Streamliner speeds

[Mario_v]

Pretty interresting discussion.

 But there are still some doubts in my spirtit. Even if track maintenance was of very high standard, there's still the rolling stock side. I've seen sttreamlined cars trucks, and they don not seem to have any pneumatic suspension, just a classic 'game of coils' between primary and secondary suspension, wich helps a lot in the absortion of 'galloping' (ie, the typical 'jumps' one can feel when moving in jointed rail), and there seems to be some sort of 'anti balancing/yawing bar' installed, wich can help desguising balancing movements. So for me it seems that these trucks are quite advanced, and where 'light years' away from the ones used in Europe at the same time.

But moving fast trais also means tthat one must be able to stop it in a short distance. In modern (I only know european trains), a system of combined air and electric impulse system is used, wich is called electropneumatic, or EP brake. In fact it's an old system (maybe it is in use for 40 or 50 years), and it is quite effective in stopping trains in an emergency. In such a situation, and with such a system, a train can go from 90 mph to 0 in aproximately half a mile. Were streamliners equipped with some sort of similar system ? 

[jimrice4449]

Sometime around the end of WWII my father took me on a week end jaunt to the Twin Cities.   He had a convention to attend and would ordinarilly have left Chicago on a Sunday to be ready to go on Monday.  We left Chi on a Saturday on the Aternoon Hiawatha (w/ a F-7 Hudson subbing for the normal Alco diesel) and used a chart included in the public timetable for converting seconds between mileposts to MPH.   Using the second hand on a wristwatch we topped 100 MPH 3 times (once between Chi and Milw and twice somewhere btween Milw and La Crosse).   I came home alone the next day on the Twin Cities 400 which had a speedometer mounted in the end above the rear window.   Between Milw and Chi we hit 112MPH.   This was after dark in a time and place where RR Xing gates were controlled by manual pumps in elevated towers.   Contemporary "safety freaks" would have had a mass communal heart attack!

[wjstix]

AFAIK they didn't have anything like you describe re braking. Keep in mind back then many grade crossings were manned, plus there were fewer cars and trucks to worry about (plus their drivers weren't busy texting or selecting CD tracks). Trains certainly did go 100 MPH, in fact some pre-streamlined steam trains went that fast too on occassion.

[daveklepper]

Some streamliners with dedicated equipment did have electropneumatic braking.   It was always an option on EMD's E-series locomotives, and on Budd-built rolling stock.   Also disk brakes on the passenger equipment, especially Budd.

[henry6]

One of the things that I just noticed about this thread is that no one has defined streamliner.  At first, I believe, streamliners were integral or unit trains semi permanently coupled, usually stainless but sometimes painted in uniform scheme and usually diesel powered.  However the evolution came to be any train with matched cars with or without foriegn road cars or nonmatching cars.  Usually it was diesel powered but steam locomotives could be the power if properly shrouded and designed.

So, if you are talking early Zephyrs, Flying Yankees and Cities of Union Pacific destination, you are talking one thing.  But if you are talking Phoebe Snow, 20the Century Ltd, Broadway Ltd, California Zephyrs, or any of the Chiefs, you are talking something different.

[RoyPBower]

Seaboard ran passenger trains at a little over 100 MPH between Sebring and West Palm Beach. This practice I believe was carried over to SCL and possibly Amtrak. Of course trains no loner operate at those speeds anymore. The track is owned by the State of Florida DOT. Southeastern Railroad Corridor or something like that.

[The Commodore]

 I know this is not a technical answer you are looking for but, riding the ACL's East Coast Champion in 1957 I think will must have come close to 95-100 mph.  Back in the observation car lounge the drinks would start sliding when we went  around a curve.  I would be traveling from NYC to Jacksonville and The Champion was always high balling and I would be heading home on leave from the Coast Guard.  The steward was always kind enough to warn us about the dry state of North Carolina was approaching and we better stock up as it were.  The East and West Coast Champion was one of my favourite trains.  Would take the West Champion when traveling from Sarasota.  Of course many years later I traveled on the 125 mph trains from London to Glasgow or Edinburgh.

All the best,