Variable gauge axles

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Variable gauge axles are used to allow railway vehicles to pass from one train operator's rail gauge to another different gauge. The only alternatives to such a system would be transfer of the cargo or replacement of the wheels and axles, or the replacement of the entire bogies. Such a system is in use to allow the running of trains between Spain and France, Europe and Russia, and Kazakhstan and China.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Wider usage 3 2004 4 References

[edit] Overview

Variable gauge axles help solve the problem of a break of gauge without having to resort to dual gauge tracks.

There are two variable gauge axle systems,

• That of the Talgo Company, see Talgo and click on "Variable Gauge Axles" (on the left). An animation of Talgo's system appears.
  • The Talgo system has been in revenue service at Portbou, in Catalonia and in Irun in Euskadi near the French border since 1969

• That of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, see BRAVA This page will allow one to see and/or download two videos showing the CAF system. The video naratives are in Spanish only.
  • The CAF system was originally designed in 1968 by the Vévey Company (since absorbed by Bombardier Transportation ), a company located in the city of Vevey on Lake Geneva, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland and was originally called the "Vevey axle" ^[1]. The design was subsequently obtained and improved by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles.

[edit] Wider usage

It is not known why variable gauge axle systems are not more widely used, particularly between standard and narrow gauges. Possible reasons could include:

• Marketing and/or economics as well as unfamiliarity.
• Conservatism on the part of the railways.
• From standard to narrow gauge, simply not enough space or room between the wheels to accommodate the mechanism, especially in the case of 3 ft (914 mm) gauge.
• Not invented here

[edit] 2004

In February 2004, RENFE placed orders for:

• Forty-five CAF/Alstom 25 kV AC/3 kV DC, variable gauge EMUs for 250 km/h regional services, between October 2006 and May 2009 (€580 million)
• Twenty-six 25 kV AC variable gauge trains for 250 km/h long-distance services using two Bombardier power cars and Talgo Series VII trailer cars (€370 million) [3]

[edit] References

1. ^ La Vie du Rail, No. 1415, 4 November 1973, ÉCARTEMENTS VARIABLES: L' "ESSIEU MIRACLE" EST-IL NÉ DANS LE CANTON DE VAUD? [1] in French or [2] in English)