I went passed the Eurostar depot at Temple Mills and I noticed that the trailer carriages (les remorques) of NoL half-set (37)3308 have been treated to the new Eurostar logo despite having been in long term storage even before transfer from North Pole and have never turned a wheel even once allocated to Temple Mills. AFAIK the carriages are only used for the salvage of spare components for donor to the operational Three Capitals sets and are therefore the internal Christmas Tree at the depot.
I know that sister half set (37)3307 was leased to SNCF of which it is also used for the cannibalism of components for the TGV-TMST sets at Technicentre Le Landy in Paris - but where is the power car (motrice) of 3308 stored?
Whilst on topic of TGV-TMSTs, I'm trying to figure out why they was required to be leased to SNCF in the first place, I'm putting two and two together hoping I come up with four...
I would guess that the original fleet of leased Three Capitals sets (3203/4/25/26/27/28) were demanded because a portion of the existing triple voltage (tri-current) TGV-Réseau that were homologated with 3000v DC for use Belgium had been cascaded for use in the TGV-POS construction, because the leased sets were French owned sets with 1500v DC capability they were leased to breach the cascade on the international TGV service between Bruxelles M/Z - Marseille Saint-Charles - Nice Ville, since additional TGV-Dayse sets had been constructed additional Réseau sets from the Franco-Italian pool have filled the gap on the Brux-Côte d'Azur route and the Three-Capitals sets are now used on the Paris GdN - Lille Flandres route. I also read they was frowned upon by both passengers because there was a excessive step between the trains and the platforms at the stations on the Côte d'Azur route and drivers who argued that two power cars hauling 18 trailer carriages were under powered on the steep gradients of LGV-SE as opposed to the performance of a conventional TGV. The leased Three Capitals sets have a variation of the Atlantique TGV livery with grey cabs and standard TGV blue/green stripes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bindonlane/5801470993/
The NoL sets, that do not have 1500v DC capability and are subsequently allocated to the north of Paris, were required for the new TERGV regional TGV service in the Nord-pas-de-Calais region between Arras - Lille Flanders/Lille Europe-Dunkerque/Calais/Boulogne + plus the new electrified section of the Boulogne-Amiens line to Rang-du-Fliers-Verton*. The leased NoL sets have unbranded Eurostar livery of which they retain the British yellow warning panels. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27203581@N07/3537490882/
*I traveled back from Etaples-le-Touquet last year during darkness and I didn't notice that the section to Rang-du-Fliers-Verton had been electrified, I was on a X76500 diesel AGC DMU and had to do a double take when a ex-Eurostar set passed me in the other direction, I couldn't work out how an electric powered TGV was running on unelectrified tracks.
Some pre-elec photos here; http://www.trainsfrancais.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=29665
I know that sister half set (37)3307 was leased to SNCF of which it is also used for the cannibalism of components for the TGV-TMST sets at Technicentre Le Landy in Paris - but where is the power car (motrice) of 3308 stored?
Whilst on topic of TGV-TMSTs, I'm trying to figure out why they was required to be leased to SNCF in the first place, I'm putting two and two together hoping I come up with four...
I would guess that the original fleet of leased Three Capitals sets (3203/4/25/26/27/28) were demanded because a portion of the existing triple voltage (tri-current) TGV-Réseau that were homologated with 3000v DC for use Belgium had been cascaded for use in the TGV-POS construction, because the leased sets were French owned sets with 1500v DC capability they were leased to breach the cascade on the international TGV service between Bruxelles M/Z - Marseille Saint-Charles - Nice Ville, since additional TGV-Dayse sets had been constructed additional Réseau sets from the Franco-Italian pool have filled the gap on the Brux-Côte d'Azur route and the Three-Capitals sets are now used on the Paris GdN - Lille Flandres route. I also read they was frowned upon by both passengers because there was a excessive step between the trains and the platforms at the stations on the Côte d'Azur route and drivers who argued that two power cars hauling 18 trailer carriages were under powered on the steep gradients of LGV-SE as opposed to the performance of a conventional TGV. The leased Three Capitals sets have a variation of the Atlantique TGV livery with grey cabs and standard TGV blue/green stripes. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bindonlane/5801470993/
The NoL sets, that do not have 1500v DC capability and are subsequently allocated to the north of Paris, were required for the new TERGV regional TGV service in the Nord-pas-de-Calais region between Arras - Lille Flanders/Lille Europe-Dunkerque/Calais/Boulogne + plus the new electrified section of the Boulogne-Amiens line to Rang-du-Fliers-Verton*. The leased NoL sets have unbranded Eurostar livery of which they retain the British yellow warning panels. http://www.flickr.com/photos/27203581@N07/3537490882/
*I traveled back from Etaples-le-Touquet last year during darkness and I didn't notice that the section to Rang-du-Fliers-Verton had been electrified, I was on a X76500 diesel AGC DMU and had to do a double take when a ex-Eurostar set passed me in the other direction, I couldn't work out how an electric powered TGV was running on unelectrified tracks.
Some pre-elec photos here; http://www.trainsfrancais.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=29665
