Alstom has announced the latest addition to The Greatest Gathering: the Eurostar Class 373 power car 3999.
The locomotive, which was built by Alstom in 1996 at Belfort, France, will appear at Alstom’s event next month, offering visitors a rare chance to see the high-speed train up close.
The 400m-long, 18-coach Eurostar Class 373 (or Trans Manche Super Train (TMST), now known as the e300) forms part of Alstom’s range of Avelia high-speed electric trains, and connects passengers between London, Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel at speeds of up to 186 mph.
Rob Whyte, Managing Director at Alstom UK and Ireland, said:We are excited to welcome the Eurostar power car to The Greatest Gathering. It’s not just a remarkable feat of engineering, it’s a symbol of international cooperation and a reminder of what the railway industry can achieve through ambition and partnership.
We’re hugely grateful to Eurostar for making it possible to include this piece of living railway history in our celebrations.
Built as a spare in 1996, the locomotive has clocked up nearly 38,000 km in service when other cars were removed for major works and servicing, with other e300 sets racking up over 7,000,000 kms in passenger journeys.
The train is primarily based at Temple Mills International Depot, with The Greatest Gathering marking the first time the train will be shown to the public outside of international service.
Following the event, the train will be prepared for future operation with the fitment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling equipment for continued service.
Hayley Farrar, Head of Engineering at Eurostar, said:We’re pleased to support The Greatest Gathering by loaning power car 3999 – offering the public a rare glimpse of a Eurostar unit that’s played a behind-the-scenes role in our operations. It’s a fitting way to reflect on three decades of international rail travel and our continued investment in sustainable high-speed connections.
Held at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane site in Derby between Friday 1 and Sunday 3 August, The Greatest Gathering is one of a number of major events across the country celebrating 200 years of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) on 27 September 1825 – giving birth to the modern railway.
Other units set to appear at the event include Locomotion No. 1, the first locomotive to run on the S&DR, as well as the Flying Scotsman.
Travelling to Litchurch Lane by road, Power car 3999 will lead a number of high-speed trains at the event including the Alstom-built Class 390 Pendolino (390119 Progress) and a Class 43 (432159, the world’s fastest diesel-powered locomotive), the latter of which will appear with a set of Mark 3 carriages built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
