birthday sleeper treat spoilt!

[whole diary]

[bigdaz]

I travel down first class today from BAW to PNZ and had a very pleasant journey and filled with excitement at travelling on the sleeper back tonight ! Only 57 Tintagel Castle decides it can't provide EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) for the births so the up Night Riviera is cancelled. Some 45 mins late, we're all transferred onto an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) which, I assume would normally berth overnight in platform 1 at PNZ! I'm now the next 7 hours in First Class with a family of 3 children lights glowing like Blackpool luminations and there an expection that I might be able to sleep? It is 2256 and we're just leaving Redruth! Grrrrr!

[Mookiemoo]

I travel down first class today from BAW to PNZ and had a very pleasant journey and filled with excitement at travelling on the sleeper back tonight ! Only 57 Tintagel Castle decides it can't provide EMT^» (East Midlands Trains - about) for the births so the up Night Riviera is cancelled. Some 45 mins late, we're all transferred onto an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) which, I assume would normally berth overnight in platform 1 at PNZ! I'm now the next 7 hours in First Class with a family of 3 children lights glowing like Blackpool luminations and there an expection that I might be able to sleep? It is 2256 and we're just leaving Redruth! Grrrrr!

Thank godI chose the 13th even though I lost a pencil case and phone as on speaking to unofficlal sources - you never get anything back from OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot))

[devon_metro]

604 is a heap!

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm very sorry to hear about your disappointing experience, bigdaz, on what should have been a happy half-term holiday.

Chris. 

[chrisoates]

57604 is Pendennis Castle.
Tintagel Castle is 57603.

Is that a heap too   

[jester]

Some 45 mins late, we're all transferred onto an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) which, I assume would normally berth overnight in platform 1 at PNZ

No, all trains go to the depot for overnight servicing and cleaning, ready for the next day! Lucky they must have got another one for the morning...

[bigdaz]

Credit where credit is due, the sleeper coaches arrived into Pl 4 at PNZ at c19h30 and led by a class 08 shunter.  57603 arrived about 20h00 and the problem was very quickly picked up on an there must have been 4-6 fitters on site trying desperately to remedy the problem. 

But most of all, praise must go to the on-board staff and duty station manager.  They empathised and did everything in their power to do what was necessary.  The Duty Manager was on the phone to control asking if we could take the HST^▸ (High Speed Train), the stewards were then handing out pampering packs, offering complementary refreshments by the bucketload! 

I DIDN'T sleep well    - although, that said, I vaguely remember seeing Liskard and didn't wake again until we stopped at Swindon (  surprising as I thought we would be booked on the Berks and Hants) where there appeared to be a crewing change at about 03h15.  We then arrived at Reading at 3.45am where we waited for our 05h13 departure.  (This again  confused me, since Reading on this service is a setting down point, why couldn't we motor on to Pad and done with it - surely it wouldn't have been exactly that busy or full at silly'o'clock in the morning?)

On arrival at PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) we were STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to go and have breakfast in the 1st Class Lounge - and very nice it was too!   

The on-board staff also handed out the compensation forms so that we could apply for our refunds! 

[JayMac]

Well I guess with the age of the 57s there will be occasional problems. Just a shame that it's not economically viable for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to have a stand-by Thunderbird or Class 67 down in the far south-west.

As to the route you took, the Night Riviera can and does go via many different routes - perhaps the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) substitution was also behind the Swindon crew change.

Top marks, by the sounds of it, go to all the staff involved. I trust a letter/email will be winging its way to FGW Towers, both to highlight the disappointment at not being able to sleep horizontally (!) and to praise the staff response.

[chrisoates]

In Dawlish mid afternoon today and the sleeper plus Tintagel Castle were dragged to London by Pendennis Castle.

 

[bigdaz]

I hope that was a good sign, as many of the people booked on last night's UP sleeper were also again booked on the down sleeper tonight!  I am just wondering why

were dragged to London by Pendennis Castle.

and Tintagel Castle was not able to do it on it's own!!

[SDS]

Looking at CCLDB you arrived at RDG^‡(resolve) at 03:52 and 0452 at twyford. So must have left RDG slightly earlier!

It also got a very interesting routing on the system as well.
Normal to Taunton and Bristol TM^‡(resolve)
then Dr Days Jnc, Bristol PW^▸ (Permanent Way), wotton basset jnc, Swindon.
Arriving into Pad at 0535

However I suspect it didn't go that route as the system is reporting as "no log" between Taunton and WTNBSTJ.
will have a look on TRUST^▸ (Train Running System TOPS) later and see if that enlightens me.

[fatcontroller]

The Sleepers don't have a crew change at Swindon.

They pick up London & Thames Valley Traincrew who live in Swindon to avoid them having to drive to work.

Especially when Staff Car Parking is going to be severly limited at Reading with the rebuilding works.

[SDS]

Thats good of FGW^▸ (First Great Western), a SSO to pick up staff. Theres a special code for that in the WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table).

[Super Guard]

The Swindon stop for staff pickup happens quite frequently depending on the route the Sleeper takes.

FYI^▸ (for your information) Exeter is the only TM^‡(resolve) depot that signs sleeper stock.

[anthony215]

I have been lucky in that i have never had any problems when i have used the  fgw sleeper service.

Every time i have used the service i have arrived in London paddington at 05:20-05:25.

 As for the routing the 1st time i used it the trains was routed from Taunton to Westbury then via Melksham to Swindon & Reading where we arrived at 04:22, When i last used in in March 2010 we went direct via the Berk & Hanst and arrived into Reading at 04:00 where we waited til 04:45