[pta slowchat] TSMTs class 373

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French owned Eurostar unit 373202 approaching Vauxhall on 19 October 2000 with the 2:23pm departure from Waterloo International to Brussels. Theextreme length of the train (by normal British standards) can be appreciated from this picture.

In the run up to the opening of the Channel Tunnel contracts were placed in December 1989 for the construction of thirty one TMST (Trans Manche Super Train) units. GEC-Alsthom was the main contractor using a number of sub contractors in Belgium, Britain and France, in particular Brush of Britain supplying the traction motors and de Dietrich of France building the body shells of the trailer cars. The power cars were built at the GEC-Alsthom works at Belfort in France and a large part of the final construction was carried out at the former Metro Cammel plant (GEC-Alsthom having acquired the company) at Washford Heath.

TMST units are technically complex having to accommodate three different operating voltages and pickups (750v DC third rail UK, 25kV AC overhead Channel Tunnel and France, 3kV DC overhead Belgium), three different 25kV catenary heights (Eurotunnel - high for the Shuttle, French LGV - fixed at 5.1m, and variable height on normal French lines), three different methods of railway operation, and three different platform heights (France 550mm above track height, Belgium 760mm and Britain 36 inches). Changes between voltage and pickup are designed to be done on the move. Each driving power car has two pantographs - one for 25kV AC and one for 3kV DC - and both bogies have retractable pickup shoes for use on 750v DC lines. Different platform heights are dealt with by retractable steps for use when in Belgium and France.

All cars are of steel construction - the long nose of the 22.15 m long driving power cars being of glass reinforced plastic with a steel safety cage. The trailer cars, which are 18.70 m long, except for the MS and TBF which are 21.85 m long, are built to a monocoque (no separate chassis) design and adjacent non powered cars are articulated about a shared bogie. The overall unit is built to less than the Continental UIC loading gauge to be able to run in Britain without requiring major building work to widen lines and raise overhead structures