QUOTE: We put a man on the moon, we put in artificial hearts, and we amzed the world with our weaponry in the Persian Gulf. Now, Joe Vranich in Supertrains shows how we’re going almost to missile-speed all passengers, even lawyer, across this great country. Great, informative, intelligent, actual and prognostic reading! – Melvin M. Belli, Sr.
QUOTE: Posted by BudKarr Posted: 28 Oct 2005, 14:25:21 My story involves a trip between Göteborg and Stockholm, Sweden back in the mid-90s aboard the "tilt train" referred to as the X2000. My memory is not quite as vivid as many of you out there who thrive on these kinds of recollections. I prefer rail travel, but am not what one may consider to be a rail fan nor am I a hobbyist. Mine is to use that mode for travel when it best fits into the time I have available. X2000 provides all types of innovative approaches to passenger rail travel, many of which have since been incorporated elsewhere. For example: Automatic Train Control which can stop the train should a signal "back" not be received; Parking brakes and anti-slip devices that are electronic in operation; magnetic emergency braking that can stop a speeding train at 125 mph in about 3/4 of a mile; asynchronous traction motors used to power the car's four axles; and of course the "tilt" mechanism that kicks in when rounding curves. The consist we had that particular run featured the locomotive and I believe 5 or 6 cars, each with specific interior designs and purposes. I traveled in First Class in the 2nd car back from the locomotive - I think. I recall the cars being "done" rather fashionably, although a bit on the "plastic" side - sterile might be a better word. Some passengers appeared to be a bit uncomfortable with the motion of the car, causing a feeling of "sea sickness." Fortunately, no one found a reason to experience projectile vomiting in the car I traveled in! My recollection is that I had no dificulty navigating the passageways heading to and from other cars, asI visited the bar car a few times to sample the Swedish brew and other delights. I could have waited for the on board Hostess, but wanted to stretch my legs during that just a bit under 4 hour journey. I do not wi***o make comparisons with other trains, such as the French TGV or German ICE, etc. The X2000 is a distinctive engineering accomplishment and stands alone in my mind as worth the expense of time and money. The Swedish countryside seemed to zip by and as I had read from someone's Post elsewhere - looking from the window was as is a slide show was taking place. They advertised the speeds in excess of 100 mph, perhaps even 125. All I can report is that we were moving and moving quite well. The ride was fine and stops minimal. Today, as I understand it, the X2000 runs link most of Sweden's major cities. I travel to that part of the world rather frequently, but have not availed myself of a repeat train trip. Next time, I plan to.
QUOTE: Prototype: French State Railways (SNCF) class 426000 dual system locomotive. "SYBIC" dual system locomotive. B-B wheel arrangement. Assigned to the freight service area (FRET).
QUOTE: Prototype: Luxembourg State Railways (CFL) class 3600. In Bordeaux red as the prototype looked in Era IV. Design similar to the French BB 12 000.
QUOTE: At the end of the 1950s, the electric power cars of the ET 65 series had become worn out through hard daily use. The acquisition of a replacement vehicle was out of the question for various reasons. Thus the DB decided to completely refurbi***he vehicles. All 23 power cars still in existence were therefore taken to the Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt depot and completely reworked between 1961 and 1963. The complete renovation of the front part was the most obvious. The previous connecting doors were removed, the smooth surface front was equipped with 2 large rubber-mounted windows. At the other end, rubber beadings were attached to panels in order to give weather protection when moving from car to car. The operator stands were completely modernised, an inductive train protection system was the safety standard at that time. The passenger comfort was significantly increased by new lighting and padded seats. In the modernised form, the ET 65 or from 1968 465 power car was in reliable daily service until its replacement by the S-Bahn in 1977.
QUOTE: In 1975 the new colour scheme (often referred to as "turquoise/beige") was officially introduced for locomotives and carriages. The Bundesbahn symbol, the DB "biscuit" was originally sea-blue in colour. A number of locomotives of the 216 series were also painted in these colours which were typical of epoch 4 up to 1987. But even after that, many vehicles remained in service with the former colour scheme. And many of these also received the new eye-catching red DB symbol over the existing paintwork.
QUOTE: The DB group has changed its "appearance" once again. The well-known DB logo will be extended in future according to whether the loco is owned by "Mobility", "Networks" or "Logistics". Since Railion counts as part of DB Logistics, the logos on Railion locomotives will also be changed. The new version is the simple logo "Railion" without the well-known box, supplemented by "DB Logistics". One of the first locomotives affected by this is the 232 675-9.
QUOTE: "Swinging in Time" – "Metronome" is the brand name for ten new bi-level trains operated by the Metronome Railroad Company Ltd. in Uelzen, Germany. These very modern locomotives and cars can be recognized from a distance by their striking, sophisticated design in the colors of yellow, white, and blue. Metronome has linked the cities of Hamburg and Bremen as well as Hamburg and Uelzen since December of 2003 as a regional express train railroad. The train name Metronome symbolizes together with the logo of a swinging pendulum the schedule concept of departures on an hourly schedule. Musicians are familiar with a metronome as a beat generator. For that reason the slogan for the Metronome trains is "Swinging in Time".
QUOTE: LIONEL DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES Unlike most real railroads, Lionel was slow to embrace diesel locomotives. Prior to World War II, the only examples Lionel produced were the power units for the “M10000” streamliner and “Zephyr” replicas. All this chanted in 1948 when Lionel introduced its model of the F3 locomotive. In unusual arrangement, the tooling costs for the new model were shared jointly by General Motors (parent company of EMD - the Electro Motive Division, builders of the actual F3), Lionel, and the New York Central and Santa Fe railroads. The new diesel model was a sales hit, especially the Santa Fe. In its heyday, 125 of the gleaming red and silver units were produced each hour. This popularity paved the way for a succession of other locomotive models and paint schemes – some quite realistic, others purely fictitious. Reproduction and forgeries of many of the Lionel F-3s are rampant, and the listings below will hopefully help in distinguishing actual Lionel production from fakes. Most real “diesel” locomotives are actually diesel-electric. The diesel engine runs at a steady speed, turning a generator. The current produced is then fed to large motors, called traction motors, which are mounted in the locomotive’s trucks. American Locomotive Company (ALCO) was a longtime supplier of steam locomotives and was not about to let an upstart like General Motors get the upper hand. Initially teaming with General Electric, ALCO produced a broad range of models for different needs. Its model FA (Freight-A unit) was the equal of the EMD F3, and was about the same size in real life. Lionel, however, chose to offer its FA replica as O27 item, and it was substantially downsized from scale. Because the FA was the only ALCO diesel Lionel duplicated, many collectors use the name ALCO interchangeably with the model name FA. Other GM-built locomotives Lionel chose to duplicate were the NW-2 switcher and GP7 General Purpose diesels. Lionel also listed GP9 diesel models in its catalog, but in actuality these were merely replicas of GP7 diesels with dynamic brake housings. On a real locomotive dynamic braking is achieved by using the locomotive’s traction motors as generators when going downhill or slowing the train. The current produced is then dissipated through windings, generating heat, which is why the large housing and blower are required. Its purpose is to lessen the wear on the train’s service brakes. Longtime heavy-machinery builder Fairbanks-Morse had perfected an opposed-piston engine prior to WWII. During the war, hundreds of these were supplied for use in submarines and other Navy ships. Its high horsepower-to-weight ratio and compact size made it a natural for adaptation as a locomotive power plant, and F-M entered the locomotive market. The H24-66 (2,400 horsepower, two six-wheel trucks) “Train Master” locomotives were substantially more powerful than any other diesels on the market at the time. IT is not surprising that Lionel produced a model of these powerhouses. As with ALCO products, Lionel duplicated only one of the many models Fairbanks-Morse offered, resulting in collectors using the terms “Train Master,” F-M, and Fairbanks-Morse interchangeably. Lionel introduced a new style switcher to its product line in 1956 with the 44-ton GE switcher. Lionel’s version was not an accurate model because it was grossly oversized. Actual 44-ton switchers were created to doge a stipulation in a 1937 agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen. That agreement specified that a fireman would be required on any locomotive weighing 90,000 lbs or more. At 44 tons, the little GE was just under the limit. The F3 and ALCO models were of a style of locomotive sometimes referred to as “covered wagons.” This name came from the shape of the round-topped full-width car body of the locomotives. Lionel’s power units were all replicas of what was known as an “A” unit. A real “A” unit had the locomotive cab, with windshield and engineers controls near one end. Other units, known as “B” units, were produced by ALCO, EMD, and other builders. These locomotives lacked the cab and engineer positions, and were controlled by an engineer in the adjacent A unit. This type of arrangement is known as a multiple unit lash up and an infinite number of locomotives, both A and B units, could be connected and controlled this way. From the real railroad’s perspective, the advantage of the B unit was its lower cost because of the lack of expensive controls and cab fittings. Further, locomotive builders often used letters to designate various models, such as E, F, GP, H, FT, FA, etc. To add to this alphabet soup, Lionel created its own terminology for their diesel replicas. Power units had the suffix P added to the catalog number, dummy A units had the suffix T (for trailer), and B units – all of which were dummy – were assigned the suffix C, for center. Thus an A-B-A lashup of 2343 F3s would consist of a 2343P-2343C-2343T.
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