Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Southern Stag]

SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) is fitted and used at Hayle and Lostwithiel, probably a couple more stations when running as load 8 or on the rare occasion it runs as load 9.

[laird]

I've also seen it used Penzance bound at Reading to allow a pre-boarding ticket check.
A good idea unfortunately I'd placed myself on the platform ready to board the sleeper and go straight to my berth thus I had to walk back to the guard but once he was sure I had a ticket the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was released and I was then able to walk along the platform to join at the rearmost door thus saving a trip along the narrow corridor with my bag.

[bobm]

I have seen that done at Reading too. I always assumed it was to enforce the pick up only rule at Reading.

[The Tall Controller]

Thanks all! I find it amusing that the guard still uses a lamp to communicate with the driver when ready to depart. I would certainly use the sleeper again if I had the money/time to book it!

[Super Guard]

Is the sleeper often sold out ?
If so perhaps an extra sleeper coach could be provided ?
That would presumably bring in more revenue at little extra cost.
I would presume that the locomotive could easily keep to time with the extra load in view of the modest average speed at which the sleeper runs.

Don't know about the down train from Exeter onwards but 1A40 is quite smartly timed between Penzance and Plymouth. You'd struggle with load 9 and platforming the train becomes more critical as well.

Running the engine off at each platform and SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening)'ing from the rear as necessary would not be a problem for 9, although some may disagree... 

[The SprinterMeister]

Thanks all! I find it amusing that the guard still uses a lamp to communicate with the driver when ready to depart.

As niether the 57/6 or the stock has driver / guard communications how do you think the guard communicates with the driver?
 

Traditional railway work!

[Oxman]

And no whistles used either! So the sleepers aren't disturbed.

[Tim]

A Sleeper Attendant is required for each 2 sleeper coaches,

Is this a H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) requirement or is it just because an attendant is needed to unlock the compartment doors?   If the latter one would have thought that in this day and age staff productivity might have been improved by fitting key-card locks?


Edit note: Quote marks fixed. CfN. 

[Umberleigh]

Wondered that myself, all the Sleeper crew are fab, but does paying someone to sit in a 'cupboard' and read a paperback all night make economic sense?

Certainly a 50-bed hotel would have just one night porter, although I do appreciate your average 3 star doesn't do 75mph...

[ellendune]

Does this go back to the fatl fire on a sleeper in the west many years ago?

[Super Guard]

Wondered that myself, all the Sleeper crew are fab, but does paying someone to sit in a 'cupboard' and read a paperback all night make economic sense?

Certainly a 50-bed hotel would have just one night porter, although I do appreciate your average 3 star doesn't do 75mph...

I think you are being very harsh...

Does one night porter have an hour to check 50 rooms in? Do night porters serve 50 breakfasts at varying times to suit the customer?  Does a night porter clear/wash/tidy/stack all the crockery/cutlery of 50 passengers in the short time the staff have in the morning? (The sleeper doesn't hang round in Paddington/Penzance for long once the majority get off).  Does a night porter make 50 wakeup calls?

If the crew work one way, they are on for nearly 12 hours.. they are probably due a break too, when do you suggest this is taken?

[JayMac]

Does one night porter have an hour to check 50 rooms in? Do night porters serve 50 breakfasts at varying times to suit the customer?  Does a night porter clear/wash/tidy/stack all the crockery/cutlery of 50 passengers in the short time the staff have in the morning? (The sleeper doesn't hang round in Paddington/Penzance for long once the majority get off).  Does a night porter make 50 wakeup calls?

If the crew work one way, they are on for nearly 12 hours.. they are probably due a break too, when do you suggest this is taken?

Having been a night porter in a 102 room hotel, total capacity around 180 guests sleeping (we had some single rooms) I think I'm qualified to answer that. I've checked in up to 60 guests at once, with no other attendants to help me. I've prepared and delivered room services breakfasts to 50+ guests between 0430-0830. Attended to guests pulling a late one at the bar. I had to clean a large lounge area and other public areas nightly, clear and set up meeting rooms, clean and re-stock a bar, prepare and serve food from a 24 hour menu, do a nightly systems audit, perform three security rounds of the entire property and be a first aider and bouncer when necessary. And I did all that in 10 hours often without time for a proper 30 minute break as entitled. Thank god I didn't have the additional deeply onerous task of knocking on up to 24 doors to do wake-up calls. That was an automated service through the TV^▸ (Thames Valley) system.

You appear to be saying that one person does what they do for 50 berths on the sleeper. I count 28 berths in two carriages on the Night Riviera. The last time I travelled on the sleeper the attendant for my coach was indeed sat in their cupboard reading a book. Must have been on their break.

State the safety case by all means, but the roles required of a sleeper attendant for 28 berths in 12 hours appear to be a doddle to me. I bet they are paid a darn sight more than the average hotel porter as well.

[eightf48544]

You are aiming in the wrong direction bignosemac you should be campaining for hotel porters to earn the same as sleeping car attendants.

But then you'd be up against the CBI and the government who would be complaining that for the profitability of the business they can't really afford to pay the minimum wage let alone any more.
 

[JayMac]

The pay issue was a postscript.

I just wanted to point out to Super Guard what this former hotel porter had to do on a regular basis. Yes I had quiet nights but none where I was only responsible for only 28 guests.

[Super Guard]

Does one night porter have an hour to check 50 rooms in? Do night porters serve 50 breakfasts at varying times to suit the customer?  Does a night porter clear/wash/tidy/stack all the crockery/cutlery of 50 passengers in the short time the staff have in the morning? (The sleeper doesn't hang round in Paddington/Penzance for long once the majority get off).  Does a night porter make 50 wakeup calls?

If the crew work one way, they are on for nearly 12 hours.. they are probably due a break too, when do you suggest this is taken?

Having been a night porter in a 102 room hotel, total capacity around 180 guests sleeping (we had some single rooms) I think I'm qualified to answer that. I've checked in up to 60 guests at once, with no other attendants to help me. I've prepared and delivered room services breakfasts to 50+ guests between 0430-0830. Attended to guests pulling a late one at the bar. I had to clean a large lounge area and other public areas nightly, clear and set up meeting rooms, clean and re-stock a bar, prepare and serve food from a 24 hour menu, do a nightly systems audit, perform three security rounds of the entire property and be a first aider and bouncer when necessary. And I did all that in 10 hours often without time for a proper 30 minute break as entitled. Thank god I didn't have the additional deeply onerous task of knocking on up to 24 doors to do wake-up calls. That was an automated service through the TV^▸ (Thames Valley) system.

You appear to be saying that one person does what they do for 50 berths on the sleeper. I count 28 berths in two carriages on the Night Riviera. The last time I travelled on the sleeper the attendant for my coach was indeed sat in their cupboard reading a book. Must have been on their break.

State the safety case by all means, but the roles required of a sleeper attendant for 28 berths in 12 hours appear to be a doddle to me. I bet they are paid a darn sight more than the average hotel porter as well.

The suggestion was that 1 sleeper attendant could do more than 2 coaches, so 4 coaches would be 56 berths and therefore higher than the quoted 50.

While I respect your experience, I work the Sleeper regularly, so therefore see how much work and time pressure is put on the hosts at certain points of the shift, even though there is the obvious quiet spell throughout the night when everyone is (hopefully) asleep!

I imagine there is an over-riding safety agreement, incase of fire/evacuation.

As I stated previously, while extra staffing is one issue, which could be easily solved (hire more staff), I think the lack of sleeper berth rolling stock is actually the biggest problem.