Last 'Night Ferry' arriving in Paris 1980

On 31st October I boarded my first class sleeping compartment in London [Victoria] and the next morning I alighted in Paris having experienced the last run of the 'Night Ferry'. This silent cine film shows the arrival in Paris.

[@neilbailey2893]

I worked on the night ferry from 1968 to 1971, it was a most civilised way to travel, and the passengers were interesting.

[@francishallare204]

How long was the journey from Paris to London before the channel tunnel? How much did it cost?

[@neilbailey2893]

@@francishallare204 on the outward bound (from U.K.), the train left Victoria at 9pm, and arrived at Dover Marine about 1030pm. The train was shunted onto the ferry, which departed about 1am, the crossing took 4 - 5 hours, and the train was then pulled off and hauled to Paris, arriving about 9am.
Return from France had similar timings.

[@francishallare204]

@@neilbailey2893 How much did the train fare cost?

[@neilbailey2893]

@@francishallare204 I was working on the Night Ferry, so travelled for free. It was however a very expensive way of travelling between London and Paris - evidenced by the fact that the majority of the passengers were very wealthy, and it was the preferred route for many celebrities. My comments relate to the Wagon Lits sleeping cars of course, there were opportunities for “ordinary” passengers to travel in a seat for a much lower fare. In the Wagon Lits carriages, everybody had a sleeping compartment with two beds and a washbasin, dinner and breakfast in the dining car, and steward service in the sleeping cars.

[@jean-paulmasse1091]

Good memories for me. I was on board that last train. My article was published in "La Vie du Rail" n° 1769, Nov 30th 1980. Some bottles of champagne were on board...
A couple of years earlier, it was, more or less, planned to introduce BR sleepers, modified to run in France. It never happened.

[@EpicThe112]

Impressive and the train on the right its an SNCF DB (West German Deutsche Bundesbahn) train. Had that been an SNCF DR Deutsche Reichsbahn East Germany train the formation is SNCF carriages with DR East Germany Y-Wagen UIC with Rekowagen Restaurant carriages. What should have been done was make Mk3 coaches for a modernized Night Ferry train then cancelled in 1994.

[@madjurist]

Un service de nuit avait été envisagé avec le Royaume-Uni via le tunnel sous la Manche! Les voitures ont été commandées, fabriquées, mais le projet a capoté et le matériel roulant a fini au Canada.....

[@Aaaaaa2_3]

what camera were u using

[@davidjames38589]

Maybe with the rise of flygskam a variant may yet return.