Train of the Week

The EH500 is an 8-axle twin-section AC-propulsion electric locomotive designed by Tōshiba for the Japan Freight Railway Company . It is compatible with three modes of the electrical systems (DC 1.5 kV and AC 20 kV 50/60 Hz) used by the existing Japanese 1.067 mm (3 ft 6 in) cape gauge railway network. Each section of the EH500 is fitted with two 2-axle bogies and a pantograph. The EH500 is officially nicknamed Eco-Power Kintarō (Golden Boy). The production of the EH500 began in 2000 and 63 units (including the prototype unit) were built to date. Prototype unit EH500-901 The EH500 weights 134 tonnes (148 short tons) and provides 54,100 lbf (240 kN) of tractive effort . It has a total output of 4 MW (5,360 hp) and a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph). The HXD3 of China Ministry of Railways is based on the EH500. Production EH500

The HXD3 is a 6-axle AC electric locomotive designed by CNR Dalian (China) and Tōshiba (Japan) for fast freight services in the People's Republic of China. It is technologically based on the cape gauge (1,067 mm or 3 ft 6 in) Tōshiba EH500 locomotive used by the Japan Freight Railway Company (JRF). The majority of HXD3 locomotives are built in China with core components (e.g. bogies , inverters ) provided by Tōshiba. In the initial batch, 4 units were built in Japan by Tōshiba and parts for 12 units were shipped to China from Japan for final assembly. According to requirement set by the China Ministry of Railways, a single unit of HXD3 is able to maintain a speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) while handling a 5,000 tonne train. Production of the HXD3 began in 2006 and to date 1,040 units were ordered. Just like other modern AC electric locomotives, the HXD3 is regenerative breaking capable. It has a total output of 7,200 kW (9,660 hp). With a maximum of 25 tonne (31 tonne for ES44A

The British Rail Class 373 or TGV -TMST (Train à Grande Vitesse-TransManche Super Train) (commonly known as the Eurostar ) is an push-pull articulated multi-mode electric trainset designed for services connecting the Great Britain and Europe via the Eurotunnel . It is designed and built by Alstom of France between 1992 and 1996. It is equipped with pantographs and third-rail pickup shoes on the power cars on each end of the train. The pick-up shoes were used while the train travelled on the existing British railway network before High Speed 1 , a rail link between the Eurotunnel and St Pancras International Station in London, was built. Class 373 on third-rail network in London Class 373 on the High Speed One Instead of conventional bogies, most of the carriages of the train rest on Jacobs bogies forming two independent halves of the articulated trainset. The Class 373 have two variants. Class 373/1 are 20-car trainsets (including power cars) owned by Eurostar (the operator),

The JR Series 500 is a high speed AC propulsion electric multiple unit manufactured by Hitachi, Kawasaki, Kinki Sharyō, and Nippon Sharyō between 1995 and 1998. It was launched by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) as the flagship train running the Nozomi (nozomi translates into hope; it is service name of the fastest limited-stop service on the Tōkaidō and Sanyō Shinkansen , shinkansen means new trunk line) service between Tōkyō and Hakata. It was the first train in Japan to attain a top revenue speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) on the Sanyō Shinkansen between Shin-Ōsaka (New Ōsaka Station) and Hakata. Due to undesirable track geometry (tight bends with radius as low as 2,500 m and steep grades of up to 2% ) on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (opened in 1964) between Tōkyō and Shin-Ōsaka, track speed is limited to 270 km/h (168 mph). The aerodynamics of the Series 500 much resembles an aircraft with a somewhat round cross section. A wing-shaped pantograph based on owl feather was