#tilting train

[ferret-tism]

🚆

Pendolino

@network-rail

[merpmonde]

Tilting Diesels!

In June, we said さようなら to Japan's first tilting electric multiple unit (see that post also for why you'd want tilt in the first place), launched in 1973. For some reason, adding tilt to Diesel multiple units needed a bit more time - my guess is engine vibrations play a part. Nonetheless, in 1989, JR Shikoku did it, launching the 2000 series tilting DMU. The company has continued with the technology, and the latest generation, the 2700 series shown above, is 5 years old this month.

The 2000 series is still in service, but I haven't yet seen any. However I have seen and ridden two derivatives of the 2000: the JR West KiHa 187 above, which reminds me of trains in England with its yellow front, and the streamlined Chizu Kyûkô HOT7000 below.

These trains run intercity services along the picturesque San'in coast - the Super Matsukaze and Super Oki in Yamaguchi, Shimane and Tottori prefectures -, and between the San'in and San'yô coasts - the Super Hakuto and Super Inaba in Hyôgo, Okayama and Tottori prefectures, which is how the HOT7000 got its name.

With these trains, Tottori to Himeji is done in under two hours, a similar time frame to what electric tilting trains can do between Okayama and Yonago. The mountains are also quite scenic, and the HOT7000 has a feature that I don't think I've seen anywhere else: a live cab cam.

Another country worked to develop tilting DMUs: Germany. This culminated with the high-speed ICE T, which I'm yet to encounter, but in the late 1990s, at a similar time to the Japanese examples above, Adtranz built the RegioSwinger, officially Baureihe 612. These yellow and white examples work in the South-West corner of Germany, along the Rhine between the Bodensee and Basel, with a couple of incursions into Switzerland.

Riding a tilting train is peculiar. 8° of tilt doesn't sound like much, but it adds up with the camber of the tracks to produce a visually impressive experience. The tilt is really noticeable, and it does what it's supposed to do, compensating the G-forces so you don't feel the pull to the side through corners. The downside of DMUs is that they tend to be quite noisy - the engines sound like they're giving 110% all the time! On the whole, I really like them.

[tarunias-official]

What is Tilting Train Technology? | Kutiya Konda Tribe | Daily Current A...

[briansolomonauthor]

Pendolino tilts at Pampilhosa!

Pendolino tilts at Pampilhosa!

I made this digital photo of a southward Portuguese Railways Pendolino train tilting through a curve at Pampilhosa using my FujiFilm XT1 with 27mm pancake lens.

This is trailing view looking south toward Pampilhosa Station. Portuguese track is textbook perfect.

Brian Solomon is traveling in Portugal so communication may be infrequent.

Tracking the Light continues to post daily.

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[strimmer-blog]

Virgin Train Pendolino Class 390 128 at Rugby 2016 • r/uktrains

6 points and 1 comments so far on reddit

Photo of Virgin Trains Class 390128 Pendolino tilting train waiting at Rugby station, Warwickshire, before heading north in 2016.

[newsdock]

NARO-FOMINSK, Russia (Reuters) - A freight train jumped the tracks and collided with a passenger train near Moscow on Tuesday, ripping the side off one of the carriages and killing at least six people. Dozens were injured and Russian officials said the death toll could rise. Russian television footage showed dazed passengers clambering off the tilting train and climbing up a grassy bank to safety after the accident. The train had been on its way from Moscow to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, before the collision at around 12:30 p.m. near the town of Naro-Fominsk, 55 km (34 miles) southwest of the Russian capital. Source: Reuters

[newsdock]

NARO-FOMINSK, Russia (Reuters) - A freight train collided with a passenger train near Moscow on Tuesday, ripping the side off one of the carriages and killing at least six people. Russian officials said the death toll could rise after several carriages were derailed. Russian television footage showed dazed passengers clambering off the tilting train and climbing up a grassy bank to safety after the accident. The train had been on its way from Moscow to Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, before the collision at around 1230 p.m. near the town of Naro-Fominsk, 55 km (34 miles) southwest of the Russian capital. Source: Reuters

[briansolomonauthor]

Tilting Train: Portugal’s Alfa Pendular Service.

Tilting Train: Portugal’s Alfa Pendular Service.

Photographing a tilting train at speed in curves.

My first experience with the Italian Pendolino design was in Switzerland more than 14 years ago when I was researching for my book Bullet Trains—a survey of high-speed trains and railways (published by MBI in 2001).

Here’s an excerpt from my text:

The Pendolino’s tilt system provides a luxurious, smooth ride, on sinuous track. The effect of the…

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