International RR freight news

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

Opening a 272 Km line May 31 China has continued its expansion toward Batku at Kazakhstan border. This line will operate in a  high wind area.  Freight and 3 passenger round trips a day.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/asia/single-view/view/karamay-tacheng-railway-opens.html

If they could not perform construction during the 168 gale force wind days/year - will the line be safely operatable during those same gale force wind days?

[MMLDelete]

Good question!

Amother good question: who the hell would want to go there.

[BaltACD]

Lithonia Operator

Good question!

Amother good question: who the hell would want to go there.

Those that want to 'go home' and those that want to 'leave home'.

[blue streak 1]

China is connecting various bulk locations to national network.  Also 1000Km coal haulng line complete.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/freight/china-accelerates-construction-of-freight-links/54852.article

 

[MikeF90]

BaltACD

If they could not perform construction during the 168 gale force wind days/year - will the line be safely operatable during those same gale force wind days?

Having been to Amarillo, TX a few times, I think we could tap into some BNSF expertise here. IIRC the area ranchers often raise a special breed of cattle whose front hooves dig into the ground so the body can 'weathervane', usually toward Oklahoma. Now back to topic ....

A tragic accident on a Pakistani railway just occurred. Fortunately Amtrak does not use gas stoves any more - right?

[Erik_Mag]

IIRC, the gas stoves were brought on by passengers, apparently much the same way that an L-1011 came down in the 70's due to a fire started by a gas stove brought on by a passenger for making tea.

[blue streak 1]

India is getting first of new freight unints into service.  Photo is great ut brings up a question.  Note loco has both buffers an janey coupler.  Any one with any ideas ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/traction-and-rolling-stock/indian-railways-freight-revolution-as-first-alstom-electric-locomotive-enters-service/56549.article

 

[blue streak 1]

Russian bridge at Murmansk collaspes cutting off freight and passenger service.  An alternate route under construction is supposed to be accelerated and completed this summer.  Original bridge will be replaced in fall ?

Bridge built in 1930.  Guess USA bridges last longer.  The great russian infrastructure building construction companies fail again ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/bridge-collapse-interrupts-railway-to-murmansk/56732.article 

[54light15]

I read somewhere that Russian bridges are designed to collapse and have pockets in them to plant explosive charges to facilitate that in the event of an invading army. Don't know how true that is but still. 

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

Russian bridge at Murmansk collaspes cutting off freight and passenger service.  An alternate route under construction is supposed to be accelerated and completed this summer.  Original bridge will be replaced in fall ?

Bridge built in 1930.  Guess USA bridges last longer.  The great russian infrastructure building construction companies fail again ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/bridge-collapse-interrupts-railway-to-murmansk/56732.article 

Don't overlook the bridge collapse at Myrtlewood, AL that derailed booster rockets for the Space Shuttle in 2007.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18441424/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/bridge-collapses-nasa-bound-train-derailed/

[MMLDelete]

Every time I see the title of this thread, I wonder where I can buy a pair of international railroad shorts. I bet they look pretty sharp. Maybe they're decorated with logos of Santa Fe, Deutsche  Bundesbahn, SNCF, etc.

[Deggesty]

BaltACD

 

 

blue streak 1

Russian bridge at Murmansk collaspes cutting off freight and passenger service.  An alternate route under construction is supposed to be accelerated and completed this summer.  Original bridge will be replaced in fall ?

Bridge built in 1930.  Guess USA bridges last longer.  The great russian infrastructure building construction companies fail again ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/bridge-collapse-interrupts-railway-to-murmansk/56732.article 

 

 

Don't overlook the bridge collapse at Myrtlewood, AL that derailed booster rockets for the Space Shuttle in 2007.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18441424/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/bridge-collapses-nasa-bound-train-derailed/

 

Perhaps the bridge across the Tombigbee collapsed because the Warrior River (former Southern 10-6) was about to cross it?

[blue streak 1]

Every time I see the title of this thread, I wonder where I can buy a pair of international railroad shorts. I bet they look pretty sharp. Maybe they're decorated with logos of Santa Fe, Deutsche  Bundesbahn, SNCF, etc.

 

OK I'll bite.  Give me suggestions as to what to re name this thread.

[MMLDelete]

Hey, no reason to re-name the thread. Everyone knows what it means.

I was just making a silly joke.

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

Every time I see the title of this thread, I wonder where I can buy a pair of international railroad shorts. I bet they look pretty sharp. Maybe they're decorated with logos of Santa Fe, Deutsche  Bundesbahn, SNCF, etc. 

OK I'll bite.  Give me suggestions as to what to re name this thread.

International hot pants

International short shorts

International Gorts

The list is near endless - imagination rules.

[blue streak 1]

Austria has holed thru both bores of 32.8 Km  of the new Koralm tunnel.  18+ years for when project first exploratory tunnel started.  A harbinger of the new Gateway Hudson river tunnel bores ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/koralm-tunnel-breakthrough/56768.article  

[Overmod]

This is part of the Koralmbahn project, which is worth reading about.  When finished (I think now pushed back to 2027) this will save about 20 minutes of trip time, but I think the greater significance is that it will connect with the (as yet unaddressed here) Semmering Base Tunnel.  That gives a combined through route with no more than 0.85% grade ... specifically noted as allowing heavy (for Europe) freight trains to run through with one locomotive.  This I think is far more significant than the nominal ~35min time saving the SBT will provide.

To those familiar with the history of the Semmering Pass line, these two projects are amazing; I am tempted to say the base tunnel there is still more comparable to Gateway as a major improvement...

[SD60MAC9500]

 

blue streak 1

3. Poland - UK:  DBS announces new once a week freight service between Wroclaw Poland and Barking freight liner terminal UK (using HS1 in UK). Service to start about Nov 8 ?  Due to my lack of understanding of the terminology it may be that this service is some kind of modified double stack operation? If so would be a first for UK. and maybe for this many countries in EU?  Anyone with more info? 

 

 

This is the only route cleared for double stacks in Europe https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/betuweroute/

 

 

[blue streak 1]

China CRRC is delivering a 6 unit freight unit rated at 28.8 MW = 38.6 HP. To pull a 10,000 tonne train  ( that is metric tonnes )

This is a 6 section loco.  Wonder if it is semi coupled.  Cannot believe how it will not pull a drawbar or break a knuckle ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/traction-and-rolling-stock/288-mw-freight-locomotive-unveiled/57096.article 

[Overmod]

The indicated horsepower (which is your number x 1000, of course) is not that 'amazing' if you treat it as an A-B-B-B-B-A set, which by axle count appears to be what it is (B trucks are visible in some of the pictures).  I would presume drawbars and some sharing of components between units, for example access to pantographs, both to save cost and distribute adhesive weight.

There will be the usual constraints on continuous power imposed by the catenary and wayside architecture.  My first opinion is that the high horsepower is intended more for higher speeds than for additional peak tractive effort, and my second opinion is that dividing this into smaller units with good DP control, something the Chinese have surely mastered by now, would have been wiser operationally (if not quite as impressive for propaganda).

[blue streak 1]

Will it work ?  German city is going to try using trams to deliver freight.  This is an expansion of the Dresden delivery of auto parts.

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/light-rail/freight-tram-trials-planned-in-karslruhe/ 

[blue streak 1]

Australia completes first section of inland freight line.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/inland-rail-first-phase-completed/57374.article

For those who are not famaliar with the project here is a link to the whole project.  Note this will allow feight to go Melborne - Brisbane but will allow freight to bypass Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle.

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-australia/dac8bb9a6f5229e672ce702c88ba1c561ea7418a/original/1594360237/inlandrail-route-history-2006-2019-updated-july-2020.pdf_da1f225a58acdc2142fe0ce67847db80?1594360237

[MikeF90]

The latest episode of NHK World Japan Railway Journal mentions that a local shortage of truck drivers (among other things) may divert more freight from truck to JR Freight (they call 'modal shift'). I'm not up on the latest economics of this, as I thought that JRF was government owned and not technically profitable. Anyone more familiar with this?

[blue streak 1]

The EU finally gets just one overall certification authority (ERA) .  Maybe any of the differences of various equipment and other items will start to come together.Maybe finally an automatic coupler for instance ?

https://www.railjournal.com/policy/era-becomes-european-unions-sole-certification-authority/

 

[beaulieu]

blue streak 1

The EU finally gets just one overall certification authority (ERA) .  Maybe any of the differences of various equipment and other items will start to come together.Maybe finally an automatic coupler for instance ?

https://www.railjournal.com/policy/era-becomes-european-unions-sole-certification-authority/ 

Swiss Federal Railways(SBB) and German Federal Railways(DB) are not waiting around for the ERA, CER, or UIC to develop an autocoupler. Both have chosen a variant of the Scharfenberg autocoupler, suitably beefed-up, for operational testing in real life condistions. SBB Cargo has equipped 75 freight cars, 6 road locomotives, 4 roadswitchers, and 2 tractors with this coupling systems and are testing it in everyday service, with the only restriction being the cars are used in domestic service only. I think all three Germanic companies, DB, SBB and ÖBB, will begin the conversion process as soon as the durability of the coupler is proven. 

Voith Autocoupler

[Overmod]

Are either of them using the 'hybrid' coupler for locomotives, with the built-in winch for the 'drop coupler' head that exposes conventional draw hook connection?

[Fred M Cain]

blue streak 1

8. Switzerland  --  last 10 of unprotected RR crossings will have protection installed by end of 2014.  Now why cannot the US do the same?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/low-cost-level-crossing-warning-system.html

 

Actually, I'm not sure how much these Swiss crossing devices would even help in the U.S.  I think that the biggest grade crossing issues in the U.S. are NOT a lack of protection but rather motorists intentionally and willfully disregarding signals.

 

As a life-long rail enthusiast and rail advocate, I have personally witnessed a lot of near misses at grade crossings and it's my best guess that most of the other people on this list have as well.

 

Regards,

Fred M. Cain

[blue streak 1]

Uunconfirmed reports of Russian freight derailment near Ukrain border.

[BaltACD]

blue streak 1

Uunconfirmed reports of Russian freight derailment near Ukrain border.

Who would have thunk it?  For whatever the reason.

[NittanyLion]

Fred M Cain

Actually, I'm not sure how much these Swiss crossing devices would even help in the U.S.  I think that the biggest grade crossing issues in the U.S. are NOT a lack of protection but rather motorists intentionally and willfully disregarding signals.

Plus, you know, the part where the lower 48 is 206 times the size of Switzerland.