dalnacardoch.

 

[TimboM]

1M16 is currently held at Dalwhinnie due to 1T56 20:15 Inverness - Stirling striking a deer at Dalnacardoch.

CS are advising on Twitter they're awaiting Network Rail to inspect the damaged train (and track presumably) and anticipating a delay of c.1.5 hours; which will impact the rest of 1M16 after Edinburgh in due course.

Meanwhile, with all the congestion at Euston following the earlier fatality at Leighton Buzzard, Wembley Box appeared to trap 92043 on the P1 blocks with a Virgin Trains Pendolino (9G49) - due to leave at 23:30, but only left at 23:42, so 92043 is only now running round on to the top of 1S26, when it should be just about to depart. So likely to be a c.15-20 min delay to 1S26 too.

EDIT: away 17 Late.

 

[ScottDarg]

On the 1M11 side of things, just left a snowy Carstairs 3L.

 

[theironroad]

1T56 on the move by the looks of it 171L off Pitlochry , with 1M16 (southbound highlander) 146L off Blair Atholl. I'm guessing at about 80L at euston later on in the morning. Sleep well...

 

[TimboM]

1T56 on the move by the looks of it 171L off Pitlochry , with 1M16 (southbound highlander) 146L off Blair Atholl. I'm guessing at about 80L at euston later on in the morning. Sleep well...

Problem with 1M16 if it misses it's path from Crewe is it gets put on the Slows and via Northampton and tends to get later and later. I wouldn't be that surprised if it ends up being a couple of hours late still.

 

[ScottDarg]

1M11 currently sat at Warrington behind 6M74 China Clay empties, nothing moving in either direction over Acton Grange Jn by the looks of it.

Scratch that, 6M02 crossed over. Still no movement southbound though.

EDIT 04:35: Still no movement southbound after about an hour. 4L89 Coatbridge - Felixstowe sitting at the Junction, followed by 6M74 and 1M11.

 

[ScottDarg]

On-board staff reporting flooding ahead, meaning nothing can move Southbound (Northbound looks to be ok).

Service Update: Due to excessive floodwater covering the rails near Warrington our Southbound Lowlander will be delayed. Network Rail are estimating the southbound line to reopen at approximately 05:35 leading to a 2 hour delay however we are hopeful of making up some time GF

https://twitter.com/CalSleeper/status/941537279763415040

 

[TimboM]

On-board staff reporting flooding ahead, meaning nothing can move Southbound (Northbound looks to be ok).


https://twitter.com/CalSleeper/status/941537279763415040

Looks like you're being treated to "one of those nights" for the beds (Southbound at least). The delayed Highlander has also now just joined the "queue" by the looks of it in the Wigan area.

The flooding will presumably explain the 20-30 min delay to both Northbound services just south of Warrington earlier in the night too.