Train Technology PDF
Preview Train Technology
TECHNOLOGY ACTION IN TECHNOLOGY ACTION IN TRAIN TECHNOLOGY Michael Pollard The Bookwright Press New York -1990 Titles in this series Aircraft Technology Car Technology Spacecraft Technology TV and Video Technology Ship Technology Train Technology Firstpublished inthe United States in 1990 by The BookwrightPress 387ParkAvenueSouth NewYork, NY10016 Firstpublished in 1989 Wayland (Publishers) Ltd 61 Western Road, Hove EastSussexBN31JD, England 1 Copyright1989Wayland (Publishers)Ltd Edited byjollands Editions Designed byAlisonAnholt-White LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-Publication Data Pollard,Michael, 7937- Traintechnology/byMichael Pollard. — p. cm. (Technologyin action) Includes bibliographical references. Summary: Surveysthedevelopmentofrailroadsfrom the1830'stothe present,discussingsuchtopicsas diesels, locomotives,freightand passengerservice, high speed trains,and subways. ISBN0-531-18338-6 — 1. Railroads Juvenile literature.[1. Railroads.] I.Title. II. Series. 89-17957 TF148.P651990 CIP 625.1-dc20 AC Typeset byDirect Image Photosetting Limited, Sussex, ngland ( Printed in ItalybyC. Canale&CS.p.A.,Turin Frontcover I >«< I rt n< h RGVhigh speed train holdsthe world speed re( ord ,it 254mph (409 kph). MAR 1 2 1991 SOUTH BOSTON BRANCH Contents 1 Trains yesterday and today 4 2 Starting from scratch 6 3 The iron road 8 4 Over hill and dale 10 5 Pulling the load 12 6 Live wires and rails 14 7 Diesels and turbines 16 8 Maglevs and Hovertrains 18 9 Signaling 20 10 Train signals today 22 11 Checking the driver 24 12 Stop the train! 26 13 Freight by rail 28 14 Passenger services 30 15 High speed trains 32 16 Under the city 34 New 17 systems for the city 36 18 Climbing mountains 38 19 Then and now 40 20 Trains of the future 42 Glossary 44 Further reading 45 Index 46 Trains yesterday and today There have been three stages in the In the second stage, from about 1930 to 1970, development of railroads. The first stage was the railroads were allowed to decline in many from about 1830 to 1930. This was a time of countries, due to the fact that road transpor growth in everycountry,when mostofthegreat tation was becoming cheaper and more railroads oftheworld were built. efficient. Duringthistime,thousandsofmilesof Railroads grew out ofthe need to haul heavy track were closed, and many people said that loads such as coal and building stone. Only rail travel would soon be a thing ofthe past. after the first lines had been built did the The third stage of railroad development, railroad companies realize that carrying from 1970, proved thisforecastwrong Especially passengers could also be profitable. Tech in towns and cities, road travel had become a nologies gradually developed that enabled problem. With so manyvehicles usingfuel from locomotivesto haul heavy loads at high speeds, oil, there were worries that the world's oil and allowed large numbers of trains to use the supplies would not last forever. Also, the network of tracks in safety. These basic tech- exhaust gases from millions of road vehicles nologies havesince been improved or replaced were increasing pollution in theworld's cities. TheGarede Lyon in Paris, France In the background isa high speed train, known in France astheTGV(TrainaGrande Vitesse). TGVsoften reach aspeed of 170 mph (275 kph)ormore. The railroads began to fight back. Using new AboveA replicaoftheRocket, which was built by technology, faster and more efficient trains George Stephenson in 1829. were built. In some countries, special tracks BelowAsteam locomotive seen climbing on the were laid to carry the new high speed trains. famous Darjeeling-Himalaya Railroad. The 55-mi New methods of controlling railroad traffic (88 km)journeytakesoverseven hourstocomplete meant that tracks could be used more heavily and so more profitably. Itwas soon realized that the best way of transporting large numbers of people was to use fast passenger trains. At the same time, the railroads were able to speed up the movement of freight trains, which had until then been very slow. Railroad technology draws very much on the past. Theold technology based on steam power has been replaced in most countries, but it led to the development of methods of operation that are still used To understand today's signaling systems, for example, we have to look at howtheydeveloped out ofthe systems ofthe past. Meanwhile, advancing technology is beginning to equip the world's railroads for the twenty-first century. Intheearlydaysofsteam locomotion, trainswiththeirlarge wheelsoften becamederailed on bends. One invention tosolvethis problem, Prosser's patentguide wheels(illustrated here), was unsuccessful. Bythe mid- nineteenth century, most locomotiveshad bogiewheelsin frontthatswiveledfreely. Building and operating the railroads in the The track itself had to be laid down to exact nineteenth century called for skills that had measurements and stand upto punishingtreat- never before been needed on such a large scale. ment from heavily laden trains. Sometimes the Much of the technology had to be developed track was laid over marshy land or across sand, from the beginning. Unlike horse-drawn trans- and the ground beneath the track had to be portation, trains could not climb steep hills or specially prepared. go around sharp bends. The development of the steam locomotive Never before had so much earth been moved made railroads possible. In the 1820s, steam to make cuttings and embankments. Never engines had been in use in coal mines, to drive before had so many bridges or tunnels been water pumps, for over 100years. But these were built. No one had ever tried to build roads stationary engines used to drive fixed ,k rosssomeofthewild countrywhere railroads machinery. Putting a steam engine on wheels went. Surveyors and engineers had to solve and using itto haul a load wasthe breakthrough problems as theywent along. that began the railroad age. As railroads developed, the need tor new Technology brought increased comfort for skills and technology grew. Often, accidents passengers too. At first, it was speed that revealed new problems that needed to be attracted people to use the railroads. Later, they solved. This was especially true of signaling demanded more comfort - and technology methods. The increasing speed and weight of came to their aid by improving the suspension trains meant that new, more efficient braking of passenger carriages, and adding lighting and systems had to be developed. Meanwhile, the heating. Even the problemsofcookingand serv- design of steam locomotives improved until, in ing food on board a moving train were solved. the 1930s, it reached a peak of power and Space exploration has provided much of the efficiency with such locomotives as the Union spur to today's technology; in computer Pacific's Big Boys in the United States and development, for example. In a similar way, for London and North Eastern Railroad'sMallard in most of the nineteenth century it was the Britain. railroads that wereat the forefront of new ideas. The interiorofadining caron theTrans-Siberian Railroad. This railroad isthe longest in theworld and covers adistance ofalmost6,213-mi (10,000 km). Thejourneyfrom MoscowtoVladivostoktakesabouteightdays. This remarkable railroad iselectrified over mostofthe route. Besides regular passengerservices, there is heavyfreight movementwith containersfrom the Far Eastto all partsof Europe asthe main traffic. The first railroads were built with iron rails Maintaining the track in good condition is spiked or clipped to wooden crossties (called vital but expensive. In the past, when wages "sleepers" in Britain), and laid on a bed of stone were low, largegangsofworkerswereemployed chippings called ballast. As locomotives to inspect, repair and re-lay track. This was one became more powerful and could pull heavier reason why rails were made in short lengths of loads, wearon the iron rails became a problem. about100ft(30m)thatwere nottoodifficultfora After 1860 iron was replaced by steel. This was gang ofworkersto handle. moreexpensiveatfirst, butsincesteel rails lasted In many countries it is now too expensive to longer, it led to savings. In recentyears, wooden employ so many people on track laying and ties have largely been replaced by concrete in maintenance, and the work is done by Britain,wherewood isexpensive.This has made machines operated by only a few workers. This the repairand layingoftrackspeedierand more also has the advantage that the work is efficient. In other countries, where wood is done more quickly, and with less interruption more plentiful, ties are still made ofwood. to rail traffic. A French National Railroads (SNCF) high speedtrain traveling at high speed around acurveon thetrack between Parisand Lyons. Thetrack is raised or banked on theoutsidecausing thetrain to lean inward inthe samewayasa motorcyclistgoing around a bend atfull speed. Note the closelyspaced crossties. 8
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