Railway Technologies

High-speed rail travel in European countries has been a reality for close to three decades. France with its Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) and Germany with its Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains have been the leaders with extensive domestic high-speed railway networks. However, international travel has long been more problematic – even when these trains crossed borders, speeds tended to drop dramatically.
International Train Travel with Railteam in Western Europe
Railteam was formally announced in mid-2007 as a cooperation alliance between seven European railway networks. Current members include DB Deutsche Bahn (Germany), SNCF (France), Eurostar (UK), NS Hispeed (Netherlands), ÖBB (Austria), SBB (Switzerland), and NMBS (Belgium). Read the rest of this entry »

Finnish smart card provider Confidex has announced a five-year contract with the transit company for 125 million high-frequency payment cards.

Five years from now, China’s Guangshen Railway Co. (GSH) expects Chinese commuters to consume 125 million RFID-enabled single-use tickets annually while commuting between the cities of Shenzhen, where the railway company is located, and Guangzhou (the railroad connects the two cities). That’s how many RFID tickets the railway recently ordered from Finnish company Confidex as a five-year supplier contract, with 25 million tickets deliverable each year. Read the rest of this entry »

Locomotive number 60004 rolled out of Baldwin Locomotive Works in May of 1927. She was the 13th 4-8-4 type locomotive built in America. The first twelve have all been scrapped, leaving only 3751 as the oldest 4-8-4 in existence.
Destined for the Santa Fe Railroad, she was a new design experience for both the builder and the operator. She was the first class of Santa Fe 4-8-4’s. Each costing $99,712.77 as delivered.
As originally built, 3751 was an innovation in design, with its 4-wheel trailing truck to support the 108 sq/ft firebox. Included was a cast steel engine bed and separate cast cylinders, with cross-counter balanced 73 inch drive wheels. The total engine weight was 432,240 lbs. The total engine-tender weight tipped the scales at 724,600 lbs. She had a starting tractive effort of 66,000 lbs., with a maximum drawbar horsepower of 3,200 at 40 mph. Read the rest of this entry »

The Metropolitan Railway E Class is a class of 0-4-4T steam locomotives.
A total of seven locomotives were built between 1896 and 1901 by the Metropolitan Railway themselves at their Neasden Works. One locomotive became Metropolitan Railway no. 1 and was a replacement for A Class (4-4-0T) No. 1 which had been scrapped. The other locomotives were numbered 77 to 82.
The E Class were displaced from the main passenger trains by the 4-4-4T H Class in 1920, moving to lesser jobs such as trains on the Chesham Branch.
Following the second world war one E Class locomotive was regularly stationed at Rickmansworth station to cover a failure of LNER locomotives working Metropolitan Line trains north of this point.
The first locomotive was scrapped in 1935 before it could be given a new London Transport number, something that only four locomotives would receive. No. 1 became L44, while nos. 77, 80 and 81 became L46 – L48. L44 (No. 1) survived in use until 1965 and is now preserved at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

Take a trip down memory lane aboard one of Yorkshire’srestored railways.
Relive the heyday of the railways, thanks to a committed band of unpaid enthusiasts. Lines closed to passenger services have been re-opened and locomotives and rolling stock lovingly restored. The county boasts a wide variety of heritage railways – each with its own unique attraction.
Derwent Valley Railway
The line, which was never nationalised, ran between York and Cliffe Common near Selby until it closed in 1981. All that now remains is a half-mile stretch of line at Murton Park near York, where the old station at Wheldrake has been rebuilt. Trains run every Sunday between Easter and the end of September. Admission to Murton Park, which includes the Yorkshire Museum of Farming and various other attractions, allows unlimited rides on the train. Read the rest of this entry »