Nightstar test runs

[aem7ac]

Hi all,
I was reading up on the testing of the Nightstar stock, claiming it had begun testing between Doncaster and Darlington on the ECML with Class 90s in August 1996.
Does anyone have any further information about these test runs or other Nightstar test runs? Perhaps even some photos?
I'm looking to ascertain more about their testing in Europe (incl. UK) before they went transatlantic for service in Canada with VIA Rail.
Thank you all.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi all,
I was reading up on the testing of the Nightstar stock, claiming it had begun testing between Doncaster and Darlington on the ECML with Class 90s in August 1996.
Does anyone have any further information about these test runs or other Nightstar test runs? Perhaps even some photos?
I'm looking to ascertain more about their testing in Europe (incl. UK) before they went transatlantic for service in Canada with VIA Rail.
Thank you all.

Hi - the info will be out there and no doubt people will pitch in with info - but I did find this mention here on this fairly detailed page:

Nightstar: European Night Services

Nightstar, the proposed Channel Tunnel sleeper service cancelled in 1999

www.kentrail.org.uk

In April 1997, the first "Nightstar" vehicles were available for testing and trial runs behind Class 92s were carried out on the northern portions of the ECML and WCML, notable workings being between Carlisle Yard and Carnforth, and Newcastle and Edinburgh. The stock was also run down south on the Tonbridge to Ashford line behind EPS Class 37/6 locomotives. Indeed, this was some way behind the original 1995 start date for "Nightstar" services and the bad news did not stop there: in May 1997, the project was put on hold as a result of rising costs.

So that suggests the testing did not go on for very long. I am not sure if they were tested on the continental side or not. Possibly not.


Also - this looks useful - some pics from a UK test run :

Nightstar stock - photos of it in action

Hi All, I came across these photos of a Nightstar test train at Plumpton, near Penrith on the WCML in 1997 while I was sorting out some other material for fotopic. I thought they might be of interest to someone. My apologies for the image quality, they didn't scan well. Plumpton 92032 Cesar Franc...

www.rmweb.co.uk

a recollection from a crew member involved in testing, amongst other posts, posted in 2018 on that which is worth a read, and confirms a Class 90 used by a guy who drove it! :

I spent two nights in the mid 90s as traction inspector doing high speed braking trials with them.

The booked driver was a York RES man who was on nights and the council were digging the road up outside his house so I did all the driving.

We had a RfD class 90 and went from Doncaster to Darlington and back doing various tests an timings.

At the time I was involved with north Norfolk railway and we had just got a mk3 sleeper. That was barely ten year old so I asked if thee would be available in another ten!

I was told then they were never going to run in this country but I hadn't heard it here.

He was a good chap as I said we were having problems getting wiring diagrams for the mk3.

So good was the BR internal mail system back then I had a full set of diagrams on my desk by the time I started my next shift!

The brakes were fantastic and that was without the emergency electromagnetic track brake.

This couldn't be used as we were prohibited from connecting the ETS for some reason.

I must be one of the few people to have driven these at 110mph in the uk

Then some links to other images etc including one with several images of tests in the Netherlands:

Nightstar

Nightstar, the brand name of the proposed overnight sleeper service from various parts of United Kingdom to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel was formally cancelled in 1999. Before that, the Channel Tunnel Night Stock (CTNS) built by Metro-Cammell (Alstom) (Birmingham) was rigorously...

www.flickr.com