Class 319s Through The Channel Tunnel - Photos?

[Doomotron]

While it is pretty well known that two Class 319s went through the Channel Tunnel, the only related picture that many people know of is the one of the two trains at Sandling. Does anybody have any other photos of them when they were doing this, like with their pantographs up high or seeing them in France?

PS: If a mod thinks that this thread would be better suited to another area like Railtours, feel free to move it.

 

[cjmillsnun]

While it is pretty well known that two Class 319s went through the Channel Tunnel, the only related picture that many people know of is the one of the two trains at Sandling. Does anybody have any other photos of them when they were doing this, like with their pantographs up high or seeing them in France?

PS: If a mod thinks that this thread would be better suited to another area like Railtours, feel free to move it.

319008 and 319009 only went as far as the first Holywell Coombe crossover (1km into the tunnel)

 

[a_c_skinner]

Wiki says they went through and mentions the mods for OHLE height. I cannot of course vouch for this but it is in the folk lore of the men with ABCs and Thermos flasks.

 

[MikePJ]

Kent Rail describes two trips: one for staff and VIPs only, passing through the tunnel to France and back, and a later one that members of the public could apply to go on, just to the crossover and back. http://www.kentrail.org.uk/class_319_3.htm

 

[randyrippley]

one of the 319 trips carried the Queen all the way through - there were photos in the press at the time

 

[D7666]

There were two seperate events seperated by six months both using 319008+319009.

10/12/93 both units worked through to Calais Frethun on a VIP special arranged by TML, the tunnel builders.

07/05/94 both units worked public shuttle(s) between Sandling and the first inter tunnel crossover in the tunnel.

The Sandling pics mentioned above are almost certainly the 2nd of the two dates.


--
Nick

 

[E759]

I was on one of the public tunnel explorer trips from Sandling and we failed in the Chunnel! Made my day although not everyone on board was so enthusiastic about the situation. Looking back on the trip now makes me wonder if the failure was pantograph/OHLE height related?

Wikipedia has a picture:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_319
Scroll down to Notable Units.

Sorry I missed this thread back in October as memories of that day still linger.

 

[Far north 37]

One of them was named cheriton carried the name till it finished with thameslink im sure.

 

[Class455]

One of them was named cheriton carried the name till it finished with thameslink im sure.

Both of them carried their original names until they finished with Thameslink. 319008 was named Cheriton and 319009 Coquelles.