Portal:Trains/Selected article/2007 archive
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This is an archive of article summaries that have appeared in the Selected article section of Portal:Trains in 2007. For past archives, see the complete archive page.
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
- Week 2
- January 7-January 13
The Paris Métro (French: Métro de Paris) is the rapid transit system in Paris, France. It includes 16 lines, primarily underground, with a total route length of 211 km (131 miles). The system, which has become one of the symbols of Paris, is notable for the density of its network in central Paris, and for its homogeneous architectural style, influenced by Art Nouveau. The initial line was inaugurated in 1900, during the Exposition Universelle world's fair. The core of the Métro network was complete by the 1920s, and the system was expanded quickly until the outbreak of the Second World War. The first extensions across the municipal boundary into adjacent suburbs were built during the 1930s. After a pause during the "automobile decades" (décennies voitures) of 1950-1970, several suburban extensions were built. Technical decisions dating to the design of the original network, such as short distances between stations and small-profile trains, limit prospects for expansion. Today, the Métro transports approximately 4.5 million passengers per day (1.365 billion for the year 2005). It serves 297 stations, of which 62 provide connections with another line.
Recently selected: Caltrain - Paddington station - SkyTrain (Vancouver)
- Week 3
- January 14-January 20
The EMD BL2 is a four-axle B-B road switcher built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). Often considered the "Ugly Duckling" of diesel offerings from EMD, the BL2 set the stage for the company's widely successful GP series of locomotives. EMD's diesel program was well underway in the late 1940s and early 1950s, thanks to the success of the company's FT demonstrations across the country. While the F-units in production were great for moving trains over the railroad, their full-width carbody made it difficult for locomotive crews to see to the rear of the locomotive. The F-units also lacked anywhere for a brakeman or switchman to stand and ride short distances while performing switching duties. Another problem facing EMD was that ALCO was making inroads into a market that EMD would have liked to keep to themselves; ALCO's RS series switchers were starting to take over many of the tasks that EMD wanted to fulfill with their own locomotives. EMD's designers and engineers set to work and came up with the carbody reminiscent of the GG1 with mechanics that contained the technical knowledge they had learned with the company's F-unit series. This model of locomotive was sold for both freight and passenger service and the locomotive's intended purpose could be easily identified by the presence or absence of an exhaust stack between the two windshield panes. This exhaust stack was for the steam generator on passenger service units. EMD's engineers learned quite a bit from the endeavor and incorporated all of the good ideas from it into the company's widely successful GP series of locomotives.
Recently selected: Paris Métro - Caltrain - Paddington station
- Week 4
- January 21-January 27
The Ladbroke Grove rail crash (also known as the Paddington train crash) was an English rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999, in which thirty-one people died. The disaster occurred at 08:08 and 58 seconds BST, when a three-car Class 165 diesel multiple unit train operated by Thames Trains collided with a High Speed Train (8 coaches with a diesel power car at each end) of First Great Western at Ladbroke Grove Junction, about two miles (4 km) west of the terminus at London Paddington station. The trains collided almost head-on at the junction with a combined closing speed of approximately 130 mph (205 km/h). The first car of the Thames Train, the 0806 from Paddington to Bedwyn, Wiltshire, driven by Michael Hodder, was totally destroyed on impact, and the diesel fuel carried by this train ignited, causing a series of separate fires in the wreckage, particularly in coach H at the front of the HST, which was completely burnt out. 31 people were killed as a result of the incident, including the drivers of both trains; 227 people were hospitalised and 296 people were treated at the site of the crash for minor injuries.
Recently selected: EMD BL2 - Paris Métro - Caltrain
- Week 5
- January 28-February 3
The Qingzang railway, Qinghai–Xizang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway (Simplified Chinese: 青藏铁路; Traditional Chinese: 青藏鐵路; pinyin: Qīngzàng Tiělù), is a high-altitude railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in the People's Republic of China. The section of the railway between Golmud and Lhasa was inaugurated on 1 July 2006, by president Hu Jintao, when the first two passenger trains departed, "Qing 1" (Q1) from Golmud towards Lhasa, and on the return side "Zang 2" (J2) leaving from Lhasa. This railway is the first to connect China proper with the Tibet Autonomous Region, which due to its altitude and terrain was the last province-level entity in the People's Republic of China to have a conventional railway. Unmanned testing of the line and equipment had started on May 1, 2006. Direct trains run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, and Lanzhou, establishing a straight connection between Lhasa and other major cities in the PRC. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, which at 5,072 metres above sea level is the world's highest section of railroad track, and the 1,338 m Fenghuoshan tunnel, the highest rail tunnel in the world at 4,905 m above sea level. The 3,345-meter Yangbajing tunnel is the longest tunnel on the line at 4,264 m above sea level and located 80 kilometres NW of the regional capital, Lhasa. Of the Golmud to Lhasa line, more than 960 km, or over 80% of the railway, is built at an altitude of more than 4,000 m, making it the world's highest railway. There are 675 bridges on the line totalling 159.88 km, and over half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost.
Recently selected: Ladbroke Grove rail crash - EMD BL2 - Paris Métro
- Week 6
- February 4-February 10
The Northern Pacific Railway (AAR reporting marks NP) was a railway that operated in the north-central region of the United States. The railroad served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. The company was headquartered first in Brainerd, Minnesota, then in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Northern Pacific was chartered on July 2, 1864 as the first northern transcontinental railroad in the United States. Groundbreaking did not take place until February 15, 1870, at Thompson Junction, Minnesota, 25 miles (40 km) west of Duluth. The backing and promotions of famed Civil War financier Jay Cooke in the summer of 1870 brought the first real momentum to the company. The Northern Pacific survived bankruptcy and the Panic of 1873 due to austerity measures put in place by company president Cass. The transcontinental line was completed with a golden spike ceremony September 8, 1883, at Gold Creek, Montana. Almost a century later consolidation in American railroading brought the Northern Pacific together with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Great Northern Railroad and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 2, 1970, to form the Burlington Northern Railroad.
Recently selected: Qingzang railway - Ladbroke Grove rail crash - EMD BL2
- Week 7
- February 11-February 17
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of east London, England. It extends to Stratford to the north, Greenwich and Lewisham to the south, west close to London city centre and east to the rest of the Docklands, London City Airport and eventually Woolwich (currently North Woolwich). The DLR has separate tracks and rolling stock from the London Underground, but the two systems share a ticketing system and the DLR appears on the London Underground’s Tube map. All the trains are computer-controlled and have no driver: a passenger service agent (PSA) on each train is responsible for patrolling the train, checking tickets, making announcements, and controlling the doors. PSAs can also take control of the train in case of computer failure or emergency. Overground stations are unstaffed and underground stations staffed, with a few exceptions. Operation and maintenance of the DLR has been carried out by a private franchise since 1997. The current franchise, due to expire in April 2013, belongs to Serco Docklands Ltd, a company jointly formed by Serco and the former DLR management team. The DLR system is undergoing constant expansion, with 38 stations currently on the system.
Recently selected: Northern Pacific Railway - Qingzang railway - Ladbroke Grove rail crash
- Week 8
- February 18-February 24
In Whyte notation, a 2-8-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a single-axle leading truck followed by four powered driving axles. In the US, this wheel arrangement is commonly called a Consolidation. The equivalent UIC classification is 1-D. The first locomotive of this wheel arrangement was likely built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), but like the first 2-6-0s, this first 2-8-0 had a leading axle that was rigidly attached to the locomotive's frame. To create this 2-8-0, the PRR's master mechanic John P. Laird modified an existing 0-8-0, the Bedford, between 1864 and 1865. However, some railroad historians believe the first 2-8-0 was ordered by Lehigh and Mahoning Railroad (also in the USA), which named the new locomotive Consolidation. The 2-8-0 wheel arrangement soon found frequent and heavy use in freight service around the world.
Recently selected: Docklands Light Railway - Northern Pacific Railway - Qingzang railway
- Week 9
- February 25-March 3
A caboose (US railway terminology) or brake van or guard's van (British terminology) is a manned rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train in North America, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads. The caboose provided the train crew with a shelter at the rear of the train. From here they could exit the train for switching or to protect the rear of the train when stopped. They also used windows to inspect the train for problems such as shifting loads, broken or dragging equipment, and overheated journals (hot boxes). The conductor kept records and otherwise conducted business from a table or desk in the caboose. For longer trips the caboose provided minimal living quarters, and was very frequently personalized and decorated with pictures and posters. Until the 1980s, laws in the United States and Canada required that all freight trains have a caboose. Technology eventually advanced such that a caboose was unnecessary, providing improved bearings and lineside detectors to detect hot boxes, and better designed cars to avoid problems with the load.
Recently selected: 2-8-0 - Docklands Light Railway - Northern Pacific Railway
The Trondheim Tramway located in Trondheim, Norway, consists presently of one 8.8 km tramway line, Gråkallbanen, from St. Olav's Gate in the city centre throgh Byåsen to Lian Station in Bymarka. The line, Line 1, is operated by Gråkallbanen AS and is often simply called Gråkallbanen. Gråkallbanen operates six tram cars, in addition to heritage cars run by Trondheim Tramway Museum. Previously there were three lines in Trondheim, including Ladelinjen to Lade and Singsakerlinjen to Singsaker in addition to tracks to Ila, Elgeseter, Trondheim Central Station and Lademoen. The line to Singsaker was closed in 1968 while the rest of the network was closed in 1983 and 1988, though the line to Lian was reopened in 1990. The tramway is the most northerly line in the world, after the Arkhangelsk tram was closed on July 24, 2004. Trondheim is also unique in that it is one of two railways in Norway using metre gauge track (the other is the heritage railway Thamshavnbanen) and that the tramway is one of two systems in the world to use 2.6 m wide cars on metre gauge track.
Recently selected: Caboose - 2-8-0 - Docklands Light Railway
The EMD FT was a 1,350 hp B-B diesel-electric locomotive produced between November 1939 and November 1945 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. 555 cab-equipped A units were built, along with 541 cabless booster B units, for a total of 1,096 locomotive units constructed, all sold to customers in the United States. It was the first model in EMD's very successful F-unit series of cab unit freight diesels, and was the locomotive that convinced many US railroads that the diesel-electric freight locomotive was the future, and that EMD was the manufacturer that could make it happen. Many rail historians consider the FT one of the most important locomotive models of all time. FTs were generally marketed as semi-permanently coupled A+B sets (a lead unit and a cabless booster connected by a drawbar) making a single locomotive of 2,700 hp. Many railroads used pairs of these sets back to back to make up a four-unit A+B+B+A locomotive rated at 5,400 hp. Some railroads purchased semi-permanently coupled A+B+A three-unit sets of 4,050 hp, while a few, like the Santa Fe, ordered all their FTs with regular couplers on both ends of each unit, for added flexibility. All units in a consist could be run from one cab; multiple unit (MU) control systems linked the units together.
Recently selected: Trondheim Tramway - Caboose - 2-8-0
The Berlin Stadtbahn ("city railway") is a major railway thoroughfare in the German capital Berlin. The line was originally built in the 1880s and runs through Berlin from east to west. It connects the eastern borough of Friedrichshain and Charlottenburg via the stations of Berlin Ostbahnhof, Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof, and Zoologischer Garten. The Stadtbahn line mostly is built as an elevated rail line with viaducts totaling eight kilometres of length and including 731 masonry viaduct arches. Two kilometres of the line length are situated on 64 bridges, and the remaining length of the 12 km line is on an embankment. This sets the Stadtbahn apart from the previous Berliner Verbindungsbahn, built in 1851, which was built at street level and was a hindrance to travel. The Stadtbahn was originally equipped with vertical iron sleepers, however these were replaced with wooden sleepers in the early 20th century. Until the summer of 2006, the Stadtbahn was the main thoroughfare for long-distance trains, which usually stopped at Zoologischer Garten and Ostbahnhof (which was renamed in 1998). When the new Hauptbahnhof opened on May 28, 2006, the importance of the line diminished slightly, as many trains now would use the new north-south line connected to the Hauptbahnhof. The remaining intercity trains on the Stadtbahn, mainly those heading toward Hanover and Cologne, now usually call at Hauptbahnhof and Ostbahnhof.
Recently selected: EMD FT - Trondheim Tramway - Caboose
Rugby railway station serves the town of Rugby in Warwickshire, England. It opened during the Victorian era, in 1885, replacing earlier stations situated a little further west. Since the closure of the station on the now-abandoned Great Central Railway route through the town, it is Rugby's only station. Situated on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) connecting London to Birmingham and the North West, the present station, managed by Virgin Trains, is located roughly half a mile north of Rugby town centre. On the WCML as a whole, it is located 82 miles (132 km) north of London Euston, and 319 miles (513.4 km) south of Glasgow Central. Main line train services into Rugby are operated by Virgin Trains and local services by Central Trains. There are regular services to London, Birmingham, Northampton, the North West, and a limited direct service to Glasgow.
Recently selected: Berlin Stadtbahn - EMD FT - Trondheim Tramway
- Week 14
- April 1-April 7
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
Recently selected: Rugby railway station - Berlin Stadtbahn - EMD FT
- Week 15
- April 8-April 14
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
Recently selected: - Rugby railway station - Berlin Stadtbahn
- Week 16
- April 15-April 21
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
Recently selected: - - Rugby railway station
- Week 17
- April 22-April 28
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 18
- April 29-May 5
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 19
- May 6-May 12
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 20
- May 13-May 19
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- Week 21
- May 20-May 26
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- Week 22
- May 27-June 2
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- Week 23
- June 3-June 9
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- Week 24
- June 10-June 16
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- Week 25
- June 17-June 23
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- Week 26
- June 24-June 30
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- Week 27
- July 1-July 7
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- Week 28
- July 8-July 14
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- Week 29
- July 15-July 21
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 30
- July 22-July 28
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 31
- July 29-August 4
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 32
- August 5-August 11
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 33
- August 12-August 18
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 34
- August 19-August 25
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- Week 35
- August 26-September 1
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- Week 36
- September 2-September 8
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- Week 37
- September 9-September 15
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- Week 38
- September 16-September 22
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- Week 39
- September 23-September 29
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- Week 40
- September 30-October 6
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- Week 41
- October 7-October 13
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- Week 42
- October 14-October 22
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- Week 43
- October 21-October 27
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- Week 44
- October 28-November 3
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- Week 45
- November 4-November 10
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 46
- November 11-November 17
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 47
- November 18-November 24
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 48
- November 25-December 1
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 49
- December 2-December 8
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 50
- December 9-December 15
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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- Week 51
- December 18-December 22
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- Week 52
- December 23-December 29
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- Week 53
- December 30-January 5, 2008
- The Portal:Trains Selected article has not been chosen yet for this week.
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