Caledonian Sleeper

[najaB]

Any idea on what would be the rule on an e-bike that had its battery removed?

Well, at that point it's just a sub-optimal pedal cycle.

 

[Gonzoiku]

Well, at that point it's just a sub-optimal pedal cycle.

.... with its battery in the owner's luggage in the sleeper compartment? Would that reduce the fire risk?

GZ

 

[najaB]

.... with its battery in the owner's luggage in the sleeper compartment? Would that reduce the fire risk?

GZ

It wouldn't reduce the risk of a fire starting, but would make it more likely to be detected before it got out of control. That's the attitude that airlines take, at least.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It wouldn't reduce the risk of a fire starting, but would make it more likely to be detected before it got out of control. That's the attitude that airlines take, at least.

I do wonder if that's the issue in terms of the Sleeper - the bikes are in a compartment on their own with nobody checking on them, whereas on a day train these days they are mostly somewhere in the passenger compartment where a fire would be very quickly noticed.

However, in practice I suspect you would get a conversation like:
- "Where's the battery?"
- "In my bag"
- "Sorry, you can't travel"

If they meant "you can, but only if you take the battery out and carry it with you", they'd say that.

 

[Deafdoggie]

So what if, in true forum style, someone has an electric bike in Scotland but has a problem with the battery. Someone else brings a spare battery on the sleeper for them but doesn't have a bike with them at all?
They probably are blind and deaf and had trouble using the TVM too with their one arm too, but for once, all that isn't relevant.

 

[Bletchleyite]

So what if, in true forum style, someone has an electric bike in Scotland but has a problem with the battery. Someone else brings a spare battery on the sleeper for them but doesn't have a bike with them at all?
They probably are blind and deaf and had trouble using the TVM too with their one arm too, but for once, all that isn't relevant.

Because there are no luggage checks, nothing would happen. But boarding with an e-bike with the battery removed would draw attention to it.

 

[island]

They probably are blind and deaf and had trouble using the TVM too with their one arm too, but for once, all that isn't relevant.

You forgot that their only method of payment was Scottish £100 notes and 1p and 2p coins

 

[jfollows]

From anywhere in Britain, you go up/down to/from Cambridge and Oxford at the start/end of term. Getting "sent down" is a Very Bad Thing...

That was me, sent down from Oxford and moved up to London .... fortunately perhaps not as bad as it might be today given that tuition fees were paid, it was agreed that I would get an extra year paid at my new course and I received a means-tested grant for four years rather than three. This was arranged in summer 1981 by my visiting Imperial College, London, which had offered me a place in 1980, getting them to agree to take me in 1981 instead, and writing letters to Cheshire County Council.
[Off-topic I realise!]

 

[erk]

Maximum number of bikes on any service is 6. Three are on the floor, three are hung from the celing (and require a bike bag).

Does that depend on the service? On the train from Inverness all six were hung up. On the train to Glasgow there were three hooks, two occupied (I don't know if another four bikes could have been fitted in).

 

[Andy Pacer]

Highlanders apparently cancelled tonight due to Storm "Carrie".

 

[ld0595]

Highlanders apparently cancelled tonight due to Storm "Carrie".

No surprise. Scotrail are shutting down their services at 6pm, with other operators having a maximum 40mph speed limit.

 

[Andy Pacer]

No surprise. Scotrail are shutting down their services at 6pm, with other operators having a maximum 40mph speed limit.

I'd say it's probably better to cancel them than risk having them encounter problems in service.

 

[ld0595]

I'd say it's probably better to cancel them than risk having them encounter problems in service.

Definitely. By the sounds of things, tonight's storm will be worse than yesterday's. The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in the middle of nowhere on the West Highland Line after hitting a fallen tree.

 

[Dave1954]

DefinitDefinitely. By the sounds of things, tonight's storm will be worse than yesterday's. The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in the middle of nowhere on the West Highland Line after hitting a fallen tree.ely. By the sounds of things, tonight's storm will be worse than yesterday's. The last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in the middle of nowhere on the West Highland Line after hitting a fall

 

[sparks2000]

Apologies for the poor camera angle - I was surprised to see the old Caledonian MK3 Sleeper carriages at Highley

Link to Video of old carriages hauled by Britannia 70000 at Highley

 

[D6130]

There seem to be some GWR sleepers in that consist too.

 

[Speed43125]

There seem to be some GWR sleepers in that consist too.

Those are seated FOs

 

[43096]

Those are seated FOs

They're not. There's a TF, a TS and a TC: all three are HST vehicles.

 

[AberdeenBill]

Probably a naïve question, but Realtime Trains shows that on certain days of the week, the Aberdeen and Fort William CS services either 'go to' or 'come from' Edinburgh instead of Euston. I assume this is due to 'staff shortages' but does this mean that the CS cars travel as empties from / to Edinburgh and the passengers have to change at EDI in the early hours to pick up a Scotrail connection or what does it mean? Thanks.

 

[alistairlees]

Probably a naïve question, but Realtime Trains shows that on certain days of the week, the Aberdeen and Fort William CS services either 'go to' or 'come from' Edinburgh instead of Euston. I assume this is due to 'staff shortages' but does this mean that the CS cars travel as empties from / to Edinburgh and the passengers have to change at EDI in the early hours to pick up a Scotrail connection or what does it mean? Thanks.

Possibly Real Time Trains is wrong.

 

[adrock1976]

Probably a naïve question, but Realtime Trains shows that on certain days of the week, the Aberdeen and Fort William CS services either 'go to' or 'come from' Edinburgh instead of Euston. I assume this is due to 'staff shortages' but does this mean that the CS cars travel as empties from / to Edinburgh and the passengers have to change at EDI in the early hours to pick up a Scotrail connection or what does it mean? Thanks.

I've not delved into it a great detail, but from my own observations over the years, the northbound Highlander is advertised at London, Crewe, and Preston as being for Inverness, as that is the farthest north sleeper trains run to and from. If it is empties, the headcode should have the first digit as a 5.

The Aberdeen (when it runs) and Fort William portions are coupled and uncoupled at Waverley, which have their own headcodes. I believe the computer systems can only cope with one headcode at a time, as is also evident in Wales for the Aberystwyth/Pwllheli portions that couple/uncouple at Machynlleth (the Pwllheli portion has a separate headcode from Machynlleth onwards as opposed to the Aberystwyth which retains its same headcode throughout from Birmingham or Shrewsbury).

 

[zwk500]

Probably a naïve question, but Realtime Trains shows that on certain days of the week, the Aberdeen and Fort William CS services either 'go to' or 'come from' Edinburgh instead of Euston. I assume this is due to 'staff shortages' but does this mean that the CS cars travel as empties from / to Edinburgh and the passengers have to change at EDI in the early hours to pick up a Scotrail connection or what does it mean? Thanks.

Because of how the operational systems work, each portion has to be a separate schedule when it is travelling as an individual train. At Edinburgh, because the portions physically connect and run as 1 combined train they only need to show 1 schedule south.
The Inverness portion is shown through to London, but the other 2 terminate at Edinburgh where their carriages are added onto the London train for the remainder of the journey. The various systems are told that the trains are linked, so that on the Platform Boards and Booking Websites it will show as London to Fort William or Aberdeen.
Because RTT doesn't show that level of data for CS, it doesn't list the different trains as connecting into the main 1M16 Inverness-London train.

as adrock has alluded to, this is common across all connecting/dividing services.

 

[43096]

Because of how the operational systems work, each portion has to be a separate schedule when it is travelling as an individual train. At Edinburgh, because the portions physically connect and run as 1 combined train they only need to show 1 schedule south.
The Inverness portion is shown through to London, but the other 2 terminate at Edinburgh where their carriages are added onto the London train for the remainder of the journey. The various systems are told that the trains are linked, so that on the Platform Boards and Booking Websites it will show as London to Fort William or Aberdeen.
Because RTT doesn't show that level of data for CS, it doesn't list the different trains as connecting into the main 1M16 Inverness-London train.

as adrock has alluded to, this is common across all connecting/dividing services.

Except that if I look at tonight's Fort William portion in RTT (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C83835/2022-02-06/detailed) it shows as "1B01 1900 Fort William to London Euston" with timings to Edinburgh and the statement "Service joins with 1M16 towards London Euston". 1M16 is likewise shown as gaining coaches from 1B01 at Edinburgh.

 

[zwk500]

Except that if I look at tonight's Fort William portion in RTT (https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C83835/2022-02-06/detailed) it shows as "1B01 1900 Fort William to London Euston" with timings to Edinburgh and the statement "Service joins with 1M16 towards London Euston". 1M16 is likewise shown as gaining coaches from 1B01 at Edinburgh.

Fair enough, hadn't realised RTT had got that data.

 

[alistairlees]

I've not delved into it a great detail, but from my own observations over the years, the northbound Highlander is advertised at London, Crewe, and Preston as being for Inverness, as that is the farthest north sleeper trains run to and from. If it is empties, the headcode should have the first digit as a 5.

The Aberdeen (when it runs) and Fort William portions are coupled and uncoupled at Waverley, which have their own headcodes. I believe the computer systems can only cope with one headcode at a time, as is also evident in Wales for the Aberystwyth/Pwllheli portions that couple/uncouple at Machynlleth (the Pwllheli portion has a separate headcode from Machynlleth onwards as opposed to the Aberystwyth which retains its same headcode throughout from Birmingham or Shrewsbury).

It's advertised at Euston as being for "Inverness, Fort William & Aberdeen" on normal days (when all three portions are running) (the exact order of the destinations may differ). It's perfectly possible to combine diffferent portions in this way, providing that Network Rail has set the data up correctly.

 

[185143]

It's advertised at Euston as being for "Inverness, Fort William & Aberdeen" on normal days (when all three portions are running) (the exact order of the destinations may differ). It's perfectly possible to combine diffferent portions in this way, providing that Network Rail has set the data up correctly.

I'm boarding 1S25 at Crewe tonight, I'll report back what's on the PIS.

Am I right in thinking the Inverness seats are at the very front of the train, right behind the loco?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I'm boarding 1S25 at Crewe tonight, I'll report back what's on the PIS.

It would be interesting to know roughly how many passengers join at Crewe on this random evening.

RTT showing to Inverness and Aberdeen tonight but no train formation as yet - Friday night formation shows sleepers on the front looks like for Inverness as the rear sleepers include two accessible sleepers which would be one each for Fort William and Aberdeen.

 

[AberdeenBill]

Probably a naïve question, but Realtime Trains shows that on certain days of the week, the Aberdeen and Fort William CS services either 'go to' or 'come from' Edinburgh instead of Euston. I assume this is due to 'staff shortages' but does this mean that the CS cars travel as empties from / to Edinburgh and the passengers have to change at EDI in the early hours to pick up a Scotrail connection or what does it mean? Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies, which generally make sense re headcodes etc. My main take from this is that i would not have to get off at Edinburgh in the middle of night and catch an onward service to Aberdeen.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Looks like the Inverness seats are 'coach 7' tonight (according to RTT), 5 sleepers, lounge, seated coach, then ditto for the rear portion (making 14 total)

 

[alistairlees]

Thanks for all the replies, which generally make sense re headcodes etc. My main take from this is that i would not have to get off at Edinburgh in the middle of night and catch an onward service to Aberdeen.

You would only have to do that if you were going to Fort William AND you were in the seats (the sleeping coaches run through from Euston to Fort William).

Looks like the Inverness seats are 'coach 7' tonight (according to RTT), 5 sleepers, lounge, seated coach, then ditto for the rear portion (making 14 total)

The order should be:
1-7 Inverness (5 sleepers + club car + seats)
8-9 Fort William (2 sleepers only)
10-14 Aberdeen (3 sleepers + club car + seats)

It's a diffferent order from how it used to be I believe, so I'm not sure of the shunting at Edinburgh any more.