Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance

[whole diary]

[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 - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)). 

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 (Inter City class 43 125 units))

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

[broadgage]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) are no longer available to rescue the sleeper.

[grahame]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) 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 (Inter City class 43 125 units)) 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^▸ (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Spanish train manufacturer) 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, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) start piping up will the likelihood of such spending be considered.

[IndustryInsider]

What will they do when HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) are no longer available to rescue the sleeper.

Either a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) 57 or a freight loco would be used…as would have been the case in this example had it happened away from where the HSTs still operate.

Naturally the freight company would charge GWR the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) handsomely for their troubles and it would likely have resulted in a bigger delay.

[bobm]

There was a time when reliability was a regular issue that both sleepers ran top and tailed with a 57 at each end rather than just between Reading and London.

[Mark A]

I've not used either since the new Calsleeper stock came into service or the refreshed GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), ditto: online reviews and photos suggest that the GWR offering is streets ahead from the point of view of design. CAF^▸ (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, Spanish train manufacturer) do not seem to have discovered how to illuminate an environment designed for rest, and that saw-tooth table in the Calsleeper lounge car looks inflexible and somewhat aggressive. Their previous stock at the end of its days was somewhat fault-filled and that tradition seems to have been carried over into the new.

Mark

[bobm]

The real thing which lets the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) sleeper down is catering.  To me a bed is a bed. 

On the Scottish sleepers you can get a proper meal while down south you might get a sandwich if you are lucky.

Agreed the journey on the Cally is longer but not exceptionally so.

[PhilWakely]

The real thing which lets the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) sleeper down is catering.  To me a bed is a bed. 

On the Scottish sleepers you can get a proper meal while down south you might get a sandwich if you are lucky.

Agreed the journey on the Cally is longer but not exceptionally so.

I couldn't fault the 'Full Scottish breakfast' consumed whilst crossing Rannoch Moor 

[grahame]

for the record ... engineering this week:

Planned engineering work will take place between London Paddington/Reading/Plymouth and Penzance via St Austell on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 23:30, Monday 27 March 2023 to 08:00, Friday 31 March 2023.

Some lines will be blocked.

Additional Information

On Monday 27 to Thursday 30 March, the 2345 London Paddington to Penzance 'Night Riviera' Sleeper service will terminate at Plymouth at 0511. Passengers will need to vacate the train on or shortly after arrival.

* For passengers travelling to St Austell and beyond, a replacement bus will depart Plymouth at 0525, non-stop to St Austell 0645. A connecting rail service will depart St Austell at 0653, calling at Truro 0708, Redruth 0720, Camborne 0727, Hayle 0735, St Erth 0739 and Penzance 0749.

* For passengers travelling to Liskeard, a connecting train will depart Plymouth at 0530, arriving Liskeard at 0557.

* For passengers travelling to Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel or Par, travel on 0530 train to Liskeard, then by replacement bus service from Liskeard at 0610 to Bodmin Parkway 0635, Lostwithiel 0655 and Par 0715.

Not sure that I would find getting up at 5 a.m. attractive after a quarter to midnight departure from London.  Thank goodness I am retired!