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GWR Cornish Night Riviera Sleeper and GWR Class 57 updates from Long Rock

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Horizon22

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So 2 seated, 1 lounge & 4 sleeper coaches then ?? Shame the booking system hasn't been updated to match this yet looking at June - given staycation boom numbers in Cornwall this year :'(

Yes. Sorry I meant it is likely to go to 8 in May. But the numbers have often been single digits the past 6 months. People are travelling on the day trains.
 

co-tr-paul

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Numbers are sometimes in 30s. Back to normal from May timetable change.
57602 still on bogie refurbishment until May. Otherwise its been business as usual hence quietness of thread !
 

Mikey C

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Yes. Sorry I meant it is likely to go to 8 in May. But the numbers have often been single digits the past 6 months. People are travelling on the day trains.
Or driving, which is the perfect way for families to maximise their "Covid safety"
 

trebor79

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Or driving, which is the perfect way for families to maximise their "Covid safety"
Not really. Crowded motorway services for toilet stops etc. And there's more to safety than just COVID. I'd far rather go to Cornwall by train, if only there were motorail.
 

Bletchleyite

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Not really. Crowded motorway services for toilet stops etc.

They aren't crowded, and fleeting contact does not pose a significant COVID risk. If you're that paranoid wear an N95 mask and the risk is negligible compared with sitting with the same people for 4 hours.

And there's more to safety than just COVID. I'd far rather go to Cornwall by train,

I would as well. Safety wise this is true. However, environmentally, a full family car makes efficient use of both roadspace and fuel (and thus emissions), particularly when the train is diesel too, so it is not the urgent use-case for the railway to try to grab. And some of those cars will be electric, which beat the DMU given how much of the grid is carbon neutral these days.

if only there were motorail.

Hire a car. Moving cars about by train negates the point, really, as you're still using the energy to move the car (and a load of flat wagons). It's something that really belongs in the days when cars weren't reliable enough to drive that far and car hire wasn't widespread.
 

trebor79

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They aren't crowded, and fleeting contact does not pose a significant COVID risk. If you're that paranoid wear an N95 mask and the risk is negligible compared with sitting with the same people for 4 hours.
Oh I couldn't care less about COVID personally, and even less so in a few weeks once I've had some of AstraZeneca's finest injected into my arm. But there are going to be a signfiicant number of people who remain terrified for some time to come.
Hire a car. Moving cars about by train negates the point, really, as you're still using the energy to move the car (and a load of flat wagons). It's something that really belongs in the days when cars weren't reliable enough to drive that far and car hire wasn't widespread.
We've had this debate before :). It's not that simple when you've got mountains of stuff to take on holiday with kids. We pack our Grand Scenic full, plus a sizeable roof box. No way that's being dragged onto trains whilst coralling a stroppy 7 year old and a toddler through London transferring from Liverpool Street to Paddington.
 

Geoff DC

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Down here in Cornwall we are so excited & can't wait for all the Grand Scenics and big 4x4s with roof boxes to arrive on our roads and country lanes this summer :D:D:D
 

EssexGonzo

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Down here in Cornwall we are so excited & can't wait for all the Grand Scenics and big 4x4s with roof boxes to arrive on our roads and country lanes this summer :D:D:D

And bring all of their money to drive your primary local industry, it’s jobs and the local economy? ;)
 

Sleepy

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Oh I couldn't care less about COVID personally, and even less so in a few weeks once I've had some of AstraZeneca's finest injected into my arm. But there are going to be a signfiicant number of people who remain terrified for some time to come.

We've had this debate before :). It's not that simple when you've got mountains of stuff to take on holiday with kids. We pack our Grand Scenic full, plus a sizeable roof box. No way that's being dragged onto trains whilst coralling a stroppy 7 year old and a toddler through London transferring from Liverpool Street to Paddington.
I found the Sleeper is your friend for stroppy 7 year olds - sleeping for majority of the journey has to be the best way to travel to Cornwall (and pretty Covid safe in your own cabin for the anxious)
 

trebor79

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Down here in Cornwall we are so excited & can't wait for all the Grand Scenics and big 4x4s with roof boxes to arrive on our roads and country lanes this summer :D:D:D
It'll remain on the drive of the rented holiday home for the majority of our stay :)

I found the Sleeper is your friend for stroppy 7 year olds - sleeping for majority of the journey has to be the best way to travel to Cornwall (and pretty Covid safe in your own cabin for the anxious)
Yeah. But luggage!
 

Mag_seven

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Just a reminder that this is a Traction and Rolling Stock thread discussing the Night Riviera rolling stock.

Thanks :)
 

PHILIPE

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A first last night, I think. 1A50 2145 Penzance to Paddington terminated at Didcot Parkway due to the fact there was no top and tail loco available at Reading to haul the formation back from Paddington to Reading. This move was made to enable the the train loco (57306) to haul the stock straight into Reading Depot without the need for any reversal.
 

43 302

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A first last night, I think. 1A50 2145 Penzance to Paddington terminated at Didcot Parkway due to the fact there was no top and tail loco available at Reading to haul the formation back from Paddington to Reading. This move was made to enable the the train loco (57306) to haul the stock straight into Reading Depot without the need for any reversal.
I think 57306 was supposed to be that loco but due to a failure on Long Rock it got sent down to haul 1A50?
 

Horizon22

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Better than having your service replaced by an IET! - has happened a couple of times; one time a couple of weeks back when the loco failed at Penzance.
 

Horizon22

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What happens to people with rooms when the service is changed to an IET?

They presumably get a significant discount and are plonked in 1st class as the best alternative. Some are given a hotel for the night and a day train. The last couple of times it's happened passenger numbers have barely been in double digits.
 

fgwrich

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A first last night, I think. 1A50 2145 Penzance to Paddington terminated at Didcot Parkway due to the fact there was no top and tail loco available at Reading to haul the formation back from Paddington to Reading. This move was made to enable the the train loco (57306) to haul the stock straight into Reading Depot without the need for any reversal.

I'm surprised it wasn't cancelled at Reading, which would have been more convenient for the passengers. Surely the 08 is still there, and if not, a Run round wouldn't have been too difficult?
 

FGW_DID

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I think 57306 was supposed to be that loco but due to a failure on Long Rock it got sent down to haul 1A50?

Correct.

I'm surprised it wasn't cancelled at Reading, which would have been more convenient for the passengers. Surely the 08 is still there, and if not, a Run round wouldn't have been too difficult?

No, the 08 at Reading is long gone. They can run the Loco round in the station, they did it with the evenings down Sleeper which started at Reading. At that time of the morning though it would have caused some issues in the station with all the empty stock coming off the depot.
 

paulwestwood

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A couple of weeks ago they terminated the up sleeper at Swindon as we were not allowed to Terminate at Reading and carry out the run round, everyone then had to travel in the first IET.
,
 

Sleepy

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A couple of weeks ago they terminated the up sleeper at Swindon as we were not allowed to Terminate at Reading and carry out the run round, everyone then had to travel in the first IET.
,
Tonight the Up service will terminate at Reading, shame they can't hire in a loco given it's a known problem tonight.
 

47827

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Tonight the Up service will terminate at Reading, shame they can't hire in a loco given it's a known problem tonight.

Sign of the times. The service was much easier to maintain in/out of Paddington when Old Oak Common was its home during the day. All manner of things happened over the years, including back to back hst power cars and 08s acting as empty stock traction. A few years after 57s took over, 47s reappeared on the ECS moves too (with rare runs on the passenger legs too as a result). Now we have a loco hauled train that has to fit around the current network and so these situations are considered normal whenever it can't be run top and tailed with 57s into Paddington.
 

HamworthyGoods

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Surely it can propel back out from Paddington into Royal Oak Sidings and run round there?
 

Ashley Hill

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That would be logical as propelling happens at PZ but it won't happen at PAD. There's been talk of it terminating at Didcot to save running round at Reading so it can go straight to shed.
 

HamworthyGoods

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That would be logical as propelling happens at PZ but it won't happen at PAD. There's been talk of it terminating at Didcot to save running round at Reading so it can go straight to shed.

Any reason why propelling can’t happen at Paddington?
 

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