New Eurostar trains: Alstom out, Siemens in

[SikhWarrioR]

Bungle's just exploded.

Pity the poor sod who has to clean it all up

 

[teuchter]

Furtive report from the scene of the crime

 

[Bakunin]

Terrific, I'm on one of the new Eurostar trains in June. Naturally, this will help me arrive in a joyous and optimistic mood, fully prepared to enjoy my time away.

 

[teuchter]

New Eurostar carriage design slammed by fashion's elite

 

[SpookyFrank]

New Eurostar carriage design slammed by fashion's elite

It's pretty fugly alright, but so are most trains. Especially in Britain. Anyone who gets the Eurostar once a in a while probably won't care that much and anyone who gets it all the time is probably rich and so deserves to sit on a crappy train.

The only thing I'm annoyed about is the fact that someone got paid, probably quite a lot, to phone this shit in.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

New Eurostar carriage design slammed by fashion's elite

And don't forget that standard premier and business premier are inter-changeable carriages; so they've basically fucked first class

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

It's pretty fugly alright, but so are most trains. Especially in Britain. Anyone who gets the Eurostar once a in a while probably won't care that much and anyone who gets it all the time is probably rich and so deserves to sit on a crappy train.

Most of the rich people we send on it take 4 assistants with them who are not rich. You un-caring monster!

 

[Bungle73]

And don't forget that standard premier and business premier are inter-changeable carriages; so they've basically fucked first class

That's always been the case.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That's always been the case.

There hasn't always been business premier and standard premier.

But yes, the article bemoans standard premier, which gives the impression that business premier could be different.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Most of the rich people we send on it take 4 assistants with them who are not rich. You un-caring monster!

If there were no willing lickspittles the rich wouldn't be able to rule the world, so fuck them too.

 

[Teaboy]

It looks like they've modelled the standard class on Ryanair. An interesting choice.

 

[paolo]

It looks like they've modelled the standard class on Ryanair. An interesting choice.

That's what it reminded me of when I was on one.

 

[Dogsauce]

New Eurostar carriage design slammed by fashion's elite

Fashionistas complaining about 'very harsh lighting'. I wonder why that might be...

 

[stdP]

Fashionistas complaining about 'very harsh lighting'. I wonder why that might be...

Difficult to find a vein.

 

[Dogsauce]

Difficult to find a vein.

& not very comedown-friendly. A conspiracy by sunglasses manufacturers no doubt.

 

[teuchter]

First of the old (ie original) Eurostar trains off to be scrapped.

Eurostar prepares to scrap 186mph Class 373s

I was a bit surprised they are to be scrapped rather than refurbed/used elsewhere but a comment below that article explains the situation:

As a retired Eurostar Driver at first I too was very surprised to hear that these first generation marvellous trains are to be scrapped, but after chatting to one of our senior engineers it became obvious why they cannot easily be used elsewhere. These are the 20 car full length sets which were built to do a very specific job to very exacting standards. The shorter North of London sets which did for a time work on the ECML could only do that because of their shorter length. For the full length sets to operate on the same route would require substantial lengthening of platforms, depots and sidings. The NoL never were passed to work up to Newcastle because of signalling interference worries and so were confined to the Leeds route. If these redundant sets were to work anywhere else there is a huge amount of equipment built into the sets which is now starting to become life expired. The trains have both AC and DC power units which is very rare, they have multiple signalling equipment unique to the routes they worked on and this equipment is highly interlocked and not easy to separate. The articulated nature of the coaches means that individual coaches cannot be removed, operating fire doors between the coaches and the different automatic step heights for working with different height platforms in France, Belgium and ET all contribute to make these sets unique. They have travelled many millions of miles at the highest speeds and that takes it toll after 20 years. I too hate to see wasted resources but unfortunately in this case it seems they did their specific job admirably but would be too expensive and complicated to have their life extended for work elsewhere. I understand though that a number will be refurbished and continue to to the job they were built for. The first of these refurbished sets is back in service after a very long overall and proving popular. It is now working alongside the new Siemens Eurostar sets.

 

[A380]

Basically the 14x classes were a Leyland national bus body on a four wheel underframe with the collision resistance of a coke can and known by many as Nodding Donkeys due to the fore and aft motion on anything other than perfect track

Did we sell these to pre-revolution Iran? Or is that an urban myth?

If we did it may explain they hate us so much...

 

[oneflewover]

Did we sell these to pre-revolution Iran? Or is that an urban myth?

If we did it may explain they hate us so much...

However, the purchase of second hand British rail buses of Class 141 in 1998 seemed to be a failure, they are all parked in dump sidings now.

From here:- Spectacular Railways in Iran 2016

The gearboxes where so unreliable, some broke after being renewed before they go to the station from the depots. All the 14x had the gearboxes changed to Voith very early in their life.

 

[teuchter]

BREL also sold some (new) 158s to Thailand, strangely with the BR livery of the time hardly altered.

 

[paolo]

First of the old (ie original) Eurostar trains off to be scrapped.

Eurostar prepares to scrap 186mph Class 373s

I was a bit surprised they are to be scrapped rather than refurbed/used elsewhere but a comment below that article explains the situation:

Ooh. Reading to the end... So we won't lose them all.

 

[davesgcr]

The SNCF are scrapping their 1976 era TGV sets (knackered basically - in a yard at Culoz there are a good number stripped of parts and awaiting the breakers) , so things move on. Not yet been on a new one , but look forward to it.

 

[teuchter]

The SNCF are scrapping their 1976 era TGV sets (knackered basically - in a yard at Culoz there are a good number stripped of parts and awaiting the breakers) , so things move on.

40 years of hurtling around at 180mph+... not bad going really. Twice as old as the Eurostar sets.

 

[Crispy]

The SNCF are scrapping their 1976 era TGV sets (knackered basically - in a yard at Culoz there are a good number stripped of parts and awaiting the breakers) , so things move on. Not yet been on a new one , but look forward to it.

Well I hope they hang on to a couple and re-paint them orange

 

[teuchter]

Preferably not in jpegged orange though.

 

[Dogsauce]

Go another step back from orange TGVs and we had these beauties:



I remember these being heavily featured in some childhood book of trains (might have been a ladybird book)

Trans Europ Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Les TEE au Luxembourg - TEE in Luxemburg

 

[teuchter]

Don't forget the Turbotrain, France's high speed train pre TGV

Turbotrain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[jakejb79]

Would be interesting to ride a Pacer at full speed down the Channel Tunnel

 

[davesgcr]

40 years of hurtling around at 180mph+... not bad going really. Twice as old as the Eurostar sets.

I think the miles per day on the E* sets was a bit more than the SNCF domestic sets ......

 

[DaveCinzano]

Someone ought to alert the appropriate authorities that a bus driver has just parked his Number 73 on the Tonbridge up track

 

[teuchter]

I think the miles per day on the E* sets was a bit more than the SNCF domestic sets ......

How so?