Further to the posting of pictures in Hayle by Ken Jones here are pictures of the sleeper service that runs to and from Penzance and Paddington. The train is known as the Night Riviera Sleeper and is operated by GWR.
It passes Hayle eastbound Mon - Fri at around 10 pm but calls at Hayle station westbound at 7.40 am, this being the first train passengers at Hayle can use to get to St Erth and Penzance by using one of the non sleeper carriages.
Ken Jones found motive power alternating between 57602 and 57605 during his stay at Hayle.
The westbound train was running late every morning, normally in the order of 15 mins.
On 18th October on departing Plymouth the Class 57/6 locomotive No. 57605 'Totnes Castle' failed near Hemerdon with the train unable to proceed it was declared a failure.
The train was rescued by the DB Cargo/ Network Rail Rail Head Treatment Train (which happened to be at Plymouth at the time of the failure). The sleeper service was hauled back to Plymouth station. Passengers on board the train were then asked to vacate their beds and transfer onto a Class 802 IET No.802021 for their onward journey to London.
Such is the lack of capacity on the network GWR had no choice but to split a ten car Class 802 set, which would also leave them short with another short formed set for 1A77 later that morning.
No.802021 finally reached Taunton at 05:13 (197 minutes late) and rolled into London Paddington at 07:20 (134 minutes late).
The Class 57/6 was later hauled to Reading Depot by a pair of GWR powercars, passing Taunton in daylight at just after 12:00.
All pictures © Ken Jones
..
