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French set new rail speed record

5317 Views 38 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  7113, 
Doug


574.8km/h (356mph)

Here is a little DivX movie of the event (2.38 MB): video

Check this out: http://www.record2007.com/site/index_en.php

Also on the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6521295.stm

You can probably see re-runs on the TV news today.
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Peter_Harvey
WOW
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R
Beat me to it - one of the benefits of living IN France!

Just saw it in the BBC news at 13:30 GMT +1.

I haven't checked the calculations but BBC said it was 359mph
Whatever - quite fast!
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7
Perhaps we here in Britain could go for the worlds slowest train. All credit to the French it's always good too see this sort of thing.

Regards

John
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D
2
No Switzerland has the slowest express train. It's called the Glacier Express.
How about the world's worst train service? (US)
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G
QUOTE (Dennis David @ 3 Apr 2007, 14:20) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>How about the world's worst train service?

I think the IRR Baghdad-Basra express wins this award at the moment!

(IRR = Iraqi Republic Railways, the national rail operator but I don't think there's much left to operate)

Goedel
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D
So will it be possible to model this train in the future ? is it possible ? is there a world model land speed record ?
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R
Having just watched the French footage, I only just realised that some of the 550kph plus speeds were around curves, gentle ones, but curves nonetheless. REALLY impressive. That thing is only a few mph slower than the Japanese mag-lev record, little enough less that I wouldn't be surprised to see them beat it at some point.
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P
I think it was a souped up duplex so it might be possible to model the set using either the lima or the mehano models.

They sre showing it on sky news.

Peter
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P
OK just looked it up and they used 2 POS power cars and 3 duplex trailer cars. the 3 duplex cars were resting on AVG bogies.

the POS power cars are not available from any manufacturer yet.
the duplex cars are available from lima and mehano.

Peter
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R
Pedro, you might like to post your translation of POS.
The two more common ones are
Point Of Sale
Piece Of S*** !!!
I feel reasonably confident it's neither of those . . . but one never knows . . .
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P
i would love to but i actually havent got a clue what it stands for!! i never even thought about it before.

I saw a POS power car on display in paris last year. it looked very sleek!

Peter
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Doug
POS = "Paris-Ostfrankreich-Süddeutschland"


For those who may have not seen the link to the video here: http://www.record2007.com/site/index_en.php try again as it is very impressive indeed.
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B
Awesome.

Nice graphics - how long before it's available in HO, with slightly larger wheels & will we have to up the track voltage to suit ?

Congratulations to the French.

IMHO comparing it to the magl-ev is irrelevant - the mag-lev is not a train in the true sense.

Thanks for the news & links Doug
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dwb
> Awesome.
I can only echo that sentiment.

Am I right in thinking that they only stopped at 571kph because they had reached the point where they had to slow down?

David
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QUOTE (dbclass50 @ 3 Apr 2007, 18:16) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>IMHO comparing it to the mag-lev is irrelevant - the mag-lev is not a train in the true sense.
I tend to agree - if it hasn't got flanged wheels on steel rails, it ain't really authentic.
Several Paris Métro lines use pneumatic tyred stock running in concrete troughs and they are missing that je ne sais quoi, aussi

An eccentric lot, the French!
But certainly no sluggards!
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Doug
The whole point of this exercise is to impress potential foreign buyers. Perhaps one day you'll see these trains in the UK...?

At the speed this train was going you could do London to Scotland in just over an hour!
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dwb
>At the speed this train was going you could do London to Scotland in just over an hour!
and that amply demonstrates one of the differences between the UK and France - there seems to be a lot more open space to be exploited over there, or maybe it's just the north west?

David
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neil_s_wood
I suppose having more spac e does reduce land prices and overall costs but I reckon it's more to do with the French government actually investing in their railway whereas the UK government doesn't.

The Mag-Lev isn't a train. It may well resemble one but it isn't

London to Edinburgh in an hour. That would be very good, don't see it every happening though.
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QUOTE (dwb @ 3 Apr 2007, 19:48) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Am I right in thinking that they only stopped at 571kph because they had reached the point where they had to slow down?

David

That's the impression that I got as well from the video.
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