Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

The failed sleeper from last night has now failed on its way up to Reading. Currently dumped in Highbridge loop.

Tonight’s down sleeper likely to be cancelled.

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of trains because of extra safety inspections.

Additional Information
Due to a unit failure we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

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.

And a rude awakening for those on the Up sleeper tonight.....

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09 will be terminated at Reading.

It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

[a-driver]

The failed sleeper from last night has now failed on its way up to Reading. Currently dumped in Highbridge loop.

Tonight’s down sleeper likely to be cancelled.

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of trains because of extra safety inspections.

Additional Information
Due to a unit failure we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

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.

And a rude awakening for those on the Up sleeper tonight.....

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:09 will be terminated at Reading.

It will no longer call at London Paddington.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

A shortage of train crew….. or a shortage of a 57 to work it from Reading to Paddington. 

I believe they are planning to send a 57 light engine from Reading to Highbridge in the early hours of the morning and triple head the failed sleeper set back to Long Rock via Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context).   

[bobm]

Given the scarcity of 57s, if they are sending one to Highbridge there won’t be one available to couple to the back of the up sleeper to bring it back to Reading Traincare Depot from London Paddington.  Hence why it is terminating at Reading.

[TaplowGreen]

......and again tonight......

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 8.

Additional Information
Due to a train fault we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

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.

[Clan Line]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftmcFzAwkqU

[a-driver]

......and again tonight......

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 8.

Additional Information
Due to a train fault we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

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.

Not many more months and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be back under public ownership and I reckon thr government will get its way and scrap the sleeper service.

You have to remember it’s FirstGroup paying out of its own pocket to keep it going.

[TaplowGreen]

......and again tonight......

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 8.

Additional Information
Due to a train fault we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between London Paddington and Penzance.

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.

Not many more months and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will be back under public ownership and I reckon thr government will get its way and scrap the sleeper service.

You have to remember it’s FirstGroup paying out of its own pocket to keep it going.

I believe both the Up & Down "sleepers" were IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) last night.

[broadgage]

With the current sleeper stock nearing the end of a refurbishment programme I doubt they would want to start re-wiring them at this point.

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man to produce a conversion lead to convert the electrical supply wiring from an HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) power car to that at the other end to match the electrical supply wiring from a class 57.

I am old enough to remember when "square" pin plugs were introduced. My dad produced conversion leads with a round pin plug at one end and a "square" plug at the other when we moved from a council prefab to a new house.

I hope that you mean "a square pin plug at one end and round pin SOCKET at the other end" or possibly the other way around. A lead with a PLUG at each end is very dangerous and known with good reason as a suicide lead.

[bobm]

Sadly we will never know what martyjon meant.  He died two years after that post in 2020.

https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=24134.msg295672#msg295672

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, bobm.  I was forming a suitable update post myself.

Member 'martyjon' was a frequent, and well-informed, contributor on the Coffee Shop forum.

[TaplowGreen]

21:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04

31/05/26 21:15 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04 was terminated at Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington.

This is due to a fault on this train.

- a rude awakening.

[1st fan]

The failed sleeper from last night has now failed on its way up to Reading. Currently dumped in Highbridge loop.

Tonight’s down sleeper likely to be cancelled.

Someone filmed the final rescue, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftmcFzAwkqU watch from 7:58 to see the train actually moving and you don’t want to suffer large amounts of advertising.