Portal:Trains/Selected article/2006 archive
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This is an archive of article summaries that have appeared in the Selected article section of Portal:Trains in 2006. For past archives, see the complete archive page.
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT (Simplified Chinese: 大众快速交通, 地下铁路 or 地铁; Malay: Sistem Pengangkutan Gerak Cepat; Tamil: சிங்கை துரிதக் கடவு ரயில்) is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, serving almost half of Singapore's population of four million with a network spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh, was opened in 1987, establishing the MRT as the second oldest metro system in Southeast Asia after Manila's LRT System. The network has since grown rapidly, as a result of Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network and reducing dependency on road-based systems, such as the bus network. The MRT has 63 operating stations, over 109 kilometres of lines. The MRT works in conjunction with the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system, which links the MRT stations with the respective public housing (HDB) estate they serve.
Recently selected: Trans-Siberian Railway - TGV - San Diego and Arizona Railway
- Week 2
- January 8-January 14
The Ffestiniog Railway (in Welsh Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a narrow-gauge heritage railway, located in Snowdonia in north-west Wales. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Wales. The railway is about 13.5 miles (21.5 km) long and runs from the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the harbour at Porthmadog. The line travels through spectacular mountainous scenery and has a track gauge of 1 foot 11.5 inches (600 mm). The first part of the line runs along "the Cob", which is the dyke of the Traeth Mawr "polder".
Recently selected: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) - Trans-Siberian Railway - TGV
- Week 3
- January 15-January 21
The Graniteville train disaster is an American rail disaster that occurred on January 6, 2005, in Graniteville, South Carolina. The disaster occurred at roughly 2:40 AM Eastern Standard Time when two trains, owned by Norfolk Southern, collided near an Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville. One train, Norfolk Southern train number P22, was parked on a siding near the Avondale Mills plant; due to an improperly-set railroad switch, the other train, train number 192 which was transporting chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide and cresol, was diverted to the siding and collided with the parked train. The collision derailed both locomotives and 16 of train 192's 42 freight cars and derailed the locomotive and one of P22's two freight cars; one of 192's tank cars loaded with chlorine ruptured, which resulted in the release of at least 90 tons of the gas into the environment. Ten people died (nine at the time of the accident, one later due to chlorine inhalation), and at least 250 people were treated for chlorine exposure. Fifty-four hundred residents within a mile of the crash site were forced to evacuate for nearly two weeks while HAZMAT teams and cleanup crews decontaminated the area.
Recently selected: Ffestiniog Railway - Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) - Trans-Siberian Railway
- Week 4
- January 22-January 28
The Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. The streamlined Super Chief was the first diesel-powered, all-Pullman sleeping car train in America, and it eclipsed the Chief as Santa Fe's standard bearer. The extra-fare Super Chief-1 commenced its maiden run from Dearborn Station in Chicago on May 12, 1936. Just over a year later, on May 18, 1937 the much-improved Super Chief-2 traversed the 2,227.3 miles (3,584.5 km) from Los Angeles over recently upgraded tracks in just 39 hours and 49 minutes, averaging 60.8 mph (90.0 km/h), often exceeding 100 mph in the process. Direct competitors to the Super Chief during its lifetime were the City of Los Angeles, jointly operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad, and (to a lesser extent) the Golden State, jointly operated by the Rock Island and Southern Pacific railroads. Santa Fe's route from Chicago to Los Angeles was the lengthiest of the high-speed, long distance trains of the day, making its way through mostly sparsely populated areas (which enhanced the train's already distinctive aura).
Recently selected: Graniteville train disaster - Ffestiniog Railway - Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
- Week 5
- January 29-February 4
The Disneyland Railroad is a narrow-gauge railroad located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, United States, that was inaugurated on that theme park's opening day, July 17, 1955. It was constructed at a cost of US$240,000 and each of the original four locomotives cost in excess of $40,000 either to build or restore. It remains one of Disneyland's most popular attractions as riders can use it as transportation to other areas of the park or to simply ride the trains on the so-called "grand circle tour." Unlike the Disneyland Monorail, which requires riders to disembark at the Tomorrowland station, passengers on the DLRR can remain on the trains for as long as they wish. Consists are usually open-air, freight-styled coaches with bench seating facing right for ease of loading and unloading at the depots and for easier viewing of the "Grand Canyon/Primeval World" diorama in a tunnel running between Tomorrowland and Main Street, U.S.A. stations. Five open-air, clerestory-roofed observation cars with forward-facing seats dating from the park's opening and removed from service shortly after the diorama's opening in 1958 were returned to service in 2004 after undergoing a three-year restoration. The Lilly Belle presidential coach is occasionally added to the rear of a train as is an enclosed wooden caboose.
Recently selected: Super Chief - Graniteville train disaster - Ffestiniog Railway
- Week 6
- February 5-February 11
The "Beep" (also referred to as the SWBLW) is a one-of-a-kind switcher locomotive built in 1970 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at its Cleburne, Texas, workshops. Technically a rebuild, the Beep (a portmanteau of "Baldwin Geep," whose official designation was derived from "SWitcher, Baldwin Locomotive Works") originally entered service on the Santa Fe as a Baldwin Model VO-1000. Following close on the heels of its highly-successful CF7 capital rebuilding program, the railroad hoped to determine whether or not remanufacturing its aging, non-EMD end cab switchers by fitting them with new EMD prime movers was an economically viable proposition. In the end, the conversion procedure proved too costly and only the one unit was modified, though it remains in active service as of 2006.
Recently selected: Disneyland Railroad - Super Chief - Graniteville train disaster
- Week 7
- February 12-February 18
Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM; Polish: Urban Fast Train) is a transportation service that originally functioned in Poland's Tricity area (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia). The system has grown from its creation to cover a longer route, reaching towns like Elbląg, Wejherowo and Lębork. It is serviced by electric multiple unit cars at a frequency of 3 minutes to half an hour (depending on the time of day) between trains. It is an essential service for the cities and is often compared to subway service in other European cities. The Tricity area is uniquely suited for this mode of transport, as it's shaped in a a relatively narrow north-south corridor between the Gdańsk Bay and the Trójmiejski Park Krajobrazowy.
Recently selected: "Beep" - Disneyland Railroad - Super Chief
- Week 8
- February 19-February 25
The Montreal Metro is the main form of public transportation within the city of Montreal and was the second metro system to be built in Canada, opening 12 years after the Toronto subway. The Metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure of Mayor Jean Drapeau. Originally consisting of 26 stations on three separate lines, the Metro now incorporates 65 stations on four lines, serving the north, east and centre of Montreal Island with a connection to Longueuil via the Yellow Line and, soon, Laval, originally to be completed in 2006, but now scheduled to be inaugurated in 2007. The metro system serves 284 million people a year.
Recently selected: Szybka Kolej Miejska - "Beep" - Disneyland Railroad
- Week 9
- February 26-March 4
A refrigerator car (or "reefer") is a refrigerated boxcar, a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparati. Reefers can be ice-cooled, come equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical refrigeration systems, or utilize carbon dioxide (either as dry ice, or in liquid form) as a cooling agent. Milk cars (and other types of "express" reefers) may or may not include a cooling system, but are equipped with high-speed wheelsets and other modifications that allow them to travel with passenger trains. Reefer applications can be divided into four broad groups: 1) dairy and poultry producers require refrigeration and special interior racks; 2) fruit and vegetable reefers tend to see seasonal use, and are generally used for long-distance shipping (for some shipments, only ventilation is necessary to remove the heat in transit created by the ripening process); 3) manufactured foods (such as canned goods and candy) as well as beer and wine do not require refrigeration, but do need the protection of an insulated car; and 4) meat reefers come equipped with specialized "beef rails" for handling sides of meat, and brine-tank refrigeration to provide lower temperatures (most of these units are either owned or leased by meat packing firms).
Recently selected: Montreal Metro - Szybka Kolej Miejska - "Beep"
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (April 9, 1806 – September 15, 1859), FRS was a British engineer. Voted the second greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 BBC poll (after Winston Churchill), he is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, and numerous important bridges. Though his projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts", including the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of the first propeller-driven steamship, which was at the time also the largest ship ever built. Brunel was a heavy cigar smoker and suffered several years of ill health with kidney problems, before succumbing to a stroke at the age of fifty-three.
Recently selected: Refrigerator car - Montreal Metro - Szybka Kolej Miejska
A gas turbine-electric locomotive, or GTEL, is a locomotive that uses a gas turbine to drive an electric generator or alternator. The electric current thus produced is used to power traction motors. The turbine (similar to a turboshaft engine) drives an output shaft, which drives the alternator via a system of gears. Aside from the unusual prime mover, a GTEL is very similar to a diesel-electric. In fact, the turbines built by GE used many of the same parts as their diesels. A few gas turbine locomotives used a mechanical transmission, and there were some steam turbine locomotives. Gas turbine locomotives are very powerful, but also tend to be very loud. This type of locomotive was first experimented with in 1920 but reached its peak in the 1950s to 1960s. Union Pacific Railroad operated the largest fleet of such locomotives of any railroad in the world, and was the only railroad to use them for hauling freight. Most other GTELs have been built for small passenger trains, and only a few have seen any real success in that role. After the oil crisis in the 1970s and the subsequent rise in fuel costs, gas turbine locomotives became uneconomical to operate, and many were taken out of service.
Recently selected: Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Refrigerator car - Montreal Metro
A CF7 is an EMD F-unit diesel locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for road switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in their Cleburne, Texas, workshops between October 1970 and March 1978. The program was initiated in response to a system-wide need for more than 200 additional four-axle diesel hood units to meet projected motive power demands on branch lines and secondary main lines. Santa Fe's aging fleet of 200-series F-units were in dire need of overhaul, and were not suitable for switching service in their original configurations due to the poor visibility resulting from their the full-width carbody. As new, state-of-the-art locomotives cost upwards of $150,000 each at the time, Santa Fe elected to experiment with modifying its existing F-units to serve their purpose, which they hoped they could accomplish for around $60,000 each. Changes in business philosophy led the company to sell off its entire CF7 inventory by 1987, with most of the units (all but 9) ending up in the hands of regional and short-line railroads, and a few excursion lines. A number remain in service today.
Recently selected: Gas turbine-electric locomotive - Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Refrigerator car
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB (German Federal Railway) was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on September 7, 1949, as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft. The DB remained the state railway of West Germany until after German reunification, when it was merged with the former East German Deutsche Reichsbahn to form Deutsche Bahn AG, the current rail operator in Germany. The new corporation came into existence on January 1, 1994.
Recently selected: CF7 - Gas turbine-electric locomotive - Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Amtrak, is the brand name of the intercity passenger train system created on May 1, 1971 in the United States. Officially known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, the name "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "American" and "track." Amtrak employs over 19,000 people. The nationwide network of 22,000 miles (35,400 km) of routes serves 500 communities in 46 of the United States, with some of the routes serving communities in Canada. In fiscal year 2004, Amtrak routes served over 25 million passengers, a company record. Nominally, Amtrak is an independent for-profit corporation, but all of its preferred stock is owned by the federal government. The members of Amtrak's board of directors are appointed by the President of the United States, and are subject to confirmation by the United States Senate. Some common stock is held by the private railroads that transferred their passenger service to Amtrak in 1971. Though Amtrak stock does not pay dividends and is not routinely traded, a small number of private investors have purchased Amtrak stock from its original owners.
Recently selected: Deutsche Bundesbahn - CF7 - Gas turbine-electric locomotive
DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways), is the largest Danish train operating company. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope. DSB runs a light railway, called S-tog, in the area around the Danish capital, Copenhagen, that connects the different areas and suburbs in the greater metropolitan area. DSB was founded in 1885 when the government-owned companies De jysk-fynske Statsbaner and De sjællandske Statsbaner merged.
Recently selected: Amtrak - Deutsche Bundesbahn - CF7
Magnetic levitation transport, or maglev, is a form of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles via electromagnetic energy. This has advantages in terms of speed and ride comfort compared to wheeled mass transit systems - potentially, maglevs could reach velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft (500 to 580 km/h; 310 to 360 mph) - but although the idea is decades old, technological and economic limitations have minimized the construction of full-scale systems. Maglev technology has minimal overlap with wheeled train technology and is not compatible with conventional railroad tracks. Because they cannot share existing infrastructure, maglevs must be designed as complete transportation systems. The term "maglev" refers not only to the vehicles, but to the vehicle/guideway interaction; each being a unique design element specifically tailored to the other to create and precisely control magnetic levitation. The world's first commercial application of a high-speed maglev line is the IOS (initial operating segment) demonstration line in Shanghai that transports people 30 km (18.6 miles) to the airport in just 7 minutes 20 seconds (top speed of 431 km/h or 268 mph, average speed 250 km/h or 150 mph). Other maglev applications worldwide are being investigated for feasibility.
Recently selected: Danske Statsbaner - Amtrak - Deutsche Bundesbahn
Building the Virginian Railway began as a project to create an 80 mile-long (129 km) short line railroad to provide access for shipping of untapped bituminous coal reserves in southern West Virginia early in the 20th century. After facing a refusal of the big railroads (who had their own coal lands) to negotiate equitable rates to interchange and forward the coal for shipping, the owners and their investors expanded their scheme and built a U.S. Class I railroad which extended from some of the most rugged terrain of West Virginia over 400 miles (644 km) to reach the Atlantic port at Hampton Roads near Norfolk, Virginia. The result was the "mountains-to-the-sea" Virginian Railway.
Recently selected: Maglev train - Danske Statsbaner - Amtrak
The Chepstow Bridge, sometimes called the "Great Tubular Bridge", was a railway bridge built in 1852 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to cross the River Wye (which forms part of the border between England and Wales) at Chepstow. It was a unique and elegant engineering achievement, and economic in its use of materials. It would also prove to be the design prototype for the great bridge at Saltash. For the Chepstow Bridge, Brunel had to take the two tracks of the South Wales Railway across the river Wye. The Admiralty had insisted on a 300-foot (91 m) clear span over the river, with the bridge a minimum of 50 feet (15¼ m) above high tide. The span would have to be self supporting, since although the Gloucestershire side of the river consists of a limestone cliff, the Monmouthshire side is low-lying sedimentary deposit subject to regular flooding. Thus on that side, there was nowhere for an abutment capable of either resisting the outward push of an arch bridge, or the inward pull of a conventional suspension bridge. In any case, neither could be used; an arch bridge would not have met the height and width restrictions imposed by the Admiralty, and suspension bridges were notoriously unfit for carrying railway trains. The concentrated weight caused the chains to deflect, allowing the bridge-deck to ride dangerously up and down. A self-supporting truss bridge was the only option.
Recently selected: Building the Virginian Railway - Maglev train - Danske Statsbaner
Southern Pacific 4449 is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific Railroad's (SP) GS-4 class of steam locomotives. The GS-4 is a streamlined 4-8-4 (Northern) type steam locomotive. GS stands for "Golden State" (a nickname for California, where the locomotive was operated in regular service) or "General Service." The locomotive was built by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, for SP in May 1941; it received the red-and-orange "Daylight" paint scheme for the passenger trains of the same name which it hauled for most of its service career. 4449 was retired from revenue service in 1957 and put on static display in Oaks Park, Portland, Oregon, the following year, where it remained until 1974. It was restored to operation for use in the second American Freedom Train, which toured the 48 contiguous United States for the American Bicentennial celebrations. Since then, 4449 has been operated in excursion service throughout the continental US; its operations are currently based at the Brooklyn roundhouse in Portland where it is maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers.
Recently selected: Chepstow Bridge - Building the Virginian Railway - Maglev train
The Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway connecting the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell which is, at 2,036 feet (620.6 m) above sea level, the highest point on the Isle of Man. The Snaefell Mountain Railway connects with the Manx Electric Railway in Laxey. The line is 5 miles (8 km) long, built to 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) gauge and uses the unusual Fell centre rail for braking on the steep gradients. The line is electrified using overhead lines at 550 volts direct current, using a bow collector.
Recently selected: Southern Pacific 4449 - Chepstow Bridge - Building the Virginian Railway
The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as the LRT, is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. There are two lines to the LRT: LRT-1, called the Yellow Line, and MRT-2, called the Purple Line. Although the system is referred to as a "light rail" system, arguably because the network is mostly elevated, the system is more akin to a rapid transit (metro) system. The Manila LRT opened in 1984 and is the first metro system in Southeast Asia, predating the Singapore MRT by three years. The system is not related to the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, or the Blue Line, which forms a completely different but linked system. The system is operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a government-owned and controlled corporation under the authority of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) as an attached agency.
Recently selected: Snaefell Mountain Railway - Southern Pacific 4449 - Chepstow Bridge
Jordanhill railway station is a suburban railway station in the Jordanhill area in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. The station, which is governed by Transport Scotland and managed by First ScotRail, lies on the Argyle Line and the North Clyde Line. It is located near the Jordanhill Campus of the University of Strathclyde and the Jordanhill School and sits atop Crow Road, an important western thoroughfare in Glasgow and the main route to the Clyde Tunnel. The station is five stops and eleven minutes journey time from Glasgow Central on the Argyle Line. Trains on the North Clyde Line pass through without stopping at the station.
Recently selected: Manila Light Rail Transit System - Snaefell Mountain Railway - Southern Pacific 4449
In the Whyte notation system for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, a 2-6-0 has a pair of leading wheels followed by six driving wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul. This type of locomotive was built from the early 1860s to the 1920s. The equivalent UIC classification is 1'C. Although locomotives of this wheel arrangement were built as early as 1852, these first examples had their leading axles mounted directly and rigidly on the frame of the locomotive rather than on a separate truck or bogie. In these early 2-6-0s, the leading axle was merely used to distribute the weight of the locomotive over a larger number of wheels. It did not serve the same purpose as the leading trucks of the Americans or Ten-Wheelers that had been in use for at least a decade. The first true 2-6-0 wasn't built until the early 1860s, the first few being built in 1860 for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. It is likely that the locomotive class name Mogul derives from a locomotive built by Taunton in 1866 for the Central Railroad of New Jersey; that locomotive was named Mogul. However it has also been suggested that, in England, it derived from the engine of that name, built in 1879 by Neilson and Company for the Great Eastern Railway.
Recently selected: Jordanhill railway station - Manila Light Rail Transit System - Snaefell Mountain Railway
The Bourbonnais train accident was a train-truck collision between Amtrak's southbound City of New Orleans passenger train and a semi truck that occurred on March 15, 1999, in the city of Bourbonnais, Illinois, south of Chicago. The impact derailed almost the entire train, killing 11 passengers. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the accident attributed the cause to the truck driver trying to beat the train across a grade crossing. The NTSB's recommendations from the accident included increased enforcement of grade crossing signals, the installation of event recorders at all new or improved grade crossings as well as procedures to provide emergency responders with accurate lists of all crew members and passengers aboard trains. The city of Bourbonnais erected a memorial near the site to commemorate those killed in the accident.
Recently selected: 2-6-0 - Jordanhill railway station - Manila Light Rail Transit System
The Forth Bridge is a railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, to the east of the Forth Road Bridge, and 14 km (9 miles) west of Edinburgh. It is often called the "Forth Rail Bridge" to distinguish it from the Forth Road Bridge. The bridge connects Scotland's capital Edinburgh with Fife, and acts as a major artery connecting the north-east and south-east of the country. Construction of an earlier bridge, designed by Sir Thomas Bouch, got as far as the laying of the foundation stone, but was stopped after the failure of another of his works, the Tay Bridge. On Bouch's death the project was handed over to Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, who designed a structure that was built by Sir William Arrol's company between 1883 and 1890. Baker and his colleague Allan Stewart received the major credit for design and overseeing construction work.
Recently selected: Bourbonnais train accident - 2-6-0 - Jordanhill railway station
The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway was a narrow gauge railway running through the rugged and picturesque countryside of Exmoor in North Devon, England. It was constructed under its own Act of Parliament rather than through the later 1896 Light Railways Act consequently higher standards of construction and operation were required than later lines that were built under the Light Railways Act. Opened as an independent railway in May 1898, it was just over 19 miles (31 km) long. In 1922 the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and closed by them in September 1935. Even after seventy years, much of the formation is still visible, although in private hands. The most spectacular evidence of the line is the imposing brick-built Chelfham Viaduct. Extensively restored in 2000, its eight 42 foot (13 m) wide arches reach 70 ft (21 m) above the Stoke Rivers valley, making it the largest narrow gauge railway structure in England. Woody Bay Station is the centre of the current revival and a short section of the line was reopened to passenger traffic in 2004. After Bridge 67 was generously rebuilt as a gift by Edmund Nuttall Ltd, the line was extended to Killington Lane in 2006, with plans well in hand for a further extension to Cricket Field Lane at Parracombe.
Recently selected: Forth Bridge - Bourbonnais train accident - 2-6-0
The ALCO HH series were an early series of switcher diesel-electric locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, between 1931 and 1940, when they were replaced by the S series; the 660 hp S-1 and 1,000 hp S-2. They were ALCO's first diesel switchers to enter true series production, and among the very first land vehicles anywhere to utilise the revolutionary diesel-electric power transmission. The "HH" name stood for "High Hood", a name ALCO came eventually to use in an official context, but originally an unofficial name. Model designations such as HH600 are only semi-official. Original ALCO designations were either descriptive or based on the internal order/design number. A total of 177 of the HH series were produced; this comprised one prototype and four production models of varying power outputs.
Recently selected: Lynton and Barnstaple Railway - Forth Bridge - Bourbonnais train accident
San Diego's Union Station was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to replace the existing Victorian-style structure erected in 1887 for the California Southern Railroad Company. The Santa Fe Depot (as it was originally designated) officially opened on March 8, 1915 to accommodate visitors to the Panama-California Exposition. The depot was completed during a particularly optimistic period in the city's development, and represents the battle waged by the City of San Diego to become the West Coast terminus of the Santa Fe Railway system’s transcontinental railroad, a fight that was ultimately lost to the City of Los Angeles. The historic Santa Fe Depot is located in downtown San Diego and is still an active transportation center, providing services to Amtrak, the San Diego Coaster, the San Diego Trolley, and the MTS bus system.
Recently selected: ALCO HH series - Lynton and Barnstaple Railway - Forth Bridge
The Manila Metro Rail Transit System, more popularly known as the MRT, is part of the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Only one line exists within this network, and that is MRT-3, called the Blue Line. It is also popularly known as the Metrostar Express or Metrostar for short. Although the network has characteristics of light rail, such as the type of rolling stock used, the system is more akin to a rapid transit system. The system is not related to the Manila Light Rail Transit System, which forms a completely different but linked system. Although one of the original purposes of the system was to decongest Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), one of Metro Manila's main thoroughfares, many commuters who ride the MRT also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses, to reach the intended destination from an MRT station. While this forms a comprehensive transportation system serving many parts of Metro Manila, the system has only been partially successful in decongesting the very busy thoroughfare, which is further aggravated by the rising number of motor vehicles in the metropolis.
Recently selected: Union Station (San Diego) - ALCO HH series - Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was an English inventor, engineer and builder of the world's first working steam locomotive. Trevithick was the son of a mine captain, and as a child, would watch steam engines pump water from the deep tin and copper mines common in Cornwall. He was not the first to think of so-called "strong steam", but he was the first to make it work. Trevithick built a full-size steam road carriage in 1801, which he named Puffing Devil, and used it to demonstrate the technology on December 24 by successfully carrying several men up Camborne Hill and then continuing on to the nearby village of Beacon. In 1802 Trevithick built one of his high pressure steam engines to drive an automatic hammer at the Pen-y-Daren iron works near Merthyr in South Wales. With the assistance of Rees Jones, an employee of the iron works and under the supervision of Samuel Homfray, the proprietor, he mounted the engine on a wagon chassis and turned it into a locomotive. Trevithick's locomotive was probably the very first ever to run on rails and therefore the first ever train.
Recently selected: Manila Metro Rail Transit System - Union Station (San Diego) - ALCO HH series
The California Southern Railroad (CSRR) was a subsidiary railroad of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) in Southern California. It was organized July 10, 1880, and chartered on October 23, 1880, to build a rail connection between what has become the city of Barstow and San Diego, California. Construction began in National City, just south of San Diego, in 1881, and proceeded northward to the present day city of Oceanside. From there, the line turned to the northeast through Temecula Canyon, then on to the present cities of Lake Elsinore, Perris (named for CSRR engineer Fred T. Perris) and Riverside before a connection to the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in Colton. Following a frog war where the SP refused to let the California Southern cross its tracks, a dispute that was resolved by court order in favor of the California Southern, construction continued northward through Cajon Pass to the present day cities of Victorville (named for CSRR engineer Jacob Nash Victor) and Barstow. The line, completed on November 9, 1885, formed the western end of Santa Fe's transcontinental railroad connection to Chicago. Portions of the original line are still in use today as some of the busiest rail freight and passenger routes in the United States.
Recently selected: Richard Trevithick - Manila Metro Rail Transit System - Union Station (San Diego)
In the United States a railway post office, commonly abbreviated as RPO, was a railroad car that was normally operated in passenger service as a means to sort mail en route, in order to speed delivery. The RPO was staffed by highly trained Railway Mail Service postal clerks, and was off-limits to the passengers on the train. The first-ever sorting of mail en route occurred in the United Kingdom with the introduction of the Travelling Post Office in 1838. In the United States it was introduced on July 28, 1862 using converted baggage cars on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad (which also delivered the first letter to the Pony Express). Purpose built RPO cars entered service on this line a few weeks after the service was initiated. Many American railroads (the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway being just one) earned substantial revenues through contracts with the Post Office to carry mail aboard high-speed passenger trains. After 1948, the railway post office network began its decline although it remained the principal intercity mail transportation and distribution function within the Post Office Department. There were 794 RPO lines operating over 161,000 miles of railroad in that year. Only 262 RPO routes were still operating by January 1, 1962. After 113 years of railway post office operation, the last surviving railway post office running on rails between New York and Washington, D.C. was discontinued on June 30, 1977.
Recently selected: California Southern Railroad - Richard Trevithick - Manila Metro Rail Transit System
Grand Central Station was a passenger railroad terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois, from 1890 to 1969. Grand Central Station was designed by architect Solon Spencer Beman for the Wisconsin Central Railway, and was completed by the Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad. The station was built with the intention of eventually becoming the eastern terminus for the transcontinental Northern Pacific Railway which was leasing the Wisconsin Central at the time of construction, and seeking access to the railway hub of Chicago. However, the Northern Pacific bankruptcy of 1893 ended the plan. Grand Central Station was eventually purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which used the station as the Chicago terminus for its passenger rail service, including its glamorous Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C.. Major tenant railroads included the Soo Line Railroad (successor to the Wisconsin Central) the Chicago Great Western Railway and the Pere Marquette Railroad. The station was eventually shuttered in 1969 and torn down in 1971.
Recently selected: Railway post office - California Southern Railroad - Richard Trevithick
A control car is a non-powered railroad vehicle that allows operation of a train from the end opposite the locomotive. Control cars can be used for diesel or electric operation, allowing push-pull operation without the use of a second locomotive. Trains operating with a locomotive on one end and a control car on the other do not require the locomotive to run around to the opposite end of the train when reversing direction at a terminus. Generally, the driver controls the train through a Time-Division Multiplexer (TDM) connection. In addition to the driver's compartment, which has all the controls and gauges necessary for remotely operating the train's locomotive, control cars all have a horn, bell or plow (as appropriate), and most importantly, all of the lights that would normally be on a locomotive. Control cars can carry passengers, baggage, mail or a combination thereof.
Recently selected: Grand Central Station (Chicago) - Railway post office - California Southern Railroad
- Week 35
- August 27-September 2
Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is built on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof. Lehrter Bahnhof (Lehrte Station) opened in 1871 as the terminus of the railway linking Berlin with Lehrte, near Hanover, which later became Germany's most important east-west main line. In contrast to earlier railway stations, built with brick facades, and in keeping with then-current trends, Lehrter Bahnhof was designed in the French Neo-Renaissance style. During World War II the station was severely damaged. After the war, the shell was repaired to the point where it could be used temporarily. However, the postwar division of Germany spelled the end for most of West Berlin's mainline stations. On August 28, 1951, the final train departed from Lehrter Bahnhof. Soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, city planners began work on a transport plan for the reunified Berlin. In June 1992 the federal government decided that the new station should be built on the site of Lehrter Bahnhof. The design called for traffic on five levels. The highest is the main deck, including two S-Bahn platforms, on a bridge 10 meters (32.8 ft) above street level, and the lowest comprises four platforms 15 meters (49.2 ft) underground. On 26 May 2006, the station was ceremonially opened by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who arrived together with transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee in a specially chartered InterCityExpress from Leipzig.
Recently selected: Control car (rail) - Grand Central Station (Chicago) - Railway post office
- Week 36
- September 3-September 9
In United States railroad terminology, a troop sleeper was a railroad passenger car which had been constructed to serve as something of a mobile barracks (essentially, a sleeping car) for transporting troops over distances sufficient to require overnight accommodations. This method allowed part of the trip to be made overnight, reducing the amount of transit time required and increasing travel efficiency. Between December, 1941 and June, 1945 U.S. railroads carried almost 44 million armed services personnel. As there were not an adequate number of cars and coaches available to meet the massive need for troop transit created by World War II, in late 1943 the U.S. Office of Defense Transportation contracted with the Pullman Company to build 2,400 troop sleepers, and with American Car and Foundry to build 440 troop kitchen cars.
Recently selected: Berlin Hauptbahnhof - Control car (rail) - Grand Central Station (Chicago)
- Week 37
- September 10-September 16
The InterCityExpress or ICE is a high-speed train, built by Siemens AG and others, operated mainly in Germany and neighboring countries, including connections to Zürich, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria. ICE trains also run to Liège and Brussels, Belgium and at lower speeds to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Spanish railway operator RENFE also employs trains based on ICE 3 trains (Siemens Velaro). Wider versions were ordered by the People's Republic of China for the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail (CRH 3) and by Russia for the Moscow - Saint Petersburg and the Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod routes (Velaro RUS).
Recently selected: Troop sleeper - Berlin Hauptbahnhof - Control car (rail)
- Week 38
- September 17-September 23
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. The railway was well supported by Glasgow and Edinburgh shareholders, however more than half of its shares were held in England. The company was formed in the 1830s to link local railways around Glasgow and Edinburgh to the railway network in England, at Carlisle. It sought to open the only cross-border main line (it was thought that only one main line was needed). Its reach was then extended to cover the triangle: Glasgow, Stirling and Edinburgh; and later extended to serve Oban, Ballachulish, Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen. It was an integrated railway company, in that it built and owned both the railway lines and the trains. It had a locomotive works, St. Rollox railway works, in Springburn, Glasgow, which became part of British Rail and is still in use as of 2006, as a railway maintenance depot. In the Scottish Lowlands it competed against both the Glasgow and South Western Railway (G&SWR) and the North British Railway. There was little or no competition above Oban, Ballachulish, Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen; this area was served mainly by the Highland Railway. The Caledonian Railway was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway "grouping," by means of the Railways Act 1921.
Recently selected: InterCityExpress - Troop sleeper - Berlin Hauptbahnhof
- Week 39
- September 24-September 30
The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States was built across North America in the 1860s, linking the railway network of the Eastern United States with California on the Pacific coast. Ceremonially on May 10, 1869, at the famous Golden spike event at Promontory Summit, Utah, it created a nationwide mechanized transportation network that revolutionized the population and economy of the American West, catalyzing the transition from the wagon trains of previous decades to a modern transportation system. The building of the railway, authorized by the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, required enormous feats of engineering and labor in the crossing of plains and high mountains by the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad, the two privately chartered, but federally backed enterprises that built the line westward and eastward respectively. Much of the original right-of-way is still in use today and owned by the Union Pacific.
Recently selected: Caledonian Railway - InterCityExpress - Troop sleeper
The EMD F7 was a 1,500 hp B-B freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois, plant. A total of 2,366 cab-equipped lead A units and 1,483 cabless booster B units were built. The F7 was the fourth model in GM-EMD's highly successful F-unit series of cab unit freight diesels, and it was the most produced of the series. The F7 replaced the F3, differing only in internal equipment (mostly electrical) and was succeeded by the more powerful F9. The F7 can be considered the zenith of the cab unit freight diesel; it was ubiquitous on North American railroads until the 1970s (longer in Canada), and the design has become entrenched in the popular imagination.
Recently selected: First Transcontinental Railroad - Caledonian Railway - InterCityExpress
- Week 41
- October 8-October 14
The UK railway signalling system used across the majority of the United Kingdom railway network uses colour light signals to tell the driver the status of the section of track ahead. The main aspects are: red (stop), single yellow (caution, be prepared to stop at the next signal), double yellow (preliminary caution, the next signal is displaying a single yellow aspect) and green (clear, proceed at the highest permitted speed). The single yellow, double yellow and green aspects are known as "proceed aspects" as they allow the train to pass the signal; the red aspect always requires the train to stop. The most common type of four-aspect signal has four lenses arranged from top to bottom as follows: yellow, green, yellow, red. Modern LED signals with just two lenses can show all four aspects. The lower lens is capable of displaying a red, yellow or green light. Not all lines use four-aspect signalling; three or two aspects are used where the headway and line speed allow. The three-aspect version uses three colour lights, omitting the top yellow. The two-aspect version has only the red and green aspects, with distant signals or repeaters (signals that can show only green or yellow) giving advance warning of a red.
Recently selected: EMD F7 - First Transcontinental Railroad - Caledonian Railway
- Week 42
- October 15-October 21
A locomotive (from Latin: loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. The first successful locomotives were built by Cornish inventor Richard Trevithick. In 1804 his unnamed locomotive hauled a train along the tramway of the Penydarren ironworks, near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. In 1813, George Stephenson built Blücher, the first successful flanged-wheel adhesion locomotive. Before the middle of the 20th century, electric and diesel-electric locomotives began replacing steam locomotives. Traditionally, locomotives pull their trains. Increasingly common in passenger service is push-pull operation, where a locomotive pulls the train in one direction and pushes it in the other, and is therefore optionally controlled from a control car at the opposite end of the train.
Recently selected: UK railway signalling - EMD F7 - First Transcontinental Railroad
- Week 43
- October 22-October 28
A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway system, usually in an urban area, with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. There is no one term that all English speakers use for rapid transit or metro systems. This is a reflection on national and regional usage and differing definitions of what characteristics are essential for these systems. In larger metropolitan areas the underground system may extend only to the limits of the central city, or to its inner ring of suburbs, with trains making relatively frequent station stops. The outer suburbs may then be reached by a separate commuter, suburban or regional rail network, where more widely spaced stations allow higher train speeds. In some cases, the rapid transit system runs to the suburbs and effectively functions as a regional rail service as well. Where there are separate systems, the rapid transit system is typically a self-contained service with its own dedicated tracks and stations and is often technologically incompatible with other railways. Suburban rail services, on the other hand, often share tracks and stations with long-distance trains and are subject to the same standards and regulations.
Recently selected: Locomotive - UK railway signalling - EMD F7
- Week 44
- October 29-November 4
A train station or railway station (also called a railroad station, rail station, or depot) is a facility at which passengers may board and alight from trains and/or goods may be loaded or unloaded. It usually consists of at least one building for passengers (and possibly goods) plus other installations associated with the functioning of the railway or railroad. Early stations were usually built with both passenger and goods facilities. This dual purpose is less common today, and in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. Generally stations are sited next to a railway line, or form the terminus for a particular route. Usually platforms are present to allow passengers to access trains easily and safely. As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations often had locomotive and rolling stock depots (which usually had facilities for storing and refuelling locomotives and rolling stock and carrying out minor repair jobs). A railway station that is jointly used by several rail transport companies is sometimes called a union station, or an interchange station. Stations co-located with other transport systems such as trams and buses may also be referred to as interchanges, as may stations offering both metro/subway and heavy-rail services.
Recently selected: Rapid transit - Locomotive - UK railway signalling
- Week 45
- November 5-November 11
The history of rail transport dates back nearly 500 years. Wagonways were developed in Germany in the 1550s and the use of these tracks, consisting of wooden (usually edged) rails for horse-drawn wagons, spread across Europe. At first confined to mines, they were in use in Britain for surface transport by the early 1600s. In the late 1760s, the Coalbrookdale Company began to fix plates of cast iron to the wooden rails. These (and earlier railways) had flanged wheels as on modern railways, but another system was introduced, in which unflanged wheels ran on L-shaped metal plates; these became known as plateways. Modern rail transport systems first appeared in England in the 1820s. These systems, which made use of the steam locomotive, were the first practical form of mechanized land transport, and they remained the primary form of mechanized land transport for the next 100 years.
Recently selected: Train station - Rapid transit - Locomotive
- Week 46
- November 12-November 18
The New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (AAR reporting marks NYSW) (NYS&W), also known as the Susie-Q, is an American freight railway operating over 500 miles (800 km) of track in the northeastern U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was formed in 1881 from the merger of several smaller railroads. Passenger service, including commuter service from Northern New Jersey to New York City, was offered until 1966. The railroad was purchased by the Delaware Otsego Corporation in 1980, and became a regional player during the 1980s in the intermodal freight transport business. This saw the railroad hauling containers including Sealand and Hanjin units as part of a land bridge with Delaware and Hudson and CSX railroads. After losing the intermodal traffic in the late 1990s to CSX and Norfolk Southern (as a result of the Conrail breakup), the freight operations continue into the 21st Century with contracts to haul commercial waste and other materials.
Recently selected: History of rail transport - Train station - Rapid transit
- Week 47
- November 19-November 25
The New York City Subway system is a rapid transit system operated by the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as MTA New York City Transit. Combined with its bus operations, it is one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the world, with 468 reported passenger stations. There are 656 mi (1056 km) of revenue track, and a total of 842 miles (1355 km) including non-revenue trackage. Though it is known as "the subway," implying underground operations, about 40% of the system runs on above-ground rights-of-way, including steel and occasionally cast iron elevated structures, concrete viaducts, earthen embankments, open cuts and, occasionally, surface routes. All of these modes are completely grade-separated from road and pedestrian crossings, and most crossings of two subway tracks are grade-separated with flying junctions. Pending legislation (as of 2006) would merge the subway operations of MTA New York City Transit with Staten Island Railway to form a single entity called MTA Subways. The Staten Island Railway operates with R44 subway cars on a fully grade-separated right-of-way, but is typically not considered part of the subway, and is connected only via the free, city-operated Staten Island Ferry.
Recently selected: New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway - History of rail transport - Train station
- Week 48
- November 26-December 2
A Garratt is a type of steam locomotive that is articulated in three parts. Its boiler is mounted on the centre frame, and two steam engines are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. Because a Garratt locomotive has the wheel arrangement of two locomotives back to back, it is typically named "Double x," where x is a named arrangement. For instance, the 4-6-2 arrangement is often called the Pacific, so a 4-6-2+2-6-4 Garratt would be a Double Pacific. Articulation is used in locomotive design so larger locomotives can go round curves which would otherwise restrict the size of rigid framed locomotives. Many articulated designs aim to double the power of the largest conventional locomotives operating on their railways, thus eliminating the need for two locomotives and therefore two crews. The Garratt's main competition was the Mallet, however no railway that possessed Mallets and purchased Garratts ever purchased another Mallet.
Recently selected: New York City Subway - New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway - History of rail transport
- Week 49
- December 3-December 9
The Scott Special, also known as the Coyote Special, the Death Valley Coyote or the Death Valley Scotty Special, was a one-time, record-breaking (and the best-known) passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) from Los Angeles, California, to Chicago, Illinois, at the request of "Death Valley Scotty". At the time of its transit in 1905, the Scott Special made the 2,265 miles (3,645 km) trip between the two cities at the fastest speed recorded to date; in doing so, it established the Santa Fe as the leader in high-speed travel between Chicago and the West Coast. The Scott Special made the trip in 44 hours and 54 minutes breaking the previous records, set in 1900 by the Peacock Special, by 13 hours and 2 minutes, and in 1903 by the Lowe Special, by 7 hours and 55 minutes. Santa Fe's regular passenger service from Los Angeles to Chicago at the time was handled on a 2½-day schedule by the California Limited. It was not until the 1936 introduction of the Super Chief that Santa Fe trains would regularly exceed the speeds seen on the Scott Special.
Recently selected: Garratt - New York City Subway - New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway
- Week 50
- December 10-December 16
The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system by closing what it considered to be little-used and unprofitable railway lines. It was a reaction to the failed railway modernisation plan of the 1950s, which spent huge amounts of money on buying new equipment, such as new diesel and electric locomotives, without first examining the role of the railway and its requirements, recognising the implications of changing old-fashioned working practices, or tackling the problem of chronic overmanning. The result of this was to plunge the railway system deeply into debt. Since the Beeching era, a modest number of the closures have been reversed. However in many instances it would be prohibitively expensive for lines closed by the Beeching Axe to be reopened. Many bridges, cuttings and embankments have been removed and the land sold off for development; closed station buildings on remaining lines have often been either demolished or sold.
Recently selected: Scott Special - Garratt - New York City Subway
- Week 51
- December 17-December 23
The SkyTrain in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is an Advanced Rapid Transit system operating fully automated trains on two lines, the Expo Line and the Millennium Line. The system is mainly elevated (hence its name). It has no human drivers on board and has not derailed or collided as a result. With 33 stations, it moves over 220,000 people a day along the 49.5 km (30.8 mi) of track. Built for the Expo 86 World's Fair, it has since become the world's longest automated light rapid transit system utilizing the world's longest transit-only bridge, the SkyBridge. The system uses the same family of linear induction motor-driven trains as the Scarborough RT line in Toronto, the Putra LRT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Detroit People Mover in Detroit, and the JFK AirTrain in New York City. SkyTrain cars reach speeds of 90 km/h (56 mph). When including wait times at stops, the end-to-end speed is 35 km/h (22 mph), three times faster than a bus and almost twice as fast as a B-Line express bus. SkyTrain operates on a proof-of-payment fare system and is policed by the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service. Passengers are subject to random fare inspections and those caught without valid fare are subject to a $173 fine. TransLink believes it loses about $6 million in unpaid fares.
Recently selected: Beeching Axe - Scott Special - Garratt
- Week 52
- December 24-December 30
London Paddington railway station is a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area of London, England. The site is a historic one, having served as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway and its successors since 1838. Much of the current mainline station dates back to 1854, and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The site was first served by Underground trains in 1863, and was the original western terminus of the Metropolitan Railway, the world's first underground railway. The children's book character Paddington Bear was named after Paddington station. In the books he is found at the station in London, coming from "deepest, darkest Peru" and with a note attached to his coat reading "please look after this bear, thank you". The station complex has recently been modernised, and has added a new role as the terminus of the dedicated Heathrow Express service to Heathrow Airport.
Recently selected: SkyTrain (Vancouver) - Beeching Axe - Scott Special
- Week 53
- December 31-January 6, 2007
Caltrain is a commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley in the U.S. state of California. It is currently operated under contract by Amtrak and funded jointly by City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County Transit District, and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority through the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Caltrain's northern terminus is in eastern San Francisco, at 4th and King streets, and its southern terminus is in Gilroy. Trains operate out of San Francisco and San Jose on a half hourly basis every weekday, with more frequent service provided during commute hours, along with three daily commute-hour round trips extending to Gilroy. Also, hourly train service is provided during weekends and holidays. Weekday ridership in February 2006 was 32,031 boardings. As of 2006, Caltrain has 29 regular stops, one football-only stop (Stanford Stadium), and two weekend-only stops (Broadway and Atherton). Caltrain operates a mix of 96 local, limited, and express weekday trains, with 32 and 28 hourly local trains on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively.
Recently selected: Paddington station - SkyTrain (Vancouver) - Beeching Axe
