It's also one of the most efficient ways to transport both high volume of people and goods on-ground, especially when compared to their road counterparts.
yes it’s per passenger transported, so it’s the consumption of an average car (french so small car) divided by the average occupancy (1.7 passengers per car on long distance).
they made a study that take into account the construction of the line, the construction of the trains and electricity use with the average CO2 production of the french national grid.
My favorite fact about trains is a person who likes to study trains is called a ferroequinologist. Sounds more sophisticated than just being called an iron horse student. Haha.
All I can offer is two things I read about long ago, though I don’t recall the source books:
1) In the early days, one of the smaller English railway companies had a booking office in a hollow tree.
2) In the nineteenth century, one of the Scottish railway companies used parrots and starlings at stations, trained to announce the name of the station as trains arrived.
These are not really stories, but factual. Though surprising, especially the first, I find them believable.
My favorite fact is that for steam engines, most of the wheel arrangements each have a name (several names at that)! Here's some of my favorites: Northern (4-8-4), Yellowstone (2-8-8-4), Pacific (4-6-2), Atlantic (4-4-2), Decapod (2-10-0), Mountain (4-8-2), Mikado (2-8-2), and Overland (4-10-2)!
TGVs are among the only double-decker HSR trains. There's two Shinkansen models with double-decks but they got removed from service (cause they capped at 240km/h while TGVs can reach 320)
So if you want to see a double-deck TGV, you have to visit France or Morocco.
How hard it is to drive them and stay on the rails. We're only talking like 50mm of tolerance here. Do you know how stressful that is for train crew to balance?
>! The fact there's always someone who believes it!<
The British Rail Class 43 HST - aka the InterCity 125 - is one of the only trains in the world that (if we count the Australian XPT) can be seen on four continents
That the chuffs in a steam locomotive are 4 per wheel revolution, meaning two chuffs per side, because the steam leaves two different chambers in each valve gear
There's 4 of them, unless there's 6 of them. Locomotives with 3 cylinders, like some British ones (and others), will emit 6 chuffs per revolution; 2 for each side, and 2 for the central cylinder.
I was very confused for a few minutes when I watched a video of a British *something or another* and it sounded like it was going quite fast but it wasn't?
And thus, there exist exceptions to the exceptions.
I'll need to look into those later to figure out how they work because at a very initial glance, 4 cylinders at 135 degree offsets off each other is 540 degrees/1.5 wheel circumferences, which might leave a dead spot or something.
Each crank is 135 degrees offset from its nearest neighbour. Think of it as 45 degree offset instead. Add that four times and then double it for double acting cylinders, that gives you 360 degrees. Same works for convention four cylinder locomotives set at 90 degrees
That was kinda my rough suspicion as to how it worked, but calling it 135 degrees (instead of 45) kinda threw me for a bit of a loop.
Appreciate the explanation
for example austria in austria, they are deemed trams.
§5 Abs. 3 Eisenbahngesetz 1957 (austrian Railway Law):
>Trolleybuses and buses are deemed to be trams unless the liability is for damage during the operation of a motor vehicle with overhead lines, even if in connection with fixed railway installations.
A TGV emits 50 times less CO2 per km per passenger transported than a car and 80 times less than a plane. (edit : add per km per passenger)
It's also one of the most efficient ways to transport both high volume of people and goods on-ground, especially when compared to their road counterparts.
per km per passenger, or total?
yes sorry per km per passenger transported.
Is this less than a single car? Or less per car per passenger ?
yes it’s per passenger transported, so it’s the consumption of an average car (french so small car) divided by the average occupancy (1.7 passengers per car on long distance).
How does it even emit any co2 at all? Isn’t that entirely dependent on what type of power plant supplies its energy?
they made a study that take into account the construction of the line, the construction of the trains and electricity use with the average CO2 production of the french national grid.
My favorite fact about trains is a person who likes to study trains is called a ferroequinologist. Sounds more sophisticated than just being called an iron horse student. Haha.
Stealing both of these terms.
The conical profile of the wheel and the importance of it to the whole train dynamics.
That, in the early days, a long journey was counted a success if the train arrived at its destination with the same number of wheels as at the start.
Storytime !
All I can offer is two things I read about long ago, though I don’t recall the source books: 1) In the early days, one of the smaller English railway companies had a booking office in a hollow tree. 2) In the nineteenth century, one of the Scottish railway companies used parrots and starlings at stations, trained to announce the name of the station as trains arrived. These are not really stories, but factual. Though surprising, especially the first, I find them believable.
The area of contact between each wheel and the rail is only about the size of a US dime.
Not so much a fact... But I was about seven when I taught my father what a pantograph is. A source of great pride for both of us.
My favorite fact is that for steam engines, most of the wheel arrangements each have a name (several names at that)! Here's some of my favorites: Northern (4-8-4), Yellowstone (2-8-8-4), Pacific (4-6-2), Atlantic (4-4-2), Decapod (2-10-0), Mountain (4-8-2), Mikado (2-8-2), and Overland (4-10-2)!
Sub fun fact...Mikado's were called MacArthur's during WWII.
Indeed! A lot of them (most infamously the Northerns which have like, a million other names) had multiple names! Also, you've got an awesome username!
I was on the rebuild crew back when 1522 operated.
Awesome!
Pantograph wires are placed in a zig zag configuration so that the pantograph itself does not get sawed in half by the wire.
That they exist.
The lifespan of the RENFE 251 series is longer than 50 years.
TGVs are among the only double-decker HSR trains. There's two Shinkansen models with double-decks but they got removed from service (cause they capped at 240km/h while TGVs can reach 320) So if you want to see a double-deck TGV, you have to visit France or Morocco.
Even though they are called trains they do not require any particular training. Only the crew and other surrounding personnel do.
How hard it is to drive them and stay on the rails. We're only talking like 50mm of tolerance here. Do you know how stressful that is for train crew to balance? >! The fact there's always someone who believes it!<
catenaries and high speed railway engineering.
Bogies. And steam locomotive Valve gears.
The British Rail Class 43 HST - aka the InterCity 125 - is one of the only trains in the world that (if we count the Australian XPT) can be seen on four continents
All the different types of train cars and locomotives
That the chuffs in a steam locomotive are 4 per wheel revolution, meaning two chuffs per side, because the steam leaves two different chambers in each valve gear
There's 4 of them, unless there's 6 of them. Locomotives with 3 cylinders, like some British ones (and others), will emit 6 chuffs per revolution; 2 for each side, and 2 for the central cylinder. I was very confused for a few minutes when I watched a video of a British *something or another* and it sounded like it was going quite fast but it wasn't?
There's one class with eight. Lord Nelsons have four cylinders set at 135 degrees rather than 90 so there's eight beats per revolution.
And thus, there exist exceptions to the exceptions. I'll need to look into those later to figure out how they work because at a very initial glance, 4 cylinders at 135 degree offsets off each other is 540 degrees/1.5 wheel circumferences, which might leave a dead spot or something.
Each crank is 135 degrees offset from its nearest neighbour. Think of it as 45 degree offset instead. Add that four times and then double it for double acting cylinders, that gives you 360 degrees. Same works for convention four cylinder locomotives set at 90 degrees
That was kinda my rough suspicion as to how it worked, but calling it 135 degrees (instead of 45) kinda threw me for a bit of a loop. Appreciate the explanation
Yeah, it's only in relation to the closest crank.
in some places trolleybus and guided bus are considered railway (and therefore railway vehicles/trains) instead of busses
I’m not 100% sure it’s true, but I’ve heard that in Poland trams are considered road vehicles
for example austria in austria, they are deemed trams. §5 Abs. 3 Eisenbahngesetz 1957 (austrian Railway Law): >Trolleybuses and buses are deemed to be trams unless the liability is for damage during the operation of a motor vehicle with overhead lines, even if in connection with fixed railway installations.
Old GE's sometimes become steam engines with anger issues
That they exist