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 Chronology of the Record Runs

TGVweb > World Speed Record > Chronology

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First campaign: November 1989 - February 1990

Thursday, 30 November 1989

Friday, 1 December 1989

Monday, 4 December 1989

Tuesday, 5 December 1989

6 December 1989 to 29 January 1990

Monday, 29 January 1990

Thursday, 1 February 1990


Second campaign: March - May 1990

Monday, 5 March 1990

Tuesday, 6 March 1990

Friday, 9 March 1990

Friday, 4 May 1990

Wednesday, 9 May 1990

Thursday, 10 May 1990

Friday, 11 May 1990

Monday, 14 May 1990

Wednesday, 16 May 1990

Thursday, 17 May 1990

Friday, 18 May 1990


Pictures from La Vie du Rail

Click on the pictures to make them bigger

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Picture 1: 325 seen from the overpass at the top of the hill, launching down towards kilometer 166. This was taken a few seconds before the record was set. The bright reflections on the roof of 24050 are caused by the sparking.
Picture 2: 325 a little bit past the Loir bridge, a few hundred meters after setting the record.

3 4

Picture 3: 325 on a different high speed run, crossing the Loir bridge
Picture 4: The speed diagram for the record run, autographed by Michel Delebarre.

5 6

Picture 5: Inside the cab in 24049, during the record run: Daniel Vigneau, chief of traction at Nantes; Claude Maro, traction inspector; Michel Massinon, engineer.
Picture 6: A view from the rear cab, during another run. A GEC Alsthom technician monitors performance.

7 8

Picture 7: The catenary is grounded for an inspection of the pantograph.
Picture 8: Gérard Auditeau, Guy Saint-Requier and François Lacôte (Chief engineer of the TGV program), taking a look at the pantograph after a high speed run.

9 10

Picture 9: A view from the rear cab, moments after passing over the switches in the Vendôme station at high speed.
Picture 10: Trainset 308 doing a sweep of the line at 350 km/h (218 mph) before one of 325's high speed runs. Cut in just in front of the rear unit is Mélusine, a TGV-compatible measuring car.

11 12

Picture 11: The rear spoiler being installed on 24050 at Dangeau, in preparation for another high speed run. The spoiler was removed after each high speed run because it could not withstand facing into the wind for the return trip to Dangeau.
Picture 12: Inside view of trailer R1, showing the lab equipment. Suggestion for further investigation: Does high speed cause hair loss?

Photo Credits: Picture 1, Witt/SIPA-PRESS; Picture 2, Bouvet-Stevens-Landmn-vsd/GAMMA; Picture 3, C. Besnard/LVDR; Pictures 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12, C. Recoura/LVDR; Picture 9, C. Barberon/LVDR; Picture 10, G. Jacobs/LVDR.

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