CALEDONIAN SLEEPER - Class 67, Class 86, Class 87 and Class 92.

[surfsup]

86101 has now sucessfully worked enough 16 coach services without blowing its ETS fuse to be accepted as an alternative, although this might change if the load is particularly high during hot or cold weather.

Indeed so, in fact it worked another trip this week to Glasgow and back. I've just rather happily had 92018 (No issues) and 47815 & 87002 back (No issues either, although the Glasgow passengers did receive a lucky upgrade after their seated coach was declared a failure!). That Caledonian Sleeper livery really is starting to grow on me too, having now seen all 3 Electrics in them.

 

For reference, 47812 has currently been working the Central ECS to Polmadie workings this week, with 47815 doing the Carstairs to Edinburgh portions. It's Nice to have found no less than 4 47s in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the past few days, let alone one of my ex GW ones up there!

[298]

Another first, at about 03.30 on the 26th August just north of Wigan, 87002 passed 86101- the first time both locos were working class 1 sleepers on the same night.

[Talltim]

According to post a couple of days ago on WNXX the 92s aren't to be used on the sleepers until an issue (unspecified) is resolved

[mjkerr]

Issues with the Class 92 loco is due to an electrical threshold which has been overlooked in passenger use, after overhaul
The locos are currently being modified, with one completed so far, and so far so good

As an interim solution five Class 90 have been hired from Freightliner
Two of them are now in use
One will be located in the Crewe area as a spare from next week
This will then allow the Class 86 and 87 locos to return to ECS duties
One Class 47 will also be provided spare in the Glasgow area over the winter period

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Thank you very much for the information.

 

Very interesting to hear that they are hiring five Class 90s from Freightliner. Considering Freightliner only have ten in total and five are been hired it will be interesting to see if any of the traction for intermodal trains changes temporarily whilst they are on hire.

[simon47603]

There has been a grey Class 90 stabled at Waverley this week. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get close enough to get the number.

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

90043

[simon47603]

Thanks for that.

 

I was in Edinburgh for a short break. Plenty of units. Unfortunately no 26's, Large Logo 37's or 47/7's, then again I was 30 years to late!

 

I did catch a glimpse of the sleeper late on Wednesday night as it was waiting to leave. Though again I didn't get the number as the train was packed!

Simon

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Do you know what class of loco was working the sleeper on Wednesday night and did you see the livery?

[simon47603]

Unfortunately no. I only saw the rear of the train. And I sat then on the wrong side of my train! I couldn't make out what loco was on the front of it. However I've just had a look on Locoscene and 86101 was on Wembley yard on Wednesday afternoon. So quite possibly it was 87002.

[298]

Do you know what class of loco was working the sleeper on Wednesday night and did you see the livery?

1M16 - 67004 & 009 to EDI

1B01 - 67011

1B16 - 67030

 

1S25 - 90036

1S26 - 90045

1M11 - 87002

1M16 - 90043 ex EDI

 

5C11 - 92018

5M11 - 47815

[mjkerr]

Do you know what class of loco was working the sleeper on Wednesday night and did you see the livery?

Most likely 47815, Edinburgh to Carstairs

It has been doing this for the last two weeks

 

Can't remember whether I was at Carstairs on Tuesday or Wednesday night!

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Thank you both for the replies, it's very much appreciated.

 

I was asking to try and help Simon identify the loco haha but I am very pleased to know myself because it's always good to see which loco/s are working specific trains and diagrams.

[ajwffc]

Most likely 47815, Edinburgh to Carstairs

It has been doing this for the last two weeks

 

Can't remember whether I was at Carstairs on Tuesday or Wednesday night!

the 47 worked it on Tuesday as it passed me at  Wester Hailes 

[mjkerr]

Each visit I made to Carstairs over the last two weeks I keep getting 86101 or 92038

[D854_Tiger]

Each visit I made to Carstairs over the last two weeks I keep getting 86101 or 92038

 

One aspect of the new franchise sleeper operation, that seems to have passed unremarked, is that the Fort William portion now serves Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (pick up only), locomotive haulage previously being pretty rare down there.

[ajwffc]

One aspect of the new franchise sleeper operation, that seems to have passed unremarked, is that the Fort William portion now serves Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (pick up only), locomotive haulage previously being pretty rare down there.

That happened before the change over. It got changed to so the crews could learn the route before they shut Winchbrugh tunnel.  

[mjkerr]

One aspect of the new franchise sleeper operation, that seems to have passed unremarked, is that the Fort William portion now serves Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (pick up only), locomotive haulage previously being pretty rare down there.

Also set down northbound

 

I do miss the previous arrangement, via Croy southbound and via Cumbernauld (my local) northbound

I used to leave for work and often see it as I passed underneath at Gartcosh on the M73

 

However, when it first changed I wasn't aware, stood at Lenzie for nearly 40 minutes, then noticed "arrived at Edinburgh", oh dear!

[John Urquhart]

I can show you DVD of 2 37/0 struggling at WALKING speed to get over Slochd Summit with the Inverness portion, at the time BG, SLEP x 6, modified FO and a couple of Motorail GUVs. The formation nowadays is shorter and lighter, but 2 73/9 with 4 fewer driving axles and less bhp... Slochd, February... it's going to be very interesting!

[mjkerr]

I can show you DVD of 2 37/0 struggling at WALKING speed to get over Slochd Summit with the Inverness portion, at the time BG, SLEP x 6, modified FO and a couple of Motorail GUVs

That is a rather slightly short formation, the FO should be the RLO (Sleeper Lounge)

Was there no NXX (Generator van), directly behind the Class 37 locos?

 

Equally, there should be seven sleepers and four GUV, unless it is the winter formation

I know during the winter they dropped one sleeper off and two GUV, as this became combined with the Fort William sleeper

 

I hated working this as it meant travelling from Aberdeen to Inverness, as one member of staff had to travel from Inverness to Fort William

[John Urquhart]

Mjkerr you are absolutely correct, because of course the 37/0 lacked ETH. Which always made them seem an odd choice for the job - those Mk3 sleepers are very ETH thirsty, I should think. And the Motorail operation was thriving back then. What a brilliant service that was, and a dreadful shame it stopped. To find yourself with your own car and luggage (and dogs) 540 miles into your holiday without having to drive any of them! I don't think the generator van was always marshalled behind the locos, because the GUVs were attached to the front at Inverness behind the locos. On arrival in Inverness the GUVs were at the rear, so they could be detached for unloading off the ramp which was at the South end of the station. Breakfast in the Station Hotel, then into the car to start the holiday. Marvellous.

But the 37s were gasping for breath over Slochd - I used to tell my children that the locos couldn't blow their horn because they couldn't spare the effort!

Most times I did the journey it was 1 or 2 x 47s, often in Post Office red. Which is what I run on my layout - 47476 Night Mail in red and grey, 2 GUVs with cars inside and visible through the windows (weight is useful), the SLEPs, a Mk1 catering vehicle in the absence of a RTR RLO, and a BG. Good operational opportunities attaching/detaching the GUVs for loading/unloading before setting off behind the 47.

There is a generator van available in yellow, but what a good model it would be to have a van in Intercity Executive or Swallow! And an RLO.

I'm old enough to remember Mk1 Sleepers on the service, all steam heat and the smell of pee from the chamber pot underneath the sink in your berth. But a window that opened! A pair of "Rats" at the front from Inverness.

Nostalgia isn't what it was...

[westie7]

..

There is a generator van available in yellow, but what a good model it would be to have a van in Intercity Executive or Swallow! And an RLO.

...

 

Agree with that, On an old hard drive I had images of both for some old fashioned modelling, but that PC is gone now so I'll have to source new photos

[mjkerr]

Mjkerr you are absolutely correct, because of course the 37/0 lacked ETH

Apologies, shunting the Generator Van took more effort at Edinburgh for the northbound service, as it had to be on the rear, until the Motorail service was withdrawn, and that did away with the need

 

There were three such NXX Generator vans for use in Scotland, but after just a few weeks one destroyed itself and was dumped out of use at Craigentinny, before finally being scrapped

The following year the second one exploded on the southbound Aberdeen service just past Kirkcaldy, and I should know as I on the service at the time!

The Generator Van applied the emergency brake, waking up everyone in the sleeper, throwing the entire contents of the Sleeper Lounge car on the floor (causing about £1000 worth of damage), and (allegedly) damaging one car as well!I entered the Generator Van to find the walls caked in oil, leaving just one Generator Van in Scotland

As a result it was prioritised to the Inverness service, and the Aberdeen service ran without any ETH for nearly a full week

On the Friday the service temporarily swapped back to a Class 47/4 for three weeks

Sadly that Generator Van was never the same and continually broke down, and so remained allocated to the Aberdeen service

[John Urquhart]

Mjkerr this is fascinating stuff, thank you for sharing it! Every trip on the Sleepers was a treat, and the shunting at Waverley a highlight in both directions. I was always up and about to watch it, to my family's bemusement - they didn't get it, and they still treat me with understanding!

One of the features of the Sleepers was the capacity for heroic late running and bizarre diversions. Once when we were 6 hours late I was probably the only passenger on the service who was far from disappointed, but actually delghted... cue, more shaking of heads, bring on the men in white coats. The performance of the train crew on those occasions was invariably brilliant, organising onward travel assistance, food, drink, all done cheerfully even though I knew that the same crew were forfeiting their rest time, and that they were going to be on duty again very soon. Hello, Rannoch, see you again in a few hours! Dedication to duty hugely impressive.

From departure from Euston, Class 90 with 16 in tow, leaping up Camden bank as if it was dead level, to wriggling through Monessie behind a 37/4, it is hard to believe you are on the same service.

[mjkerr]

One of the features of the Sleepers was the capacity for heroic late running and bizarre diversions

Once when we were 6 hours late

It all went downhill when the sleepers were "temporarily" swapped from Kings Cross to Euston, so that removed some of the passenger market

The two services to each destination were then merged, creating trains of maximum length, which in turn brought its own problem

 

This was one of the reasons why the Saturday night sleeper ended

Loadings were very poor (I never understood why they didn't just run a shortened formation and/or join split formation)

Southbound timekeeping was reasonable, I never arrived into Euston later than 10:00, often diverted (although included in the timings) through Manchester and Birmingham

 

However, northbound timekeeping was often dreadful

I remember departing Edinburgh slightly early, directly behind the Inverness (which departed on time)

Sadly we were met with a red signal at Falkirk, and 10 minutes later the driver walking back with his cup...

A 4 hour possession was in place, but had not taken into account the northbound Aberdeen sleeper, and as soon as the Inverness passed the track had been cut!

 

The main problem with pairs of Class 37s was reliability

Initially it was very good, but if one loco failed meant the remaining Class 37 had to haul the train and the dead loco, so the remainder of the journey to Edinburgh was often done at less than 30mph

The other problem was the introduction of 37/5 in an attempt to improve it, but this resulted in snatching which quite often switched off one of the locos!

This happened a few times northbound when departing Kirkcaldy, and was so bad once the locos had to be detached run up to Thornton and turned

The following day the leading loco failed then the other failed at Leuchars, blocking the line for the next few hours