As we approach the 30th anniversary of the launch of Eurostar services from London to Paris and Bruxelles, here is a tale of an event which took place ahead of the official opening.
Saturday 11/06/94
43140 + 43125 0700 Reading – Paddington
I made my way by tube to Waterloo, as I had been invited (with several hundreds of other people) to join an Evacuation Test train going from Waterloo to Coquelles and return.
E* 3215 + 3216 0928 Waterloo – Coquelles Emergency Siding
Things didn’t get off to a good start when the original Eurostar set failed, so 3215 + 3216 were hastily summoned from North Pole Depot. We got under way an hour late. This was my first ever trip on a Eurostar set – the first of many. I was impressed by the train itself, but rather less so by the low speed meandering through the Southern Region suburbs of London. We ran via Maidstone, and into the Channel Tunnel for my first rail crossing under the English Channel.
The purpose of the trip was to test evacuation procedures, in the event of a train becoming disabled mid-tunnel and requiring emergency evacuation. This was required to be successfully completed for the Operating Licence to be issued. We came to a (planned) halt mid tunnel, then the traincrew went through the full emergency drill. A “replacement” Eurostar was sent from Calais to stop in the opposite tunnel, for a simulated transhipment of the passengers. So we all trooped off our train and into the service tunnel, hung around there for about half an hour, then were invited to re-board our original train so we could continue to Coquelles.
Having reached Coquelles, we reversed, and set off back towards the UK. There was a surprise at the French tunnel mouth, as SNCF steam loco 230 G 353 was posed in the tunnel mouth for photographs. Apparently, it had been right into the tunnel as far as the French crossover earlier that day to test the fire alarm system!
That’s when the fun and games really began. You see, when we had stopped opposite the steam loco to allow everybody to get photos of it, we were straddling the neutral section. When attempting to take power after the photo stop, the class 373’s power control system had “timed out” and required to be reset. Now I am by no means an expert on these things, so please forgive me if I’ve got the technical details wrong, but basically the driver did a pantograph reset, then took power once again. We accelerated a short distance then BANG! There was a loud bang and a flash, and the overheads came down. Normally when entering a neutral section the Automatic Power Control magnets shut the power off, but by sitting at the tunnel mouth for a while then doing a pantograph reset, our rear pantograph was drawing full power as we entered the Channel Tunnel. As we reached the neutral section an arc was drawn, enabling both 29 kV to feed at different phases simultaneously. The resulting power surge / clash of phases was enough to melt the OLE contact wire, leaving us powerless straddling the tunnel mouth.
Our “simulated emergency” test train was now a genuine emergency. Thankfully, help was at hand. Eurotunnel sent one of their diesel locos through the tunnel to rescue us, and the SNCF and Eurotunnel staff secured the damaged OLE equipment.
E* 3216 + 3215 1600 Coquelles Bomb Siding – Waterloo (75 minutes late start)
Mak 0004 1946 French Tunnel Portal – French Crossover
Once we reached the French crossover, we were back under live OLE again, so the ET diesel detached there, and the Eurostar continued with only one power car working as far as Dollands Moor. Having reached third rail territory, both power cars were able to power the train. Because by now we were running several hours behind schedule, some people were concerned about getting home from Waterloo that same night. The train crew arranged for the special to stop additionally in the (domestic) platforms at Ashford - presumably the first Eurostar ever to do so. (This was well before the official opening of the Eurostar platforms at Ashford International, which didn’t take place until 1996). We arrived at Waterloo (via Maidstone) at 22:00, so I did well to make the 22:30 out of Paddington. It had been a long and eventful day.
43183 + 43181 2230 Paddington – Reading
A full post mortem (or “retour d’experience” as our French colleagues would call it) was carried out by Eurostar and Eurotunnel the following week. The procedures for resetting power if you become stopped straddling a neutral section were clarified, to prevent any repetition of our OLE destruction.
That was the only time I had any of the Eurotunnel diesels for haulage. To the best of my knowledge, Saturday 11/06/94 was the only day in which steam, diesel, and electric traction all worked in the Channel Tunnel.
It is strange to think that the class 373 Eurostars are now 30 years old, and have clocked up many millions of miles. They are still pretty good trains.
Saturday 11/06/94
43140 + 43125 0700 Reading – Paddington
I made my way by tube to Waterloo, as I had been invited (with several hundreds of other people) to join an Evacuation Test train going from Waterloo to Coquelles and return.
E* 3215 + 3216 0928 Waterloo – Coquelles Emergency Siding
Things didn’t get off to a good start when the original Eurostar set failed, so 3215 + 3216 were hastily summoned from North Pole Depot. We got under way an hour late. This was my first ever trip on a Eurostar set – the first of many. I was impressed by the train itself, but rather less so by the low speed meandering through the Southern Region suburbs of London. We ran via Maidstone, and into the Channel Tunnel for my first rail crossing under the English Channel.
The purpose of the trip was to test evacuation procedures, in the event of a train becoming disabled mid-tunnel and requiring emergency evacuation. This was required to be successfully completed for the Operating Licence to be issued. We came to a (planned) halt mid tunnel, then the traincrew went through the full emergency drill. A “replacement” Eurostar was sent from Calais to stop in the opposite tunnel, for a simulated transhipment of the passengers. So we all trooped off our train and into the service tunnel, hung around there for about half an hour, then were invited to re-board our original train so we could continue to Coquelles.
Having reached Coquelles, we reversed, and set off back towards the UK. There was a surprise at the French tunnel mouth, as SNCF steam loco 230 G 353 was posed in the tunnel mouth for photographs. Apparently, it had been right into the tunnel as far as the French crossover earlier that day to test the fire alarm system!
That’s when the fun and games really began. You see, when we had stopped opposite the steam loco to allow everybody to get photos of it, we were straddling the neutral section. When attempting to take power after the photo stop, the class 373’s power control system had “timed out” and required to be reset. Now I am by no means an expert on these things, so please forgive me if I’ve got the technical details wrong, but basically the driver did a pantograph reset, then took power once again. We accelerated a short distance then BANG! There was a loud bang and a flash, and the overheads came down. Normally when entering a neutral section the Automatic Power Control magnets shut the power off, but by sitting at the tunnel mouth for a while then doing a pantograph reset, our rear pantograph was drawing full power as we entered the Channel Tunnel. As we reached the neutral section an arc was drawn, enabling both 29 kV to feed at different phases simultaneously. The resulting power surge / clash of phases was enough to melt the OLE contact wire, leaving us powerless straddling the tunnel mouth.
Our “simulated emergency” test train was now a genuine emergency. Thankfully, help was at hand. Eurotunnel sent one of their diesel locos through the tunnel to rescue us, and the SNCF and Eurotunnel staff secured the damaged OLE equipment.
E* 3216 + 3215 1600 Coquelles Bomb Siding – Waterloo (75 minutes late start)
Mak 0004 1946 French Tunnel Portal – French Crossover
Once we reached the French crossover, we were back under live OLE again, so the ET diesel detached there, and the Eurostar continued with only one power car working as far as Dollands Moor. Having reached third rail territory, both power cars were able to power the train. Because by now we were running several hours behind schedule, some people were concerned about getting home from Waterloo that same night. The train crew arranged for the special to stop additionally in the (domestic) platforms at Ashford - presumably the first Eurostar ever to do so. (This was well before the official opening of the Eurostar platforms at Ashford International, which didn’t take place until 1996). We arrived at Waterloo (via Maidstone) at 22:00, so I did well to make the 22:30 out of Paddington. It had been a long and eventful day.
43183 + 43181 2230 Paddington – Reading
A full post mortem (or “retour d’experience” as our French colleagues would call it) was carried out by Eurostar and Eurotunnel the following week. The procedures for resetting power if you become stopped straddling a neutral section were clarified, to prevent any repetition of our OLE destruction.
That was the only time I had any of the Eurotunnel diesels for haulage. To the best of my knowledge, Saturday 11/06/94 was the only day in which steam, diesel, and electric traction all worked in the Channel Tunnel.
It is strange to think that the class 373 Eurostars are now 30 years old, and have clocked up many millions of miles. They are still pretty good trains.
