ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Trains!

interesting. ever wondered what happens to a pantograph when the train goes threw a tunnel.this is what is sposed to happen, a transponder detects at a point on the track, the pantograph is lowered and the shoe takes over for the duration of the tunnel. my one regret was not being around when they tested this in kent one time. it didnt work.pretty spectacular by all accounts.

hahaha,,,,,i remember the wrong type of snow comment. and then they hit us again with the 'wrong type of leaves'.

Andy,

Not too sure what you're referring to here. The only area in Kent that I know that involves switching between a third rail supply and the overhead is at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel where a France/Belgium bound train raises its pantograph and lifts its shoes prior to *entering* the tunnel.

There are maximum and minimum heights for the overhead wire above the train and sometimes through tunnels the wire is pretty near its minimum. A classic example is the Manchester Metrolink tram (trolley) system whose panographs reach up for the wire in town (a maximum for safety) but then squeeze through Heaton Park Tunnel (ex-railway) with the wire and tram in closest proximity.

Where space is at a premium, a double track railway can be singled and slewed to the centre of the tunnel to take maximum advantage of the arch.

[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 11-12-2002).]

Wow, now I know quite a few things I didn't yesterday! And cool new words too, "pantograph" and "catenary"!

It's indeed rare for trains to derail here too, but it does happen when they hit cars or when they try to "force" switches. (A switch frozen in wrong position can be forced right by running the train into it at a suitable speed. I don't know how this works, but I've seen that some switches have warning signs saying that you should not do this. The problem is if the switch still refuses to move when the train runs over it )

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 11-13-2002).]

Did someone say the "T" word??? As in "T"rains???



Scott s.e.t.

Here are some good photos from Penn Central RR's "Electrical Operating Instructions" http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/pc/pc-eoi.html

Here's a link for many more RR links: http://www.railroad.net/

Specifically, the thread in the URL below ties in with this thread: http://www.railroad.net/

Enjoy,
TG

it wasnt the channel tunnel train. it was one of the 365's. i was told about the incident on an adtranz training course.im trying to remember the name of the town it happened near, but for the life of me it alludes me.

Derailment sure can happen! New Year's Eve 1995 I was riding Amtrak from Chicago to Omaha. Thanks to a derailed freight train somewhere in Iowa we got detoured on slow tracks down through Missouri and back up again. We finally pulled into Omaha about 6 hours late. Still, there was a good "Happy New Year" with everyone on board -- Somewhere on the edges of Kansas City, if I recall correctly.

By the way, the NYC to Chicago run was within 5 minutes of the scheduled time, despite 950 miles of ice and snow across the Mid-West. British Railways, please take note!