6/2006
More ÖBB Class 1142s For Hector Rail
As we reported in R 1/06 (pp. 48 - 49), since February 2006 Swedish open access operator Hector Rail has been using a trio of ex-ÖBB Class 1142s on freight services. All three have performed well, each clocking up around 30,000 km per month. Drivers and depot staff are very pleased with these 1960s-built tap switch machines, with their simple but rugged construction.
Two of the locomotives from the initial trio, 142 002 and 003, on a train of paper rolls from Hallsberg to Göteborg passing lake Aspen on the approach to the latter city on 30 July 2006.
Photo: Kasper Bonnevier Dudzik/Hector Rail
CD's Adds To Its Express Carriage Fleets
In late November 2006 âD took delivery from Siemens SGP of the first of the 38 carriages for express services it has ordered in September 2003 and June 2005. Three types of vehicle are involved - first class saloons, second class compartment carriages, and sleepers similar to those recently acquired by DB AutoZug.
On 6 December 2006 the first of the new carriages to be handed over to CD - five WLABmz cars, ten Ampz cars and seven Bmz vehicles - were put through their paces at 200 km/h on the Cerhenice test circuit, as part of their commissioning procedure. Since CD has no locomotives capable of this speed, and since VUZ's own 124.601 (which is the Czech locomotive speed record holder, having attained 219 km/h in 1972) is now limited for non-technical reasons to a sedate 160 km/h, a "foreigner" had to be found. This came in the shape of record-breaking 1216 050, which was present at Cerhenice at the time in connection with the measurement of EMC.
Photo: Tomáš Kuchta
InnoTrans 2006
As we head into deep midwinter, it is heartwarming to reflect on those glorious days of unbroken sunshine which graced InnoTrans 2006. We continue our extensive coverage of the exhibition focusing especially on the wide range of EMUs, DMUs and cars which were on display.
PESA Bydgoszcz exhibited two of its latest EMU and DMU designs. The newest one was SA 133-001, evolved from PESA's SA 131 and SA 132 DMUs (see R 2/06, p. 13). This particular two-car unit has been bought by Województwo Podlaskie, in the northeast of the country, for local services.
Photo: Tomáš Kuchta
Stadler's Hungarian FLIRTs
The bureaucratic trials and tribulations which followed MÁV's decision to order FLIRT EMUs from Stadler have been reported on occasionally in the pages of this magazine. When at last in March 2006 the definitive go-ahead was given, it became an epic race against time to get the first two trains built, commissioned and authorised within the deadline of one year! Stadler and MÁV rose to the occasion...
The first Hungarian FLIRT on test outside Stadler's Bussnang works between 22 and 24 November 2006.
Photo: Stadler
Belarus DR1B DMUs
Since 2005 RVR of Riga has been building DMUs for the Belarus state operator, BCh. Although designated Class DR1B, they are in fact being built in two versions. As we reported in R 3/06, p. 11, two 6-car units (DR1B-500 and 501) were delivered in winter 2005/6 for inter-city services. From early August 2006 they have been followed by four 3-car sets (DR1B-502 to 505) for middle distance services, and this quartet should be in Belarus by the end of the year. Production continued in autumn 2006 with DR1B-506, which is another 6-car unit for middle distance services, and four more of this type will be delivered to BCh during 2007.
The non-powered driving trailer of 3-car unit DR1B-503 awaiting fitting-out on 18 July 2006.
Photo: RVR
Posezenie Metrovagonmasha
Metrovagonmash, a joint stock company within the Transmashholding group, is based at Mytishchi, a suburb at the northeast of Moskva. The factory covers an area of around 80 hectares, and is equipped with everything necessary for train-building. While Metrovagonmash is the largest producer of metro stock within the Russian federation (see TransUrban 1/07), it has also in recent years diversified into DMU construction, and is now building type RA1 and RA2 vehicles for RZD.
Class RA1 railcars form the lion's share of diesel unit manufacture at Metrovagonmash at present. On 6 June 2006 RA1-0082, 0083 and 0084 mingle with bodyshells of cars for Moskva metro trains in one of the two main production halls.
Photo: Tomáš Kuchta
Oil And Transport (Part 2)
Over recent decades our lifestyles have been evolving in such a way that we are wantonly squandering our natural resources. Society is becoming ever more mobile; more and more commodities are being moved all over the globe. There are few forms of transport that are not dependent upon the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly.
At 300 km/h a train wins hands-down when competing over journey times with travel by road - whether by coach or by private car. And this is often the case even when the rail journey involves changes of train, connecting services, or the use of other modes of transport to reach stations served by high speed trains. The high speed train holds an advantage over the short haul or shuttle airline service, on account of factors lost time at ground. This advantage is up to thousand kilometers. The shape of modern trains - especially high speed ones - is also highly aerodynamic, and this has a positive influence on energy consumption. Significant also is the fact that all high speed lines are electrified, and thus not directly dependent on oil as a source of energy.
Photo: DB
And much more!
Cover of 6/2006
Poster
Features: MÁV’s Class 5341 after arriving in Hungary on 13 December 2006, the 5341 001 was presented to the general public in the appropriately magnificent surroundings of Budapest-Keleti station on the 18th.