Seated sleeper coaches allocated to daytime service at Exeter St Davids, 23 May 2015

[fairysdad]

Passing through Exeter yesterday, around half-five - sixish, the Riviera Sleeper was in Platform 1 with three coaches (assuming the seating ones) bound for Penzance.

(I did take some pictures on my phone, but mislaid the cable in one of my luggage bags ( D'oh!) - I'll try and get some uploaded later on.)

Just wondering why the Sleeper seemed to be used for passenger stock last night, whether it was a stock move that coincided with a passenger run or anything like that.

The train in question is this one, and in true Sleeper fashion seemed to be running about 40 minutes late on departure!

 

[Mag_seven]

Passing through Exeter yesterday, around half-five - sixish, the Riviera Sleeper was in Platform 1 with three coaches (assuming the seating ones) bound for Penzance.

(I did take some pictures on my phone, but mislaid the cable in one of my luggage bags ( D'oh!) - I'll try and get some uploaded later on.)

Just wondering why the Sleeper seemed to be used for passenger stock last night, whether it was a stock move that coincided with a passenger run or anything like that.

The train in question is this one, and in true Sleeper fashion seemed to be running about 40 minutes late on departure!

They use the sleeper seating stock for summer Saturday extras down that way - see FGW Class 57 (not sleeper) entry here:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1478553&postcount=7

 

[PHILIPE]

Ran last year on Summer Saturdays and well discussed on the Forum.

 

[455driver]

And it is the same diagram as last year, complete with the same 'favourite' crews feathering their nest!

 

[fairysdad]

Ah - that would explain why there wasn't already a thread on the subject! I'd have thought that if it was an unusual diagram it'd be already discussed!

 

[PHILIPE]

Ah - that would explain why there wasn't already a thread on the subject! I'd have thought that if it was an unusual diagram it'd be already discussed!

The lengthy discussions on the Forum were last year when it was first introduced, so just "carry on normal" this year.

 

[Kite159]

Hopefully this year I will be able to get onto it.

Are FGW hiring in any Chiltern 165s again to release the 150/0s to go on a holiday?

 

[455driver]

After all the shenanigans last year making sure the DRS hire in didn't appear on the daytime train it did seem a bit odd to see DRS hire in 57303 working the train.

 

[PHILIPE]

After all the shenanigans last year making sure the DRS hire in didn't appear on the daytime train it did seem a bit odd to see DRS hire in 57303 working the train.

Perhaps it was the only one available for the Down Sleeper Friday night

 

[455driver]

Perhaps it was the only one available for the Down Sleeper Friday night

They had 2 available at Old Oak, its probably because its a long term hire in so hasnt got the same enthusiast following as the various ones had last year, its also quite reliable (for a DRS 57).

Last year it was the fact that they would fail if the driver sneezed too loudly which had a bearing on them being kept off the daytime train rather than anything sinister.

 

[CC 72100]

Surprised it was load 3 yesterday (I was on it), it was load 4 the times I did it last summer.

Not sure whether it was an FGW crew on the way up

 

[455driver]

Surprised it was load 3 yesterday (I was on it), it was load 4 the times I did it last summer.

Not sure whether it was an FGW crew on the way up

It is all FGW crews, it will be load 4 in the summer holidays, load 3 is enough for now.

 

[CC 72100]

Unless there is another loco at Long Rock, 57303 will once again be on this working today, as it is currently on the Cornwall-bound sleeper.

 

[superalbs]

Isn't 57605 away for a repaint, leaving FGW with just 3 57s?