Caledonian Sleeper

[al78]

Are they really that much worse than flying long-haul in economy overnight? Usually on those I can manage to get comfortable enough to at least doze for a few hours. I find it helps that the lights are dimmed right down, though, whereas some have reported the lights in the seated coaches stay full brightness all night, which I wouldn't like.

I can't sleep properly on an overnight flight, so probably just as bad for me.

 

[oxfordray1]

We are travelling in the seats from Inverness to Crewe tonight and just got a text that there is a power issue with the seated coach. We will be bussed from Inverness to Edinburgh. Intriguingly the text implied all travellers will be given a cabin from Edinburgh.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Saw the Highlander at Euston this morning, the front seated coach had some very well used out of order stickers. I think they're not even trying to fix it, which means to me selling further tickets is fraud / bait and switch.

 

[DarloRich]

I am travelling on the sleeper form Crewe to Inverness on Monday night. Am i looking at an old train or a new train? I think the former.

Also what happens if I am at Crewe and the train doesn't show up? Are there CS staff there?

 

[VT 390]

I am travelling on the sleeper form Crewe to Inverness on Monday night. Am i looking at an old train or a new train? I think the former.

Also what happens if I am at Crewe and the train doesn't show up? Are there CS staff there?

It will be the old stock on the Highlander.

I don't know about Caledonian Sleeper staff but when I was at Crewe at that time a few months ago (going to Holyhead) there were Virgin Trains staff about, but I don't know if this has changed since then.

 

[Mike395]

I am travelling on the sleeper form Crewe to Inverness on Monday night. Am i looking at an old train or a new train? I think the former.

Also what happens if I am at Crewe and the train doesn't show up? Are there CS staff there?

Will 100% be an old train - there are no CS staff based at Crewe as far as I know, but the station should be manned if you do get stuck, and for all their flaws CS are usually quite good at putting messages out on sleeper.scot if a train's had to be cancelled for any reason.

 

[Alanko]

The clergy are being upset now.... .

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/priest-slams-horror-breakfast-served-16498850

Blessed are the meek.

 

[DarloRich]

Will 100% be an old train - there are no CS staff based at Crewe as far as I know, but the station should be manned if you do get stuck, and for all their flaws CS are usually quite good at putting messages out on sleeper.scot if a train's had to be cancelled for any reason.

Cheers -never boarded at an intermediate station before so wasn't sure about the form.

Happy with the old train. That means by the time i save up i should be able to travel on a new train!

 

[Flying Snail]

Cheers -never boarded at an intermediate station before so wasn't sure about the form.

Happy with the old train. That means by the time i save up i should be able to travel on a new train!

Read the previous posts, good chance you will end up on a modern coach, of the road variety that is.

 

[DarloRich]

Read the previous posts, good chance you will end up on a modern coach, of the road variety that is.

I will pay for a hotel and claim it back later. NOT getting a coach all that way.

EDIT - the past week it has run almost on time.

 

[VT 390]

I will pay for a hotel and claim it back later. NOT getting a coach all that way.

EDIT - the past week it has run almost on time.

I would have thought that the coach would only be provided as far as Edinburgh or Glasgow with a Scotrail service from there as it would be cheaper for CS.

 

[6Z09]

Still one night to go but this week has gone ok,the usual seated/lounges out of use but all ran and on time

 

[6Z09]

Cheers -never boarded at an intermediate station before so wasn't sure about the form.

Happy with the old train. That means by the time i save up i should be able to travel on a new train!

I imagine you will have plenty time to save up for the new stock on the Highlander!

 

[VT 390]

I will be getting the Highlander to Fort William next Tuesday, if the Lounge car is out of use will food still be on sale to take back to my room or is there no catering at all?

 

[185143]

I am travelling on the sleeper form Crewe to Inverness on Monday night. Am i looking at an old train or a new train? I think the former.

Also what happens if I am at Crewe and the train doesn't show up? Are there CS staff there?

Deffo the old train. No CS staff at Crewe, but when it got cancelled on me, the Virgin team leader put me on a pendo to Preston as the Lowlander stops to change drivers there.
CS rang me whilst I was onboard-only about 15 minutes after the decision had been made to cancel, and a good hour before booked departure at Crewe to inform me of the bad news. They arranged for me to board the Lowlander at Preston (this was midweek, mid-February so plenty of room to accomodate everyone onto the 1 train) and travel up on ScotRail from Edinburgh. You certainly wouldn't (or, at least, I wasn't!) Be left abandoned by the lack of CS staff at Crewe.

I'd certainly echo the many comments that the staff are a credit to the service. That was my first ever sleeper trip and the staff did as much as they possibly could to help, even on the ScotRail service we went North on.

 

[Scotrail84]

I am travelling on the sleeper form Crewe to Inverness on Monday night. Am i looking at an old train or a new train? I think the former.

Also what happens if I am at Crewe and the train doesn't show up? Are there CS staff there?

100% old stock, you might be lucky if you've booked a seat they may not be working and you'd get a bed.

 

[Ianigsy]

Am I missing something, or what is there to be gained by sending defective coaches on a 1000 mile round trip so that they can end up back where they were 48 hours earlier and in no better condition?

 

[oxfordray1]

We are travelling in the seats from Inverness to Crewe tonight and just got a text that there is a power issue with the seated coach. We will be bussed from Inverness to Edinburgh. Intriguingly the text implied all travellers will be given a cabin from Edinburgh.

The seated coach from Inverness is now working but not the lounge car. The disorganisation and lack of communication along with a rude member of staff has been most disappointing (and surprising).

 

[oxfordray1]

Am I missing something, or what is there to be gained by sending defective coaches on a 1000 mile round trip so that they can end up back where they were 48 hours earlier and in no better condition?

I was wondering the same, but assumed there was a technical reason for this that I was unaware of.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was wondering the same, but assumed there was a technical reason for this that I was unaware of.

The seated coach is the brake, so is still used for the guard. The lounge I would agree - shunt it out and get it fixed.

 

[Caleb2010]

The seated coach from Inverness is now working but not the lounge car. The disorganisation and lack of communication along with a rude member of staff has been most disappointing (and surprising).

it will have been a London based crew on the Inverness southbound tonight. It's sad to say but they don't seem as helpful, polite and accommodating as the Inverness crew's. I suppose that there's a higher turnover of (disinterested) staff in London.

In saying that I'm certainly not indicating they're all unhappy chappies, there are exemplary members of staff at both depots but generally Inverness crew's seem much more --- well - helpful, polite and accommodating.

 

[Highlandspring]

This afternoon/evening 90049 is running a set of old coaches from Polmadie to Wembley -
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O19847/2019/07/06/advanced

 

[MrEd]

I will be getting the Highlander to Fort William next Tuesday, if the Lounge car is out of use will food still be on sale to take back to my room or is there no catering at all?

Northbound out of Euston, there will be two lounge cars in the formation, one for the Aberdeen/Fort William passengers and another for the Inverness passengers. If your lounge car (the Aberdeen/Fort William) has failed, you should be able to go down to the buffet in the Inverness lounge car to order food to take away. The staff may well let you sit in it, although bear in mind that it may be restricted to first class passengers because of the need to cope with two cars’ worth of customers. However, if both lounge cars are gubbed, then there will be no catering at all in the evening. The attendants’ pantries only stock pre-ordered breakfast supplies, and cannot (generally) provide any catering other than pre-ordered breakfasts in the morning.

If you’re going to Fort William, bear in mind that a new lounge car is added at Edinburgh to your section so this should be working for breakfast/morning tea (but note that the reliability of these Mk2 lounges at the moment is not great, so this could be gubbed too). You may want to think of contingency plans in case lounge cars are out of action.

 

[MrEd]

it will have been a London based crew on the Inverness southbound tonight. It's sad to say but they don't seem as helpful, polite and accommodating as the Inverness crew's. I suppose that there's a higher turnover of (disinterested) staff in London.

In saying that I'm certainly not indicating they're all unhappy chappies, there are exemplary members of staff at both depots but generally Inverness crew's seem much more --- well - helpful, polite and accommodating.

I agree that the London crews can be very hit-and-miss, and that some of my (admittedly few) experiences with them have not been that great. In particular, I’ve found some of them to be very reluctant to offer assistance with onward connections when the train arrives late in Inverness (admittedly I don’t need this as a regular traveller, but occasional travellers do). I never get the impression that they work together as a proper team, and they seem to argue amongst themselves more than any other on-train staff I’ve encountered anywhere. They’re ruder to each other at times than they are to the passengers! I get the impression that the excellent ones (and there are some) get annoyed with those who simply can’t be bothered, and who don’t pull their weight, and that this leads to arguments.

I have heard that there is a high turnover of staff at the London base, which may explain many of the issues which you describe. The Fort William and Inverness crews are generally much more accommodating; bear in mind that there are a couple of sleeper staff at Fort William I know who have worked on the sleeper since BR days, and a few more who’ve served for more than a decade, so they know the train, its passengers and the ways of working pretty well.

 

[Hipster Dashie]

Northbound out of Euston, there will be two lounge cars in the formation, one for the Aberdeen/Fort William passengers and another for the Inverness passengers. If your lounge car (the Aberdeen/Fort William) has failed, you should be able to go down to the buffet in the Inverness lounge car to order food to take away. The staff may well let you sit in it, although bear in mind that it may be restricted to first class passengers because of the need to cope with two cars’ worth of customers. However, if both lounge cars are gubbed, then there will be no catering at all in the evening. The attendants’ pantries only stock pre-ordered breakfast supplies, and cannot (generally) provide any catering other than pre-ordered breakfasts in the morning.

If you’re going to Fort William, bear in mind that a new lounge car is added at Edinburgh to your section so this should be working for breakfast/morning tea (but note that the reliability of these Mk2 lounges at the moment is not great, so this could be gubbed too). You may want to think of contingency plans in case lounge cars are out of action.

When I rode the Highlander to Fort William back in April, the lounge car as we left Kings Cross (as it so happened thanks to engineering works) was working fine. Unfortunately the lounge car I awoke to in the morning was not, however they were still letting passengers sit in it, and were serving breakfast. It was the poor attendant I felt sorry for, who had to walk two carriages up (as the adjacent sleeper carriage was also without power!) to use a pantry to make up everyone's breakfast orders! Certainly, her step count would have been high that day!!!

 

[kingqueen]

I would love to know .Probably back to hotel or taxi somewhere id guess

They'd struggle, there's no road access, and the only accommodation is some AirBnB rooms in the old signal box

 

[185143]

When the lounge cars are out of use, does that usually mean no catering at all? Or just no food?

 

[VT 390]

Northbound out of Euston, there will be two lounge cars in the formation, one for the Aberdeen/Fort William passengers and another for the Inverness passengers. If your lounge car (the Aberdeen/Fort William) has failed, you should be able to go down to the buffet in the Inverness lounge car to order food to take away. The staff may well let you sit in it, although bear in mind that it may be restricted to first class passengers because of the need to cope with two cars’ worth of customers. However, if both lounge cars are gubbed, then there will be no catering at all in the evening. The attendants’ pantries only stock pre-ordered breakfast supplies, and cannot (generally) provide any catering other than pre-ordered breakfasts in the morning.

If you’re going to Fort William, bear in mind that a new lounge car is added at Edinburgh to your section so this should be working for breakfast/morning tea (but note that the reliability of these Mk2 lounges at the moment is not great, so this could be gubbed too). You may want to think of contingency plans in case lounge cars are out of action.

Thanks for the reply, I think I will get something to eat in London beforehand then just to make sure.

 

[WesternLancer]

This afternoon/evening 90049 is running a set of old coaches from Polmadie to Wembley -
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O19847/2019/07/06/advanced

This must have been the set I saw by chance come through Lancaster Castle station at speed yesterday, when I was on the station.

 

[Struner]

Wonder what happened to unfortunate passengers waiting for last nights southbound at Corrour , Rannoch .

I would love to know .Probably back to hotel or taxi somewhere id guess

They'd struggle, there's no road access, and the only accommodation is some AirBnB rooms in the old signal box

They were picked up by the Northbound service, which returned to Crianlarich (or perhaps even Glasgow?)