Problems with the Night Riviera sleeper - December 2014 onwards

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Brake problems on the rear loco and wheels locked.  Another driver saw sparks as they passed. 

[1st fan]

Ah that may have woken someone up, thanks for the explanation.

[GBM]

Oops.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G39092/2023-03-07/detailed#allox_id=0

As I post at 03h30, the up sleeper is just passing Liskeard. 248 minutes down.
Whilst there is a lot of make up time in their schedule, it's going to be a long night for passengers.
 
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:08
07/03/23 21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:08 is being delayed between Par and Bodmin Parkway and is now expected to be 242 minutes late.
This is due to a fault on this train.

[IndustryInsider]

Arrived at 8am.  Perfect time for a good nights sleep! 

[bobm]

Especially if you were waiting to join at Plymouth where it didn't arrive until 4am rather than just before midnight!

[hoover50]

Perfect time for a good nights sleep!)

I very much doubt it - At some point in the proceedings this morning, the usual sleeper set was swapped out for an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train). 

[bobm]

I was wondering that as the usual movement to take the second loco out of the depot at Reading was cancelled. Then the ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) move to Reading Traincare Depot only went as far as Ladbroke Grove.

[bobm]

Looks to be confirmed.  Empty sleeper stock left Plymouth for Reading via Bristol Temple Meads at 11:15.

[GBM]

Perfect time for a good nights sleep!)

I very much doubt it - At some point in the proceedings this morning, the usual sleeper set was swapped out for an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train). 

Swapped at Plymouth.
I noticed the sleeper went into platform 8.
15 minutes later a 1A50 appeared on platform 4 whilst the sleeper was still on 8.
Noticed then the original sleeper turned into 5R50 (? from memory) and the new 1A50 set off towards London.
I'm guessing the 04h54 for Paddington was hijacked at short notice.

[Pb_devon]

A detailed report from Craig Munday on the CRS website http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/ go to March 2023 page:

“A particularly soggy night saw the Night Riviera in trouble at Treesmill, near Par. The loco 57605 suffered a loss of power and declared a failure. Single Line Working (SLW) was implemented Par to Lostwithiel over the down main line for the Voyager 2C80 caught behind. I was Pilot, and colleagues including Gareth Dood kindly assisted clipping up the points at Lostwithiel with no facing point locks (FPLs^▸ (Facing Point Lock)). Two facing crossovers to the movement made this procedure relatively straightforward.

It was eerie passing the sleeper train at a stand enroute, fully lit and warm with the 57 purposefully humming away on the front.

SLW was cancelled and arrangements made to propel the train back to Par to allow the coupling of a Castle set scrambled from Long Rock. The short bar coupling expertly coupled on by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s Steve Cocks. The delicate manoeuvering of the Castle set to stop inch perfect  to allow the coupling pin to be attached in appalling weather by Driver Keith was skillful to say the least.

The ensemble got away around 3am and was replaced by a Hitachi set at Plymouth for the journey onward.”

[bradshaw]

Lower photo by Craig Munday on Twitter shows the rescue by the HST^▸ (High Speed Train)

https://twitter.com/craigmunday1/status/1633594884664745984?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ

[broadgage]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are no longer available to rescue the sleeper.

[grahame]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are no longer available to rescue the sleeper.

I wondered that ...

Perhaps it is time for a next generation sleeper that does not need rescuing in any special way, and does not have the same high problem rating of the current trains which seem to be showing their age in a less than brilliant reliability.

[alexross42]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) are no longer available to rescue the sleeper.

I wondered that ...

Perhaps it is time for a next generation sleeper that does not need rescuing in any special way, and does not have the same high problem rating of the current trains which seem to be showing their age in a less than brilliant reliability.

Given that this thread is not far coming up for 10 years I think it's definitely time!
Would a class 67 or 68 be suitable for such duties, or are there issues with ETH/power incompatibilities?

[JayMac]

The best solution IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) would be an order for some new electro-diesel locos (Class 88 or similar) and some of the excellent CAF Mark 5 Sleeper carriages.

That'll cost money though. Something the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) are loathe to spend at the moment. Only when the South West's MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) start piping up will the likelihood of such spending be considered.