Train

Train 2005-06-21T18:41:58Z Ahoerstemeier Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/217.208.12.42|217.208.12.42]] to last version by Pacific Coast Highway :''This article is about trains in [[rail transport]]. For other types of train see [[train (disambiguation)]]'' <table align=right> <tr> <td valign=top>[[Image:BN U25C 5603.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Burlington Northern Railroad GE U25C locomotive #5603]] <td>{{train topics}} </table> In [[rail transport]], a '''train''' consists of a single or several connected rail vehicles that are capable of being moved together along a guideway to transport freight or passengers from one place to another along a planned route. The guideway ([[permanent way]]) usually consists of conventional [[rail tracks]], but may be [[monorail]] or [[magnetic levitation train|maglev]]. Propulsion for the train may come from a variety of sources, but most often from a [[locomotive]] or self-propelled [[multiple unit]]. In [[railway terminology]], a '''consist''' is used to describe the group of rail vehicles which make up a train. ==Types of trains== [[Image:Tile_Hill_train_727.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An electric multiple unit pulling into Tile Hill station; [[Coventry]], England]] There are various types of trains designed for particular purposes, see [[rail transport operations]]. A train can consist of a combination of a [[locomotive]] and attached [[railroad car]]s, or a self-propelled [[multiple unit]] (or occasionally a single powered coach, called a [[railcar]]). Trains can also be hauled by horses, pulled by a cable, or run downhill by gravity. Special kinds of trains running on corresponding special 'railways' are [[atmospheric railway]]s, [[monorail]]s, [[high-speed rail]]ways, [[Magnetic_levitation_train|maglev]], [[rubber-tired underground]], [[funicular]] and [[cog railway]]s. A passenger train may consist of one or several locomotives, and one or more coaches. Alternatively, a train may consist entirely of passenger carrying coaches, some or all of which are powered as a "[[multiple unit]]". In many parts of the world, particularly [[Japan]] and [[Europe]], [[high-speed rail]] is utilized extensively for passenger travel. Freight trains comprise wagons or trucks rather than carriages, though some parcel and mail trains (especially [[Travelling Post Office]]s) are outwardly more like passenger trains. In the [[United Kingdom]], a train hauled by two locomotives is said to be "double-headed", but in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]], it is quite common for a long freight train to be headed by three, four, or even five locomotives. Trains can also be mixed, hauling both passengers and freight, see e.g. [[Transportation in Mauritania]]. Such mixed trains became rare in many countries, but were commonplace on the first 19th century railroads. Special trains are also used for [[Rail tracks|track]] maintenance; in some places, this is called [[Maintenance of Way]]. A single uncoupled rail vehicle is not technically a train, but is usually referred to as such for signaling reasons. ==Motive power== [[Image:Retro gdynia koscierzyna.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A steam train in [[Poland]]]] The first trains were rope-hauled or pulled by horses, but from the early [[19th century]], almost all were powered by [[steam locomotive]]s. From the [[1920s]] onwards they began to be replaced by less labor intensive and cleaner (but more expensive) [[diesel locomotive]]s and [[electric locomotive]]s, while at about the same time self-propelled [[multiple unit]] vehicles of either power system became much more common in passenger service. Most countries had replaced steam locomotives for day-to-day use by the [[1970s]]. A few countries, most notably the [[People's Republic of China]] where [[coal]] is in cheap and plentiful supply, still use steam locomotives, but this is being gradually phased out. Historical steam trains still run in many other countries, for the leisure and enthusiast market. [[Image:Wagonway.JPG|thumb|thumb|250px|right|An early horse-pulled train]] Electric traction offers a lower cost per mile of train operation but at a very high initial cost, which can only be justified on high traffic lines. Since the cost per mile of construction is much higher, electric traction is less favored on long-distance lines. Electric trains receive their current via [[overhead lines]] or through a [[third rail electric system]]. ==Passenger trains== Passenger trains have '''[[Railroad_car#Passenger cars|passenger cars]]'''. Passenger trains travel between [[train station|stations]]; the distance between stations may vary from under 1 km to much more. [[Image:Lametro.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Commuting train outside of [[Los Angeles, California]]]] Long-distance trains, sometimes crossing several countries, may have a [[restaurant|dining]] or restaurant car; they may also have [[sleeping car]]s, but not in the case of high-speed rail, these arrive at their destination before the night falls and are in competition with [[airplane]]s in speed. Very long distance trains such as those on the [[Trans-Siberian railway]] are usually not high-speed. Very fast trains sometimes [[tilting train|tilt]], like the [[Pendolino]]. Tilting is a system where the passenger cars automatically lean into curves, reducing the centrifugal forces acting on passengers and permitting higher speeds on curves in the track with greater passenger comfort. For trains connecting cities, we can distinguish inter-city trains, which do not halt at small stations, and trains that serve all stations, usually known as [[local train]]s or "stoppers" (and sometimes an intermediate kind, see also [[limited-stop]]). For shorter distances many cities have networks of [[commuter train]]s, serving the city and its suburbs. Some carriages may be laid out to have more standing room than seats, or to facilitate the carrying of prams, cycles or wheelchairs. Some countries have some [[double decker|double-decked]] passenger trains for use in conurbations. Double deck high speed and sleeper trains are becoming more common in Europe. Passenger trains usually have [[emergency]] [[brake]] handles (or a "communication cord") that the public can operate. Abuse is punished by a [[fine]]. [[Image:InterCity2 - passenger car interior.jpg|thumb|250px|Interior of a passenger car in a long-distance train in Finland]] Large cities often have a [[metro]] system, also called underground, subway or tube. The trains are electrically powered, usually by third rail, and their railroads are separate from other traffic, without [[level crossing]]s. Usually they run in tunnels in the city center and sometimes on elevated structures in the outer parts of the city. They can accelerate and decelerate faster than heavier, long-distance trains. A light one- or two-car rail vehicle running through the streets is not called a train but a [[tram]], trolley, or streetcar, but the distinction is not strict. The term [[light rail]] is sometimes used for a modern tram, but it may also mean an intermediate form between a tram and a train, similar to metro except that it may have level crossings. These are often protected with crossing gates. They may also be called a [[tram|trolley]]. [[Maglev]] trains and [[monorail]]s represent minor technologies in the train field. The term '''[[rapid transit]]''' is used for public transport such as commuter trains, metro and light-rail. However, in New York City, lines on the [[New York City Subway]] have been referred to as "trains". ===See also=== * [[people mover]] * [[liberalization]] in train transport * [[Passenger train human waste disposal]]. ==Freight trains== [[Image:WCML freight train.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An electric container freight train]] Freight trains have '''[[Railroad_car#Freight cars|freight cars]]'''. Much of the world's freight is transported by train. In the [[United States|USA]] the rail system is used mostly for transporting [[freight]] (or cargo). Under the right circumstances, transporting freight by train is highly economic, and also more energy efficient than transporting freight by road. Rail freight is most economic when freight is being carried in bulk and over long distances, but is less suited to short distances and small loads. The main disadvantage of rail freight is its lack of flexibility. For this reason, rail has lost much of the freight business to [[road transport|road competition]]. Many governments are now trying to encourage more freight onto trains, because of the environmental benefits that it would bring. [[Image:Wagons 550.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Freight wagons filled with [[limestone]] await unloading, at sidings in [[Rugby, England]]]] There are many different types of freight train, which are used to carry many different kinds of freight, with many different types of [[wagon]]. One of the most common types on modern railways are [[container]] trains, whereby the containers can be lifted on and off the train by [[crane (machine)|crane]]s and loaded off or onto [[truck]]s or [[ship]]s. This type of freight train has largely superseded the traditional "box wagon" type of freight train, whereby the cargo had to be loaded or unloaded manually. In some countries "piggy back" trains are used whereby [[truck]]s can drive straight onto the train and drive off again when the end destination is reached. A system like this is used on the [[Channel Tunnel]] between [[England]] and [[France]]. Piggy back trains are the fastest growing type of freight trains in the United States, where they are also known as '[[trailer on flat car]]' or TOFC trains. There are also some "inter-modal" vehicles, which have two sets of wheels, for use in a train, or as the trailer of a road vehicle. There are also many other types of [[wagon]], such as "low loader" wagons for transporting road vehicles. There are [[refrigerator]] wagons for transporting food. There are simple types of open-topped wagons for transporting [[mineral]]s and bulk material such as [[coal]] and tankers for tranporting liquids and gases. Freight trains are sometimes illegally boarded by passengers who do not wish, or do not have the money, to travel by ordinary means. This is referred to as "[[freighthopping|Hopping]]" and is considered by some communities to be a viable form of transport. Most hoppers sneak into train yards and stow away in boxcars. More bold hoppers will catch a train "on the fly", that is, as it is moving, leading to occasional fatalities, some of which go unrecorded. ==Famous train routes== ''Main article: [[Famous trains]]'' Famous historical train services include the: *[[Orient Express]] in [[Europe]]. *[[Trans-Siberian railway|Trans-Siberian]] in [[Russia]]. *[[Blue Train]] in [[South Africa]]. *[[Train-de-Luxe]] from [[Johannesburg]] to [[Victoria Falls]]. *[[Chihuahua al Pacifico]] in [[Mexico]]. *[[Palace on Wheels]] in [[Rajasthan]], India. *[[Frontier Mail]] and [[Grand Trunk Express]], India. *[[The Canadian]] in [[Canada]]. *[[20th Century Limited]] in the [[USA]]. *[[California Zephyr]] in the [[USA]]. *[[The Indian-Pacific]] and [[The Ghan]] in Australia (long-distance rail) *[[Puffing_Billy_Railway%2C_Melbourne|Puffing Billy]] and [[The Gulflander]] in Australia (heritage and touring) ==Fictional trains== ''See also: [[Rail transport in fiction]]'' *[[Hogwarts Express]] — Brings [[Harry Potter]] to Hogwarts Academy. *[[Things in Atlas Shrugged|Taggart Comet]] (''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'') *''[[The Great Train Robbery (movie)|The Great Train Robbery]]'' — first feature film to tell a story, also title of a modern film. *''[[Starlight Express]]'' ([[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]) — Musical about an old steam engine being replaced by an electrical engine. *''[[Galaxy Express 999]]'' — From the [[manga]] and [[anime]] of the same name by [[Leiji Matsumoto]], this train travels the galaxy from planet to planet. *''[[The Polar Express]]'' — From the book of the same name, this train takes children to the North Pole. * ''[[Runaway Train (movie)|Runaway Train]]'' — Film about escaped inmates on a runaway train. For a list of railway movies, see [http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/rly_movs.html] (website last updated [[December 5]], [[1995]]). ==See also== {{pic}} {{wikicities|trains|WikiTrains}} *[[Armoured train]] *[[Coupling (railway)|Coupling]] *[[List of railway companies]] *[[Toy train]] *[[Train whistle]] ==Further reading== * Jonathan Glancey - ''The Train'' (2004) ==External links== *[http://www.railfaneurope.net High Speed Train] [[Category:Vehicles]] [[Category:Rail transport]] [[ca:tren]] [[ms:Keretapi]] [[cs:Vlak]] [[da:Tog]] [[de:Zug (Eisenbahn)]] [[el:Τραίνο]] [[eo:trajno]] [[fr:Train]] [[he:רכבת]] [[id:Kereta api]] [[it:Treno]] [[ja:列車]] [[nl:trein]] [[pl:pociąg]] [[pt:Trem]] [[ro:Tren]] [[sl:Vlak]] [[sr:Воз]] [[sv:Persontåg]] [[fi:Juna]] [[zh:火车]]