British Rail Class 92

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The Class 92 is a dual-voltage British railway locomotive which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. Eurotunnel indicates the Class 92 locomotive as the reference for other locomotives which railway undertakings might want to get certified for usage in the Channel tunnel.

Design

The fleet of 46 locomotives was built by a consortium of Brush Traction, and ABB Traction which is now part of Bombardier. Parts construction was sub-contracted, with only final construction and commissioning being undertaken at Brush's erecting shops at Loughborough between 1993 and 1996.

The bodyshells, shared with the similar looking Class 60 diesel locomotives but with a modified front end, were fabricated by Procor of Horbury and delivered pre-painted in then standard triple grey livery. Propulsion is provided by two ABB traction converters using GTO devices, with control via an ABB MICAS-S2. Maximum power is 6760 hp (5 MW) on 25 kV or 5360 hp (4 MW) on 750 V; with a tractive effort of 360 kN.

The locomotive is fitted with both rheostatic and regenerative brakes, in addition to standard westinghouse air brake equipment. A Train Bus is fitted to enable two locomotives to work in multiple formation, either double-heading or push-pull passenger train with a Driving Van Trailer or DBSO.

Operations

Prior to introduction to service, two locomotives (92001 and 92002) were extensively tested at the Czech Railway's test track at Velim near Kolin. One locomotive was temporarily moved from here to Vienna Arsenal for climatic testing.

The majority of the class are named after European composers and writers. Ownership is split between EWS, European Passenger Services (Eurostar) and SNCF. Rumour has it that EWS would prefer diesel-electric traction to give system wide availability without having to change locomotive.

During 2000 Eurostar (UK) offered their seven members of the class (92020 / 021 / 032 / 040 / 044-046) for sale being surplus to requirements with the non commencement of sleeper services through the Channel Tunnel. However no buyer could be found so they have now been decommissioned and stored at Crewe International electric depot. It is unlikely they will see any further work in Europe since their electrical systems are complex and they no longer meet European safety standards. Five of these locomotives have now been purchased by Eurotunnel to be used by their Europorte 2 rail freight undertaking for short haul rail traffic in France. The class is also noteable in that the last train ever to travel under British Rail was hauled by Class 92 92003 Beethoven.

Gallery

References

External links

• SEMG page

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Last updated on Monday February 18, 2008 at 14:19:57 PST (GMT -0800)
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