Travel To Scotland With Car By Train

[dispenser]

I am going to Scotland in May and have been told that it is possible to travel by train on an overnight sleeper and take my car? Does anyone have any experience of this or indeed done it themselves? Does this service still exist?
Thank you to anyone who can help I really appreciate it.

[Maydup]

There was a service called Motorail but it ceased operations in 1995.

[EDDIE51]

Yes, that service stopped 20 years ago. It was much more expensive than driving up and hardly used. Do not think think there is a sleeper service at all now.

[Maydup]

I think there is a sleeper still. This is a good site for rail info and experiences.

http://www.seat61.com/CaledonianSleepers.htm#.VQVTYoGQGrU

[mushroom25]

the sleepers still run, indeed the franchise was recently re-let and the new incumbents (Serco) take over from FirstGroup on the 31st; but, that too is expensive, and they don't operate on saturdays.

best way to travel to scotland without the 8hour drive and retain the convenience of a car (almost essential in the highlands), is to fly and then hire - for random dates in may, a mid-size car booked today via easyjet can be had for around £160

[EDDIE51]

^^ I was wrong there is a sleeper service from London Euston 6 days a week.
But it costs up to £250 a person if you pay full fare.

[Sycamore3House]

https://www.sleeper.scot

Website for sleeper

[Gavmacp]

Would recommend getting train or plane and hiring a car. If you do it online you can get better deals especially with the insurance. Driving from down south can be a complete nightmare at times. If going by train try getting 1st class as a lot quiter. Have a nice time!

[boxtops]

That's what we do when we go up to visit OH's mother - we fly or train up, and pick up a hire car when we get there.

[New Judge]

Just for info the British Rail ran an extensive "Motorail" network serving a number of destinations in England, Wales and Scotland at various times between 1955 and privatisation in 1994. One of the main termini in London for these services was Kensington Olympia. I believe there was also one at Caledonian Road and Euston. I can recall seeing drivers arrive at Olympia and have their cars driven onto the train. In the early days open wagons were used to carry the cars but in later years closed vans were also provided. Drivers then joined the train (usually a sleeper service) and were reunited with their cars at the destination.

In 1999 First Great Western re-introduced a car service to go together with their "Night Riviera" service to Penzance (only one service a week if I recall). Because of this infrequency it was initially quite heavily booked and because of its popularity the fares rose steeply so quelling demand. Its use declined and it was discontinued in 2005. It could have been a lot more successful had it been properly marketed and run more frequently but from memory I think one of the reasons for its failure was that passengers did not travel on the same train as their cars. I'm not sure how it worked but I believe the cars went from Olympia and the passengers from Paddington.

There are now no car-rail services in the UK (unless you include “Le Shuttle”) but an extensive network still operates on the Continent.

[mushroom25]

the FGW "motorail" car carriers were attached to the Night Riviera; cars were loaded at a separate platform area accessed by cars between Bishops Bridge Road and Eastbourne Terrace. Because of the shunting necessary to marshal the train, drivers had to present their cars several hours before departure time of 11-45pm.