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Caledonian Sleeper

JonathanH

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Joined
29 May 2011
Messages
18,756
It seems like since the full mk5 switchover, it's been revealed that there aren't quite enough 73s for a fully reliable service. Or is there a short term shortage that's causing the issues?

The trains can't run without a 73 due to the couplers but four from six shouldn't really be an insufficient fleet.

There is a short term shortage at the moment with two at Loughborough for repairs.
 
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mde

Member
Joined
17 Nov 2016
Messages
513
Tonight's southbound Fort William - Euston has been cancelled.

Caledonian Sleeper said:
Service Update
Fort William - London Euston 21/01/2020. Due to a technical fault tonight's service is cancelled. All guests booked on tonight will be contact individually for a further update. We do apologise for the inconveniences caused. ^L
https://mobile.twitter.com/CalSleeper/status/1219572764891402245
 
Last edited:

DEAN MURPHY

Member
Joined
31 Aug 2011
Messages
236
Hello all
Has anybody got any idea what is on the Inverness-London sleeper this evening?
(Thursday)
Many thsnks
 

JohnMcL7

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2018
Messages
863
Should bee 66721 and 73969 out of Inverness

That's right:

20200123_141737-L.jpg
 

Crepello

Member
Joined
29 Jun 2018
Messages
56
Thanks for the photo, JohnMcL7. Not often to see an LT roundel with the Inverness Morrison's in the background!
 

AY1975

Established Member
Joined
14 Dec 2016
Messages
1,755
On that last point - I don't know in terms of BR days. I would certainly agree that CS seem keen to turf everyone off ASAP. Interesting to note that the southbound lowlander is due into Euston at 0707, with "vacate rooms by 0730", even though the empty stock to Wembley isn't due off until 0854!

I only ever went on a Sleeper once in BR days (Euston-Edinburgh in 1987 when I was 12) but I'm fairly sure that under BR you weren't usually expected to vacate your berth until the advertised vacate time or thereabout. Hence the Mark 3 Sleepers being built with retention tanks unlike most ordinary daytime Mark 3 coaches.

AFAIK for many years (maybe since the early days of sleeping cars) it has been common practice for Sleeper passengers to be allowed to board early and alight late unless the departure and arrival time was at a civilised time anyway (such as with the Highland Sleeper). Because of this, in the days of the Mark 1s (and all older sleeping cars) stations where Sleeper trains started and terminated had troughs beneath the tracks at platforms that were used by Sleepers to catch the effluent from sleeping car toilets. These troughs are still in situ at Paddington. They have now been filled with ballast but can still be seen if you look carefully.
 

marks87

Established Member
Joined
23 Jun 2010
Messages
1,609
Location
Dundee
That's got to be one of the coolest liveries I've ever seen!

And in a strange sort of way, it works as a livery for hauling the Sleeper.

When one of your primary target markets is tourists, what better than to have a loco up front emblazoned with something so quintessentially London?
 

DEAN MURPHY

Member
Joined
31 Aug 2011
Messages
236
Just a thought...would there had of been another class 92 attached to the rear of the sleeper from Inverness/Aberdeen when it arrived in Euston Friday morning? (24th). 92033 was on the front.
Many thanks
 

JohnMcL7

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2018
Messages
863
And in a strange sort of way, it works as a livery for hauling the Sleeper.

When one of your primary target markets is tourists, what better than to have a loco up front emblazoned with something so quintessentially London?

I do like the simple liveries like the CS one and I'm not keen on many of the detailed ones but I agree it's a very fitting livery for the sleeper and it really stands out as well. Some friends were travelling up on the sleeper and I told them this 66 was hauling them north to which they replied their loco was boring (the 92 not realising they would change loco at Edinburgh) and nothing as cool as the 66 so they were impressed when they saw it in Inverness.

A couple more shots of it here:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Trains/i-jVGkc4v/0/d89b4722/X3/20200123_141700-X3.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Trains/i-DSxCFGk/0/ee68e8e9/X3/20200123_141716-X3.jpg
 

JohnMcL7

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2018
Messages
863
Not sure about that.
Don’t think people changing from €* to sleeper can be bothered with local livery...

I'm not sure what you're meaning, advertising London in London doesn't make much sense but that's not the case as the 66 is in Scotland and it's the 92's that haul from London.
 

Struner

Member
Joined
13 Dec 2018
Messages
767
Location
Ommelanden, EU
Was just wondering who this would appeal to...
It’s still very much a local livery. Could be Manchester Hull Bristol or even London...
Who cares when you will be traveling onwards by the €*?
 

JohnMcL7

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2018
Messages
863
Was just wondering who this would appeal to...
It’s still very much a local livery. Could be Manchester Hull Bristol or even London...
Who cares when you will be traveling onwards by the €*?

It's not a local livery, this 66 at the moment has been picking the sleeper up at Edinburgh and heading up to Inverness where it sits parked most of the day at an Inverness platform which is the other end of the country from London. Therefore it does look quite good from a tourist point of view while it's sitting at Inverness for that time advertising where the service is going. I know it's coincidence this train is running on the service and it's the teal CS 73's that are mostly running it but it does work well.
 

marks87

Established Member
Joined
23 Jun 2010
Messages
1,609
Location
Dundee
Was just wondering who this would appeal to...
It’s still very much a local livery. Could be Manchester Hull Bristol or even London...
Who cares when you will be traveling onwards by the €*?

You seem to be getting inordinately worked-up over something that was a happy coincidence rather than deliberate action.

CS's primary business is to get people to and from London. That's why it seemed appropriate for a London-themed livery to be on the loco heading the train out of Inverness.

I'm also not sure why you have this fixation on Eurostar. Again, CS's southbound operation is to get people to London; what passengers then do is not their concern. It's like saying ScotRail shouldn't feature the "seven cities" branding on their HSTs because someone might be catching one to Edinburgh to change onto LNER.
 

Struner

Member
Joined
13 Dec 2018
Messages
767
Location
Ommelanden, EU
Oh dear.
That livery just seems to show some streets in London, that’s all.
& in the tourist trade, what kind of international tourists would it appeal to, I wonder?
& as for €*, the same goes for Heathrow etc.
& it’s Inter7City liveries on Inter7City trains, but it’s a distant streets loco in Inverness.
 

JohnMcL7

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2018
Messages
863
Oh dear.
That livery just seems to show some streets in London, that’s all.
& in the tourist trade, what kind of international tourists would it appeal to, I wonder?
& as for €*, the same goes for Heathrow etc.
& it’s Inter7City liveries on Inter7City trains, but it’s a distant streets loco in Inverness.

How can you not understand this train is in Inverness for a service going to London. you keep going on about how it's not suited to London, to international, tourists and the Eurostar (the latter makes no sense at all) but this locomotive is not going to London nor is it anywhere in England when hauling this service! It doesn't show streets in London at all, it shows the London underground and even in the unlikely situation you didn't know what the London underground map looked like, it has a huge label saying London Transport Museum on the side!

You're either trolling or if you're actually serious which I'm finding increasingly hard to believe, perhaps you need a trip to the Highlands because you don't seem to understand there is more to the UK than just London. Speaking to people who actually live up here including some using the service, this locomotive does really stand out and it's the only one non-train friends have ever mentioned despite a range of locomotives hauling the service over the last few months.
 

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