Tied to the Sleeper-

New Look Rail Service for Scotland

In the 1980s I had to work in London and when I wanted to come back to Scotland it was my delight to take the sleeper. I wasn’t great at plane travelling at the time, I’ve got over it since but it related to a rock climbing incident on wet sandstone and the vertigo was immense. So making the trudge back up north was a long business. Luckily the company were paying for it so I would catch the sleeper and be deposited sane and well slept at a reasonable time in the morning on Scottish soil. I can tell you I was a big fan. So when I heard it was back on the cards with a revamp I was delighted. It had become something of a trail to use the sleepers since my day.The longest passenger train on Britain’s mainland rail network will pull out of Euston and head for the Scottish Lowlands on a nightly basis. Several hundred customers, in 16 coaches, will be transported overnight with eight carriages arriving in Glasgow and eight in Edinburgh.

1890 and All That

The Caledonian Sleeper trip will be different experience to the one I had and travellers will be able to journey in double beds, use en-suite toilets, eat fine Highland food, enjoy modern air conditioning, and experience a wide range of whiskies in the train’s Club Car. You can take you pets and kids and if you are wheelchair bound it is all very helpful. It all sounds cracking to me, it’s just a shame I won’t be needing to take it. I’ve booked the tennis down south already, but also paid for my car parking so I won’t be throwing that away in a hurry, it wasn’t cheap. But did you that the first sleepers on British trains consisted of stretcher-like contraptions resting on facing seats in train compartments? You’d need the patience of a saint for that. Then in 1873, the North British Railway introduced seats that converted into beds. No bedding was supplied for this service - though an extra seat was provided for servants. After that in 1874, the Midland Railway imported the first Pullman sleeper carriages from the US. Rail travellers slept parallel to the direction of travel, in curtained-off cubicles. Then a revolution when separate cabins were introduced in the 1890s. Passengers slept crosswise to the direction of travel – just as is the case today. And if you are on the sleeper you can use the train’s free wifi to browse James Pirie’s lovely stuff. And as the first train was outrageously delayed that’s a good thing.

Make Tracks for...

Well it wasn’t only Pullman’s that arrived in 1890, it was James Pirie also and we’ve been chugging away sticking to our knitting ever since. But like the Caledonian Sleeper service we have tried to keep ours up the mark and up to the minute. And if you want to be on the right track we have some sale offers for you. At one end of the price equation is the terrific with 70% off the Royal Scot Crystal - Iona - 2 Crystal Prosecco glasses, although other sparkling wines are available! It’s five star reviwed and quite a bargain.

https://www.jamespirie.com/sale/iona-2-crystal-prosecco-glasses-gift-boxed.html

And using sliding that little thingy on price on the website gives me another item in the sale is the Royal Scot Crystal - Highland - 6 Crystal Large Tumblers at half price and five star rated.

https://www.jamespirie.com/sale/highland-presentation-6-l-o-f-tumbler.html

 

 

 

In the 1980s I had to work in London and when I wanted to come back to Scotland it was my delight to take the sleeper. I wasn’t great at plane travelling at the time, I’ve got over it since but it related to a rock climbing incident on wet sandstone and the vertigo was immense. So making the trudge back up north was a long business. Luckily the company were paying for it so I would catch the sleeper and be deposited sane and well slept at a reasonable time in the morning on Scottish soil. I can tell you I was a big fan. So when I heard it was back on the cards with a revamp I was delighted. It had become something of a trail to use the sleepers since my day.The longest passenger train on Britain’s mainland rail network will pull out of Euston and head for the Scottish Lowlands on a nightly basis. Several hundred customers, in 16 coaches, will be transported overnight with eight carriages arriving in Glasgow and eight in Edinburgh.

The Caledonian Sleeper trip will be different experience to the one I had and travellers will be able to journey in double beds, use en-suite toilets, eat fine Highland food, enjoy modern air conditioning, and experience a wide range of whiskies in the train’s Club Car. You can take you pets and kids and if you are wheelchair bound it is all very helpful. It all sounds cracking to me, it’s just a shame I won’t be needing to take it. I’ve booked the tennis down south already, but also paid for my car parking so I won’t be throwing that away in a hurry, it wasn’t cheap. But did you that the first sleepers on British trains consisted of stretcher-like contraptions resting on facing seats in train compartments? You’d need the patience of a saint for that. Then in 1873, the North British Railway introduced seats that converted into beds. No bedding was supplied for this service - though an extra seat was provided for servants. After that in 1874, the Midland Railway imported the first Pullman sleeper carriages from the US. Rail travellers slept parallel to the direction of travel, in curtained-off cubicles. Then a revolution when separate cabins were introduced in the 1890s. Passengers slept crosswise to the direction of travel – just as is the case today. And if you are on the sleeper you can use the train’s free wifi to browse James Pirie’s lovely stuff.

Well it wasn’t only Pullman’s that arrived in 1890, it was James Pirie also and we’ve been chugging away sticking to our knitting ever since. But like the Caledonian Sleeper service we have tried to keep ours up the mark and up to the minute. And if you want to be on the right track we have some sale offers for you. At one end of the price equation is the terrific with 70% off the Royal Scot Crystal - Iona - 2 Crystal Prosecco glasses, although other sparkling wines are available! It’s five star reviwed and quite a bargain.

https://www.jamespirie.com/sale/iona-2-crystal-prosecco-glasses-gift-boxed.html

And using sliding that little thingy on price on the website gives me another item in the sale is the Royal Scot Crystal - Highland - 6 Crystal Large Tumblers at half price and five star rated.

https://www.jamespirie.com/sale/highland-presentation-6-l-o-f-tumbler.html