All You Can Eat in First Class on Avanti West Coast Train: Fort William - Glasgow - London Euston

Part 1:
Train: ScotRail 1Y44 Mallaig - Glasgow
From: Fort William, Scotland, United Kingdom
To: Glasgow Queen Street Railway Station
Route via: Tulloch, Corrour, Rannoch, Upper Tyndrum, Crianlarich, Ardlui, Helensburgh Upper
Railway lines used: West Highland Line
Train operator:ScotRail
Travel class: Second Class
Scheduled departure time from Fort William: 11h40
Scheduled arrival time in Glasgow: 15h34
Scheduled travel time (Fort William - Glasgow): 3 hours and 54 minutes
Travel time: late January, 2024
Ticket bought on: scotrail.co.uk
Ticket fare: GBP 22.50 (Advance Single)
Diesel Multiple Unit: British Railways Class 156 “Super Sprinter” (156-450)
Manufacturer: Metro-Cammell in Washwood Heath, Birmingham
Part 2:
Train: Avanti West Coast Trains 1M18
From: Glasgow Central, Scotland
To: London Euston, England
Route via: Lockerbie, Carlisle, Oxenholme Lake District, Lancaster, Preston, Crewe, Rugby, Milton Keynes Central
Railway lines used: West Coast Main Line
Train operator: Avanti West Coast Train (FirstGroup, Trenitalia)
Travel class: First Class
Service: All You Can Eat
Meals: Cheese and Red Onion Croque, Beef Ragu with Pasta, Double Choc Pot
Scheduled departure time from Glasgow: 17h30
Scheduled arrival time in Glasgow: 22h27
Scheduled travel time (Glasgow - London): 4 hour and 57 minutes
Ticket bought on: avantiwestcoast.co.uk
Ticket fare: GBP 116.00 (Advance Single)
Electric Multiple Unit: British Railways Class 390 “Pendolino” (390-131)
Brand Name: City of Liverpool
Manufacturer: Fiat Ferroviaria in Savigliano, Italy
00:00 Preview Summary
02:01 Fort William, Scotland
04:07 ScotRail Class 156 Super Sprinter
05:22 West Highland Line
09:13 Crianlarich
12:13 Glasgow Queen Street railway station
13:44 Glasgow Central railway station
15:54 Avanti West Coast First Class
19:49 All You Can Eat Beef Ragu
22:50 London Euston railway station
Music credit:
Air by Richard Smithson
musicvine.com/track/richard-s...

[@ozbolli]

Thank god for someone who doesn’t narrate! Listening to the sound of you travelling is exactly what I like. Keep up the nice work.

[@jessaravena5139]

Who doesn’t love an ‘all you can eat’ offering? I for one certainly enjoy the old time buffet!

[@doc7austin]

never had the chance to experience the old style of service; but the new service concept isn't bad either.

[@jessaravena5139]

@@doc7austin 👍🏾❤️

[@artfuldodger4850]

If you missed your connection through no fault of your own , you would be accommodated on the next available service, but not necessarily with a reserved seat.

[@doc7austin]

oki; good to know for next time

[@joshtaylor2594]

Just come across this and really enjoyed watching 😊 Thank you

[@doc7austin]

yes, thanks for the feedback !

[@loftlegacy]

I regularly travel first class on Avanti from Euston to Liverpool and it sometimes seems like a race between crews to throw some food at you then sit off at the back of Coach K chatting (sometimes critical to their employers). The record for food and drink served, with everything cleared away is an hour. All done and relaxing in Coach K by Tamworth!

[@grangetowncardiff6935]

Yep. That'll be a London Crew! If you do Avanti to Manc, you might get a Manc crew, and they will be great. But then you can't to Liverpool (Euston to Liverpool). But at least on our route( Euston -Manc) we haven't had our wheels nicked! Ha Ha! Good comment though, and I agree entirely.

[@RC-pj1pr]

7:40 Likely you are buying an advance ticket for a specific service offered (eg, the 10:24 service), but any unit/loco could be assigned to that route at any time. So they print the service time on the ticket, but not the train number as this can vary.

[@xr6lad]

He doesn’t mean the engine number. I think he means that train services are numbered like flight numbers.

[@samtrak1204]

Your photography is brilliant.👋

[@samtrak1204]

I rode this train in 2018. Although the scenery is breathaking at times the mountain rail lines through the Canadian Rockies (Canada), Colorado Rockes (USA), Swiss Alps, Norway's Flam Railway and India's Western Ghats are just as awesome and most of those trains are far more comfortable than the Scottish shuttle....but if the seats are tooo comfortble I'd fall asleep and miss the beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing.

[@netrhyda8761]

Very interesting!

[@bernardrenard6760]

Good video... Thanks

[@doc7austin]

u r welcome !

[@piotrgamer1236]

I am going on a 5 hour ride on the polish high speed train to krakow, it is a 600km ride at mostly 200kmph max, then on the return i am going to take a night train leaving at 23:41 pm and im back home at 8am

[@pnwlion9337]

Love the way you have presented this is great. Amazing scenery and a real feel for your time on each train. Avanti have really messed up the fare structure on their services. Virgin Trains used to do a much fairer, better job. Your fare from Glasgow to London wasn’t actually that bad though. Great find. Thank you for sharing

[@T_Dubbs]

Wow, Fort William and Canary Wharf are quite the contrast! Great video.

[@doc7austin]

haahah; but I like both places a lot

[@jfmezei]

You force me to spend considerable amount of time looking for class 193 131 🙂 You are usually so complete with all your descriptiosn that I would never question you. Figured it was some type of conversion from 390 to 193 that was not documented anywyere and you were the one who broke the news and were first to ride on it 🙂

[@highlandersixtysix]

Unfortunately the only train washing facilities for the stock operating between Fort William or Oban and Glasgow is in Glasgow, the scheduling for the diagrams on this route are such that keeping windows clean presents a real challenge during the winter months but I would agree that on a scenic line such as this they should make greater effort, perhaps the Scottish Government, who now operate ScotRail via a holding company owned by the Scottish Government, should consider a train washing plant at Fort William (it would also benefit the Caledonian Sleeper) - the Class 156 is also very old stock (built between 1987-89) and not at all comfortable on lengthy journeys such as this line.

[@doc7austin]

the super sprinter is not comfortable at all for such long journeys

[@aidenr183]

The 156’s sound great up close… unfortunately it ends there. As you say these units have been running since the late 80’s. A testament to that Cummins diesel engine… I remember being on this route 22 years ago on a 156. Not sure what would even succeed these other than a GBRF class 66 pulling a few passenger carriages…. Not the most efficient way to pull passengers twice a day in each direction…. Might be seeing these 156’s for a while…. Genuinely don’t know how I feel about that tbh…. ?

[@highlandersixtysix]

@@aidenr183 My understanding is that 158’s will be moved onto the route in a couple of years, yet more old & tired stock, but more comfortable seating and air con.

[@aidenr183]

@@highlandersixtysix Ahhhh *… that actually makes sense. The 170 Turbostars popped into my head when writing the first comment and the thought just didn’t sit well! Would be good to see 158’s on the route soon.

[@chrismoon3123]

A anti has the best first class offering there breakfast is awsome

[@jfmezei]

on the DMU sound: one hs to expect the "bus" sound of a diesel engine under every carriage. But what I dislike is the high picthed sound from rubbing of the gangway plates where cars are joined (whcih I assume is what we heard on the Fort Willams to Glansgow train all the tim). Our commuter ttrains in Montréal designed for 30-45 minute runs have more comfortable seats than those DMUs , but the later being single deck lager "cabin" since higher ceiling.

[@suncoolclose]

200kmh is first permitted after Carstairs heading south with various slow downs and speed ups along the entire route.

[@jonhigginson4096]

I rode from Piccadilly to Crewe on Monday with a TFW Swansea service, the MKIV stock was so plush and comfortable I would have been pleased to stay on until Swansea. I have seen Carmarthen services formed of four 153 dog boxes which I really wouldn’t fancy for 5-6 hours.

[@doc7austin]

tfw swansea - which rail type is operating this service ?

[@KempSimon]

@@doc7austin - Class 67 Diesel locomotives and Driving Van Trailers in push/pull mode sandwiching four ex-LNER Mark 4 carriages including a First Class restaurant car offering a full meals service,

[@gemmarie7683]

The All you can eat claim you make is misleading. I have used Avanti first class many times, and it is not advertised as this. They serve food and drinks periodically throughout the journey, and it is definitely not all you can eat. It is unfair to say the staff are "slow" at bringing things out. In my experience, they work hard to serve the 1st class passengers .

[@buzzukfiftythree]

Enjoyable video, many thanks. I do wish Scotrail would put better rolling stock on the West Highland line services. I’m sure if the facilities were better and the ride smooth, a lot more people would use it. The sprinters are really noisy. The Scotrail HSTs would be an improvement. Don’t get me started on UK rail fare structures - ludicrous!

[@doc7austin]

yes; i hope the super sprinter diesel multiple units will be replaced soon, esp. on longer routes

[@kendorman6567]

I always enjoy your content. Wanted to ask what phone application do you use that shows your location and speed ?

[@doc7austin]

the app is called compass 55

[@jfmezei]

Did you feel the tilting on the Pendolios? Do you know if it was active or did they give it on ot because more trouble than it is worth? The pendolinos sold to Amtrak under tha "Avelia Liberty" brand are being delayed in part because of the tilting system unable to prove it can work safely. But the pendolinos used by Virgin/Avanti are based on detecting curves as opposed predicting ones, and this has the challenge starting to bank before you feel entering a curve , hence knowing when banking kicks in. (this was the case of LRC trains Canada when banking was enabled for a short time after introduction).

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

The tilt is active, you feel it more sitting on window seat and in particular on the inside that " drops" into the curve . The quality of the control is influenced by the curve and cant transition, the better the track condition and transitions into the curve the smoother the tilt transition feels.

[@ianwalker2250]

In the event that you had Advanced tickets for both legs of your journey and the train on your first leg was late, leading to you missing the train of the second leg, the Train Operators will usually validate the ticket for your second leg for a later service if one is available. You would need to enquire of the ticket office at the station where your second leg started or of the train manager of the train on your first leg because there are a lot of ifs and buts involved. Of course, if you had missed the train of the first leg because you didn't get out of bed then the situation would be different.

[@doc7austin]

actually i went to avanti ticketing desk in glasgow to ask if I could use an earlier train with the advance ticket -> a big NO

[@Gus0898uk]

From the header I thought that AWC were now running to FTW with their Pendolino's. :)

[@6yjjk]

Euston, iconic? Ha!

[@flyingchilders]

What you called Gare Loch was actually Loch Long

[@samtrak1204]

Do the harsh bright lights in Avanti coach stay lit during the entire run to London?

[@doc7austin]

yes; but this is normal for most high-speed trainsets

[@travelandlivinginfrance5165]

ScotRail is owned and operated by the Scottish government, Abellio was the last franchisee

[@somegingerplanenerd]

The train numbers you mentioned throughout (in the subtitles regarding advance tickets or when describing the trains you are boarding) are not used in the passenger timetables - unlike in Europe where every train has a number, train operating companies don’t use the headcode (such as 1Y24) in public facing settings… that’s because they’re not train numbers like in Europe, hence why they won’t appear on your tickets. A 10:20 service on one day from place A to B for example might have a different headcode for the same route at the same time on the next day!

[@doc7austin]

ok, I understood; but what happens if the timetable has to be adjusted due to planned engineering work ? Do the customer-facing information change then, as well ?

[@clairestafford9372]

It's not only that the headcodes aren't used, but there maybe more than one train with a given headcode in a given day, IIRC 1M18 is also one of the soutbound Caledonian sleeper trains. Trains are always referenced as the to

[@butterdori]

Can I ask what app you are using to track GPS? (19:00)

[@doc7austin]

the app: compass 55

[@frananmar1]

Whats the "All you can eat " like from Fort William ?

[@doc7austin]

i was not hungry between fort william and glasgow

[@ethical1_]

There is no first class on the 156s

[@doc7austin]

i know; it is class-less; but the glasgow-london segment has 3 classes of service

[@pietrovecchio8497]

gtazie perchè avete risvegliato la importanza del treno

[@wernerleitgeb3804]

Which tracking app is this on your smartphone please ?

[@doc7austin]

the app is -> Compass 55

[@christopherbentley5216]

Is is worth paying first class,when you have the same seating in premium standard .is the food worth the extra money?

[@etho_653]

you pay for the experience, with standard premium you get the seating, and remember there is a shop on board so you can still get sandwich / drinks, but if you want ot just relax in the seat and not have to worry about walking anywhere, do it. its worth it for the experience, even if your just going from new street to euston or something.

[@darrenheggs1679]

Can we have miles and feet. As well as kilometres and metres.

[@doc7austin]

i am only familiar with the metric system

[@xr6lad]

That old fashioned?

[@rail_away]

Nice video! If it was Switzerland, the Fort William-Glasgow anyway would probably have panorama cars.. 😏🤷‍♂️

[@rail_away]

On your ticket question, as long as you leave the minimum connection time for the station(s) in question you’d be covered on your second Advance ticket if there was a delay on the first. 😊

[@doc7austin]

scotrail should have just cleaned the windows from the outside :-(

[@doc7austin]

what is the minimum connection time in glasgow central ?

[@rail_away]

@@doc7austin it’s 30 mins I believe from GLQ-GLC. The journey planners are loaded with this baked in so can always use that for the end to end journey.

[@doc7austin]

hmmmm; do you believe the avanti conductor is going to accept that; basically i would have missed my avanti train on an advance ticket

[@kevinellis8869]

The advance tickets usually have the departure time of the service on them. Given that they are two separate tickets for two separate trains I'm not sure the 2nd ticket would be honoured. In my experience this only works if the ticket itself covers covers more than one train and in event of a missed connection then the TOC is obligated to allow you to complete the journey at no extra cost.

[@doc7austin]

well, that would have been my thought as well

[@bradwhiteuk]

That is correct. This is the risk inherent in buying multiple tickets, or indeed, any split-ticketing exercise. It's always wise to allow yourself some wiggle-room at major connections if possible.

[@doc7austin]

so I assume there is no official in place whether two seperate advance tickets will allow free onward travel if the second train was missed

[@ringo7561]

So you could have ordered those four courses all over again, since it was all you can eat? Also, does it include beer 🍺 😅?

[@doc7austin]

yes; alcoholic drinks (incl. beer) is included in the first class fare, as well; however, the service staff may slow-walk you - so (e.g.) that it takes an hour or more before the food is delivered to your seat

[@ringo7561]

@doc7austin wow, that's a great deal. I would just order 2 beers at a time if they slow walked me. Is this the only train in Europe that offers all you can eat and drink? Great video as always 👍. Thanks for posting

[@doc7austin]

@ringo7561 yes; avanti is not too bad

[@neilmacdonald9501]

you're back! how much worse was it than your previous visit? 😁

[@doc7austin]

what do you mean?

[@neilmacdonald9501]

@@doc7austin in my opinion the scotrail network has gotten worse recently. The change is noticeable from as little as 3 years ago.

[@doc7austin]

@neilmacdonald9501 filthy super sprinter train

[@LavendelNorthlight]

Pity is was dark already. Would have loved to se the landscape….

[@doc7austin]

there is another daylight london-glasgow video on my channel - from 2017 with virgin trains

[@LavendelNorthlight]

@@doc7austin oh cool. Will take a look. Love your travel/train video‘s.

[@doc7austin]

@LavendelNorthlight thank you for feedback

[@sellier-bellot22]

🥸

[@davidmatthews7876]

Why do you want the train number on the ticket?

[@doc7austin]

to know which train i can take

[@davidmatthews7876]

@@doc7austin the ticket states time, date, departure station and destination. ,

[@doc7austin]

good point

[@davidmatthews7876]

Anyway, it was a good video, I enjoyed watching it! 😊

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

the worlds most scenic railline?! That part of Scotland is supposed to be a temperate rain forest.

[@doc7austin]

wikipedia talks about that the west highland line is supposed to be the worlds most scenic railway.

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

There is some of it left you have to go look in the valleys on the coast, but alot of the country the west highland travels through is sheep/deer country or modern forestry, still pretty spectacular scenery. Rain forest would not be the right term for most of the old native pine , mountain ash etc. open woodland with understory plants that used to be the norm away from the coast and can still be found in remote glens.

[@martinquinn9007]

Eqs there wny passangers on rhat train

[@doc7austin]

when i am travelling, the trains are always empty

[@Demun1649]

Hitachi just can't seem to build good-looking trains. And why are they never the latest technology? Always 10-15 years out of date on entering service.

[@AlokKumar-ws3by]

A FADAK 5 STAR TRAIN PLEASE MAKE THE VIDEO

[@jabberwockytdi8901]

Was a great service untill Trenitalia ruined it, RIP Virgin West Coast

[@LuperSoop69]

mainly first owns AWC, trenitalia only owns like 30%

[@doc7austin]

@LuperSoop69 and the TOC appears to change quite often on that route

[@adamandrews8406]

A wonderful video ruined by incorrect subtitles when describing distances and heights. A METER is what you use to calculate how much gas/electricity you consume. A METRE is what you use to describe distance travelled or height of a bridge etc.

[@doc7austin]

hahaha, meter vs. metre )

[@ginge1394]

UNless you are outside of the UK and then its METER for both.

[@adamandrews8406]

@@ginge1394 WRONG. Have you ever been abroad? Hopefully you would have noticed all of Europe, Australia and even most of Canada, Middle East and South America use the METRE as a measurement of distance/length. Regrettably is seems dyslexic Americans cannot comprehend the difference. Just check out the Olympics in a couple of months time. There will NOT be a METER in sight.

[@kenwilliams3560]

Class 193 😅

[@doc7austin]

yes, I have noticed that error too late

[@samtrak1204]

Caledonian sleeper and this train need a car wash.

[@doc7austin]

yes; i fully agree with you; the scottish government (or whoever is responsible for scotrail and caledonian sleeper) should exert some pressure on the operators to better clean the trainsets

[@baronarikov1223]

Comeback to siberia lad

[@robyoungquist5803]

So yes, the Fort William/Glasgow portion was scenic BUT there is no excuse for dirty windows! 😡. I’d prefer to travel the route in summertime green rather than winter brown. 🫤. Did the seats get uncomfortable mid way through? I wonder 🤔. The Glasgow/London portion looked ok but alas it was dark outside. Nice that you were served at your seat food throughout. 😉👍🏻😋

[@doc7austin]

as the scotrail train was pretty empty, i could survive