Abstract
The introduction of through-running trains between England and France has required the provision of shoegear to run on the British Rail (BR) system, and this shoegear must retract clear of the rail for operation in France and Belgium (SNCF and SNCB). This paper describes the shoegear development work. An initial design concept was compared with existing experience; mock-ups were tested to confirm essential interfaces with the bogie and track, and prototypes were installed on a test train. The paper will describe the experiences of these trials and the running of the pre-series train on BR and SNCF. GEC-Alsthom, the main contractor for the TMST Eurostar trains, awarded the contract for current collection to a joint venture between Brecknell, Willis of Chard, England, and Faiveley SA of Tours, France. The two companies have a total of 180 years experience in electric traction and the shoegear design was to be a joint exercise. A version of this paper was originally presented at the Railtech conference in May 1994; since that time the Eurostars have entered full passenger service and the shoegear has met the requirements of full regular passenger service.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
