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Caledonian Sleeper (Mark 5 coaches, Class 92 and 73/9) unverified

The overnight trains between London Euston and Scotland: 75 CAF-built Mark 5 coaches with seats, a club car and sleeping rooms, some en suite and some with double beds, hauled by GB Railfreight's Class 92 electric locomotives and, in Scotland, Class 73/9 electro-diesels. They replaced the British Rail Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaches in 2019, and at 16 coaches they are among the longest passenger trains in Britain.

Drawing to come

Type
Locomotive-hauled sleeper train
Builder
CAF, in Spain (Mark 5 coaches); Brush Traction with ABB (Class 92); Class 73/1s of the 1960s rebuilt for GB Railfreight (Class 73/9)
In service
since 2019
Operators
Caledonian Sleeper
Formation
Up to 16 Mark 5 coaches behind a locomotive: a Class 92 electric on the West Coast Main Line and Class 73/9s for portions in Scotland. Each train divides on the way north, at Carstairs into two portions (Edinburgh and Glasgow) or at Edinburgh into three (Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William), with the number of coaches in each varying with demand
Trains in fleet
4
Fleets
Caledonian Sleeper: 4
Top speed
90 mph (the locomotives' top speed, as GB Railfreight gives it); CAF gives 160 km/h (100 mph) for the coaches
Power
Electric on the West Coast Main Line: a Class 92 (5,000 kW from 25 kV overhead wires), modified to give the coaches extra power for air conditioning, showers and catering. Diesel beyond the wires: a Class 73/9 with an MTU engine of 1,600 hp (about 1,200 kW)
Car width
2.75 m
Profile
main-line
Air-conditioned
Yes
Total capacity
Not given for a whole train, since the coaches in each portion vary with demand. Per coach: a seated coach has 30 seats and two wheelchair spaces (Caledonian Sleeper; Rail Engineer gives 31 seats); a sleeper coach has ten two-berth rooms, 20 beds; an accessible coach has six rooms for up to 12 guests; the club car seats 30 (Rail Engineer: 23 at tables and 7 at the bar)
Status
In service since 28 April 2019, on every train since October 2019: four trains of 16 coaches and 11 spare. GB Railfreight provides 12 Class 92s and six Class 73/9s (73966 to 73971) and the drivers, under a contract to 2030. Alstom maintains the coaches, mainly at Polmadie in Glasgow. The coaches are leased from Caledonian Sleepers Rail Leasing, a Lombard company.

This page is marked unverified: its figures haven’t yet been confirmed by an official source or a published history. The foot of the page says what’s in doubt.

Car types

CodeCarLengthDoors per side
92Class 92 electric locomotive (GB Railfreight)21.36 m
73Class 73/9 electro-diesel locomotive (GB Railfreight)16.36 m
SCMark 5 seated coach (SC): 30 reclining seats in a two-and-one layout, two wheelchair spaces and an accessible toilet22.20 m
CCMark 5 club car (CC): a galley and room for 30 diners, in seven booths and on seven bar stools, with a wheelchair space22.20 m
SLEMark 5 sleeper coach (SLE): six Club en-suite rooms and four Classic rooms, each with two bunks, and a toilet22.20 m
SLEPMark 5 accessible sleeper coach (SLEP): an accessible double room, an accessible twin room, two accessible toilets, two Caledonian Double en-suite rooms and two Classic rooms22.20 m

Sources

How we source figures →

unverified coach types: Rail Engineer (2021) and the Platform 5 numbering cited by Wikipedia give 11 seated (15001-011), 10 club (15101-110), 14 accessible (15201-214) and 40 sleeper coaches (15301-340), 75 in all; Caledonian Sleeper's own page says 11 club cars and 12 accessible coaches, which add up to 74. CAF and Railway Pro say five coach types; Caledonian Sleeper says four, seated coach: 30 seats and two wheelchair spaces (Caledonian Sleeper) or 31 seats (Rail Engineer, and Platform 5 via Wikipedia), formation: no source read gives the order of coaches in a train, so no formation is given and nothing is drawn yet, locomotive lengths: 21.36 m for the Class 92 (70 ft 1 in) and 16.36 m for the Class 73: Wikipedia only, Mark 5 height: not published by CAF, Caledonian Sleeper or the sources read; width 2.75 m from Rail Engineer (Wikipedia gives the same), doors: not given; no source read describes the Mark 5's door layout, build dates: CAF built the coaches at Beasain and Irun in Spain; the first were on test in August 2017 (Railway Gazette) and the first rake reached Britain in January 2018 (RAIL). Platform 5 via Wikipedia gives 2016-18, top speed: GB Railfreight gives 90 mph for both locomotive classes; Wikipedia gives 87 mph for the Class 92. CAF gives 160 km/h for the coaches; Wikipedia gives 125 mph, Class 92 builder: GB Railfreight says Brush/Bombardier; Wikipedia says ABB Transportation and Brush Traction at Loughborough, 46 built 1993-96, Class 73/9 power: GB Railfreight gives an MTU engine of 1,600 hp; Rail Engineer gives 1,200 kW, which locomotive hauls which portion in Scotland isn't stated in the sources read, beyond the 73/9s hauling portions on lines without wires, the coaches' owner: Caledonian Sleepers Rail Leasing Ltd (Lombard), per Railway Pro (2015), Rail Engineer (2021) and Companies House; Railway Gazette (2014) said they would be leased through Beacon Rail, Class 99: GB Railfreight said in 2023 that its bi-mode Class 99s could replace the 92s and 73/9s once approved; no source read says they have

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