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I don't think we're disagreeing that pan heads get damaged. We see the same things you do but whereas pan damage stops 1 in 100 trains (services) for intervention, ballast and ice damage will stop 1 in 20. Rough numbers but they illustrate the point. Carbon manufacturers (of which there are...

Good question. I assume it is loaded somewhere on the network. It is all taken care of by RFF. I would have to refer to them to be sure.

Problems with ole and pantograps in cold and snowy weather do exist to the extent that carbons have a shorter life expectancy and despite the low ambient temperatures, the arcing causes overheating locally on the pan head. These, for us at least, are less of an issue than ballast damage to the...

From a high speed point of view: frozen points - Yes it happens frequently in this weather just like any normal lines. damage to stock (eg the Pendolino window issue) - This is the biggest problem for high speed operations. The snow freezes in and around the ballast which then becomes a...

Just to clear up some of this articulated business being thrown about; - TGV vehicles have single pivot articulation (in the centre of the bogie), not the same as the APT set up. One vehicle has a "Male" connection which connects with the "female" part of the adacent vehicle. That adjacent...

If that is indeed the sequence of events then it seems to me to be clear that the driver was at fault.

Hi there. I think first of all under the circumstances you did well to get off as you did. Bearing in mind I work on French high speed trains and don't know what kind of train you were on or what the station was like, my answers may not be as useful as some here, but if it helps, here's my...

Kinematic. Kinetic is pertaining to energy in common use - the energy contained or given by moving objects as a function of their mass and velocity. Kinematic involves the study of motion in conjunction with physical geometry. The 373/2s couldn't negotiate that curve for the reasons you state...

Indeed. You should see the state of a TGV that's been running in heavy or compacted snow at 320km/h. The damage sustained to the underside is incredible from ballast strikes. Not uncommon to have windows smashed also. They work fine though - until some part of the signalling kit is knocked out...

Brave assumption my friend...

Rolling stock can be designed to withstand some effects of snow - such as motor blower resilience to snow clogging as already mentioned. This is assuming that there is a robust enough business case to modify a train that is already in service. If not, an occasional restriction isn't a big price...

I see. Sorry, not familiar with that.

I'm not clear if you mean cl373 when you say "E*", but there is no regen whatsoever on TMST on AC or DC lines.

Eurostars don't have regen capability. Rheostatic only. 3 phase AC asynchronous motors (big ones) and a few large fans and resistor banks to chew on the end of them when they're excited into rheo. You can really clearly hear them if you walk into either the first or last carriage after the...

Just to make that uninanimous - I can confirm that the flashing greens still exist for a long stretch between Peterborough and Grantham.

Between Grantham and Peterborough is the traditional location for record speed attempts. In fact due to many 1 in 40 gradients on CTRL, it's likely that the ECML is still the best place in the country for classic-line rolling stock to achieve records - if there was ever such a desire to do so...

To answer the original question asked with a little more technical detail than just "red diesel", typical properties for diesel engine fuel oil as used on rail vehicle engines are: Cetane number – 45 Flash point – 55°C Density – 850-950kg/m3 Viscosity – 1.6 – 7.5 centistokes Ash content – 0.01%...

I never think of HSTs or Eurostars (or any TGV) as a multiple unit. They are not locos either. They fall into a category of their own: "power cars". In other words, a pair of non-passenger-carrying driving vehicles used to provide tractive effort and hotel power to each end of a fixed formation...

One more time: 373/2 sets were initially restricted to 110 and later cleared for 125 where permitted, South of Grantham. The reason was pan head / catenary interaction. I worked on the job. 395s as said, do run at the full 225 on CTRL but still manage to get in the way very often.

When you said "specs", I was hoping for more than the sort of info you can get from wikipedia. I'd be interested in this sort of thing for each one: Engine type: Paxman Valenta 12RP200L Length: 96.75 in (2458 mm) Width: 56 in (1422 mm) Height: 90.75 in (2305 mm) Crank centre height: 29 in (740...