Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 08:15 28 Mar 2024
* Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
- What contributed to the Baltimore Bridge collapse?
- Man suffers life-threatening injuries after train stabbing
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1988)
Formal end to carrying coffins by BR (link)

Train RunningCancelled
06:28 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
06:57 Swansea to London Paddington
07:28 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
07:38 Exeter St Davids to Okehampton
07:43 Swansea to London Paddington
07:54 Looe to Liskeard
08:18 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
08:25 Okehampton to Exeter Central
08:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
08:30 Liskeard to Looe
09:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
09:05 Looe to Liskeard
09:12 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
09:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
09:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
10:41 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
11:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:16 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
11:23 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
11:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
11:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
Short Run
04:54 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Penzance
06:18 Yeovil Pen Mill to Filton Abbey Wood
06:48 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington
06:54 Taunton to London Paddington
07:12 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
07:25 Okehampton to Exeter Central
08:34 Exeter Central to Okehampton
09:35 Exeter Central to Okehampton
09:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
10:50 Penzance to Cardiff Central
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
05:23 London Paddington to Swansea
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:00 London Paddington to Penzance
06:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester
06:50 Westbury to Weymouth
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:23 London Paddington to Oxford
10:25 Okehampton to Exeter Central
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 08:19:31 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[155] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[124] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[85] Return of the BRUTE?
[67] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[53] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[29] CrossCountry upgrade will see 25% more rail seats
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 ... 109 110 [111] 112 113 ... 116
  Print  
Author Topic: Great Western Railway: on-board catering, buffets, Travelling Chef, Pullman - ongoing discussion  (Read 629163 times)
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10095


View Profile
« Reply #1650 on: September 10, 2021, 19:03:44 »

LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) also offer food & drink delivery to Standard class. Nothing from GWR (Great Western Railway) yet that I’ve seen. Possibky difficult with 5car sets when run as 10cars as would need 2 additional staff

It was definitely at the advanced planning stage, see post #1576, but I’ve not heard anything recently.
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #1651 on: September 10, 2021, 21:31:48 »

Just as a postscript.  I’m glad I wasn’t in the evening Pullman from Plymouth tonight.  It’s running almost three hours late because of the points failure at Keyham. 
Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1652 on: September 11, 2021, 08:35:28 »

Good to see the 9-cars being used on some of the Pullmans now - better for passengers than a 2x5-car and a slightly bigger kitchen for the staff as well.

When the IETs (Intercity Express Train) were being introduced, I stated that a pair of 5 car units were not suitable for Pullman dining for various reasons, and at the time IET supporters said that 9 car units would "presumably be used" for Pullman services and suggested that my talk of 5 car units was unduly negative.

Then 5 car units became the norm, due it was reported to Penzance depot being unable to accept full length trains.

Yet now we ARE getting 9 cars to Cornwall. A belated positive move, but what has changed ?
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9809



View Profile
« Reply #1653 on: September 11, 2021, 09:19:15 »

Whether it is the main reason for the change I don't know but GWR (Great Western Railway) did state there had been some time-keeping issues with coupling and splitting at Plymouth.  We have also seen reports of high passenger numbers so additional capacity would be sensible.
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18894



View Profile
« Reply #1654 on: November 12, 2021, 18:43:32 »

Are you missing HST (High Speed Train) buffets?  Tongue

Here's a 'new' one. On the Midland Pullman HST set.



And... cue broadgage.  Grin
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7743



View Profile
« Reply #1655 on: November 12, 2021, 20:27:55 »

Broadgage will be drooling!
Logged
GBM
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1468


View Profile Email
« Reply #1656 on: November 13, 2021, 08:16:36 »





And... cue broadgage.  Grin

That's some blue!  Nurse, my shades  Cool
Logged

Personal opinion only.  Writings not representative of any union, collective, management or employer. (Think that absolves me...........)
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1657 on: November 13, 2021, 12:52:53 »

Very impressive, but surely a trolley would be so much better better, a survey showed this to be the case. A static trolley would presumably be better still.

More seriously, I do wonder it is always that blue ? The effect is almost certainly obtained from LED light tape which is often multi colour.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
1st fan
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 402


View Profile
« Reply #1658 on: November 28, 2021, 02:58:33 »

I can live without a Pullman Breakfast but not without bacon rolls. LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) and West Coast can provide them, and deliver to your seat in standard class so why not GWR (Great Western Railway)??

Years ago when it was admitted that the new trains would not have have buffets, a number of grand promises were made about the trolley service.
"improved trolleys that keep hot things hot and cold things cold"
"hot food served at ones seat in standard class"

In fact none of this was regularly achieved, a brief trial was undertaken of hot food, including bacon rolls,  in standard class but produced the expected result that it was not viable.
GWR cant even cope with reliably providing a very basic trolley.



The exact wording was http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=15945.msg179136#msg179136

Quote from: BenRule
I think many of the concerns you mention are based on the idea that somehow we think we can deliver this service with something similar to the current trolleys. We can't.
There are plenty of more sophisticated trolleys on the market that keep things hot, and keep things cool, and even serve a proper cup of coffee. A quick google will give you some idea.

I was willing to give it the benefit of doubt and wait and see what appeared on the new trains. I did have my doubts that there would be any difference between the new ones and the trolley on a Thames Turbo but waited to see. The ones I saw on Google were vastly more improved and even had a proper coffee machine on them which boded well. Low and behold they were almost exactly the same when they turned up onboard. I don't like the idea that we were misled and the service has been reduced to a fraction of what it was. I accept that there needs to be more capacity on services and therefore the buffet had to go. Personally speaking I couldn't care less whether it's a static/moving trolley or a buffet except for the fact that there's now no hot food outside of a Pullman service. There's probably little appetite to bother given the current pandemic situation. As happened recently I finished work late and made it to Paddington with just enough time to board. As I hadn't eaten for most of the day most disappointed to find that there was nothing I could eat off the trolley outside of snack food such as chocolate bars and crisps. There was an explanation given about issues with supply at Paddington, or that the incoming train had been late and it hadn't been restocked (can't remember). Either of those could have happened to a buffet too. Though even if the trolley is fully stocked it's got less of a range than the buffet used to.

My friend who has a caffeine addiction/is a coffee snob seriously dislikes instant with a passion. She says it's criminal that they were able to do away with the coffee machines that used to be on the HST (High Speed Train). She wants to know why the coffee couldn't be done with a Nespresso/coffee machine plugged in to a power socket on the trolley.  A trip down to the South West is not pleasant for her and she finds 3,4,5 hours without an espresso hell on earth. She knows it's an addiction and she's fine with that, just not with the inability to get a decent coffee. She has been known to get off the train and get a coffee then get back on the next service going to the same place. 
« Last Edit: November 28, 2021, 03:12:46 by 1st fan » Logged
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7743



View Profile
« Reply #1659 on: November 28, 2021, 08:08:10 »

I can live without a Pullman Breakfast but not without bacon rolls. LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) and West Coast can provide them, and deliver to your seat in standard class so why not GWR (Great Western Railway)??

Years ago when it was admitted that the new trains would not have have buffets, a number of grand promises were made about the trolley service.
"improved trolleys that keep hot things hot and cold things cold"
"hot food served at ones seat in standard class"

In fact none of this was regularly achieved, a brief trial was undertaken of hot food, including bacon rolls,  in standard class but produced the expected result that it was not viable.
GWR cant even cope with reliably providing a very basic trolley.



The exact wording was http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=15945.msg179136#msg179136

Quote from: BenRule
I think many of the concerns you mention are based on the idea that somehow we think we can deliver this service with something similar to the current trolleys. We can't.
There are plenty of more sophisticated trolleys on the market that keep things hot, and keep things cool, and even serve a proper cup of coffee. A quick google will give you some idea.



My friend who has a caffeine addiction/is a coffee snob seriously dislikes instant with a passion. She says it's criminal that they were able to do away with the coffee machines that used to be on the HST (High Speed Train). She wants to know why the coffee couldn't be done with a Nespresso/coffee machine plugged in to a power socket on the trolley.  A trip down to the South West is not pleasant for her and she finds 3,4,5 hours without an espresso hell on earth. She knows it's an addiction and she's fine with that, just not with the inability to get a decent coffee. She has been known to get off the train and get a coffee then get back on the next service going to the same place. 

A strong contender for First World problem of the year! :-)
Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1660 on: November 28, 2021, 10:03:33 »

Indeed the lack of decent coffee, or any other proper catering could be described as a first world problem.
However the UK (United Kingdom) is still a first world nation, in which one might reasonably expect that trains would have buffets, and also padded seats, and suitable stowage for cycles, surfboards and holiday luggage. One might even hope for full length trains.

Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
1st fan
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 402


View Profile
« Reply #1661 on: November 28, 2021, 13:03:30 »

I can live without a Pullman Breakfast but not without bacon rolls. LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) and West Coast can provide them, and deliver to your seat in standard class so why not GWR (Great Western Railway)??

Years ago when it was admitted that the new trains would not have have buffets, a number of grand promises were made about the trolley service.
"improved trolleys that keep hot things hot and cold things cold"
"hot food served at ones seat in standard class"

In fact none of this was regularly achieved, a brief trial was undertaken of hot food, including bacon rolls,  in standard class but produced the expected result that it was not viable.
GWR cant even cope with reliably providing a very basic trolley.



The exact wording was http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=15945.msg179136#msg179136

Quote from: BenRule
I think many of the concerns you mention are based on the idea that somehow we think we can deliver this service with something similar to the current trolleys. We can't.
There are plenty of more sophisticated trolleys on the market that keep things hot, and keep things cool, and even serve a proper cup of coffee. A quick google will give you some idea.



My friend who has a caffeine addiction/is a coffee snob seriously dislikes instant with a passion. She says it's criminal that they were able to do away with the coffee machines that used to be on the HST (High Speed Train). She wants to know why the coffee couldn't be done with a Nespresso/coffee machine plugged in to a power socket on the trolley.  A trip down to the South West is not pleasant for her and she finds 3,4,5 hours without an espresso hell on earth. She knows it's an addiction and she's fine with that, just not with the inability to get a decent coffee. She has been known to get off the train and get a coffee then get back on the next service going to the same place. 

A strong contender for First World problem of the year! :-)

Yes I know, except she's travelled to a fair few developing countries in her career and travelled by train within them. She's had what she considered to be decent freshly ground coffee on a train in a fair few of those. It staggers her that we went so backwards in the name of progress in what's offered on a train to the South West. It has gone from freshly ground Americano, Cappuccino, Cafe Latte & Espresso to "bloody instant". It's to do with the volatile oils that are released when the beans are ground that are lost not long after grinding or something like that.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2021, 14:12:28 by 1st fan » Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1662 on: November 28, 2021, 15:01:30 »

I do not believe that any TOC (Train Operating Company) takes trolley provision seriously, a trolley is more regarded as an interim step between a proper buffet, and the long term aim of nothing.

I can remember buffets on Waterloo services, then replaced by a trolley and now by nothing.

Trains to Brighton used to have buffets, then a trolley, and now nothing.


Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #1663 on: December 14, 2021, 23:55:07 »

If I have understood correctly, Pullman dining on the 18-04 from Paddington has been withdrawn. Only a single Pullman now.
Most regrettable.

At an earlier meet the manager on line session, GWR (Great Western Railway) stated that they "were very proud of the service" but as I observed that is is not the same as saying "it will continue"
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
IndustryInsider
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 10095


View Profile
« Reply #1664 on: December 15, 2021, 00:48:57 »

If I have understood correctly, Pullman dining on the 18-04 from Paddington has been withdrawn. Only a single Pullman now.
Most regrettable.

The 18:04 hadn't been reinstated following the Covid situation, had it?
Logged

To view my GWML (Great Western Main Line) Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 ... 109 110 [111] 112 113 ... 116
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page