Caledonian Sleeper

[Blindtraveler]

Tbh whilst I agree the seat isn't amazing, it's more the ambience, amount of bangs and rattles, coach temperature and whether there's a stank party on board working their way through a 24 crate of supermarket own label, they're tends to be very little regulation in my experience of passenger behavior in the seats unless the train manager happens to walk through or someone uses the steward call bell to order something


Of all the seats they could have specified I agree they picked the worst as it was most likely the cheapest but given that if I am traveling any distance on any of the IET operators other than lumo aisle book first class for the marginally improved seat then that should probably tell you my feelings on it, in short not great but acceptable

 

[Deafdoggie]

Ah - I was thinking more of the situation where the Lowland Sleeper is fully booked, so I book a cabin from Inverkeithing on the Highland Sleeper but actually get on at Edinburgh... although they do check you off a list at the station you're booked to get on at so I guess you'd have to go and speak nicely to the manager of the hotel section to get access to the cabin

Technically you'd be marked as a "no show" and if someone in the seats had asked if they could upgrade they might sell them your cabin!

 

[enginedin]

You may find yourself unable to enter Edinburgh station if you do that.

I think that's the official advice, although given there's a Scotrail 00:36 arrival and a Lumo 00:47 arrival, the station is presumably still open. The Highland Sleeper services are due to arrive at 00:41, 00:56, and 01:11.

You'd be better to actually go to Dalmuir, Inverkeithing or Falkirk Grahamston

Living within (short) walking distance of EDB makes those options less attractive if avoidable!

Technically you'd be marked as a "no show" and if someone in the seats had asked if they could upgrade they might sell them your cabin!

Ah, good point well made!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think that's the official advice, although given there's a Scotrail 00:36 arrival and a Lumo 00:47 arrival, the station is presumably still open.

If there aren't any departures I suspect security will be on the doors only letting people out, not in. There's a big issue with antisocial behaviour around Waverley. I also seem to recall reading upthread that since the Mk5 introduction they don't even unlock the doors of the Inverness portion (the other two do need unlocking so FW seated passengers can move over, but it may well be local door only?)

 

[Caleb2010]

I think that's the official advice, although given there's a Scotrail 00:36 arrival and a Lumo 00:47 arrival, the station is presumably still open. The Highland Sleeper services are due to arrive at 00:41, 00:56, and 01:11.

I would suspect that the station would still only be open for arriving passengers to exit and anyone attempting to gain entry to the station would be politely refused!

Brighton, for example lock up after the last timetabled departure and after that will only unlock to allow arriving passengers to exit.

 

[Kite159]

Agreed, the station will probably be closed up with no entry and any passengers from those last couple of arrivals diverted towards a single exit which is unlocked.

@Bletchleyite when I did the Highlander in September, it was only the local door of the Aberdeen seated portion which was unlocked/opened with passengers waiting for the Fort William seated coach to get attached before being able to board.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Well as Keen said some while back,
This is the last time


Seated at least. Accepting the fact that at 39 I just do not function after 7.5hrs on a recliner in a poorly riding noizy environment

Same applies to coaches now too


Not tried doing a ferry like this for 10 years so cannot comment

 

[snowleopard]

Does anyone have experience of storing larger items of luggage in the guard's van (specifically on LON-FTW) ? After a couple of experiences of finding it quite difficult to stow away suitcases under the lower bunk as is recommended, I am quite attracted to the idea of giving up my larger suitcase for the night and just taking a smaller overnight bag into the room. However I was wondering how much of a bother it would be to drop off the large suitcase on departure and retrieve it on arrival?
For context: After check-in, I usually tend to drop off my belongings quickly and head straight to the Club Car if the train looks busy as I don't want to wait to eat dinner at 11pm...obviously if I'd end up losing 20 minutes while my suitcase is tagged / some form is filled in / whatever is necessary to store a bag in the guard's van, this option is less attractive...)
Also: some pages/reviews suggested placing luggage in the guard's van requires pre-booking with Customer Services - true?

 

[Flying Snail]

Does anyone have experience of storing larger items of luggage in the guard's van (specifically on LON-FTW) ? After a couple of experiences of finding it quite difficult to stow away suitcases under the lower bunk as is recommended, I am quite attracted to the idea of giving up my larger suitcase for the night and just taking a smaller overnight bag into the room. However I was wondering how much of a bother it would be to drop off the large suitcase on departure and retrieve it on arrival?
For context: After check-in, I usually tend to drop off my belongings quickly and head straight to the Club Car if the train looks busy as I don't want to wait to eat dinner at 11pm...obviously if I'd end up losing 20 minutes while my suitcase is tagged / some form is filled in / whatever is necessary to store a bag in the guard's van, this option is less attractive...)
Also: some pages/reviews suggested placing luggage in the guard's van requires pre-booking with Customer Services - true?

Only the sleeper cars travel London - Fort William, the lounge and seated car with guard's van are detached at Edinburgh and replaced with a second pair that only travel Fort William - Edinburgh - Fort William, unless the staff agreed to transfer your luggage then it would end up in Aberdeen.

 

[trebor79]

Only the sleeper cars travel London - Fort William, the lounge and seated car with guard's van are detached at Edinburgh and replaced with a second pair that only travel Fort William - Edinburgh - Fort William, unless the staff agreed to transfer your luggage then it would end up in Aberdeen.

I'm sure I read way upthread that if you take a bike you have to get up and move it yourself. I'd expect that to be the same for luggage.

 

[Caleb2010]

Sampled the Sleeper Lounge at Euston tonight! Now, I only make use of the free items so cannot comment on the quality or cost of the paid food/drink but I was very impressed, I suppose I’m lucky really as accessible berths (sorry Rooms!) get access.

It’s roughly where coach D/E ends up on platform 1 (highlander anyway!)

Very clean and well thought out design in my opinion

 

[D6130]

Sampled the Sleeper Lounge at Euston tonight! Now, I only make use of the free items so cannot comment on the quality or cost of the paid food/drink but I was very impressed, I suppose I’m lucky really as accessible berths (sorry Rooms!) get access.

It’s roughly where coach D/E ends up on platform 1 (highlander anyway!)

Very clean and well thought out design in my opinion

Doesn't look very inviting from the outside! Did you manage to get any interior shots?

 

[Caleb2010]

I didn’t no, however if you look on the sleeper website it is exactly as you see it there!

It’s a bit like the tardis- quite a lot bigger than it looks.

I didn’t no, however if you look on the sleeper website it is exactly as you see it there!

It’s a bit like the tardis- quite a lot bigger than it looks.

 

[JamieL]

Thanks for sharing Caleb2010. How large is the lounge inside? I am guessing much smaller than the Avanti one? I like the idea of waiting in the lounge rather than being herded down to the wait at the gates for Platform 1. Do they check you in inside the lounge as it is now co-located on the platform?

 

[Caleb2010]

Quite why that is shown twice is beyond me

 

[D6130]

Quite why that is shown twice is beyond me

Perhaps it's like New York, New York?

 

[alistairlees]

Here are some interior images, taken last week. It's very nice.

 

[paul1609]

Assuming that you're starting from the Glasgow area, could you not try booking on the Fort William portion from Helensburgh Upper, Dumbarton or Dalmuir?

Helensburgh Upper is about 24 miles west of Glasgow its not really endowed with connecting services and its about 3/4 mile up hill from Helensburgh Central with nothing more than a waiting shelter.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I didn’t no, however if you look on the sleeper website it is exactly as you see it there!

It’s a bit like the tardis- quite a lot bigger than it looks.

I didn’t no, however if you look on the sleeper website it is exactly as you see it there!

It’s a bit like the tardis- quite a lot bigger than it looks.

Obviously large enough for a decent echo !.

 

[D6130]

It does indeed look very nice

Helensburgh Upper is about 24 miles west of Glasgow its not really endowed with connecting services and its about 3/4 mile up hill from Helensburgh Central with nothing more than a waiting shelter.

Well aware of that! It was my local station for many years....although in those days it had a cosy, gas-lit waiting room with a coal fire and if the right staff were on duty they'd make you a cuppa if the train was delayed.

Depends on how far out from the city centre you want to describe 'the Glasgow area' I suppose!

 

[paul1609]

It does indeed look very nice

Well aware of that! It was my local station for many years....although in those days it had a cosy, gas-lit waiting room with a coal fire and if the right staff were on duty they'd make you a cuppa if the train was delayed.

Depends on how far out from the city centre you want to describe 'the Glasgow area' I suppose!

Think its more a question of the practicality of catching the sleeper from Helensburgh Upper when its fully booked from Glasgow Central which was the suggestion tbh..

 

[alistairlees]

Think its more a question of the practicality of catching the sleeper from Helensburgh Upper when its fully booked from Glasgow Central which was the suggestion tbh..

I have done the reverse (travel to Helensburgh Upper, when the Glasgow portion is fully booked), and it all worked out very well - an easy downhill walk to Helensburgh Central, to go to Glasgow.

 

[D6130]

Think its more a question of the practicality of catching the sleeper from Helensburgh Upper when its fully booked from Glasgow Central which was the suggestion tbh..

True....although someone from - say - Cardross, who might catch what we used to call a 'blue train' into Glasgow to catch the Lowlander, has the option of making their way to HLU to catch the Highlander if the Lowlander is fully-booked on their chosen date.

 

[paul1609]

I have done the reverse (travel to Helensburgh Upper, when the Glasgow portion is fully booked), and it all worked out very well - an easy downhill walk to Helensburgh Central, to go to Glasgow.

Yes in the morning its not too bad, I used to often alight at Dalmuir to be picked up when my ships were in Dry Docks south of the Clyde but bearing in mind the southbound sleeper calls at Helensburgh at 23.23 youd be looking at a 21.30ish train from Queen Street, a 3/4 mile walk uphill in the dark (its a main road so reasonably lit) and then a half hour wait in a basic shelter. in winter at least youd find the lounge was about to close on boarding in my experience.

 

[Butts]

Sampled the Sleeper Lounge at Euston tonight! Now, I only make use of the free items so cannot comment on the quality or cost of the paid food/drink but I was very impressed, I suppose I’m lucky really as accessible berths (sorry Rooms!) get access.

It’s roughly where coach D/E ends up on platform 1 (highlander anyway!)

Very clean and well thought out design in my opinion

Careful, you are reinforcing our national stereotype there.

Does the most famous product from your neck of the woods fall into the "free category"

 

[Kite159]

Couldn't someone board at Dumbarton or Dalmuir rather than at Helensburgh if the lowlander was sold out but the Fort William highlander had space?

At least Dumbarton is a bit less remote than H-Upper (and probably cheaper to reach from the city centre)

 

[Bill57p9]

Do understand why in some ways a discrete booking engine makes sense in regarding it as a separate product, but given the availability issues, all would seem sensible developments - surely CS could negotiate a flat “+Scotrail” supplement that would allow travel beyond your Sleeper destination on the day of arrival / departure.

I might have imagined it, but wasn't there a 50% discount on ScotRail tickets to connect with the sleeper at one stage (in recent years)?

Some sort of through ticketing or discounted connections would be very welcome (we don't all live a short walk from Waverley!). With both CS & SR being ScotGov run it shouldn't be beyond the realms of realism either.

 

[A S Leib]

I might have imagined it, but wasn't there a 50% discount on ScotRail tickets to connect with the sleeper at one stage (in recent years)?

Some sort of through ticketing or discounted connections would be very welcome (we don't all live a short walk from Waverley!). With both CS & SR being ScotGov run it shouldn't be beyond the realms of realism either.

At the other end as well; having a combined ticket from Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes etc. via Watford Junction would be useful (especially if it could be used to save buying a ticket to Euston if for whatever reason passengers are forced to take the Highlander instead of the Lowlander, although I'm only aware of that happening the other way around, when the Fort William portion was cancelled).

 

[JamieL]

Here are some interior images, taken last week. It's very nice.

View attachment 147111
View attachment 147112View attachment 147113

Thank you for sharing. Looks good.

Couldn't someone board at Dumbarton or Dalmuir rather than at Helensburgh if the lowlander was sold out but the Fort William highlander had space?

At least Dumbarton is a bit less remote than H-Upper (and probably cheaper to reach from the city centre)

Agree with this. Either works better than Helensburgh Upper but Dalmuir would be the most sensible choice (although it is quite a rough area) as it has better links with Glasgow given all the trains on the North Clyde line stop there.

Helensburgh Upper is one of my local stations and I use it for catching the CS south (when there is Club availability!!!). But there is nothing there other than a bus shelter. Quite surprised about the mention of a substantive building on site once because there is very little space especially as it used to be an island platform.

Interestingly, the only reason Helensburgh Upper is where it is, rather than being connected to Helensburgh Central, is due to (wealthy) Victorian NIMBYs in Shandon who purchased land to push the railway further up the hill. Very annoying!

 

[paul1609]

Interestingly, the only reason Helensburgh Upper is where it is, rather than being connected to Helensburgh Central, is due to (wealthy) Victorian NIMBYs in Shandon who purchased land to push the railway further up the hill. Very annoying!

Quite possibly it was landowners but I doubt it was those at Shandon because the station is actually quite close to the site of Shandon House. The line also drops in altitude from Rhu by about 20 metres so it would have been quite possible to have built a line through Helensburgh town from Central and gain the current line at Shandon but it would have required considerable earthworks or a tunnel in the Rhu area.