Train of the Week

Okay I'm not gonna drop the ball again this week, so I'll start early (FYI it's 30 May right now). Diesel-electric locomotives (or really, diesel locomotives in general) are somewhat of a rare breed in countries like Japan where railroads mass-electrified right after the steam era. Japan does keep a fleet of diesel locomotives/MUs for areas that are less densely populated, but the vast majority of them are of the diesel-hydraulic type. " JNR DF50 65 DF50 1 hikyou go kawaguchi " by Spaceaero2 - Own work . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons . So let me get right to the chase then. The Class DF50, unlike most Japanese diesels, is indeed a diesel-electric. 138 of this class of locomotives were jointly built by a number of builders (many of which still exist today) starting between 1957 and 1963. They were operated by the JNR up until 1983. The locomotives were built in two batches, the first of which by Kisha, Nippon Sharyo, and Mitsubishi ...

So there is going to be a new train on the busy Yamanote Line again, and it will be called the Seires E235 . Some of the railfans out there probably have already heard of this important artery of Tokyo, the World's largest metropolis. It was only 2002 that this loop line saw a complete refreshment of rolling stock to the Series E231-500 , but with train frequencies at 2.5-4 minutes for 21 hours a day, they sure get used a lot. " Yamanote Line E235 Ikebukuro 20150326 " by DAJF - Own work . Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons . To put a perspective on the importance of this new commuter EMU, here are some numbers one ought to have a look at. The New York City Subway carries 5.08 million passengers per day on 26 lines serving 468 stations, and the London Underground carries 3.36 million passengers per day on 12 lines serving 275 stations. The Yamanote Line E235 however,  once in full deployment starting in the fall of 2015, will be responsible for trans...

Well, this is one of those weeks where I can't really think of what to write and therefore have to pick something out of the blue. The world of trains is one where the more one looks the more she or he finds. It continues to amaze me how many variations of the same vehicle designed to operate on top of two steel rails there are in different corners of the Planet Earth. Today we look at a locomotive from the JNR days So I will briefly write about a Japanese electric locomotive from the mid 20th century. The Class EF58 locomotive is a joint product by 5 companies, 4 of which are still quite well known today (and they are Hitachi, Toshiba, Kawasaki, and Mitsubishi). She was built between 1946 and 1958, during the golden days of the North American Streamliners. A picture of the EF58 from the 1980s If you remember, Japan's national railroad network, until the days of the bullet train, was entirely cape gauge (42 inches). The EF58 has 8 axles, however only 4 center axle...

Japan, like many European countries, leaped straight into electric propulsion on their railroad networks from steam in the early 20th century. Since her mainlines are dominated by passenger multiple units, locomotives have not been in a big demand. Diesel locomotives are even more scarce, they only run on the relatively few miles of non-electrified mainlines. The Japanese have attempted producing a diesel-electric locomotive before (not long after the war) but have since been using hydraulic transmission instead. Well, that was until the Kawasaki DF200 was introduced in the early/mid 1990s. To date, the DF200 remains the only diesel-electric locomotive on the JR system. Japan Rail Freight (JRF) runs unit trains only Like the typical Japanese electric locomotive, the DF200 is a 6-axle but not the kind we are used to. Instead of having two 3-axle trucks, Japanese locomotives have three 2-axle trucks instead. Power comes from two small high-speed diesel engines. Early variants of...

I am sitting here thinking about how nice it will be to ride the new InterCity trains by Hitachi in the UK in the not too distant future. Theres not much information on what these trainsets will actually be like when they start rolling down the production line. All I know right now is that they are from the Hitachi A-Train family, and that they will have the big boots of the InterCity 125 and the InterCity 225 to fill. So I thought to myself, why not write a few brief words about another trainset from (but not quite, which I'll explain) the A-Train family that I've known since quite young an age. That trainset is the narrow gage Series 883 tilting electric multiple unit operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) of Southern Japan. Tilting truck of the Series 883 Introduced in 1995, the Series 883 was the first EMU to carry the name of the Sonic limited express train service on the Kagoshima and Nippō mainlines. Now this service is served by both the Series 883...

While passenger rail continue devolving in Canada, the world moves on without the parts that don't look forward. I hold on to the hope that even for just 5 seconds a week, this blog provides some catching up to those of us who are not so ignorant but unfortunately happen to live in the passenger grave yards of the world. Quite a nice looking piece of equipment really This week I'll write about a fairly recent addition to the express intercity fleet of the Taiwan Railway Administration, Class TEMU2000 built by Nippon Sharyo. The history of Japanese import multiple units in the express fleet of the TRA only started not long ago with the TEMU1000 tilting train used in the Taroko Express service. Like the TEMU1000, the TEMU2000 is also a tilting train. However, rather than a more complex hydraulic tilting system, the TEMU2000 utilizes a simpler pneumatic system but does not tilt as much. The TEMU2000 also has a higher top speed, 87 mph in service and 93 mph in test, maki...

This week I'll write about another electric multiple unit designed over half a century ago and is still going strong. The Series 103 is a workhorse of the Japanese suburban railroad fleet having carried millions and possibly billions or more passengers over the years. Over 3 447 cars of many variants in the Series 103 have been built since 1963 and more than 300 still remain in service today. Like many other rail vehicles in Japan, production of the Series 103 was taken part in by a number of manufactures and the last of this series of EMU was not built until 1984. A select number of sets were also refurbished between 1996 and 2005. Every axle of the Series 103 was powered by a 148 hp DC traction motor and the entire car body is constructed of ordinary carbon steel. This gives the Series 103 a top speed of 62 mph. To help stopping while help reducing brake shoe wear, electro-pnumatic brake is accompanied by dynamic brake. Like the mechanical variants of this EMU, th...

This week I'm trying to write, again, about something I'm not entirely familiar with, a steam locomotive ( How Steam Engines Work ). The nostalgia and romance the steam train brings is unrivaled, however, I cannot say, as someone born in the late 1980s, that the steam locomotive is something I have much emotional connection to. Nevertheless, they are charming machines, each with their own personality and character. Evolution of the steam locomotive is no doubt a powerful testament of Victorian ingenuity and has brought revolutionary changes to the landscape of transport around the world. The star featured today then is a locomotive from Japan, the Japanese National Railways  Class C62 . The C62 is the biggest and fastest passenger steam locomotive Japan has ever built for its Cape gage railroad network (we shall revise that Cape gage is 3 ft. 6 in., considerably narrower than the standard gage of 4 ft. 8.5 in.). These locomotives were built in 1948 and 49 for hauling expre...

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 i...

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

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 Railfes...

The ED10 is one of the early electric locomotives adopted by ex- Japan National Railways (JNR) following the electrification of the narrow gage (3.5 ft.) Tōkaidō Main Line in 1925. The locomotive was designed and built by Westinghouse Electric (electrical components) and Baldwin (mechanical components) in 1928. The unit has a B-B wheel arrangement and is powered by 4 DC traction motors producing a total of 1,100 horsepower. The ED10 is a light little unit and weighs in at just over 67 tons and has a top speed of just 40 miles per hour. Two ED10s have ever been built. Preserved ED10 2

The Queensland Rail Tilt Train is a narrow gage (3 ft. 6 in.)  tilting train from the State of Queensland in Australia. Two sets of the Tilt Trains are manufactured and 3 sets are still in service today. The Tilt Train comes in 2 flavors. The electric version is an Electric Multiple Unit and is built by Hitachi; the diesel version is a push-pull trainset with locomotives on either end built by EDI Rail of Australia using EMD technology. The push-pull diesel Tilt Train The electric Tilt Train Despite the fact that the Tilt Train runs on narrow gage track, the electric Tilt Train is still the fastest train in Australia. It is the Australian speed record holder with a top speed of 130 mph. The top speed in service of the Tilt Train is 99 mph, same as that of the standard gage XPT from New South Wales. Enjoy this short little documentary on the Tilt Train.

I'm back from my trip and it's time for show and tell! Let's start with the San Francisco cable car . The cable car (for the purpose of this blog), first introduced in the 1800s, is a rail car that is hauled by an endless, continuous running cable between the rails. It is known for its hill climb ability. The rail car does not depend on wheel-rail adhesion on steep grades and therefore performance is not affected by rail conditions (i.e. rain, snow). However the major attraction for most cities (especially on flatlands) was the fact that they replaced horse drawn cars which was deemed cruel and inefficient at the time. For such system in San Francisco, a grip from the rail car is used to control the speed of the cable car by applying and releasing pressure to the cable, moving at a constant speed of 9.5 mph. The  Clay Street Hill Railroad , opened in 1873 in San Francisco, California, is the first cable car railway in the world of its kind. The gri...

The Series 885 is an AC electric multiple unit built by Hitachi for the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) of Japan. It is a member of the modular Hitachi A-Train family which export trains have been derived from including the 140 mph British Rail Class 395 Javelin . Side view of the nose of Series 885 Interior of Series 885 with real hardwood floor The Series 885 is used as Limited Express trains on Japan's existing railway network and hence is narrow gauge (3 1/2 ft.). To negotiate tight curves at speeds higher than regular trains, the Series 885 is fitted with active- tilting mechanisms. Eleven 6-car trainsets (3M3T, i.e. 3 motor cars and 3 trailers) of the Series 885 have been built since 2000 and are used on the Kamome (Seagull) and Sonic services. This EMU has a combined output of 3,060 hp and a top revenue speed of 80 mph. Enjoy this short video of the Series 885 tilt on curves.

The Hitachi TEMU1000 is operated by the Taiwan Railway Administration as the Taroko Express in Eastern Taiwan. It is Taiwan’s first tilting EMU , with a design based on the Series 885 operated by JR Kyūshū . The TEMU1000 has been in service on Taiwan’s existing narrow gauge (1,067 mm or 3.5 ft.) railway network since 2007. The TEMU1000 utilises active-tilting technology. It tilts up to 5 degrees and can negotiate curves 25 km/h (16 mph) faster than existing trains in Taiwan without compromising passenger comfort. The body of the TEMU1000 is constructed with aluminum alloy and each car only weighs around 38 tonnes (42 short tons, based on the Series 885). Standard consist of the TEMU1000 is 4M4T (4 motor cars and 4 trailer cars, arranged in T-M-T-M-M-T-M-T, with two pantographs mounted on top of cars 3 and 6) with a maximum power output of 3,040 kW (4,075 hp). The train is designed to have a maximum speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) but only reaches 130 km/h (81 mph) in scheduled...

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

We shall take another break from very fast trains and instead just take a slow and relaxing look at a few stunning pictures of a very beautiful train ride in the Swiss Alps.  The Glacier Express of Switzerland is a 7 and a half hour railway journey between St. Moritz / Davos and Zermatt across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the Oberalp Pass on the highest point at 2,033 m (6,670 ft) in altitude.  The entire line is electrified and metre gauge (1 m or 3 ft 3 and 3/8 inches).  Now just sit back and enjoy a few pictures of this beautiful train ride. Route Map of the Glacier Express You may click here to visit the official website of the Glacier Express.  We will resume with our fastests of trains and railways of the world series next week.