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Pullman dining GWR

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pacenotes

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I'd like to do it when the evenings get more light but would like to start planning it now as it looks like the advance tickets on GWR go quick!

Should I travel first to guarantee a seat or is it busy?

An evening meal or lunchtime meal? Which do you think is better?

Does anyone have any photos or a trip report of a meal?
 
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Crossover

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I believe the menu will be the same whether lunch or evening (the breakfast is different). I did a lunchtime departure from Plymouth a couple of years ago.

I think you can prebook a seat in Pullman if you hold a FC ticket (I did so, though I'm not sure it gained me anything) and I recall FC get priority, with Standard following for any free seats. There are not many seats in the relevant coach either, so being a FC ticket holder may be beneficial
 

AlterEgo

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I'd like to do it when the evenings get more light but would like to start planning it now as it looks like the advance tickets on GWR go quick!

Should I travel first to guarantee a seat or is it busy?

An evening meal or lunchtime meal? Which do you think is better?

Does anyone have any photos or a trip report of a meal?

Here is my trip report which includes a meal :)


The lunch and evening menus are the same. I recommend lunch as it’ll be a little quieter.

I don’t think anyone from Standard was seated in the restaurant when I made that trip. I’d definitely recommend First Class if you really want the Pullman service. You can reserve a seat online: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/journey-information/on-board/pullman-dining/pullman-booking#/route
 

cambsy

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I am quite a regular user of the GWR Pullman dining trains, having done it over 20 times in the last few years, so ill go over the service, how best to get a seat etc:

Meal etc:
I think that the Pullman Dining is definitely the best way to spend a few hours on a train, great food and lovely scenery, The food is always really good, especially considering how small the kitchen is, that its cooked in, I normally have a seafood starter, Crab etc, then steak as my main course, which is always cooked to perfection, to ones liking, its served with vegetables and potatoes, followed by a wicked dessert, then Coffee and mints, the service is really good, attentive but not over done, it is a very convivial and chatty atmosphere, as its in the small seating section next to the buffet, it is pricey, 32.00 for the steak, so 3 courses and a couple of cokes costs about 60.00-65.00, as a treat it cannot be beaten, I would highly recommend everyone to do it at least once. if going from London, the service ends about Newton Abbott, so if holding a standard ticket one may have to go back to standard, but I have sometimes stayed in my seat beyond Plymouth, depends if revenue get on at Exeter or the Train Manager asks one to move.

Getting a Seat in Pullman Dining etc:
Touch wood, so far I have never failed to get a seat in Pullman Dining, despite nearly always having a standard class ticket, when first started using this service I went on the 18.03 or 19.03 Padd-Plymouth etc, which tend to be the busiest on the whole, so to get a seat I went through the barriers early and stood by the dining coach, front of the queue, this way I got a seat when others didn’t, u need to be early and know what your doing, so over time I have tended to go for the 12.05 Padd-Penzance, as this is generally a bit quieter than the evening services, and get to see the scenery too, If travelling from Plymouth in the Pullman, I look out for the Pullman crew and let myself be known so get my name down for a seat, as the crew get on at Plymouth, If travelling from beyond Plymouth then tell the buffet staff that u would like to dine, and get ur name down for a seat, as I get a seat in first class as part of Pullman Dining and wont be making use of the first class offerings, I always go second class when Pullman Dining, If travelling on the evening services then maybe a first class ticket is a good idea to guarantee a seat in dining, as you can book a seat in advance if first class.

Seating etc:
The dining is in leather seats, with individual and bay of four seating, it is a cosy atmosphere, and is limited to 17 diners, due to size of the kitchen, it is really comfortable and very pleasant, with first class seat as part of dining, it becomes a good deal if have standard ticket.
 

Requeststop

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I've enjoyed the Pullman service a few times I have travelled back home to Cornwall. However this time on the 10:03 from Paddington to Penzance last October there was no Pullman. A sadness for me and for my overseas visitor going to the south west for the first time. By the way - we were very lucky to book seats the day before in first class. It is very popular all the way down into the Duchy.
 

FQTV

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27 Apr 2012
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I am quite a regular user of the GWR Pullman dining trains, having done it over 20 times in the last few years, so ill go over the service, how best to get a seat etc:

Meal etc:
I think that the Pullman Dining is definitely the best way to spend a few hours on a train, great food and lovely scenery, The food is always really good, especially considering how small the kitchen is, that its cooked in, I normally have a seafood starter, Crab etc, then steak as my main course, which is always cooked to perfection, to ones liking, its served with vegetables and potatoes, followed by a wicked dessert, then Coffee and mints, the service is really good, attentive but not over done, it is a very convivial and chatty atmosphere, as its in the small seating section next to the buffet, it is pricey, 32.00 for the steak, so 3 courses and a couple of cokes costs about 60.00-65.00, as a treat it cannot be beaten, I would highly recommend everyone to do it at least once. if going from London, the service ends about Newton Abbott, so if holding a standard ticket one may have to go back to standard, but I have sometimes stayed in my seat beyond Plymouth, depends if revenue get on at Exeter or the Train Manager asks one to move.

Getting a Seat in Pullman Dining etc:
Touch wood, so far I have never failed to get a seat in Pullman Dining, despite nearly always having a standard class ticket, when first started using this service I went on the 18.03 or 19.03 Padd-Plymouth etc, which tend to be the busiest on the whole, so to get a seat I went through the barriers early and stood by the dining coach, front of the queue, this way I got a seat when others didn’t, u need to be early and know what your doing, so over time I have tended to go for the 12.05 Padd-Penzance, as this is generally a bit quieter than the evening services, and get to see the scenery too, If travelling from Plymouth in the Pullman, I look out for the Pullman crew and let myself be known so get my name down for a seat, as the crew get on at Plymouth, If travelling from beyond Plymouth then tell the buffet staff that u would like to dine, and get ur name down for a seat, as I get a seat in first class as part of Pullman Dining and wont be making use of the first class offerings, I always go second class when Pullman Dining, If travelling on the evening services then maybe a first class ticket is a good idea to guarantee a seat in dining, as you can book a seat in advance if first class.

Seating etc:
The dining is in leather seats, with individual and bay of four seating, it is a cosy atmosphere, and is limited to 17 diners, due to size of the kitchen, it is really comfortable and very pleasant, with first class seat as part of dining, it becomes a good deal if have standard ticket.

This is exactly my impression, too. It's a lovely thing and, apart from its own qualities, very reminiscent of how things used to be in GNER and InterCity Pullman days.

I've only travelled on the 19:03 from Paddington on a Friday, with a First Class ticket and booked a dining seat in advance. Many were turned away, so personally I would always book First and book Pullman to be sure. I think that I may have mentioned it here before, but we were going to Bristol, so alighted at Taunton and doubled-back.

As did every other one of our remaining fellow diners!
 

gord

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6 Jul 2011
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Notice there's a few Pullman services being unavailable over the next couple of weeks to Plymouth. I have advanced first class tickets on the 18:03 Plymouth to Paddington on a Friday in mid October as part of my 40th birthday present. So whatever the problems have been at the moment (I can only assume staffing), will hopefully be sorted by then. However, when I mentioned to my wife that there's a chance of no pullman, she calmly told me that we can always go back down the Cornwall/Devon and try again another time! I think I'd like to that anyway, no matter what happens!

Then there's the tricky question of whether it'll be a HST or an IEP...but that's for another thread and probably can't be answered for a while!
 
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Private Baxter

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I've done Pullman numerous times over the last couple of years, various times, various directions and various times of year. The only ones I've not done are the evening ones out of PAD. My favourite is probably 1C80, which I often stay on all the way to PNZ, though the evening journey from PLY (forget the headcode) is a favourite too. The service has always been excellent, the food superb, and the ambience in the HST first class coach absolutely spot on. Regretfully I'm not sure whether the IET will have quite the same affect, which I believe there are now one or two diagrams with pullman. Will have to try it soon.
 

_toommm_

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To be honest, Gerald in Wales is more worth it IMO. Pay for a standard class advance Cardiff to Holyhead or vice versa, and you pay £25 to upgrade to first which includes the meal.

Tea and coffee is included, but alcohol is chargeable - £4 for a bottle of ale.

But in terms of true refinement, Pullman is the true creme de la creme
 

_toommm_

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Is 1st class ALR valid for the Pullman Dining Train without any additional payment?

No matter what ticket you have, the Pullman Dining is still chargeable - it's just that if you have a first class ticket you're more likely to get a chance to eat.
 

Private Baxter

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Could there be scope.for growth on the Pullman? Ie could further services benefit from it? I realise that any potential service would need to be matched with an outward or return run, that would be nearbas popular. One thought is that 1B63, the 17.15 to Carmarthen might do well with Pullman dining on it, though as said, a lunch run up from Swansea would also need to be provided.
 
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