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CAF to build new LHCS for Caledonian Sleeper


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The Class 92 is most likely at Brush Loughborough, a few Class 92 have been moving between Edinburgh and Doncaster over the last few weeks, most photos are at York

 

The Class 73 is most likely at Craigentinny, press photography 17 January

Edited by mjkerr
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I’m sure that’ll make the marshalling at Edinburgh/Carstairs easier for all involved!

Does anyone know where that photo is taken? I didn’t think Polmadie shed went as far as the BabcockSwietelsky maintenance shed at the far end?

The photo of the 73 hooked upto the coaches is at Polmadie, all the static test and commissioning is being carried out there followed by dynamic testing out on the mainline.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

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Just passed Polmaide by train and it looks as if about half the fleet have had branding applied with large bodyside ‘antlers’. Similar to the new livery applied to the Mk2s.

 

Probably also worth mentioning the entire fleet of Mk5s have been banned from Network Rail following a concern about the saftey of the bogies. This includes TPE Mk5As.

 

Edit: I understand this ban has been lifted and TPE test runs/driver training has continued with the coaches, rather than just a 68.

Edited by cal.n
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I am unconvinced by the stylised Stags Horns branding as it looks like you are getting two fingers!

I'm not keen on it going over the windows like that either. And the lounge car looks rather less appealing than the current one.

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There’s very little chance of reuse for sleepers, unlike day stock, and they’re due major exams. So rather than pay for exams or siding storage Porterbrook are sending them straight to the scrappers. GWR might take a small handful, but AFAIK 8 coaches is about as much as the Night Riviera can handle due to its intermediate stops, so adding another sleeper or two is unlikely. There was talk of an internal Scottish sleeper from Glasgow/Edinburgh up to Thurso to link up with the Orkneys, and this being tried with Mk3s to see if it’s viable. But I’m not sure how far that proposal has got, or if it’s a lot of got air.

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There’s very little chance of reuse for sleepers, unlike day stock, and they’re due major exams. So rather than pay for exams or siding storage Porterbrook are sending them straight to the scrappers. GWR might take a small handful, but AFAIK 8 coaches is about as much as the Night Riviera can handle due to its intermediate stops, so adding another sleeper or two is unlikely. There was talk of an internal Scottish sleeper from Glasgow/Edinburgh up to Thurso to link up with the Orkneys, and this being tried with Mk3s to see if it’s viable. But I’m not sure how far that proposal has got, or if it’s a lot of got air.

I suppose some might get donated to preserved railways as additional staff accommodation but I agree that the majority are going to be a making a one way trip to Rotherham.

 

I find it difficult to envisage a sleeper service from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Thurso mainly for operational reasons. If it was to serve Inverness, I wonder what platform it would use to reverse as I’m pretty sure those for far north services, the platforms are very short. Also it would have to reverse again at Georgemas Junction to gain access to Thurso, so top and tailing would be needed.

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There are run round facilities at Georgemas, so it wouldn’t HAVE to be top and tail, although I know the modern railway is very adverse to such ‘traditional’ practices. It’s not like there’d be a time pressure, plenty of time to run round if needed. But I guess the sleeper could go to wick, it’s whichever is handier for the ferries really.

One way in which I could see the internal sleeper working is if it was motorail. It’s an awfully long drive up to Wick/Thurso, over not brilliant roads. If they could price it similar to the cost of fuel up to there plus an hotel in Inverness, say £150 or £200 for a family of four, i expect it’d be busy. I’ve no idea if that’d be a viable business case, how much does it cost to run a train?

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A far north sleeper probably wouldn't need to serve Inverness. If it is to arrive at either end at a sensible time then it would be passing at about 3am. There's day trains either way from Inverness to Thurso and Edinburgh/ Glasgow, and who will want to leave or arrive on either journey in the middle of the night?

 

Failing that, would a propelling move out of Inverness be beyond the pale? You wouldn't do it for mile after mile, but a safe way of working a move like that must exist, or be creatable.

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A far north sleeper probably wouldn't need to serve Inverness. If it is to arrive at either end at a sensible time then it would be passing at about 3am. There's day trains either way from Inverness to Thurso and Edinburgh/ Glasgow, and who will want to leave or arrive on either journey in the middle of the night?

 

Failing that, would a propelling move out of Inverness be beyond the pale? You wouldn't do it for mile after mile, but a safe way of working a move like that must exist, or be creatable.

 

Must be a few DVT's off hire somewhere!

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Must be a few DVT's off hire somewhere!

I'm not going to comment on the sensibleness of running it in the first place, but if you had a need for reversals that's not a bad idea, especially as the van space would undoubtedly be useful for bikes and possibly some parcels traffic, and you wouldn't need to include an even older Mk2 brake.

 

Would mean no need to runround at Georgemas either....

 

 

 

 

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Are they not thistles? Rather than stag horns?

They’re stag horns. Two on the left to represent the two destinations of the lowland sleeper (Glasgow and Edinburgh ), and three on the right to represent the highland sleeper (Fort Bill, Inverness and Aberdeen). In the centre you can see a stag sitting on top of the Caledonian sleeper branding.

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OP. Why not call them carriages? I just wasted two minutes to learn that LHCS means Locomotive hauled coaching stock!

That’s because LHCS is the railway technical terminology for coaching stock. Carriages, Cars etc is a generic slang term used by the travelling public and a lot of railway staff. I got a major b******ing by the instructor when I was training as a driver for calling coaching stock “carriages”.

Edited by jools1959
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