Night Riviera - merged posts, ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Down sleeper a connecting service via Reading last night/this morning.
Better than nothing, but changing at Reading is a significant disincentive if compared to taking refreshment in the lounge at Paddington, and then going to bed before departure.

Not necessarily.

Get an earlier train to Reading, nip into the Greyfriar (couple of minutes from the station), enjoy the far superior refreshment, then stroll/stagger back to the station to pick up the train! No problem sleeping then! 

[bobm]

Issue was the third loco which is used to haul the empty stock to London. It then normally returns to Reading on the down service before being detached. It is then coupled to the up service when it arrives before hauling that train back to Reading depot from Paddington.

Terminating the up service at Didcot meant it could run into the depot from the west with no reversal.

[TaplowGreen]

Down/Up sleeper starting/terminating at Reading again tonight.

[Sleepy]

Why Didcot last night but Reading on the Up service tonight ??

[phile]

Why Didcot last night but Reading on the Up service tonight ??

`

ROGs 57310 has been sent to help out but probably only able to run on and off Reading Depot.

[bobm]

Another reason why the single line through Melksham needs doubling 

Last night's down sleeper was held at Didcot Parkway and delayed for around 45 minutes.   As a result it meant the up sleeper had to wait at Bradford Junction for it to clear the single line.  As usual with the sleeper timings, both services were on time at their final destinations.

[bobm]

Disruption likely to the down sleeper tonight.   Unfortunately the empty stock running up to Paddington has been involved in a fatality at Slough.

[TaplowGreen]

Disruption likely to the down sleeper tonight.   Unfortunately the empty stock running up to Paddington has been involved in a fatality at Slough.

It was terminated at Plymouth this morning - did they use the sleeper stock or was it an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) as a result of the suicide at Slough?

[grahame]

Disruption likely to the down sleeper tonight.   Unfortunately the empty stock running up to Paddington has been involved in a fatality at Slough.

It was terminated at Plymouth this morning - did they use the sleeper stock or was it an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) as a result of the suicide at Slough?

Understand it was an IET. Fatality at Slough not confirmed as being suicide, though statistically likely.

[bobm]

Yes it must have been an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train).   The empty sleeper stock was returned to Reading after being released by the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police).   The up service was also terminated at Reading.

[bobm]

Apparently some sleeper passengers were offered hotel accommodation in London last night and then first class travel to their destination today.

[Richard Fairhurst]

On Friday/Saturday I took my first trip on the Night Riviera, returning from Penzance after a week away. (I'd cycled there, from Gloucester, but that was enough for one holiday!) A few disconnected jottings...

There were three of us: me, Mrs F, and Junior (aged five). I was in a solo room, while Mrs F and Junior were sharing a room. Their initial room had a small issue where the bin unit had come away from the wall, leaving the sharp edges exposed. In theory it just needed locking back up with a T-key, but that didn't work for some reason - possibly due to the T-key lock being glued on, and the glue having expired. I suggested it could be duck-taped on, but instead the TM^‡(resolve) offered to move Mrs F and Junior to the larger, disabled-friendly room in the next carriage - definitely not going to refuse!

That aside, the train was really well presented; a cut above my '90s memories of Caley Sleeper Bargain Berths (although, of course, that's been significantly poshified since).

It didn't seem very busy, which surprised me, because Cornwall certainly was. We'd cycled along the Camel Trail to Padstow one day... mein gott; the town was beyond rammed. It showed on the roads - I'd encountered a lot of really clueless shiny Chelsea tractor drivers on the narrow lanes - but sadly not on the sleeper. A handful of passengers appeared to get on at the stations after Penzance, but even so, I was expecting it to be busier. The seated carriages, in particular, appeared to be pretty much empty.

The aircon was set too high, and my room was a bit too chilly, even for someone who regularly sleeps in a narrowboat. I was slightly surprised there wasn't a temperature control in the room, or at least, not one I could find. Mrs F+Junior's room in the other carriage was a pleasant temperature.

There were four bike spaces - I think I was the only person to use one. They're hang-up spaces like on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train), but mercifully, much less cramped.

I slept well - I've always found the gentle rocking motion of a sleeper train soothing. In fact, the train's long stop at Reading clearly made something in my subconscious think "oh, we must be there now", which meant I was awake from 04.20ish onwards. Junior slept beautifully - he didn't even need a bedtime story, though to be fair he doesn't usually go to bed at 21.45!

The staff were superb - friendly, efficient, and just right at cajoling weary travellers out of their bunks early in the morning.

For breakfast, the bacon baguette was unexpectedly good (Junior thought so too). The coffee really wasn't. It was a weird concoction where you get a cup of hot water and some granules, and you pour the granules into the water. I am very far from being a coffee snob (I drink instant 95% of the time), but that was easily the worst coffee I've ever tasted - I honestly don't think I'd have identified it as coffee if I hadn't known.

We spent the morning in London, because Junior wanted to see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, before returning to Charlbury in the afternoon. I hadn't booked a bike space for the onward journey to Charlbury, so attempted to do so from my phone while sitting in St James' Park. Bad idea. Both the new GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) booking interface and the old MixingDeck failed in new and exciting ways every time I tried. Eventually I gave up and cycled back to Paddington, where the booking office sorted it out in no time. (London's newish segregated cycleways made the short journey a pleasant, safe experience.)

Lunch at the Mad Bishop and Bear at Paddington. I've just about recovered from the exorbitant cost of three drinks, two sandwiches and a kids' burger. But that's London for you.

Overall, we were all impressed; we'd very happily take the Night Riviera again. But next time I'll bring my own coffee.

[bobm]

Interesting to get someone else's view on the Night Riviera.

At its "standard" setting I often find the berth a bit too cold for my taste.  I usually adjust it before going to the lounge car to get a drink and snack.   The control is at head height above the sink.

You can see it around 10'25" in this video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zglmNaB94AM

As for the Mad Bishop and Bear.  It is not well advertised but if you have a Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) membership you can get 10% off draught beer, lager or cider there as well as other pubs around the country.  You also get £30 of vouchers for use at Wetherspoons and other outlets.   Using them soon offsets the £28.50 annual membership.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Oh, that's interesting! Definitely hadn't spotted that. I guess I've been conditioned over the years not to touch anything remotely near an "Emergency Exit" sign...

I wonder if a little leaflet for passengers, along the lines of "here's where you'll find things", would help first-time travellers like me.

[broadgage]

Oh, that's interesting! Definitely hadn't spotted that. I guess I've been conditioned over the years not to touch anything remotely near an "Emergency Exit" sign...

I wonder if a little leaflet for passengers, along the lines of "here's where you'll find things", would help first-time travellers like me.

That would be VERY last year.
The correct modern way to adjust the temperature would be via a complicated "app" that requires multiple passwords and navigating a multi layer menu. A loud beeping should signify that the app has successfully communicated with the control.
For best results there should be a random chance of also altering the temperature in the next room, and causing a similarly loud beep in that room.
As an improvement, cause the temperature to auto reset to "too cold" at say Plymouth in order that the customer may "re-confirm" the previously selected temperature is still required. This will improve customer service.

Think of the marketing opportunities ! anyone selecting "warmer" can be bombarded with adverts for thermal underwear, blankets and tropical holidays.