Great Western Railway: on-board catering, buffets, Travelling Chef, Pullman - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

I hope to take lunch on the latter of the two up Pullmans on Friday 17 November, boarding at Taunton, 14-24.
Will I have the honour of meeting any forum members on the train ?

I might also be taking dinner the same day on the Golden Hind, departing Paddington at 18-03.

Hopefully, a sufficiency of port will be available.

I hope you enjoy the meal(s).  Having travelled back from Cornwall recently it struck me how atrocious the ride quality is at many locations after Exeter.  Might be advisable to bring along some blu-tak to stick your port glass to the table with!

[Timmer]

Just been served with a coffee from the trolley on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) ... and learning a little about the catering.

Coffee - £2.30, instant.   The price list on the side of the trolley says "Tea, Coffee .... £2.10" but when I proffered my £2.10, the word "from" on the top of the column was pointed out - it's tea that's £2.10.  Coffee is £2.30.

I enquired about rumours of a better coffee being available on the trolley in comparison to the buffet - it's the same in Standard class, but they do have a filter coffee available too - "on trial".  You need to ask for it though (and I didn't know it was available at the point I ordered), so I suspect they'll find limited demand.

I have a feeling the buffet will be much missed by many both on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and VTEC once the High Speed Trains (HST^▸ (High Speed Train))s finish their service on these lines.

Still, we can always head up to Scotland for a reminder of the good old days once they start their new life on the mainlines up there. The good rail travelling folk of Scotland who regularly travel between the major cities will see a huge improvement from the current 170 DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) to an Intercity standard train.


Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[IndustryInsider]

VTEC IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are having a buffet fitted IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly)?

[stuving]

VTEC IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) are having a buffet fitted IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly)?

I think they still do promise to provide - actually they call them "shops". And of course they also call the trains Azumas^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER), not IETs.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Having travelled back from Cornwall recently it struck me how atrocious the ride quality is at many locations after Exeter.  Might be advisable to bring along some blu-tak to stick your port glass to the table with!

Other brands of sticky-back-plastic are available. 

[broadgage]

I hope to take lunch on the latter of the two up Pullmans on Friday 17 November, boarding at Taunton, 14-24.
Will I have the honour of meeting any forum members on the train ?

I might also be taking dinner the same day on the Golden Hind, departing Paddington at 18-03.

Hopefully, a sufficiency of port will be available.

I hope you enjoy the meal(s).  Having travelled back from Cornwall recently it struck me how atrocious the ride quality is at many locations after Exeter.  Might be advisable to bring along some blu-tak to stick your port glass to the table with!

If there is any port , that is. Supplies have been a bit lacking on recent trips.

[bobm]

Having travelled back from Cornwall recently it struck me how atrocious the ride quality is at many locations after Exeter.  Might be advisable to bring along some blu-tak to stick your port glass to the table with!

I have certainly noticed a worsening of the ride quality on the Berks & Hants.  It has also been commented on by the staff.  One suggestion I have heard is that the opportunities to work on the track have been reduced as it is needed as diversionary route while the electrification continues on the GW^▸ (Great Western) Mainline.

[bobm]

A video report from the Paul's Trip Report series featuring a Pullman meal and the original green HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set.

[TonyK]

I think they still do promise to provide - actually they call them "shops". And of course they also call the trains Azumas^▸ (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER), not IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train).

I'll Azuma shop on the train, then.

[broadgage]

Just been served with a coffee from the trolley on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) ... and learning a little about the catering.

Coffee - £2.30, instant.   The price list on the side of the trolley says "Tea, Coffee .... £2.10" but when I proffered my £2.10, the word "from" on the top of the column was pointed out - it's tea that's £2.10.  Coffee is £2.30.

I enquired about rumours of a better coffee being available on the trolley in comparison to the buffet - it's the same in Standard class, but they do have a filter coffee available too - "on trial".  You need to ask for it though (and I didn't know it was available at the point I ordered), so I suspect they'll find limited demand.

Sounds to me as though you were part of a trial to prove that a better coffee is not wanted or needed.
"We originally intended to offer an upgraded coffee choice as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However market research and trials showed no demand, given the choice, most customers selected the improved instant coffee."

[1st fan]

Just been served with a coffee from the trolley on an IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) ... and learning a little about the catering.

Coffee - £2.30, instant.   The price list on the side of the trolley says "Tea, Coffee .... £2.10" but when I proffered my £2.10, the word "from" on the top of the column was pointed out - it's tea that's £2.10.  Coffee is £2.30.

I enquired about rumours of a better coffee being available on the trolley in comparison to the buffet - it's the same in Standard class, but they do have a filter coffee available too - "on trial".  You need to ask for it though (and I didn't know it was available at the point I ordered), so I suspect they'll find limited demand.

Sounds to me as though you were part of a trial to prove that a better coffee is not wanted or needed.
"We originally intended to offer an upgraded coffee choice as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However market research and trials showed no demand, given the choice, most customers selected the improved instant coffee."

"We originally intended to offer an upgraded coffee choice as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However market research and trials showed no demand, given the choice, most customers selected the improved instant coffee."

"We downgraded the choice of coffee available from a choice of freshly brewed Americano, Cappuccino, Cafe Latte & Espresso on the High Speed Trains (HST^▸ (High Speed Train)) to a cup of instant on our new trains. We then trialed something slightly better than instant as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However the travelling public showed no demand, "when the choice was there (although not promoted by staff)", most customers selected the instant coffee."

Fixed it for you. 



edit: VickiS - clarifying Acronym

[grahame]

"We downgraded the choice of coffee available from a choice of freshly brewed Americano, Cappuccino, Cafe Latte & Espresso on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to a cup of instant on our new trains. We then trialed something slightly better than instant as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However the travelling public showed no demand, given the choice, most customers selected the instant coffee."

Can't agree with that - the catering team are not offering the choice. I only knew of the alternative because I said I'd heard there was to be coffee better-than-instant, and they then admitted to its presence.

[broadgage]

Obviously the trial or survey is being well managed in order to produce the correct result.
Perhaps a similar methodology to that used to prove that buffets were no longer wanted, that research was done AFTER the new DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) had been specified without a buffet. So it was pretty clear what result was required.

[1st fan]

"We downgraded the choice of coffee available from a choice of freshly brewed Americano, Cappuccino, Cafe Latte & Espresso on the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to a cup of instant on our new trains. We then trialed something slightly better than instant as part our new at seat service, available to all customers. However the travelling public showed no demand, given the choice, most customers selected the instant coffee."

Can't agree with that - the catering team are not offering the choice. I only knew of the alternative because I said I'd heard there was to be coffee better-than-instant, and they then admitted to its presence.

I was merely updating the slightly tongue in cheek statement made by Broadgage. Having read your post I will alter mine to put the "given the choice" in quotation marks to reflect the actual situation. There are trolleys out there that can offer proper freshly brewed coffee from a machine. Ben Rule on this very site made the suggestion that the trolleys would be more sophisticated:

There are plenty of more sophisticated trolleys on the market that keep things hot, and keep things cool, and even serve a proper cup of coffee. A quick google will give you some idea.

Yes there are like this one https://www.ceka.ch/files/medien/bilder/Branchen/ceka-minibar-03.jpg (it wasn't a quick Google though) but I don't see that happening [at the moment] from what's been posted on here. Maybe there are new trolleys on the way that weren't available for the start of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) service and I'm being unkind to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). Somehow I doubt it. 

[JayMac]

Maybe there are new trolleys on the way that weren't available for the start of the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) service and I'm being unkind to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). Somehow I doubt it. 

You're right to doubt. The trolleys on the IETs are supplied by Hitachi. Whether they are modular and can take a 'proper' coffee dispenser, I know not. And whether that option is a choice GWR have decided against I also know not.

The trolley comestibles are down to GWR. At least Hitachi (cf DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)) aren't specifying the flavour of crisps stocked. About the only thing they haven't specified though.