Turbotrain
Encyclopedia
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
, gas turbine train
Gas turbine train
A gas turbine train, is a passenger train that uses one or more gas turbines as its main source of power. Few passenger trains use this system today, although there has been one recent prototype built by Bombardier Transportation.-Description:...
.
It was born in 1967, for use on France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
intercity lines. There were several versions, four in total with the last exiting service in 2005 and it is the Turbotrain that made advances possible for the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
.
- The experimental Turbotrain TGS (Turbine à gaz spéciale). Trials started on 25 April 1967. The TGS reached 252 km/h on 15 October 1971.
- First generation Turbotrain: the ETG (Elément à Turbine à Gaz), four carriage trains offered 188 seats and had one diesel engine and one gas turbine engine. The ETG entered service in 1971 on the ParisGare Saint-LazareParis Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
-CaenGare de CaenCaen, Gare de l'Ouest or Gare Calvados, is the main and now only station serving the city of Caen. The station stands on the main line from Paris to Cherbourg and although it mainly is an intercity station many regional trains use the station. Typical services link Caen to Lisieux, Evreux, Paris,...
-CherbourgGare de CherbourgGare de Cherbourg is the railway station of the city of Cherbourg, France. It is the western terminus of the Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway....
. - Second generation TurbotrainSNCF Class T 2000SNCF Class T 2000 trainsets, also known under their French acronym RTG , were the second generation of turbine-powered trains in France and saw commercial service from 1972 to 2004....
: the RTG (Rame à Turbine à Gaz) with hydraulic transmission. The train had five carriages with 280 seats and were introduced between 1972 and 1976. Forty-one trains were introduced. The train was equipped with two 820 kW gas turbines, reaching 160 km/h. The RTG entered service in 1973 on the StrasbourgStrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
-LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
-NantesNantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
lines, it subsequently entered service on the ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
-CaenCaenCaen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
-Cherbourg and ParisGare Saint-LazareParis Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
-DeauvilleGare de Trouville-DeauvilleTrouville-Deauville is the station for the towns of Deauville and Trouville-sur-Mer. The station is built in neo-normand architecture and is a terminus for two railway lines, the main line from Paris by Lisieux and the Côte Fleurie branchline to Dives-Cabourg.The line from Paris and Lisieux opened...
-Dives-CabourgGare de Dives-CabourgDives-Cabourg is the railway station for the towns of Dives-sur-Mer and Cabourg. The station is built in Ouest architecture and is a terminus for the Côte Fleurie branchline to Trouville-Deauville....
lines in 1975. 6 examples of the RTG were built for AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and ran as TurbolinerTurbolinerThe Amtrak Turboliners are gas turbine trainsets built for Amtrak. The trains were powered by gas turbine engines and ran on diesel fuel. Some were equipped with third rail shoes to enable entry into the underground tunnels approaching Grand Central Terminal and New York Penn Station in New York...
s.
- 4 units of Turbotrains were introduced in Iran in 1974 with max speed of 160 between Tehran-Mashhad that later in 2008 were converted to DMU by substitution of diesel instead of turbines.
- Experimental Turbotrain TGV 001TGV 001TGV 001 was a high-speed railway train built in France. It was the first TGV prototype and was commissioned in 1969, to begin testing in 1972...
. It set the world speed recordLand speed record for railed vehiclesDetermination of the fastest rail vehicle in the world varies depending on the definition of "rail".Official absolute world record for conventional train is held by the French TGV...
for gas turbine-powered rail vehicles with 318 km/h on 8 December 1972.
Gare Saint-Lazare
Paris Saint-Lazare is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris. It is the second busiest in Paris, behind the Gare du Nord, handling 274,000 passengers each day.-History:...
-Caen
Gare de Caen
Caen, Gare de l'Ouest or Gare Calvados, is the main and now only station serving the city of Caen. The station stands on the main line from Paris to Cherbourg and although it mainly is an intercity station many regional trains use the station. Typical services link Caen to Lisieux, Evreux, Paris,...
-Cherbourg
Gare de Cherbourg
Gare de Cherbourg is the railway station of the city of Cherbourg, France. It is the western terminus of the Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway....
line moved the RTGs onto the Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
-Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
until 2005. The RTGs were well loved by the public and it is with regret and nostalgia that the Turbotrain was replaced by Corail trains.
One RTG is kept in running condition at the National Railway in Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
.
See also
- Gas turbine-electric locomotiveGas turbine-electric locomotiveA gas turbine - electric locomotive, or GTEL, is a locomotive that uses a gas turbine to drive an electric generator or alternator. The electric current thus produced is used to power traction motors. This type of locomotive was first experimented with during the Second World War, but reached its...
- SNCFSNCFThe SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...