TGV in London

[BrumJim]

There is a fair few places within 4 hours of St. Pancras not being served by direct train unfortunately. Beyond that, there is a load of potential sleeper destinations.

Sleepers, sadly, are going out of fashion fast. French, German and Spanish railways are withdrawing them at a fair rate. Will see if there are any new players in the business who can make a go of it. Unfortunately with budget flights and budget hotels, sleepers are struggling to keep their business.

My wife still talks about the lovely time we had on the sleeper from Paris to Barcelona, and would love to do it again, but not possible now.

 

[TheDoctor]

On a fine point of technical interest, the old Eurostar route into Waterloo was built to a more restrictive gauge than the current one to St Pancras. OTOH, I think trains going through the Tunnel have to conform to certain regulations, and I don't know if TGVs do. Of course, it could have been a Eurostar that was lent to SNCF, repainted in SNCF colours, then lent back... A Eurostar is just a slightly modified and rather longer TGV (gross oversimplification alert).

 

[TheDoctor]

Sleepers, sadly, are going out of fashion fast. French, German and Spanish railways are withdrawing them at a fair rate. Will see if there are any new players in the business who can make a go of it. Unfortunately with budget flights and budget hotels, sleepers are struggling to keep their business.

My wife still talks about the lovely time we had on the sleeper from Paris to Barcelona, and would love to do it again, but not possible now.

We've done that trip, and rather liked it. It's a real shame it's gone. We wanted to go to Madrid on the sleeper, but never managed it.

 

[Globalti]

Last time I took a sleeper it was on the Circle Line and I woke up in a siding in Hammersmith with a headache.

 

[robjh]

Sleepers, sadly, are going out of fashion fast. French, German and Spanish railways are withdrawing them at a fair rate. Will see if there are any new players in the business who can make a go of it. Unfortunately with budget flights and budget hotels, sleepers are struggling to keep their business.

My wife still talks about the lovely time we had on the sleeper from Paris to Barcelona, and would love to do it again, but not possible now.

The rapid expansion of low-cost flights in the mid 1990s was a major factor in killing off plans for sleeper trains through the Channel Tunnel. Night-time through trains from the north to continental destinations were included in the original plans for Chunnel services, and the sleeper trains were actually built, and locomotives assigned, but they were then cancelled before they could be put into service. By 1995-ish there was no longer the demand for sleeper trains that had been predicted 10 years earlier.
(The Channel Tunnel sleeper trains were then sold to Canada and refitted with ordinary seating, and I travelled on one in Quebec a few years back).

 

[martint235]

On a fine point of technical interest, the old Eurostar route into Waterloo was built to a more restrictive gauge than the current one to St Pancras. OTOH, I think trains going through the Tunnel have to conform to certain regulations, and I don't know if TGVs do. Of course, it could have been a Eurostar that was lent to SNCF, repainted in SNCF colours, then lent back... A Eurostar is just a slightly modified and rather longer TGV (gross oversimplification alert).

The Eurostar doesn't have that distinctive hump just behind the cab though. This was almost certainly a TGV although as mentioned it may have been pulled by something else.

 

[classic33]

On a fine point of technical interest, the old Eurostar route into Waterloo was built to a more restrictive gauge than the current one to St Pancras. OTOH, I think trains going through the Tunnel have to conform to certain regulations, and I don't know if TGVs do. Of course, it could have been a Eurostar that was lent to SNCF, repainted in SNCF colours, then lent back... A Eurostar is just a slightly modified and rather longer TGV (gross oversimplification alert).

TGV's fail to meet the fire restrictions for the tunnel, which might be why other motive power was used for getting them through.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

My wife still talks about the lovely time we had on the sleeper from Paris to Barcelona, and would love to do it again.

 

[winjim]

He could buy her a train set. Then have to check it all worked.

Her older cousins have a ton of it in the loft which we're picking up next time we visit. Probably includes my old matchbox one from when I was a kid.

 

[mjr]

Last summer we took the TGV from Geneva to Paris after watching the Tour in Megeve, just for the experience. Never again; it was dirty, crowded and the toilets disgusting.

Busy train not in a bad state due to slob passengers? I quite agree, old sport, it's entirely the fault of the train type! Best never use one again and switch back to the chauffeur-driven limo and private jet!

We've done that trip, and rather liked it. It's a real shame it's gone. We wanted to go to Madrid on the sleeper, but never managed it.

You missed a treat - similar facilities to the Barcelona services with the addition of absolutely stunning mountain views over breakfast in the morning. I'm really disappointed by the low priority that seems to be attached to sleepers and boat trains these days - they could really make travelling over land easy, a bit of affordable luxury, but few in government seems to care and few companies seem willing to push it.

 

[classic33]

Her older cousins have a ton of it in the loft which we're picking up next time we visit. Probably includes my old matchbox one from when I was a kid.

Don't give her that one, if it looks decent!

 

[winjim]

Don't give her that one, if it looks decent!

It's been through the hands of several neices and nephews already so will be far from its best. It had all the hoppers and belts for loading the coal, and the crane for moving the containers but I expect that's all knackered by now.

It was this one, plus a few extra bits:

Edit: in fact it was this:

Plus this: