Class 373 Eurostar withdrawals

[59CosG95]

I thought that the intention was to dispose of them discretely...

It was meant to pass at 0719, before daylight had truly broken, but farces involving both the early morning tanker trains (6M35 and 6E46) passing Tamworth 101 late, and then the morning peak services interfering, meant that it actually passed Tamworth at 0907! Hardly discreet!

 

[Techniquest]

Fair point 8 are to be retained, but we'll see if that stays true!

 

[59CosG95]

Fair point 8 are to be retained, but we'll see if that stays true!

The 8 being retained are the ones going through the e300 programme, so it'd be foolish to waste the refurb on them now!

 

[Techniquest]

I remain cynical that they won't be binned in favour of more 374s! Wasting money on refurbishing the 373s is unlikely, but never say never!

Even so, in the meantime I'd best get striking out 373005+373006 from my NREA now!

 

[sd0733]

It was meant to pass at 0719, before daylight had truly broken, but farces involving both the early morning tanker trains (6M35 and 6E46) passing Tamworth 101 late, and then the morning peak services interfering, meant that it actually passed Tamworth at 0907! Hardly discreet!

To be fair though 99% of the people who saw it wouldn't know nor care where it was actually going when being dragged, the actual scrapping at emr is fairly discrete as its behind a pile of containers.

 

[Julia]

As a slight aside, have the half-sets (not counting the spare power car) ever operated in anything other than their intended formations i.e 3001+3002, etc?

 

[LeylandLen]

Why the secrecy ? Surely being 25 years old with technology of 25 years ago being greatly advanced as surely we all know, most consumers ( thats you and me ) would understand it plus all the mileage accumulated over the years and the effects of our climate from freezing nights to very warm/hot days would have a detrimental effect. Anyway I assume a lot of parts can be recycled ?

 

[Harbornite]

Indeed, 32 late at Finsbury Park. I'm gonna photograph it at Tamworth, though I'm not looking forward to getting up at half 5.

Hopefully I can a fairly decent picture.

Sadly I didn't... :roll:

 

[Domh245]

Why the secrecy ? Surely being 25 years old with technology of 25 years ago being greatly advanced as surely we all know, most consumers ( thats you and me ) would understand it plus all the mileage accumulated over the years and the effects of our climate from freezing nights to very warm/hot days would have a detrimental effect. Anyway I assume a lot of parts can be recycled ?

Recycled (as in melted down and used in cans), yes. Anything that could be reused (signalling equipment and other spares) and was in demand will have been removed at the depot before going for scrap.

As for the secrecy, SNCF have supposedly tried to be discrete with their TGV scrapping as explained* on this page, so I guess that it's their influence coming through.

*"This is the expensive result of delirious "communication" in today's paranoid organizations. "

 

[Peter Mugridge]

...the actual scrapping at emr is fairly discrete as its behind a pile of containers.

Zoom lens from a light aircraft nearby...?

 

[59CosG95]

Zoom lens from a light aircraft nearby...?

Or a drone, as we are in the modern era!

 

[route:oxford]

Only because I'm bored of the repeated 442 content...

Looking exclusively at the coaching stock element of the 373 units, would it be possible to create a few serviceable rakes of coaches out of what is going for scrap?

So lose the power-hungry locos and coaches 1&18 that have powered axles.

Coaches 9&10 only have a shared bogie at one end and a standard bogie along with a Scharfenberg coupler at the other.

Becoming

10-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 or a variant thereof...

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Recycled (as in melted down and used in cans), yes. Anything that could be reused (signalling equipment and other spares) and was in demand will have been removed at the depot before going for scrap.

Not of all of it could be removed as it drove itself to STP, did it not

 

[jamez]

such a waste, they should lease the sets to other companies who want to operate along HS1.

 

[physics34]

such a waste, they should lease the sets to other companies who want to operate along HS1.

They are worn out and the technology is out of date.

 

[Ash Bridge]

such a waste, they should lease the sets to other companies who want to operate along HS1.

Which other companies are these?

 

[Harbornite]

such a waste, they should lease the sets to other companies who want to operate along HS1.

Is there enough demand or capacity for these?

 

[D365]

Which other companies are these?

RailUK Ltd.

 

[Phil.]

Not of all of it could be removed as it drove itself to STP, did it not

No, there would have been a Driver at the controls.

 

[swt_passenger]

Only because I'm bored of the repeated 442 content...

Looking exclusively at the coaching stock element of the 373 units, would it be possible to create a few serviceable rakes of coaches out of what is going for scrap?

So lose the power-hungry locos and coaches 1&18 that have powered axles.

Coaches 9&10 only have a shared bogie at one end and a standard bogie along with a Scharfenberg coupler at the other.

Becoming

10-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 or a variant thereof...

The door layout is useless for normal timetables, dwell times would be far to high. There'll be no appetite for these, it would be easier to refit existing shortly to be redundant Mk3s

 

[Driveroopnorth]

edit: didnt read post correctly.. ignore

 

[najaB]

The door layout is useless for normal timetables, dwell times would be far to high. There'll be no appetite for these, it would be easier to refit existing shortly to be redundant Mk3s

There's zero chance of this happening but... Dwell time would be less of an issue on the East Coast OA operators proposing one-stop Edinburgh-London services.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

such a waste, they should lease the sets to other companies who want to operate along HS1.

There's probably more chance that IEPs being equipped at a later date to run along HS1, probably at whatever the max speed is on HS1 for Javelins

 

[jamez]

There's probably more chance that IEPs being equipped at a later date to run along HS1, probably at whatever the max speed is on HS1 for Javelins

If they were owned by the leasing company rather than Eurostar themselves then I suspect another operator would be interested in running them along HS1...It seems Eurostar are only scrapping them to avoid anyone else being able to operate them in competition with them.

 

[Mordac]

There's probably more chance that IEPs being equipped at a later date to run along HS1, probably at whatever the max speed is on HS1 for Javelins

140mph

 

[59CosG95]

If they were owned by the leasing company rather than Eurostar themselves then I suspect another operator would be interested in running them along HS1...It seems Eurostar are only scrapping them to avoid anyone else being able to operate them in competition with them.

Sad that, as both SNCF and Thalys have started their low-budget versions (SNCF's 'Ouigo', with "parkway" stops in some cities, and Thalys' 'Izy'); it would hopefully allow for more Channel Tunnel/St. P throughput if it were to occur. So far, the only competition I see on HS1 in the near future is DB, and they still haven't got round to authorising the Velaro D for HS1.

 

[D365]

There's probably more chance that IEPs being equipped at a later date to run along HS1, probably at whatever the max speed is on HS1 for Javelins

However they would likely be tied to HS1, owing to 26m vehicles not being suitable on most south east 'classic' lines.

It seems Eurostar are only scrapping them to avoid anyone else being able to operate them in competition with them.

Go on then. Give me a suggestion as for what operator would be interested in 20 year old, outdated, expensive, almost life-expired high-speed stock.

 

[RobShipway]

However they would likely be tied to HS1, owing to 26m vehicles not being suitable on most south east 'classic' lines.




Go on then. Give me a suggestion as for what operator would be interested in 20 year old, outdated, expensive, almost life-expired high-speed stock.

You can though pretty much say the same for the Mk3 or HST Mk3 coaches that are twice their age, yet money is going to be spent on them to have sliding doors at the ends similar to the class 442 MK3's rather than slam door's at the ends.

That being said to give you a suggestion that would take up 20 year old outdated coaching stock, well the only thoughts that come to mind would be either Irish Raill or Via Rail in Canada if they need coaching stock!

 

[D365]

You can though pretty much say the same for the Mk3 or HST Mk3 coaches that are twice their age, yet money is going to be spent on them to have sliding doors at the ends similar to the class 442 MK3's rather than slam door's at the ends.

No, you can't. To compare the two is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

[Phil.]

If they were owned by the leasing company rather than Eurostar themselves then I suspect another operator would be interested in running them along HS1...It seems Eurostar are only scrapping them to avoid anyone else being able to operate them in competition with them.

Look, just understand. These trains are old, maintenance heavy, power hungry and clapped out. Twenty two years of 300Kph takes it out of a train. No-one else would want them for that reason.