3/2011
Climatic And Dynamic Tests For The Velaro D
Members of the Velaro high speed train can now be found in service right across the world. The Velaro E traverses highland central Spain, where winters are bitter and summers are blazing. The Velaro CN streaks through the humid subtropical Chinese landscapes. The Velaro RUS endures the rigours of the Russian climate.
The car was first cooled down to -20 0C and then nozzles sprayed fine mist onto it until it was fully covered with several millimeters of ice.
Photo: Siemens
NSB FLIRT EMUs
In 2008 NSB awarded Stadler Rail a contract to build 50 five-car FLIRT EMUs, the agreement including an option clause for 100 more. The contract is worth 640 million CHF and is the largest single order ever placed by the Norwegian state operator. The first train was outshopped from Bussnang works on 8 September 2010, and was presented to the public a couple of weeks later at InnoTrans in Berlin. Testing in Norway is now in progress.
The photo shows NSB's 74 001 at Ål, on the line from Oslo to Bergen, during a test run on
21 March 2011. The restyled front end can be appreciated, and the Classes 74 and 75 are the first FLIRTs to sport it (see R 1/11, p. 44). Readers will recall that although SBB's Class RABe 522 FLIRT EMUs are equipped with crash impact absorbers, their front ends were not modified using the completely new design.
Photo: Stadler
RZD Expands Menu Of Long Distance Trains To Europe
RZD’s Federalnaya Passazhirskaya Kompaniya subsidiary (FPK), which runs most long distance passenger services on Russian railway network, is developing its suite of high quality international routes, building on the success of the Moskva - Nice train, which started running in September 2010. The next step, in December 2011 is to launch a Moskva - Paris train, to replace the through carriage that is used at present, running via Minsk, Warszawa and Berlin.
As from 29 May 2011 there are four instead of two Allegro train pairs daily between St. Petersburg and Helsinki (see R 6/10, p. 5). The first of the new departures on 29 May 2011 was train 33/152 from Helsinki at 06.00, and here we see train 39/158 formed by Sm6 7351 leave the Finnish capital on the 19.00 service that day.
Photo: Stanislav Voronin
Kiruna Electric Locomotives, Part 2
In R 2/11, pp. 36 - 46 we visited the Malmbana in northern Sweden and Norway, looked briefly at its history and the operation of iron ore trains, and studied the technical characteristics of two batches of IORE two-section electric locomotives that now handle all of this traffic. Here we describe how the machines were moved from Kassel to Kiruna, focus on their maintenance and operation, and examine the findings derived from these aspects of their working life.
Typical scenery near Tornehamn, close to the border between Norway and Sweden, at an altitude of around 500 m, with snow-capped summits, small lakes, a snow-shed and a characteristic wooden cottage, painted in what Norwegians refer to as „English Red“ (in Sweden known as „Falu röd“, since the pigments for the paint are obtained from the copper mines at Falun). IOREs 105 + 102 head towards Narvik with a loaded train on
14 June 2008.
Photo: Jürgen Hörstel
Transport logistic 2011
Transport logistic in München ranks among greatest trade fairs worldwide in the logistics branch and with that relating technologies which represents a wide sphere in which also other kinds of transport play its significant part. But the two-year period of holding, interleaved with InnoTrans days, also is a good opportunity for presentation of rail vehicles producers and, gradually, starts to be more perceived by producers of locomotives too.
For railway business, transport logistic is a rather smaller event than InnoTrans, but locomotive builders like to exhibit their latest products there too. At München in 2011 it was Bombardier's turn to come up with a surprise. The TRAXX AC Last Mile locomotive is not exactly a new idea, but up to now nobody has had the courage to put it into practice.
Photo: Petr Kadeřávek
And much more!
Cover of 3/2011
Poster
Features: one NJT and one AMT locomotive during roll-out at Kassel plant on 3 February 2011