Train technology in the US?

Question

Is it safe to say that Trains used as public transit is one of the most underused technology in the US? I know countries like China and Japan have fast trains, but I dont think we have that great of ones out here?

Answer 1

Tekkaman is incorrect.  The Rail system in the UK has been back in private ownership for several years now and the freight uses the same rail.

In Germany it is different, alhtough in many way their passenger system is more reliable than that in the UK so I quesiton what you mean by the phrase "at a price"?

Answer 2

You are right, US, and also Canada, made a big mistake by letting the automobile and trucking lobbies taking too much place and letting to abandon or downgrade many railway lines and rail passenger services, at the point that US & Canada passenger services are worst than some African countries.

North American freight trains handle larger tonnage per trains than Asian & European countries. On another way, I saw in Europe double track lines handling as much as 300 trains per day!

With the fast fuel prices increase, the railway is the best solution to that problem. The class 1 freight railroads own underused mainlines, but restauring freight trafic on secondary lines or restauring passenger services need major investments and a lot of time.

Europeans, although they also abandoned many spur lines, preserved a lot of their railway system and made good decisions in investing in electrified high speed train network. On that point of view, Europeans will survive better to the fuel inflation than North Americans. This is not only because trains can handle more volume of people or freight than any other land transportation, but also because most European mainlines are electrified, so they can avoid using fuel at all (depending fo their electric power source). As an example, 90% of swedish rail system (100% of mainlines) is electrified, compared to less than 1% in US and Canada. We're full dependant of fuel and trucking industry.

For security matters, railroad is the safest transportation system, particularly in terms of accidents. However, I'm still surprised that no major terrorist act happened to high speed trains and subway systems, considering their open access required to handle rush-hour mass of people.

Answer 3

Technology and underused are completely different concepts.

We have great technology, some of the best in the world.

We have test equipment that is as fast as anyone's.

Underused yes, absolutely.



It takes money and our elected representatives have not been convinced to see beyond their next election and therfore don't vote the wishes of the populace.

Amtrak ridership is UP in every sector, people have proven with their pocketbooks that they WILL ride passenger trains given the chance.

I disagree with the statement about the lines and property not being available, if you look at any map or railroad timetable from the 1950's you will see there was hardly a town in the U.S that didnt have good reliable safe passenger service.

We dont need anything added, just brought back. If I am not mistaken, even the Feather River Canyon had the Western Pacific running through it, the roadbed at least still has to be there.

In the late 1940's and 1950's we had a passenger rail system second to none, and we can again.

Answer 4

Tekkaman has hit the nail squarely on the head and should have 10 points on the way.

I'm only chiming in to say that the trouble with the model ML 4000 C'C', the engines the Southern Pacific tried in the 60's (they had a habit of trying a few of everything), built by Krauss-Maffei Munchen was that they were diesel-hydraulic.

This meant of course that there were transmissions, which also meant they had drive lines.  Said drive lines kept breaking under the strain of heavy train / heavy grade operations.  Failing this, they had no place on the SP.

But, they had another interesting problem that was figured out in relatively short order.  Turned out, the prime movers just wouldn't run on the grade of diesel fuel that the American made prime movers were burning, requiring a higher grade of fuel.  

It only took one fill up to discover the problem...

That is why the service pit at Roseville had five tracks... four for conventional diesel electrics, while the imports had their own home on track #5.  Their service track as thus far outlasted the engines it was built for by over 4 decades, at this point.

The last one was converted to a "camera car" for the purpose of shooting much footage of SP Lines for use in their simulator in Cerritos, California.  Where it is now, or if it is now, I have no clue.

The last time I saw it was east of the ramp at Roseville rusting away next to the Rotary Track where the wide-wings wait in silence for their next call to duty.

Answer 5

Trains were the most technologically advanced form of travel in the US til Americans fell in love with driving and flying.Being the fickle creatures that we are we(most of us)forgot all about train travel.Being that America Is the greatest country on earth we could have the greatest passenger rail system. I find it ironic that as soon as it cost a days pay to fill your gas tank and a weeks pay to take a flight folks are saying heyyyyyyyy what about trains?!!! So in addition to asking questions here drop a letter to your elected officials and tell them you want to see a high speed passenger rail system. We should be buiding it right now because the price of oil is going to go way higher than it is now.The billions they are squandering in Irag for the war should be being spent here at home.We wouldn't care what was going on in the middle east except for the oil they have.It's a shame our brave men and women have to die for it.

Answer 6

Tekkman is incorrect: Most of the european railway lines are used for both passenger and freight trains simultaneously.

Only on some special high speed lines there are only passenger trains.

The reason is rather that the speed difference between high speed passenger trains  (up to 230mph) and freight trains (only up to ~80mph) is so large that there would be a major impact on the transport capacity of the line.

Answer 7

Dude-

I would say you are correct in thinking that our Rail Technology is underused.  And Andy F is correct in his opinion too.  

Though I have a couple of things to add to this, and shed some additional light.  

I enjoy this when we are compared to Japan, China, Europe and the UK.  Their rail systems are more advanced, but that comes at a price.  Their Passenger systems are not privately owned.  These are Government Owned and Operated Systems.  In fact their passenger equipment does not even use the same rail that their freight equipment uses.

When they were set up after WWII they knew they had better purchase the Real Estate for that specific purpose.  So they did.  

How do I know this??

My wife is German.  Their freight trains are not allowed to use passenger rail.  The reason is very simple.  Their weight and tonnage are greater than that of moving humans from point A to point B.

Here in this country, our rail systems ara all privately owned with the exception of Amtrak.  However, it is the Real Estate that is the issue here.  In some locations, (the most visual to you and I), yes it seems we have the real estate to expand and build rail systems for commuter and passenger travel.  However, as Andy and Skidderback will share, there are locations where it is just not possible to place and additional line through the area.

My case and point is through the I-5 Corridor here in California, and through the Feather River Canyon.  These locations are some of the most difficult country.  Even for cars and trucks.

There are places like this all over the United States.  

However, from city to city, like say, Los Angeles to San Francisco, I would agree.  This is possible.  



A good place to look at why some locations are just not practical is Google Earth.

But additionally, there is another problem.  Since the freight companies own the property the rails are sitting on, (eventhough they are providing a national utility), they would rather give priority to their freight trains, (because its their business), than to Amtrak.

Amtrak is hosted on most of the major Railroads in the USA.  I say most because they do own some rail between Washington DC and New York, (I think).  But they are what is left from all of the railroads discontinuing passenger service in the 70's.  

As far as locomotive technology, I would debate that our equipment is much better than most of the Euro-c**p I have seen, especially freight equipment.  Our equipment can haul significantly more tonnage than the European Equipment.

Don't believe me, then just check out the Krauss-Maffei Locomotives that were shipped here from Germany.  They were retired rather quickly.  Something to do with the steep grades around Donner Summit, Tehachapi, and Dunsmuir.

I will say this on behalf of Amtrak.  My wife and I travel on the Coast Starlight twice a year.  Its a great trip and Amtrak is more like a rolling hotel than anything else.  The staff is always great.  Though, they seem to have their own idea about being timely.  Part of that is their fault, but part of it is the hosting railroad too.

Anyhow, a little long winded, but I think that should answer your question.

Answer 8

America once had a great railway system, the first transcontinental rail link - Union Pacific Railroad, 1869, streamlined locos capable of 100mph in the 1930s, pioneering diesel technology and the famous interurban light rail system. Also the heaviest and most powerful freight locomotives in the world.

Unfortunately the car and the airliner have taken over latterly and passenger rail is but a shadow of its former self, although the US is still high in the running for heavy rail freight.