Eurostar crosses English Channel by ferry!

[Cletus]

Courtesy of the Port Of Dover twitter account.

 

[najaB]

Would I be correct to assume it was faulty?

 

[rebmcr]

Would I be correct to assume it was faulty?

Yeah, it was riding a bit high above the nominal rail height.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Any idea which power car?

Is this Eurostar's version of "Sail-Rail"?

 

[Phil.]

Good grief how has Eurostar sunk so low? They could have at least waited until it was dark as well as putting a tarpaulin over it.

 

[DarloRich]

the ignominy

 

[ExRes]

I've heard that the ferry developed a fault and DFDS hired the power car from Eurostar to provide electrical power .......

 

[RPM]

Terrible PR gaffe!

 

[Mvann]

Good grief how has Eurostar sunk so low? They could have at least waited until it was dark as well as putting a tarpaulin over it.

Shouldn't that be risen as the tunnel is below the sea

 

[hulabaloo]

I'd be more impressed if Eurotunnel returned a stricken ferry!

 

[RichmondCommu]

Was the power car heading to France? Assuming that it's developed a fault I'm surprised that it couldn't be fixed here in London.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I take it that it's on the way for a refurb.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I take it that it's on the way for a refurb.

Not a bad shout but wouldn't they refurb a whole set at a time including power cars and carriages? In which case why not just run the whole train ECS through the tunnel over night?

 

[cjmillsnun]

Not a bad shout but wouldn't they refurb a whole set at a time including power cars and carriages? In which case why not just run the whole train ECS through the tunnel over night?

Probably the same reason that railway carriages are shipped by road over here £££. They'd have to pay Network Rail, Eurotunnel and SNCF for a path. Also it is likely the PCs are being refurbed at a different location to the carriages.

 

[dk1]

It's all down to market forces in the same way it's cheaper for fuel to be delivered to many depots by road than by rail. I wouldn't imagine Eurostar would care less who saw it as long as they get it where it needs to be ASAP.

 

[najaB]

Probably the same reason that railway carriages are shipped by road over here £££. They'd have to pay Network Rail, Eurotunnel and SNCF for a path.

Not if they ran it in service to the correct side of the channel.

 

[ExRes]

One thing to bear in mind of course, is it able to be moved by rail?, perhaps it has a major wheelset failure

 

[furnessvale]

I'd be more impressed if Eurotunnel returned a stricken ferry!

I believe in the past, and probably again in the future, Eurotunnel has moved the CONTENTS of ferries (people, cars and lorries) when the ferries have failed, eg inclement weather, so all is not lost.

 

[Phil.]

Not a bad shout but wouldn't they refurb a whole set at a time including power cars and carriages? In which case why not just run the whole train ECS through the tunnel over night?

Thus far refurbs have been done ad-hoc by half set and power car individually.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

One thing to bear in mind of course, is it able to be moved by rail?, perhaps it has a major wheelset failure

A major state of the art purpose built depot in east London and a power car has to be taken to le continent by road because it can't be attended to there in Temple Mills. C'mon......
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Probably the same reason that railway carriages are shipped by road over here £££. They'd have to pay Network Rail, Eurotunnel and SNCF for a path. Also it is likely the PCs are being refurbed at a different location to the carriages.

What has happened in the past is that a power car required for a specific purpose "over there" would be put on a train forming a terminating service there. It's slightly tricky because there's a bit of piggery jokery required computer-wise to get the sets to "talk" to each other.

 

[talltim]

It'd have been impressive if they loaded it onto a lorry and the lorry onto a Chunnel Shuttle train. Suspect it wouldn't have fitted tho'.

 

[Cletus]

Here's some pictures on board the ferry - 3219
http://www.doverforum.com/sea-news/

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Ah.... power car 3219 has been spare at Temple Mills for a while; the full set 3219/20 is at Hellemes for refurbishment but with the spare power car 3999. This move now begs the question of whether 3999 is actually being refurbished or not - or if 3219 is heading for scrap.

Note that including the three domestic SNCF full length Eurostars and the hapless Belgian set 3101/2, a total of six full length sets have now been withdrawn - 3013/4 and 3019/20 being the most recent to go.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Note that including the three domestic SNCF full length Eurostars and the hapless Belgian set 3101/2, a total of six full length sets have now been withdrawn - 3013/4 and 3019/20 being the most recent to go.

Have the SNCF started cutting up TGV's given that some of them have been withdrawn for some time now?

 

[Cletus]

It's suggested in the earlier link that it may be going for preservation?