Train of the Week

JR Hokkaido Train-on-Train Concept

2013-05-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've come across an interesting concept revealed by JR Hokkaido in 2006 (yeah, took me long enough) is exploring in order to reduce traffic congestion in the Seikan Tunnel after the opening of run-through high speed service on the Hokkaido Shinkansen currently being constructed. The Hokkaido Shinkansen, planned to open in 2015, is the first high speed link to connect the Japanese island of Honshu to the northern island of Hokkaido.

Honshu side entrance of the Seikan Tunnel

A little background. The Seikan Tunnel is the longest undersea railroad tunnel in the world. Narrow gage double track railroad mainline traverses through the tunnel. Track work is currently under way to upgrade the tunnel to dual gage trackage. Unlike the Channel Tunnel, the Seikan Tunnel uses a single tube for both tracks. Therefore, trains trailing both directions will need to pass each other at some point in the tunnel. Shockwaves created by pressure differential created by train moving at high speed in a tunnel increases the risk of excessive lateral force on the slower moving train and may derail the slower moving train. This is a problem that the Seikan Tunnel will encounter when high-speed trains start to use the tunnel along with existing train and freight train services.

Okay, so here's one interesting potential solution to the problem. Japanese freight trains are narrow gage with a limited clearance profile small enough to fit on a flatcar and still conform to the clearance profile of the largest Japanese high-speed train. The train-on-train concept is exactly the above. Why not load the freight train onto a faster moving freight train in the tunnel and speed up the entire operation? I can't find a lot of details (but at least there are 2 pictures on Wikipedia, hooray), but I'm sure there are quite a few technical hurdles that will need to be overcome. We shall see what comes out the other end eventually.

Bombardier Zefiro 380 Pictures

2013-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week, we'll have more of a show and tell here. Apparently the Zefiro 380 (designated as the CRH380D by the ex-Chinese Ministry of Railways, now the China Railway Corp., a crown corp) has entered production some time in late 2012 and holy smokes is she a beauty. As the winner of 2012 IF Product Design Award, she's probably the most beautiful trainset I've ever seen (probably one of the very few vehicles of any kind that actually looks better than the pre-production artist rendering)!

Anyway, since the pictures are not under GPL, the thumbnail to the right serves as hyperlink only. For more pictures, simply search for the keyword "CRH380D" or "Zefiro 380" on your favorite search engine.

This hyperlink here takes you to videos found through Bing.

A little bit on Pantographs

2013-05-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I got a question on pantographs and did some Googling (thanks for your comment/question Tari btw). I'm not very familiar with them on a technical level, so I'm basically going to believe what the inter-web tells me. If anyone thinks what I'm writing here is a complete load of ___, please and please do leave some feedback!

Pantographs, well, for those who don't know what it is, it's the mechanism (with arms and linkages and etc.) on top of an electric train, that collects electricity from the overhead cantenary for the train's propulsion. Maybe I can say it's a fancy version of the trolley pole for trolley busses and old school streetcars. Below is a picture showing the parts of a modern Z-shaped single-arm pantograph from the German Wikipedia page of pantographs (there are many types out there, I won't go into history and all that now but they are linked here). Unfortunately I have not a clue what it's saying... je ne comprends pas Allemand and oh wait that wasn't even German.

Pantograph on the ICE3

The question was about the difference between Japanese pantographs (why they look funny and weird) compared to European ones. Tari's guess was right based on my quest on the web so far, it was all for the sake of reducing noise due to the stringent environmental laws of Japan. When looked at an European high-speed train, the look of a pantograph doesn't deviate too much from the German picture up there, but when we look at the pantograph on a Japanese high-speed train, sometimes we hardly recognize that it is a pantograph (like the expensive vortex generating pantograph from the Series 500 that goes straight up and down, according to the translated Japanese Wikipedia page, this particular pantograph was designed in conjunction with a Formula 1 parts manufacture, but it was too expensive to make and maintain so the design retired with the W Sets of the Series 500).

Wing-shaped pantograph on the Series 500 W Sets

Traditionally, the Japanese liked diamond shaped pantographs, as one could see on their older high speed trains. As speed of these trains increased, the noise emission of these trains was creeping beyond accepted limits by law. Earlier solution for this problem included a big shrouding around the pantograph, but it seemed to have only worked with speeds up to around 270 km/h or 170 mph (why? because these shrouding also made noise as air rushed onto them). More innovation was required to keep noise level down while increasing top speed of trains in service. After some money and research, the pantographs we saw on the latest and greatest Japanese high speed trains were born. In short, the new pantographs looked clean and minimalistic, with most components moved into aerodynamic housings or inside the roof of the train. Every component exposed to air was exposed for a good reason. Even the horn of the pantograph (curved ends of the slider or that top bar thingy that glide on the wire) had waved holes drilled into them to generate vortex and sound that suppresses the noise made by the pantograph at high speed.

The "shrouding" I was talking about, on a Series E2-0

Pantograph on the latest Series E5 with a 200 mph top speed

Pantograph on the Series N700 still has some "shrouding", top speed 186 mph

Well, hopefully that semi-answered the question. For the keeners who are interested, I did find some technical papers on noise reduction of high speed trains written by Japanese researchers (paper, paper, paper, more paper, more paper, more paper, more paper, more paper, book). Very intriguing to read (a little bit of background in vibrations and acoustics, which I don't have, may be required but interesting for anyone out there nonetheless).

JR East Series E6

2013-04-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Oops... sorry I missed another week. I haven't been very good this year have I. However, I do bring you another very fast train, and this time, it's actually something we the general public can ride on (well, given a trans-Pacific flight ticket is taken care of and all that).

E6 will mostly operate together with the E5 on high-speed lines

Let me present you the Series E6 Mini-shinkansen (meaning the trainset needs to come off the high speed lines at some point and operate along existing lines at no more than 80 mph and need to fit into a smaller loading gage similar to trains on the existing narrow gage trackage) operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). This tilting electric multiple unit may look a bit familiar. Yes, she sports similar exterior design to her bigger cousin, the E5, and she's also the production product of the test train Fastech 360 Z (Z for Zairaisen or existing line). The E6 wears a pink livery, resembling the E3 operating on the Komachi service between Tokyo and Akita. As you may have guessed at this point, the E6 will be operating on the same route, and will be dubbed the Super Komachi.

What a pretty face

Pre-production E6 went into testing in 2010, and production officially began in November of 2012. The trainset is built by both Hitachi and Kawasaki. The top speed of the E6 is 186 mph in service for the time being and will eventually (2014) be raised to 199 mph.

JR East Class E954 Fastech 360 S

2013-04-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I think I’m gonna continue with this “theme” of Japanese experimental or prototype trainsets. This week, let me introduce you a more recent high speed prototype electric multiple unit, East Japan Railway Company (JR East)’s Class E954, or more commonly known to the public as the Fastech 360 S. Well the term “fastech” sounds easy enough to decode. The 360 in the name of this 8-car EMU denotes the target revenue speed of the production train in km/h, and the letter S stands for Shinkansen (new trunk line), to disginguish the Class E954 from the Class E955, aka the Fastech 360 Z, Z for Zaraisen (existing line).

Car 1 of the Class E954

Car 8 of the E954, nose of the production E5 was based on this end

The Fastech 360 was designed to have the same stopping distance and external noise level opearting at 360 km/h (224 mph) as the existing Series E2 trainsets operating at 275 km/h (171 mph, the maximum line speed then on the Tôhoku Shinkansen line). The E954 was also to reach a maximum speed of 405 km/h (252 mph) during test runs. Like the previously discussed WIN350, the Fastech 360 trainsets incorporated sets of different experimental equipment in order to evaluate and compare their performances. The best performing components would be then used on the production train, the Shinkansen E5. The components included two nose shapes, 3 different truck types, and 3 different traction motor types. Active tilting suspension was used and tilted the train up to 2 degrees on curves. Different interior designs were also used for the passenger cabins to conduct comfort and ergonomic studies. In order to fulfill the stopping distance requirement, the E954 was even equipped with air deflectors that raised to help creating drag. These deflectors looked somewhat like cat ears and gained the E954 the nickname of Nekomimi (cat ears) Shinkansen.

"Cat ears" of the Class E954

Testing of the prototype trainset commenced in 2005 and concluded in 2008. Problems associated with excessive external noise and catenary wear above 330 km/h (205 mph) could not be addressed in time and the maximum speed of the revenue train (Series E5) was limited at 320 km/h (199 mph). All except for 1 car of the Fastech 360 S was scrapped.

Shinkansen WIN350

2013-04-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve written about the Series 500 Shinkansen on this blog before. So this time I’m gonna talk about the experimental trainset that has let to the production and deployment of the flagship train then of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). She had a few names, 500X, Series 500-900, or WIN350 (which is probably the more commonly known name and it stood for West Japan’s Innovation for operation at 350 km/h, yeah, really).

Osaka end of the WIN350

Hakata end

The concept of a train capable of 350 km/h in service on the Sanyō Shinkansen Line first surfaced at JR West in around 1990. The Sanyō Shinkansen Line is one of the more recent HSL’s in Japan, which opened in 1972. Compared to the original Tōkaidō Shinkansen Line, the Sanyō Line had more forgiving grades and radii of curvature and hence higher allowable top speed. The WIN350 officially rolled out in 1992. A number of new components were tested aboard the WIN350, including 3 styles of trucks, 2 nose shapes, and 2 styles of pantographs (one of which was the famous wing type pantograph used on the Series 500 W sets). Tilting technology was utilised on the WIN350 but not the production Series 500 due to unresolved technical issues. The trainset was formed with an all-powered 6-car consist, 4 of which had passenger seats fitted. The trainset looked very futuristically 1990s, and the car body was noticeably lower than any existing trainsets. The car body of the WIN350 was 11 ft. 1 in. wide but only 10 ft. 10 in. high from the top of rail. The trainset was of aluminium alloy construction and the entire 6-car consist weighed under 560,000 lbs. (to put this into perspective, a fully loaded standard modern freight car in North America weighs 286,000 lbs.). Power came from 24 traction motors and the WIN350 had a total maximum output of 9,655 hp, which gave the trainset a nominal operating speed of 350 km/h or 217 mph.

1990s style cab of the WIN350

The test program concluded in 1996 and the WIN350’s intermediate cars were scrapped. Although the operation of 350 km/h services were feasible, aerodynamic noise above 300 km/h or 186 mph caused violation of Japanese environmental laws (this was also the reason the Series E5 was capped at 320 km/h, or 199 mph). As a result, the production Series 500 only had a revenue speed of 300 km/h. The two end cars of the WIN350 were preserved at 2 separate locations and were used for public display on occasion. Below is a short film of the WIN350 from one of the versions of the video game Densha de Go.

Pioneer Zephyr

2013-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week, I’m gonna write about another piece of historically very important passenger railroad equipment that I’ve had the privilege to have a close encounter with and lay my hands upon. However, unlike the almost-mythical JetTrain, this streamlined, articulated, and stainless steel diesel-electric trainset is on display at a museum for the admiration of the masses. I’m talking about the Pioneer Zephyr at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (located minutes walking-distance away from the 57th Street exit of the 55-56-57th Street Station of the Metra Electric Line).

The beautiful Pioneer Zephyr

The history of the Zephyr is abundantly available on the internet, and I won’t reiterate too much of it here. The takeaway is that though for the non-foamer general masses is that this train is an icon of American passenger railroading and has inspired the era of the railroad streamliners. She was built for the Chicago, Quincy and Burlington Railroad by the famous Budd Company. On the Zephyr’s inaugural run, she made a non-stop dash from one end of the CB&Q to the other (Denver to Chicago) in a world record setting time of 13 hours and 5 minutes at an average speed of 77 mph and reached a top of speed of just over 112 mph. She was also the first diesel-electric trainset in America, with one powered truck at the head end. Traction motors are powered by a generator coupled to a 6,000 hp, straight 8, EMC/Winton engine. The entire trainset was also articulated, meaning that trucks are shared under each car and the entire train was built as a set and could not be separated.

Lucky passengers waiting to be aboard of the Zephyr

The important role that the Zephyr has played in passenger rail history is undeniable and the train remains a legacy today. Yes one can see many pictures of pretty much anything in this digital age, but admiring one such engineering marvel up close in person and feeling her sleek stainless steel body with one’s own hands is still an experience unmatched by any digital reproduction. I highly recommend that all who have reasonable access to the City of Chicago take a little trip to the Museum of Industry and Science and have a tour around and inside this triumph in passenger railroad engineering. And please do check out the valuable historical footage of the Zephyr's record run.

Bombardier JetTrain

2013-03-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Looks like I missed another week of this blog. Things have been quite busy lately with work and personal affairs. Anyway, moving on so I can actually write about trains on this thing now.

This week I bring you a locomotive I got the honor to touch with my very own hands at a undisclosed location. Unfortunately she never came out of experimental stage due to funding (which really was the lack of willingness to progress our public transport system). This locomotive continued the very concept of very early experimental high speed trains, including the UAC Turbo, the Advanced Passenger Train, and the Train à Grande Vitesse 001. So you've probably pretty much figured it out, it's the Bombardier JetTrain high speed turbo-electric locomotive.

The JetTrain locomotive on display in Calgary, AB

From the outside, the JetTrain shares the same shell and trucks (including traction motors) with the power car of the Acela Express minus pantographs. Rather than overhead power catenary or a hefty diesel engine, the JetTrain locomotive is powered by a 5,030 shaft horsepower PW150 gas turbine, usually found on turboprop planes. A small diesel engine is used for HEP (head end power) and traction at low loads (low speed and empty) to address problems with turbine efficiency at low engine speed. Electrical energy is generated by a traction motor of the Train à Grande Vitesse in reverse of normal generation (not a regular alternator from a diesel-electric probably due to the high rotational speed of the turbine). The gas turbine weighs a mere 882 lbs. (vs. say 20,000 lbs. typically for a diesel engine). As a result, the entire locomotive weighs only 215,000 lbs. (over 50,000 lbs. lighter than a P42DC). Like the Acela Express, the JetTrain locomotive has a top design service speed of 165 mph and intended service speed of 150 mph.

Cab of the JetTrain locomotive

Today the JetTrain locomotive sits peacefully at a test location, probably never to be revived. Gas turbine powered locomotives is certainly a great concept to achieve true high speed without the expensive and restrictive infrastructure required for electrification, especially in a continent where the vast majority of passenger miles run on leased trackage. The very limited operational experience and possible maintenance complications could still render these locomotives prohibitive for general adoption although in theory, gas turbine powered locomotives should only be easier to maintain and more reliable.

Pueblo Union Depot

2013-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Since I’m enjoying the privilege to be in Pueblo, CO for a railroad industry event, I will write about something local - a beautiful historic place that once has served the mobility needs of numerous people, Pueblo Union Depot.

Being called a Union Depot, the station was once shared by 5 railroads, Denver & Rio Grande Western (Rio Grande), Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe (Santa Fe), Colorado & Southern (later became part of Chicago Burlington & Quincy, or Burlington), Missouri Pacific, and the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific (The Rock), quite some names for railroads. The station was completed in 1890. Today, co-owned by two local brothers, the depot is used as a event venue hosting weddings and luncheons, etc. (check out the picture gallery online).

A parkade sits where the platforms use to be

One can only hope that the Union Depot can contribute once again to people’s everyday lives. With the terrible volume and the consequential traffic jams on the I-25, maybe there is hope for the implementation of passenger rail once again south of Denver.

British Rail Class 175

2013-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Well, why don't we keep talking about another Alstom Coradia while we are at it. If you've missed my old posts, so far we've talked about the not-so-successful-but-getting-better British Rail Class 180 Coradia Adelante, the Coradia Nordic, X60/1/2 and the Arlanda Express X3, in Sweden, and last week, the Coradia LINT (well, which wasn't really a Coradia). This week I'll briefly write about this other Coradia DMU that's running in Britain, the Class 175 or Coradia 1000.

Interior looks basic but functional

Like the later Class 180, the 175 was built in Britain at Alstom's plant in Birmingham. 27 sets of 2 or 3-car trainsets (it's interesting to know that on a 2-car train, the cars are labeled only A and C with no car B in between) were built between 1999 and 2001, and the Class 175 was put in service in 2000 by First North Western (part of the later First TransPennine Express and Northern). In 2003 the sets were transferred to Arriva and had been used on Arriva Trains Wales ever since.

The Class 175 is propelled by 2 axles driven by a 450 hp Cummins diesel engine via Voith hydraulic transmission per car. They are very light in North American standard and weigh approximately 54 short tons per car. The top speed of the Class 175 is 100 mph.

Alstom Coradia LINT

2013-02-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week let's talk about a little regional DMU that we will soon be able to see/ride on in Ontario, the Coradia LINT by Alstom.

LINT stands for Leichter Innovativer Nahverkehrstriebwagen, or Light Innovative Local Transport Rail Vehicle. Well, that didn't sound French at all did it... Apparently the family of DMUs was originally designed by Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB), a German company, which was acquired by Alstom in the 1990s. The LINT comes in 4 flavors, 27, 41, 54, and 81. Each number denotes the approximate overall length of the trainset in meters. Of the four, LINT 27 is a single car unit, and 41 is an articulated 2-car DMU sharing a single Jacobs bogie in the center. The new Ottawa O-Trains will be the Coradia LINT 41 (currently using Bombardier Talent).

LINT 41 or DB (German Railways) Class 648

Not all trucks are powered on these DMUs. The 27, 41, 54, and 81 have 1, 2, 3, and 4 powered trucks respectively. Trucks are mechanically driven by diesel engines mounted under the floor and depending on configuration, they each produce up to 390 kW (523 hp) of power. Top speed of the LINT range from 75 to 87 mph.

LINT 81 or DB Class 620 under test

BritishRailways.tv

2013-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all. It's been a hectic week so far and I haven't had much time to put much thought into the blog this week. So I'll share with y'all a website I've recently discovered but haven't either had the chance to go through carefully. It's called BritishRailways.tv. This is a website that specialises in videos on the railroad networks of the Great Britain. From the looks of the homepage, it also has lots of films of vintage British equipment. So, have fun!

Oh and don't be alarmed by my y'alls. I'm from nowhere near Texas but I do have just returned from a work trip in Greenville, Texas (I stayed near Dallas Fort Worth Airport and drove back and forth on the amazing freeways of Dallas).

Budd Silverliner (Silverliner II)

2013-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week we'll take a look at an old workhorse on commuter railroads of the Northeast. She doesn't have the looks or the glory of the more famous trainsets of North America, but for many people, life cannot go on without this stainless steel EMU.

The name Silverliner has first been used by the famous Pennsylvania Railroad on new advanced stainless steel commuter EMUs (Budd Pioneer III or PRR MP85) serving the Philadelphia area in 1958. The cars are said to have made a good impression and the name SIlverliner has been carried on as the name of the EMU herself since the Silverliner II, aka PRR MP85B (there are 5 generations to date). I'll elaborate a little more on this series, i.e. the Budd Silverliner or Silverliner II, in this post.

The letterboard still says Pennsylvania on the ex-PRR units on the SEPTA

The Silverliner II first saw service in 1963 and a total of 59 cars (55 for the PRR and Reading, 4 for the USDOT for high-speed rail research) were built. Unlike the more conventional EMUs, the Silverliner II is really a single standalone car able to operate on her own. Braking was done by a pneumatic system only. Power is delivered by 4 traction motors and the Silverliner II pumps out a total of 550 horses. She is fast too and has a top design speed of 100 mph and a top service speed of 85 mph (remember, this was before, although not by much, true high-speed rail was unveiled to the world). All cars today are operated by SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

The ex-Reading units had cow guards on their trucks

SBB-CFF-FFS ICN

2013-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week let's tall about this EMU some Big Bang Theory fans may recall from the opening. You may remember the red nose and slender body of this 7-car trainset. Still doesn't ring a bell? Well, maybe this picture below will remind you.

She's the ICN, InterCity-Neigezug (inter city tilt train), or RABDe 500 by SBB-CFF-FFS designation. Technically she is half Italian, with exterior design by Pinifarina, and tilting mechanism by Fiat (right, builder of Pendolino, later absorbed by Alstom). The rest of her is genuine Swiss engineering, by Adtranz in Zurich, now part of Bombardier. The ICN serves several lines in Switzerland and can be seen in all major cities. The 8 traction motors equipped in the end 4 cars produce a total of 6,970 horsepower and the ICN achieves a top speed of 125 mph where track speed permits. A total of 44 sets have been built and put in service between 2000 and 2005.

The ICN tilting around a curve

British Rail Class 93

2013-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

This will be an interesting post I think. Although the class number 93 has now been referred to twice, none of the locomotives actually exists. At least not yet.

The first Class 93 was discussed by then still national British Railways was going to be the electric locomotive designed to haul the InterCity 250, a concept trainset to command high speed intercity rail service on the West Coast Main Line like the InterCity 225 on the East Coast. Like the name InterCity 250 suggested, the train hauled by the Class 93 would have a top speed of 250 km/h, or 155 mph. Service was expected to begin in 1995. However, with multiple other projects the British Railways had taken on (including the Channel Tunnel lines), funding for the Class 93 and InterCity 250 could not be realized, and the project was scrapped.

Artist impression of the Class 93 locomotive for the InterCity 250

Now, the Class 93 may not be dead after all. Although she won’t resemble the original Class 93 in any way, a new Class 93 may just become the latest high speed locomotive to serve passenger railroads in the UK. The aging Class 91 is deemed needing replacement by some, however, the Mark 4 coaches on the InterCity 225 still has many years of life left. Instead of replacing complete InterCity 225 trainsets by new trains outlined in the InterCity Express Programme (IEP), it has been proposed that Class 91 locomotives be replaced by a new Class 93 locomotive built by Bombardier. This new Class 93 may just be the more sensible way of improving intercity service on the ECML without prematurely retiring the Mark 4’s. Click on the picture below for the article on Rail.co.uk on the refurbishment of Mark 4 coaches and the new Class 93.

Bombardier TRAXX UK, the proposed new Class 93 locomotive

NJT River Line

2013-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

The River Line is a unique “light rail” transit line operated by the New Jersey Transit that runs mostly on heavy rail shared with freight trains (I will leave a lot of details out so check out this Wikipedia page). The line connects Trenton Transit Center (can change to the Northeast Corridor) to the Entertainment Center in Camdon and its portion between Camdon and Bordentown is formerly owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad (later Penn Central and Conrail, of course) until it has been purchased by the NJT in 1999. However, commercial operation hasn't began until 2004.

The River Line is not electrified. It uses the GTW diesel light rail vehicles built by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. The River Line GTW is an articulated LRV with three sections supported by three 2-axle trucks. The diesel engine is in the short, central section, and the LRV is propelled by the middle truck only (i.e. the UIC axle arrangement would be 2'+Bo+2'). There are other variants of the GTW which I will write about at later dates that have different arrangements.

EMD GT26

2013-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

The GT26 is a class of 6-axle export locomotive from General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Several variants have been built for different markets for quite a long period between 1967 and 2009. The GT26s, of course, utilised the EMD 645 engine I've written about last week. These locomotives have outputs ranging from 3,000-3,300 horsepower and have top speeds ranging from 77-93 mph.

The GT26 was built for both standard gage (56-1/2 in.) and cape gage (42 in.) railroads. The locomotives are 9 ft. 3 in. in width to suit various loading gages of the different markets they are sold to. Over 1,000 units have be sold to Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Iran, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe.

GT26CW-2 in South Korea

GT26CU-2 in Brazil

EMD 645

2013-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

The EMD 645 engine is a vast popular 2 stroke cycle medium speed diesel engine used in locomotive, marine, and stationary applications. The cylinders are arranged in a V-shape at 45 degrees. It is arguably one of the most successful engines ever produced by General Motors. This engine can be found at the heart of locomotives, pump houses, boats, power generators, etc all over the world. I'll try to make this post as high-level and not as boring as I can.

An EMD 645 at the heart of the Irish CIÉ 071 Class

Of course the F40PH uses the EMD 645

The 645 engine is based on the previously successful EMD 567 engine with an increase in bore from 8-1/2 to 9-1/16 inches.The stroke of the engine remained the same as the 567 engine at 10 inches. The number 645 denotes the cylinder displacement of the engine, at 645 cubic inches. Both engines employ a fabricated steel block of identical key dimensions. The change in displacement of the engine was done through a new power assembly where the cylinders were housed (props to the designers of the 567 for their vision for the engine's future evolution). The number 645, of course, denotes the engine displacement of 645 cubic inches per cylinder of the engine (the car guys still think your tiny little 450s or what not are big?). The engine came in roots blown (think supercharger) for lower or turbocharged for higher horsepower versions. The turbocharger has an ingenious overrunning clutch and only disengages when the engine is running at a sufficient speed to spin the turbo with its exhaust gas (in other words, the turbocharger acts as a supercharger at low rpm). The engine also comes in assorted numbers of cylinders, 8, 12, 16, or 20. Being a medium speed the engine runs at a maximum of 900 rpm.

The Australian G Class also has the 645

The engine had been through a vast number of iterations which maximized its efficiency. This engine is no longer in mass production but is still available from EMD (now part of Caterpillar) on a by-request basis. And because it is such a versatile, reliable, and durable workhorse, the 645 engine is also available in refreshed form from various sources.

Time of the year again

2012-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

So it's the end of a year again and it's time to look back on some of the train trips I've taken in 2012. Since most people who visit this blog will probably only read the first few sentences or so, I'll say happy holidays and happy 2013 here instead.

The first two picture albums down here are from my little 3-day getaway to Portland, Oregon. One from when I was on my way, the other from me strolling around in the little gem in the Pacific Northwest. I drove for a few hours to Shelby, Montana, the closest Amtrak station from the unfortunate and middle-of-nowhere Albertan city I live in (where there had been no passenger rail service for decades), in order to board the Empire Builder, a wonderful long distance train that took me to destination.

Then in June, I went on an overseas trip to England, where I had the chance to attend an elaborate train show hosted by the National Railway Museum in York, called Railfest 2012. It was during the opening day of Railfest that Class 91 locomotive no. 110 (also the speed record holder for British trains) was renamed to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Well, this one is on SkyDrive, so you'll need to click on the little thumbnail below to see the entire album.

Then Octobre came (yes I did spell it with "re"), and I went on another little trip to the better part of my country to see our national railway museum, the Exporail, or le Musée Ferrovaire Canadien. The town the museum is at isn't really that nice to be honest, Saint-Constant, across the Saint-Laurent from Montréal, is quite difficult to get to without a car. I mean, come on, it's a rail museum. You can revisit this picture album of mine by clicking the little thumbnail above.

VR Class Sr2

2012-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Since I've written about the Lok 2000 last week, it's probably a nice followup to write about the very similar, equally handsome, VR (Finnish Railways) Class Sr2 locomotive. To start with, the immediate difference a traveller notices (well, other than the livery, of course), is that the Sr2 is built to VR's board gage of 5 ft. Also designed by companies later bought by Bombardier Transportation, the Sr2 was assembled in Finland by Transtech Oy. According to Wikipedia, the design top speed of the Sr2 is slightly higher than that of the Re 460, at 140 mph, and also the VR has then capped her top speed at 130 mph.

The Sr2 was built between the mid 1990s and early 2000s, but trucks had to be redesigned and refitted due to hunting at speeds above 100 mph. The 4 traction motors of the Sr2 pump out a continuous maximum of 6,700 hp and a short-term maximum of 8,050 hp. Like the Re 460, the Vr2 is also assigned in fast intercity services at up to 125 mph.

SBB-CFF-FFS Re 460 (Lok 2000) / BLS Re 465

2012-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Re 460, or more famously known as the Lok 2000 is a high-speed electric locomotive used by the Swiss Federal Railways SBB-CFF-FFS. Engineering of the locomotive was done by ADtranz (now Bombardier) in Switzerland, while famous Italian design firm Pininfarina took care of the exterior, a fine combination of Italian beauty with Swiss precision. The Re 460 was deployed in the mid 1990s and played an important role in modernizing the passenger locomotive fleet of SBB-CFF-FFS. A total of 119 units were produced and were usually seen with IC 2000 bi-level cars in InterCity and InterRegio services.

A later variation called the Re 465 was used on BLS, a regional railroad in Switzerland. Other than individual traction motor cut-out and slightly more horsepower (the 460 had to cut-out a truck at a time), the Re 465 is the same unit as the Re 460.

The Lok 2000 is also a beautiful billboard

Now the numbers. Being a passenger unit, the Re 460 is of course capable of sustaining 125 mph in service. A total of 4 traction motors pump out a total of 7,500 hp with a max short-term rating of 8,200 hp. The Re 465 will do 8,400 hp and 9,400 hp short-term. The locomotive is a real lightweight too, contrary to her looks, only 93 tons.

SJ Rapidlok (Ra)

2012-12-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Let's keep discovering some nice bulldog nose locomotives this week. There are actually in fact quite a few of them even outside of North America. Hopefully I'll be able to sniff them out one by one eventually. Anyway. You can think of this week's feature locomotive as a double ended electric F-unit. Not that the locomotive herself has anything to do with the F-unit, but to us North Americans, the F-unit is truly the bulldog nose icon.

So here we have the Ra or Rapidlok (lok: locomotive) from Sweden. Only 10 were built between 1955 and 1961 by ASEA (maker of our fast little toasters), the Ra was exclusively for (well, name has it) express passenger trains. According to the Swedish page on Wikipedia this locomotive generated quite a buzz when she debuted with her slick looks and bridge orange color scheme. In addition to their SJ road numbers, the Ra also had their own through Rapid 1 to Rapid 10. The 4 axles of the Rapidlok transfer an impressive 3,540 hp onto the rails and the locomotive has a top speed of 93 mph. The Ra has made her final revenue run in 1996 but a few are preserved and still kicking around.

Interesting looking cab

DSB Class MY / MX

2012-11-30T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Class MY (and MX) is a very familiar looking locomotive to us North Americans (well, and Australians too I suppose). The Class MY was built by Swedish firm NOHAB between 1954 and 1965 for the Danish State Railways (DSB) which began the replacement of steam locomotives. As the shape of the locomotive's nose might suggest, the unit was indeed powered by the famous EMD 567. The 3-axle trucks also resemble American design. The A1A-A1A wheel arrangement suggests truck design of the MY is similar to the E-unit.

The Class MY gets 1,700-1,950 hp and weighs 112 tons. A lighter but otherwise close resembling Class MX (1,425-1,445 hp, 98 tons) was ordered by the DSB to be used in territories where MY was deemed too heavy. The top speed of the Class MY is 83 mph.

Copies of the MY and MX (and similar locomotives of different classes) have been preserved and are still in working condition today in a few European countries. One unit, Swedish TÅGAB 106 was featured in the movie Dancer in the Dark dressed in Great Northern color scheme.

Xplorer and Endeavour DMU

2012-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Xplorer and Endeavour are mechanically identical diesel multiple units used by Australian passenger rail operators CountryLink and CityRail respectively. The DMU came in 2- to 4-car flavors and are built by ABB (now Bombardier) between early and mid 1990s in Australia. A total of about 50 cars were built for the two railroads to be used on a total of 8 lines.

CountryLink Xplorer at Sydney Central Station

Interior of coach class

Given that these are diesel electric multiple units, each car is equipped with a 514 horsepower Cummings diesel engine coupled to hydraulic transmission made by Voith Turbo. A separate 181 hp Cummings engine powered auxiliaries such as air conditioning and lighting. Top speed of the DMU is 100 mph but capped at 90 in service. The DMU first saw service on the CountryLink in 1993 with full deployment on both railroads in 1996. The sets were refurbished in 2009.

Interior of the CityRail Endeavour

GE E44

2012-11-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

The E44 is one of the handful of electric locomotives to haul freight along the mainlines of North America. Built by the General Electric Company in the early 1960s, the E44 replaced the not-so-satisfactory P5a (which we shall discuss at a later date) for the legendary Pennsylvania Railroad. The E44 was based on the (later known as E33), which the Virginian Railway seemed to have found ample success with.

Unlike electric locomotives designed for passenger use in North America, the freight electric looked almost identical to diesel-electrics with the narrow long hood arrangement (well, except for, of course, the pantographs sticking out of the roof). The 6 traction motors of the E44 pumped out a total of 4,400 horsepower (some were upgraded to E44a and had a whopping 5,000 hp), which was remarkable at the time, when diesel-electric units in the same era, such as the General Motors SD18, only did about 1,800.

Since the E44 is a freight unit, we are interested in her weight and tractive effort and such. She still does a respectable 70 mph nonetheless. The E44 weighs 384,600 lbs., has a continuous tractive effort of 55,500 lbf., and a maximum starting tractive effort of 96,150 lbf. Not bad at all.