Category:Railways General

From Eurêka

Contents 1 Railways General 2 Atmospheric Railways 3 Mountain Railways 4 Funiculars of the World 5 Minor Railways 6 Industrial Railways 7 Military Railways 8 Train

Railways General

• See also British Rail Loco Liveries

• See also Circus train

• See also Diesel Loco Manufacture

• See also Electric Loco Manufacture

• See also Logging railroads

• See also Model railways

• See also Parts of Rail Vehicles

• See also Passenger Car Manufacture

• See also Rail Manufacture

• See also Rail Paint Schemes

• See also Rail Vehicle Manufacturing Companies

• See also Railroad hobos

• See also Railway Catering

• See also Railway Manufacturing

• See also Railway police

• See also Steam Locomotive Building

• See also Urban Rail

Railroad (AmE) (BrE, Railway) Either, (1) Guideway of two parallel steel rails along which locomotives and cars travel on flanged wheels, or (2) System of rail lines operated by a company to deliver transport services.

Rails Guidance system upon which rolling stock travels with minimum friction. First rails were made of wood 16th century, then metal covered wood, 17th-18th centuries, iron rail appeared early 19th century and wrought-iron was introduced for heavier and faster trains. First steel rails were laid at Derby station, England, 1857. Introduction of the Bessemer Convertor meant steel could be produced in large quantities for the mass production of rail, 1860s.

Tram Piece of wood forming a track or roadway, especially in mines, which evolved into the system of railway transport.

1. Tram car Four-wheeled wagon used in coal mines and running on rails.

Waggonway (Wagonway) Early horse-drawn railways, mid-18th cent.

1. Trolley (BrE) Small truck or narrow cart with four small wheels often flanged to run on rails.

Plateway Railway with flanged cast iron rails.

Guideway Right-of-way plus the special facilities required for operations such as tracks, power distribution, control system.

Railway speed record French high-speed rail test 310 mph.

Atmospheric Railways

Atmospheric railway Railway in which trains are propelled by air pressure, a concept dating from the 1820s.

Mountain Railways

Mountain railway Specialized form of railway for ascending mountains.

1. Rack railway (Cog railway; Rack-and-pinion railway) Railway system that provides additional traction by a rack-and-pinion system.
   1. Rack rail Toothed third rail to provide additional traction.
   2. Pinion Toothed wheel beneath the engine which engages in the teeth of a rack rail.
   3. Lochner system System of rack-and-pinion designed specifically for the world’s steepest rack railway, which climbs Mount Pilatus in Switzerland, achieving a maximum gradient of 1:2.
   4. Blenkinsop rack Toothed third rail that was engaged with a gear wheel on a locomotive.

Funicular (BrE) (AmE, = Incline) Half elevator, half train to for ascending and descending steep slopes, that has two counterbalanced cabins linked by a single cable turning on a pulley whose popularity peaked in 1890s.

Classical funicular One cabin is pulled, the other is guided.

1. Counterbalanced One cabin is heavier than the other one.
   1. Modern funicular Same as classical funicular but with a cable system for tension.
2. Lift Funicular with only one cabin.
3. System Agudio Power system is in the funicular cabin.

Funiculars of the World

(chronological order)

Der Reiszug Private funicular runs to the Festung Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg, Austria, the world’s oldest, c. 1500.

Monongahela Incline Funicular, Pittsburgh, built 1870.

1. Duquesne Incline Funicular on cliffs above Monongahela River, Pittsburgh, built 1877.

Note In its heyday, Pittsburgh had 15 inclines.

Otis Elevating Railway Funicular connecting the Catskill Mountain Railway and the Catskill & Tannersville Railway, near Catskill, New York, named after Charles Rollins Otis of elevator fame, operated 1892-1918.

Angel's Flight (formerly, Los Angeles Incline Railway) Funicular up Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, opened 1901, dismantled 1969, rebuilt 1996.

Mount Beacon Incline Funicular up the Hudson River, 60 miles north of New York City, opened 1902, closed 1978.

Cape Point funicular Funicular, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.

Carmelite Railway (Carmelit Subway) Underground funicular, starting at Paris Square (sea level) leading up to Gan Ha'em on Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel, being restored 2000.

Johnstown Inclined Plane Funicular that transports cars as well as people, Pennsylvania.

Katoomba Scenic Railway World’s steepest funicular with a maximum gradient of 52º, New South Wales, Australia.

Le Funiculaire de Montmartre Funicular up to the Basilque du Sacré-Cour, Paris.

Lookout Mountain Incline Funicular on Tennessee-Georgia border.

Peak Tram Funicular up Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.

Royal Gorge Bridge Incline Funicular at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park near Pikes Peak, Colorado.

Saint-Hilaire du Touvet Funicular in French Alps.

Cairngorm Mountain Railway (infl, Cairn Gorm funicular) Funicular built near Aviemore, Scotland, to take skiers and tourists to almost 4.000 feet, replacing the White Lady chairlifts, the one and a quarter mile line with Swiss-built stock opened 23 December 2001.

Minor Railways

• See also Light Rail

• See also Urban Rail Systems in US

Minor railways Small independent companies who built railways to serve local industries and communities.

Light Railway Act (UK) Legislation in 1896 to encourage the building of minor railways.

1. Light Railway Order (UK) Authorization to build a light railway under the Light Railway Act.

Industrial Railways

Industrial railway System of rail activities focused on a single industry built to standards that reflect the specific needs of the industrial activity, often to lower standards than demanded by public railways.

Sugar cane railway Servicing sugar case fields, such as the 2-foot gauge lines in the plantations of Queensland, Australia.

Military Railways

Military railways Railways operated by the armed services.

Longmore Military Railway (LMR) Standard gauge railway in Hampshire used for training soldiers in railway operation.

Train

Train Several railway cars coupled together, pulled by some form of traction, displaying a marker and authorized to operate on a main track.

1. Power (AmE) Number and types of locomotives on a train.

Consist (AmE) (BrE, = Formation; Rake) Description of the makeup of a train, cars and contents and the locomotive pulling it.

Rake (AmE) Wagons/carriages semi permanently joined in an articulation rather than via a coupler.

1. Articulation Core feature of a rolling stock design where two adjacent railway vehicle ends are mounted on one bogie.þ Nowadays much favoured by tramcar or light rail vehicle (LRV) designers.þ Also used on some European high speed train designs.þ It has the benefit of reducing the number of bogies required for a train.þ Generally only suitable for lighter weight vehicles since the load on each axle is proportionally increased.þ Usually requires special lifting systems to be provided in maintenance workshops.

Car (AmE) Individual railway vehicle, either freight or passenger, that when coupled together form a train.

Special Train running on irregular schedule or carrying unique cargo or passengers.

1. Kipper trip (BrE) Angler’s special.