Questions pertaining to railroads and railroad tracks
Questions tagged [rail]
74 questions
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What are the engineering principles for a train to get electricity from the railway
How many general methods are there for transferring electricity from the railway to a train? I could see that some trains are connected by a pantograph and some have a third rail.
Are there any other methods? What is the general engineering…
havakok
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Could someone explain to me the process described in this quote from G.B. Shaw (fragile load transfer system of some sort)?
The idea, as I understand it, is to transfer fragile material (glass bulbs in this case, I believe) from one moving something to another, or over to a platform. This is taking place in the 1920's, I think. Anyway, here's the quote:
However, I…
Ricky
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How do gapless rails deal with thermal expansion?
Gapless railroads have their joints welded together to reduce noise. The lack of a gap between rail sections also reduces wear on both the track and the wheels. However, because the weld essentially produces one very long track, the individual…
BillDOe
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Train Signalling - What Do They Mean
I'm asking this here because I really cannot find a better place to ask this.
Near my house (in the US), there is a pair of parallel train tracks operated by Union Pacific, primarily for cargo-carrying trains.
Along the track, there are various…
iAdjunct
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What is the purpose of this dead-end rail junction?
This rail junction is located on a steep, short, local railroad line from the "mainline" in Reno, NV to the community of Stead.
The track is new/maintained and there is no evidence of an old siding.
As a train travels uphill, the train engineers…
johnDanger
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Why are tank cars cylindrical?
Hold height constant. Then a Rectangular Prism, with length and width = radius of the cylinder, has greater volume! So why aren't tank wagons (railroad vehicles that transport gas and liquid) Rectangular Prisms?
user24573
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What does "'LBLMY" mean on the side of a railcar?
In this photo, what does 'LBLMY signify? Seeing it directly under the capacity, and 5000 pounds lower, I'm guessing it's a "limited capacity" of some sort. But I can't come up with anything that would abbreviate to 'LBLMY.
The only things I've found…
Doug Deden
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Why do train cars have unevenly spaced axles?
Every train car I can remember has its axles arranged like the photo. Two are put very close together in one chassey, and two more the same way at the other end.
But why do that? If you want 4 axles, isn't it better to spread them out evenly like I…
DrZ214
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What is this indicator called?
None of my fellow commuters know what this white panel with, what appears to be a red slider attached, is called and what it is for.
This particular one is on a platform edge which happens to be over a bridge (Maidenhead in Berkshire).
Does anyone…
Bathsheba
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Two railway locomotives connected one after another
I am relatively new (not in terms of registration but in terms of activity) on this site. I don't know if this question is suited here.
I have seen two rail locomotives connected one after another and those two (assuming) hauling the rakes. While…
WedaPashi
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Train disembarking: why don't trains allow exit at any point1890 v 2023
In the 1890s, trains allowed access/egress at every cabin in a car: this obviated the need for a hallway and saved space.
Why was this eliminated as early as the 1920s?
1890's style car:
Test
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Can tyres placed on track derail trains?
This question is based on the following news article. I just want to know if rubber tyres are strong enough to cause rail derailment if placed on the track
Dr. user44690
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Trains that do "never" have to stop
What are the limitations of trains that never stop. Can we have shuttles decelerating from the train's speed to 0km/h at the station for alighting passengers, while another shuttle picks up boarding passengers from the station, and accelerates to…
LHeng
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Why is there a delay with railroad signals?
Ok so. When you look in videos(or in real life) with the railroad signals, when a train passes over it, it takes around 3 to 5 seconds for it to actually change to the correct aspect. What is up with that?
user3831089
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