Great Western Coffee Shop

I see from the FGW website that the Night Rivera is starting to run again, albeit initially only with seated accommodation. I believe the plan is to gradually reintroduce  the sleeper accommodation once staff training is complete.

Is the number of sleeping cars returning to normal in April or are GWR going to wait until May 17th ?

Absolutely shocking performance;

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 08:00

21/04/21 23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 08:00 has been delayed at London Paddington and is now 1 minute late.
This is due to congestion.

Computers, don'ch'a just luv'em?
The train was 1 min late at Royal Oak Junction (pass 2347hrs), and 1 min late at Lostwithiel (dep 0641); therefore these facts must have the same cause.  Let's ignore the fact that the train was 11 mins early into Plymouth...

So the Sleeper will have full formation again from 17th May. Of course the booking system hasn't been updated so it thinks trains are full on busy nights ! Try booking any accommodation May half term - virtually nothing left. Thought the railway needs every penny it can get ?

 :) Update : Sleeper coach G  has now been opened for reservations so if any fully booked nights you need get in there quick !

Sleeper lounges facilities at Penzance, Truro and Paddington are available to use again.

I travelled PAD- PNZ last week, and was most impressed with the  staff service, cleanliness and all precautions.

Is the First Class lounge at Paddington open again?

It is open

? Class 57 issue / extra checks ?

Closure by stealth ?
A connecting service via Reading is a good DISincentive to use.
Presumably passengers are expected to disembark promptly on arrival at Reading ? rather than remain in bed until a sensible hour at Paddington.

Now terminating at Swindon, even better than Reading.

Arrived in Swindon at 03:18 versus a schedule of 02:58.  Left at 05:38 for Reading, currently passing Goring and Streatley. Passengers will have gone forward on the 05:28 to Paddington which is passing Hayes and Harlington as I write.

As anyone who has been totally stranded by a train failure would agree, surely having the ability to provided a back up from either Reading or Swindon, and having an operator sufficiently awake at that time, is a good thing providing it does not happen too often?

A connecting service is better than nothing, but being turfed out of bed at about 03-00 at Swindon, Reading, or anywhere else is a VERY poor substitute for sleeping on the sleeper until Paddington.

It cant be that hard to obtain a handful of locomotives able to make the leisurely journey between Paddington and Penzance reliably.

When was the last time there was an issue with the sleeper?  Has reliability been poor recently?

Nice lie-in this morning.............

21:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:03
21:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:03 has been delayed at Penzance and is now 135 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Service arrived 15 minutes EARLY into Paddington - at 04:48, from a 23:30 start.     Biggest issue for passenger would be the late pick up - for example a planned 23:20 departure from Plymouth turned into having to wait around until quarter pass one in the morning.   Looking at the timing, did it really run loco and coaches from Plymouth to Paddington via Bristol and Chippenham in three and a half hours?  I think I get the whiff of IET.

Edit to add

30 minutes start to stop, Bristol Temple Meads to Swindon, 41 miles. Average speed 82 miles per hour.  For a train "Pathed as Diesel locomotive, trailing load 350 tonnes. Planned for 75mph max". 91 mph average start to stop, Exeter St David's to Bristol Temple Meads too.

It was an IET

I saw both sets of sleeper coaches in Long Rock when I arrived in Penzance earlier.

One set due to move to London this afternoon.

 https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:36786/2021-06-21/detailed (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:36786/2021-06-21/detailed)

Just had my second trip on the sleeper this year PAD-PNZ and can report things are getting back towards normal. The Lounge is open at Paddington ( and at Truro and Penzance I believe), and passenger numbers are certainly up on my earlier trip in May when take up seemed low. Best of all the bacon rolls are back ! Given that the Scillonian appears to be getting good trade, I expect the sleeper will be feeding that as well.

Can vouch for the Scillonian - was on it yesterday for a day trip and it was certainly well patronised. 

I was on the Sunday night service from Paddington, every berth was booked. Pleased to find Solo cabins have top bunk folded away unlike Caledonian have started to do ! Yes bacon rolls back, breakfast delivered in all disposable containers. Penzance sleeper lounge open but no idea if showers available.

Yes the Penzance showers are available, bookings done by the on-board crew at Paddington.

We were not asked on check in and given Covid restricting  numbers allowed in lounge  didn't enquire.

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:07

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:07 will be terminated at Reading.

It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a fault on this train.

.....a rude awakening in store....

Down sleeper a connecting service via Reading last night/this morning.
Better than nothing, but changing at Reading is a significant disincentive if compared to taking refreshment in the lounge at Paddington, and then going to bed before departure.

Looks like it ran out at Didcot. Due 03:38, actually arrived 04:17, still at platform as I write this according to Open Train Times.

Not necessarily.

Get an earlier train to Reading, nip into the Greyfriar (couple of minutes from the station), enjoy the far superior refreshment, then stroll/stagger back to the station to pick up the train! No problem sleeping then!  :)

Issue was the third loco which is used to haul the empty stock to London. It then normally returns to Reading on the down service before being detached. It is then coupled to the up service when it arrives before hauling that train back to Reading depot from Paddington.

Terminating the up service at Didcot meant it could run into the depot from the west with no reversal.

Down/Up sleeper starting/terminating at Reading again tonight.

Why Didcot last night but Reading on the Up service tonight ??

`

ROGs 57310 has been sent to help out but probably only able to run on and off Reading Depot.

A very late (and short) arrival this morning;

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:07

13/09/21 21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:07 will be diverted between Taunton and Reading and terminated at Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.

It has been previously delayed, has been further delayed at Taunton and is now 188 minutes late.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I suspect most sleeper passengers will be glad of the longer lie-in! I certainly would.

A longer lie-in, maybe, but chucked out at Reading at 06:39!

Indeed. Not the ideal preparation for a day's work in London, which is probably why most passengers would have been on the sleeper.

Proper cups etc for breakfast service re-introduced and interconnecting doors between cabins unlocked on request. :)

Sleepless night for some tonight....

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:50
Facilities on the 23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:50.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Will be formed of 9 coaches instead of 7.
Additional Information
Due to a resourcing issue we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance / Penzance and London Paddington.

We have arranged for this service to be operated by one of our regular Intercity Express Trains which will offer a Standard and First Class seating service only. There will be no accommodation facilities.

If you are affected by this change to your journey and have not been contacted by our dedicated team concerning your travel arrangements, please contact our Customer Services team on 03457000125.

Whilst looking at the sleeper delay on journeycheck just now, I spotted this comment on RealTime Trains -
288.52  Reading [RDG]   
Service gains coaches here, stops to drop passengers off only
.........
+66

I'd never noticed it gains coaches at Reading - is this for an early morning Reading commuter rush into London?

And just noticed the down sleeper drops off coaches on its run down!

I would suspect it might gain a locomotive on the back? ... As it says "stops to drop off passengers only" it can't officially provide an extra commuter service - though I suspect staff could use it as such.

A pretty spectacular delay to the down sleeper last night.......should just about reach Penzance in time for lunch!

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:54

04/07/22 23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:54 has been delayed at Reading and is now 187 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Due in to Penzance at around 09:15, 80 minutes late currently.

Steadily made up time on its journey - due to the large make-up schedule.
Plymouth scheduled 47 minutes, sleeper only stopped for two minutes!
Now only 81 minutes down from Saltash

Blimey, that would have been a very quick "wake up, get dressed, get off" at Plymouth then!  :D

Exeter St Davids scheduled 64 minutes, sleeper only stopped for four minutes.  Hardly time to turn off the engines before starting them up again - or would they normally idle for the hour?

As Graham hinted, a loco is attached to the rear of the up train to haul it back to Reading for servicing. Then the down sleeper is top & tailed into PAD in the evening, and the rear loco detached at Reading on the way down.

Arrived at 09:19.  Perfect for a free late breakfast from GWR courtesy of Delay Repay…as well as a free lunch and probably dinner.

Truely a silver lining!

I recall a trip on the Caley Sleeper to Fort Bill back in June 2019. Having paid a hefty sum for myself and my daughter for a Club Twin Berth, I received almost 95% refund for the return journey - new stock not yet ready; no substantial food (just crisps and bottled water); 50 minutes late arriving in Fort Bill; No Club Car on the return journey; etc, etc.  Neither of us was particularly bothered, but more than happy for the refund.

Friday night from Paddington didn't leave until well after midnight - seemed to terminate in Plymouth too.

According to Real Time Trains it left Paddington just before 3am on Saturday and arrived in Penzance at 09:05 - an hour and 15 minutes late.

I guess that tonight's (Sunday/Monday 10/11 July) sleepers will be diverted off their regular routeing over The Mule given the major problem with axle counters between Yeovil Junction and Exeter?

Problems at Westbury too.

No lie-in for some this morning!

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04

19/07/22 21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04 will be terminated at Reading.

It will no longer call at London Paddington but will call additionally at Bristol Temple Meads.
It has been delayed at Penzance and is now 150 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

Actually, a bit of a lie in. Due in to RDG at 0603. That's an hour after its booked arrival at PAD.

Problems tonight by the look of it......

23:50 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:54 will be starting late from London Paddington.

This is due to a broken down train.

Further Information
Customers travelling from unstaffed stations are requested to make use of the Customer Help Point systems available, or contact National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950 detailing the total number of passengers travelling, and their intended destinations. This will enable us to get suitable road replacement transport to customers as quickly as possible.

Suspect the staff were delayed travelling up from Cornwall.

 ??? I see GWR says Sleeper services cancelled Sunday 31st July, what would be the reason for this be as strike is on Saturday. Think they could make more effort with Friday 29th service too, surely the service could operate from Paddington as far as Plymouth (limit of service on strike days) with coaches provided for Cornwall - after all GWR could be liable to accommodate berth passengers in hotels given NCOT ? 

With regards to Friday nights service. One driver, who books on for duty on Friday, would work the sleeper to Exeter. After that, the next driver potentially books on Saturday morning (strike day). Therefore the sleeper set is stranded at Exeter. Same applies with the up sleeper.
If the sleeper ran into any difficulty during its journey and required assistance, you’d be looking for a driver who would have booked on for duty on the Saturday, potentially leaving the sleeper stranded.

I don’t understand why it’s not able to run Sunday though.

I used the Night Riviera for the first time on 8th June 2022 and really enjoyed the experience. I slept better than expected and the coaches - although older - were quieter and less rattly than the Caledonian. We had a loco attached to the rear, which apparently was detached at Reading.
I travelled with my bike, and it was relatively easy to book it for a space in Coach A.
I made a film about the trip which is on YouTube:-  https://youtu.be/AyVAbBlmvXU 

Welcome, but by the way it is not the "done thing" to like your own posts.

Welcome too ... glad you enjoyed the trip on the sleeper.   Can't look at the video now - very limited bandwidth on the  train.     Where you say "quieter than the Cally" - is that the old Cally coaches of the new one of a couple of years back?

 :-[  Sleepers cancelled Friday 12th August, Sunday 14th also following Weds / Thurs / Friday due to strikes by ASLEF and RMT. About time Grant Schapps or whatever his name is this week sorted this mess out instead of telling DfT to sit on their hands !!

But perhaps what they are [doing / not doing] in Horseferry Road is their way forward in sorting out this mess.  What are the various strategic objectives here?

Spotted at London Paddington this week.  The class 57 Tintagel Castle used for the sleeper has been fitted with new nameplates in the same style as the HST Castle power cars.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/57603.jpg)
(although they could have made a better job of covering up where the old plates were)

Meanwhile 57604 Pendennis Castle has kept its heritage GWR plates for the moment at least.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/57604.jpg)

Excellent review of the Night Riviera by YouTuber Winginit! Paul Lucas.

Another good You Tube review from the excellent Scot, Steve Marsh - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkFG9-nHMh0

Spoiler alert - a satisfied customer, notwithstanding the passenger lounge at Penzance being closed, and considered it better than the Caledonian Sleeper too.

Yes, he's comparing it very favourably with the Caledonian Sleeper: a 'Simple' product well delivered and not sold as an experience in itself.

From his video, design, lighting, colour, ambience and surfaces cleaning including exterior glass looks to be very well handled on board the night riviera and he gives the favourable impression that given the general hush and lack of vibration, he wasn't particularly aware that the sleeper was moving.

Mark

I plan to be travelling on the Night Riviera at the end of this month (October 2023).

I'm much heartened to see that dogs are now permitted to travel in the GWR sleeper berths for an additional £30. Previously they were only permitted to travel in a pet carrier in the guards van.

Readers might be interested in this update on the latest incarnation of the Nightjet sleeper services.  Innovative I thought.


https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/nightjet-new-generation.htm?fbclid=IwAR0w7V8iHiME85cytKqfkFMS7-9n45a2ehalm_rCJWrdfnd-rZjskOFa7zk (https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/nightjet-new-generation.htm?fbclid=IwAR0w7V8iHiME85cytKqfkFMS7-9n45a2ehalm_rCJWrdfnd-rZjskOFa7zk)

What happens if the dog needs needs to relieve itself ? Cant really take it outside on a train.

Dangle him out of the window? (preferably rear end first)

Several 5+ minute stops en route.

The Queen Mary 2 has a lampost and a (US) fire hydrant fitted, simples !

This is putting me in mind of a Saturday at Temple Meads a few years back, and suggests that HSTs had both central door locking and opening windows on the doors, and I can't recall if that was the case, but I saw what I saw.

A Paddington to Newquay HST drew up, out climbed an unaccompanied alsation for a leg stretch (and only a leg stretch it seemed).

Unfortunately the doors of the train then locked before the dog was back on board, at which point the owner appeared at the drop windows - to gaze with great concern at the german shepherd - with the dog astutely picking up that something was amiss and returning the concern.

A couple of robust but gentle members of the public, realising what had happened, and having quickly checked the alsatian for temperament, picked him up and to his evident surprise but with only mild resistance, bundled him back into the train through the open droplight, and they all hopefully lived happily ever after.

Mark

Finn, unlike me, is able to go through the night without needing to widdle!

Somewhat worse at the moment as I'm taking on more liquid than usual due to kidney stones. They're being blasted in a couple days.

TMI? :P

He would also fit through the window.  ;D