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Interestingly, 67004/007/009/011/030 were all fitted with RETB for working the Fort William route, and were assigned to the WABN pool (as was), but 030 never had the cast-iron brake blocks fitted. The rationale was that 004/007/009/011 were the dedicated locos and could work that section for...

I don’t think the Fort William would ever go over to 67s, as none of the crews who currently work that leg have ever signed them, I don’t think (when 67s worked the Fort William train they had Scotrail drivers, not GBRf as now). Also, 023 & 027 don’t have RETB equipment and are subject to severe...

But bizarrely, in the pictures of the Taunton fire, there is a BG between the class 47 and the first sleeping car of the Plymouth portion (where the linen was stacked which caught fire). How on earth did no-one think to put the linen in this BG? Perhaps the BG was not actually part of the...

The attendants (sleeper hosts and team leaders) are entitled to 9 hours’ rest between shifts, while 12 hours is the minimum for train managers as well as drivers. In answer to your question, there is no way that it would be legal for the London-based hosts from last night to go all the way to...

The problem is that the 66s do not have Dellner couplings so cannot couple directly to the Mk5 sleeper stock. Only the 73s can do this (the 73 is needed as a coupling translator as well as an ETS generator). I don’t think that it would be possible to fit Dellners to the 66s given that they are...

The sleeper hosts do not need to sign a route card, so the train manager will be the only safety-critical person with route knowledge which is essential in case of an incident (the locomotive may have become parted from the train, passengers might need to be detrained, the driver might be...

It wouldn’t be the end of the world, you’re right, and those of us who simply wanted/needed to be in Fort William for 10am would hardly care. However, it would fall short of expectations for those who wanted to do the Fort William sleeper specifically to enjoy the WHL and enjoy a leisurely...

A taxi can be sent from Pitlochry to Rannoch (reaching the station by road from Fort William requires a substantial detour) but I don’t think that any taxi can go to Corrour - it cannot be accessed from any public road, only private estate tracks (which may only be passable by 4x4s). I wonder if...

The bus from Kingussie usually arrives at Fort William 35-40 minutes earlier than the sleeper so sadly no delay repay is due in such a situation; however, it is evidently not the experience which the sleeper customer has been sold (as long as they booked before they knew that such an alteration...

I would not rely on it at all I’m afraid. If you definitely want to catch the morning Jacobite, and this is an essential part of your trip, you’re better off travelling up the previous day and staying overnight in Fort William.

It is plated, I believe, and served in the lounge car only. The ingredients are very probably prepacked (as I believe all the hot meals are). From the ones I saw the other day, it looked like sausage, bacon, an omelette, a tattie scone, a tomato and some mushrooms. Probably not as good as the...

I see. That makes a lot of sense.

Yes - you need to choose one hot drink, one juice (orange or apple) and one breakfast out of the five. Note that the Highland breakfast and smoked salmon with poached eggs cannot be delivered to rooms and can only be served in the lounge car. 1629217417 Possibly, although I rather think that...

The Lowlander must be different, because I was on the Highlander to Fort William last night in a club room and was given a menu card to fill out with five choices (porridge, smoothie, bacon roll, Highland breakfast, smoked salmon) - I went for the smoked salmon and poached eggs which was nicely...

Are you serious? Fort William is an extremely popular destination, especially between March and October; the Fort William portion is full most nights during the season. There is no way that a coach from Dalwhinnie would be sufficient in the present time (and the Fort William passengers, if...

Interestingly, if you look at the ‘sleeper experience’ section and look at the club car page it still suggests that the club car is closed, and does not show any menus. It all seems a little slipshod. Does anyone have a current (as of Aug 2021) club car menu?

It’s very unusual for any of the crew on the Fort William route to behave like that - they’re normally a very helpful and laid-back bunch. I think that staff member needs to be retrained as his attitude is bang out of order - to be challenging someone for being exempt from wearing a mask is...

As the club car/lounge car is now open, can anyone confirm what the protocol is? Do you need to book a table/slot in the evening or morning, and what the rule is regarding masks? I’m travelling on the northbound Highlander next Monday night so it would be good to know from anyone who’s been on...

Yes, it was, 1S25 out of Kings Cross (due to Lamington viaduct blockade) on 19/2/16 if I remember rightly. Thankfully he returned to his berth somewhere north of Peterborough and we never saw him again (one of the staff said he got off at Stirling, so goodness only knows what he would have been...

Me too, although the last few times I was in a lounge car pre-Covid, things seemed fairly sober. I did once (in about November 2017) sit next to a retired army officer in the northbound Aberdeen lounge who became so drunk that he walked to the toilet and returned with his trousers halfway down...