Great Western Coffee Shop

Following on from Industry Insider's review of LNER's Azumas  (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=22359.0)and Graham's trip to Scotland (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=22554.msg277803#msg277803), I had a mini break north of the border just before Christmas.

I travelled up (although in railway terms it is down) on the 10:00 from Kings Cross to Aberdeen, spent the night in the Granite City before travelling over to Inverness and after a night there came back on the 07:55 to Kings Cross.

First stop at Kings Cross was a visit to the First Class lounge.  Bright and airy and not too crowded.  Self service drinks machine which produced a very nice hot chocolate.

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Then out onto the concourse to find the train.

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The screens showing the level of reservations for long distance trains.  The 10:00 looked pretty full.

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My trip coincided with the final week of HST operation by LNER but already my service to Aberdeen had switched to a 9 car IET (named Azuma by Virgin East Coast who never got to run them in service).

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On a nine car train LNER have one full first class coach and then a half coach shared with the kitchen and a half coach shared with standard.

I was in the latter and it was noticeable that almost all the seats were reserved for at least part of the journey. 

Soon after departure staff were round serving tea and then cold drinks before breakfast

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I should add it also comes with beans and grilled tomato which are not to my taste.   It was hot and tasty.  The only criticism I would have is that because the same staff serve both the drinks and the food there are quite big gaps between them so if you fancy a tea with your breakfast it is likely to be luke warm by the time the food arrives.   With all the food coming from the front of the first class section it might also be slightly annoying witnessing a steady stream of catering passing your seat if sitting in the sections of first class nearer the kitchen.

Breakfast is served for those joining the train at Kings Cross.  After the first stop at York it moves to the rest of the day menu.  Those travelling beyond Edinburgh from London are entitled to both meals as part of their ticket price.

In between meals hot and cold drinks are offered - all complimentary.

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The drinks trolley comes around roughly hourly and was well stocked with fruit juices, beers, wines and spirits.

Time then to enjoy the view as we approached the border.

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The lunch option included a very tasty beef stew, a hot vegetarian tart, sandwiches or a deli box.

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Suitably fed and watered we arrived in Aberdeen seven minutes late and well past sunset as we approached the shortest day of the year.

I have not found the seats on the GWR a problem personally and I certainly didn't have any issues with the LNER version.

Once in Aberdeen it was off to the hotel for more food and drink.

The following day after looking round the city I made my way to Inverness.  I wasn't able to take in one of the newly introduced Scotrail HST services.  Instead I had a Class 158 with some of the dirtiest windows I have ever seen!

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The line from Aberdeen to Inverness has recently benefited from a Scottish government funded improvement scheme.  Part of the line has been re-doubled, signalling has been upgraded and Forres station has been relocated while others have seen platform extensions.  However parts still have jointed track and telegraph poles lineside carrying signalling cables to remind you of a past age as we skirted the Caingorms.

Inverness is a particular favourite of mine.  My hotel overlooked a very full and fast flowing River Ness.  After dropping off my luggage I took a short trip to Aviemore to buy some Christmas presents before returning to Inverness for the night.

The morning saw a short walk back to the station in light rain for the 07:55 south.

As I boarded I noted the carriage did not have quite as many reserved seats as the northbound journey to Aberdeen on Monday.  Having just sat down it was announced that due to flooding the train would be diverted via Ladybank and not call at Falkirk or Gleneagles.  Not a problem for me but did cause some concern for a few others.  Shortly after we left the onboard screens updated to show the revised calling pattern and remove the seat reservations of the stations which would not longer be served.

The automatic announcements use the same voice as GWR but the text is slightly more customer friendly - "Hello and welcome on board this LNER Azuma service" rather than simply "Welcome..." and "where we end our journey" as opposed to "where this service terminates".   It was however very annoying to hear Kirkcaldy continually mis-pronounced.

As daylight broke we passed through several seasons in a matter of miles as I tucked into breakfast.  The service was again good.  For some of the crew it was their first shift serving food on an IET as the Azumas had only started running from Inverness the previous day.

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Shortly before we reached Perth it was announced the line through Gleneagles had re-opened and we would travel via the advertised route.  The on board screens and reservations seamlessly updated to reinstate the seat reservations and station calls.

As we approached Edinburgh it was possible to see a couple of the Scotrail HSTs - and a familiar livery.

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After two days of hearty meals I opted for the sandwich option for lunch and was not disappointed.

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Once again there was a steady supply of hot and cold drinks as we skirted the Northumbrian Coast.

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After our final call en-route at York I took the opportunity to look at standard class.  The colours are a little bright for my taste - but notable the coach was almost empty.

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I also walked down to see the onboard shop

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I didn't stop long enough to see how popular it was or how wide the range of products available.

All too soon I was back in Kings Cross. 

It is subjective but I don't think the ride is quite as smooth as the GWR IETs but that is probably down to the standard of the track.   The food, given you don't pay for it, is pleasant enough.  It didn't however stop one person sitting behind me complaining bitterly (and at times most forthrightly) after he joined at Stirling and was told there was no breakfast available.  Evidently they had run out of stock which was apparently the second time it had happened to him.  It wasn't long before he was complaining he had been on board 20 minutes and not been offered a cup of tea which drew some tutting from others on board but he seemed oblivious.

It genuinely didn't seem like seven and half hours travelling - possibly it might have done if I had travelled in standard and relied on the trolley and the shop but even so I'd prefer it to flying anytime.

Bobm, your travelogues of the superfasts and Scots trip are fascinating ... and make me really want to do more of similar.  I'll have to skip it for the rest of this year, but next year perhaps.

Many thanks for those posts.

Thank you, Graham.

In a way the journey to Scotland was almost more important than the destination.  I am hoping to do more of the same in 2020.  So far the only journeys in the diary are Solihull and Liverpool!

Great review, Bob.

I’m hoping to visit the far north myself next year as it has been far too long and I’m interested to see the signalling and track improvements you mention.

I hope the ‘Hop on Board’ ale was better than the frankly terrible ‘Tilting Ale’ which is/was served on the WCML?!

Another thank you from me. I've got my annual trip to Stirling coming up on the Highland Chieftain and was slightly unsure what to expect. Been doing the journey in one form or another for about 30 years and this year is probably the biggest change.

I had a total of five over the two trips so it couldn’t have been that bad.  Each time I asked for the “ale” I was asked “The Hop on Board or the lager, sir?”   ;D

I have been on a zoomer 3 times thus far - not as posh or such a distance as bobm, but still an enjoyable ride. The first time, I took a Hull Trains HST from Kings Cross to Grantham, with a zoomer back two days later. The difference was marked, with the HST looking rather old hat in comparison. I know that in some parts, that observation would lead to accusations of heresy, but it's the way I saw it, and there was, as bobm's excellent report showed, somewhere for the old-fashioned among us to spend some money.

An enjoyable read bobm, thanks.

I've done rides from KingsX to Leeds on 91's, HST's and "Zoomers" over the last few months.

The HST seemed very squeeky and groaney, the 91's were smoother and quieter but the airline style seating (if that's where my reservation was) on the Azuma seems more roomy, with a better size table to put a laptop on, for example. Yes, the seats are a bit hard like the GWR IET's but I think they encourage better posture and don't have a problem with them.

Finally the Azuma's seem to go like the clappers and I was quite often aware of what felt like braking (or at least disengagement of power) to keep us at 125 or less (my GPS-based phone speedo momentarily recorded up to 128 a few times!)

My experience also. I assumed we had hit a slight downhill gradient at 125 mph. Also, they spring out of the blocks faster than the HSTs, or seemed to.

Did you notice where the changeover from electric to diesel took place?  Waverley, Haymarket or on the move?

Just a quick diversion II (!) but I didn't notice the AC/Diesel changeover on the way home non-stop through Newbury last night (but I knew where it physically was at Bulls Lock).  See seperate topic.

It can be pretty difficult to notice as it’s pretty seamless, and the Diesel engines remarkably quiet - especially at speed.  The best place to really notice it is from electric to diesel above the universal access toilet where the pantograph is at the front of the train as it makes quite a noise as it drops.

Thanks II.  I thought a heard a crack (and no, it wasn't from the toilet....... ;)).

....anyway, back to EC.

I was in the third coach from the front going to Aberdeen and certainly heard and felt the engine start at Haymarket.

Coming back from Inverness I was in the same coach (and the train was in reverse) but couldn’t detect the switch. 

Thanks Bobm as well.  We seem to be discussing similar issues across the EC and GWR IET Topics.  Would it be possible to split into 'Services' and 'IET Trains' or something similar?

Looks like the problem is going to be solved, according to the Scotsman. (https://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/king-goosey-train-operator-has-to-re-record-onboard-announcements-after-mispronouncing-scottish-stations-1-5080729)

If the train ran via Gleneagles it would be at the Stirling stop, wouldn’t it?

The wires run as far north as Dunblane so the switchover can take place as the train passes through there.

They do indeed. I wasn’t sure if things are geared up to allow change on the hoof, bearing in mind it’s just the odd Azuma to which it applies.

I doubt they would bother with the extra wire tensioning needed for a changeover on the move at linespeed for such an infrequent service, when Stirling is only a few miles away.

That was my assumption too. Are there only certain points where it can be done? I notice on the IETs from Worcester, they go over the ladders at Didcot East and several chains up the Up Main before the distinctive shove in the back arrives.

Yes, just where wires are tensioned and approved by the signage, otherwise only whilst stationary or at a maximum of 20mph.