Variable gauge axles
Encyclopedia
A variable gauge system allows railway vehicles
in a train
to travel across a break of gauge caused by two railway networks with differing track gauges.
For through-operation, a train must be equipped with special trucks holding variable gauge wheelsets containing a variable gauge axle.
The gauge is altered by driving the train through a gauge changer or gauge changing facility. As the train passes through the gauge changer, the wheels are unlocked, moved closer together, or further apart, and are then re-locked. Installed variable gauge systems exist within the internal network of Spain
, and are installed on international links between Spain/France
(Spanish train), Sweden
/Finland
(Swedish train), Poland
/Lithuania
(Polish train) and Poland/Ukraine
(Polish train).
Several alternatives exist, including transferring freight, replacing individual wheels and axles, truck exchange
, transporter flatcar
s or the simple transshipment of freight or passengers.
Alternative names include Gauge Adjustable Wheelsets (GAW), Automatic Track Gauge Changeover System (ATGCS/TGCS), Rolling Stock Re-Gauging System (RSRS), Rail Gauge Adjustment System (RGAS), Shifting wheelset, Variable Gauge Rolling Truck, track gauge change and track change wheelset.
without having to resort to dual gauge
tracks or transshipment
. Systems allow the adjustment between two gauges. No designs supporting more than two gauges are used.
and Rafil Type V systems are interoperable.
In 2009, at Roda de Barà
near Tarragona
, a Unichanger capable of handle four different VGA systems was under development.
In the TALGO-RD system, a constant spray of water is used to lubricate the metal surfaces, to reduce heat and wear. A TALGO-RD gauge changer is 20 metres long and 6 metres wide.
s, or a train including a variable gauge locomotive (e.g. Talgo 250) and rolling stock, may drive straight across a gauge changer. Normally the locomotive will not be able to change gauge, meaning that it must move out the way whilst the remainder of the train itself passes through. On the opposite side, a new locomotive of the other gauge will couple to the train.
A train (or an individual car) can be pushed halfway across the gauge-changer, uncoupled, and then (once far enough across) coupled to the new locomotive and pulled the rest of the way. A long length of wire-rope with hooks on the end means that the process can be asynchronous, with the rope used to bridge across the length of the gauge changer (to temporarily couple the arriving cars and receiving locomotive).
On long-distance trains in Spain and night-trains crossing from Spain into France, the arriving locomotive stops just short of the gauge changer, uncouples and moves into a short siding out of the way. A built-in diesel propulsion system on board the passenger cars then moves the train through the gauge changer at a controlled low speed. The new locomotive is coupled onto the front only after the full train has finished passed through the changer under its own power.
in the 1860s in Canada to connect and standard gauge
without transshipment. Five-hundred vehicles were fitted with "adjustable gauge trucks" but following heavy day-in, day-out use the system proved unsatisfactory, particularly in cold weather. The system used telescoping axles with wide hubs that allowed the wheels to be squeezed or stretched apart through a gauge-changer, after holding pins had been manually released.
Railway operations over the Niagara Bridge
were also complicated.
at the Finnish end of the dual-gauge section between Haparanda
and Tornio, for use with variable gauge freight wagons. The Tornio gauge changer is a Rafil design from Germany; a similar Talgo-RD gauge changer at the Haparanda end used to exist, but was removed as it required de-icing in winter.
Train ferry
traffic operated by SeaRail
and arriving from Germany and Sweden by sea uses truck exchange facilities in the Port of Turku
.
is under development to allow running of Electric Multiple Unit
trains on high-speed network at 300 km/h and off onto the smaller network at reduced speeds. See US patent 5816170.
One train was tested on the US HS Test Track in 2002.
gauge changers installed on international lines to Lithuania and Ukraine used for daily night-trains and some freight transport.
has a different gauge from the rest of Europe. The older lines use , with new high-speed rail
way lines and connections to France using standard gauge
. There are also significant lengths of lines. Two gauge changes are installed on lines to France and at all entrances/exits leading between the high-speed network and older lines.
In February 2004, RENFE placed orders for:
Trams ran between Leeds (1435 mm gauge) and Bradford (1220 mm gauge) following a successful trial in 1906 using Bradford tram car number 124. The system was later patented by - GB 8959 of 1906. This system was improved again in patent GB 19655 of 1909 by introducing a locking system acting on the wheel and axle rather than just the wheel rim. This provided a more effective grip where the wheel was free to move along the axle.
Truck exchange needs a stock of spare trucks of each gauge, which need to be shunted as required. If there is an influx of traffic one might run out of trucks of the other gauge. Depending on the sophistication of the exchange facility, the cars may need to be uncoupled for the truck exchange to take place.
By 2004, variable gauge electric passenger locomotives were available from Talgo. It is not clear if variable gauge freight locomotives are available.
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
in a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
to travel across a break of gauge caused by two railway networks with differing track gauges.
For through-operation, a train must be equipped with special trucks holding variable gauge wheelsets containing a variable gauge axle.
The gauge is altered by driving the train through a gauge changer or gauge changing facility. As the train passes through the gauge changer, the wheels are unlocked, moved closer together, or further apart, and are then re-locked. Installed variable gauge systems exist within the internal network of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and are installed on international links between Spain/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...
(Spanish train), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
/Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(Swedish train), Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
/Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(Polish train) and Poland/Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(Polish train).
Several alternatives exist, including transferring freight, replacing individual wheels and axles, truck exchange
Bogie exchange
Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the track gauge. To perform a bogie exchange, a car is converted from one gauge to another by removing the chassis containing the wheels and axles of the car, and installing a new chassis with...
, transporter flatcar
Transporter wagon
A transporter wagon, in railway terminology, is a wagon or railroad car designed to carry other railway equipment. Normally, it is used to transport equipment of a different rail gauge...
s or the simple transshipment of freight or passengers.
Alternative names include Gauge Adjustable Wheelsets (GAW), Automatic Track Gauge Changeover System (ATGCS/TGCS), Rolling Stock Re-Gauging System (RSRS), Rail Gauge Adjustment System (RGAS), Shifting wheelset, Variable Gauge Rolling Truck, track gauge change and track change wheelset.
Overview
Variable gauge axles help solve the problem of a break-of-gaugeBreak-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
without having to resort to dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
tracks or transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
. Systems allow the adjustment between two gauges. No designs supporting more than two gauges are used.
Systems
There are several variable gauge axle systems:- Talgo-RD (from TalgoTalgoTalgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches...
).- The Talgo system has been in revenue service in PortbouPortbouPortbou is a town in the Alt Empordà county, in Girona province, Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of 1,307 people.- Overview :It is located near the French border in the Costa Brava region, and frequently serves as a dropping off point for SNCF trains coming from Cerbère in France.Portbou...
and IrunIrunIrun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
, on the Spanish-French border, since 1968
- The Talgo system has been in revenue service in Portbou
- CAF-BRAVA (from Construcciones y Auxiliar de FerrocarrilesConstrucciones y Auxiliar de FerrocarrilesConstrucciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...
)- The BRAVA system was originally designed in 1968 by the Vevey CompanyAteliers de Constructions Mécaniques de VeveyAteliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey was an metal engineering company based in Vevey, Switzerland. Founded as Ateliers B.Roy & Cie in 1848 by Benjamin Roy it became Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey SA in 1895....
(since absorbed by Bombardier TransportationBombardier TransportationBombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
), a company located in the city of VeveyVeveyVevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
on Lake GenevaLake GenevaLake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
, in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The system was originally called the "Vevey axle". The design was subsequently obtained and improved by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).
- The BRAVA system was originally designed in 1968 by the Vevey Company
- DB Cargo-Knorr-BremseKnorr-BremseKnorr-Bremse is a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated in the field for over 100 years. The company also produces door systems for rail vehicles and torsional dampers. In 2009, the Group's workforce of over 14,000 achieved worldwide sales of EUR 2.761...
. being developed in 2002 for use between Europe and Russia. - DBAG-Rafil Type V for freight (from for Deutsche Bahn).
- Japan RailwaysJapan RailwaysThe Japan Railways Group, more commonly known as , consists of seven for-profit companies that took over most of the assets and operations of the government-owned Japanese National Railways on April 1, 1987...
RTRI (from the Japan Railway Technical Research InstituteRailway Technical Research Institute, or , is the technical research company under the Japan Railways group of companies.- Overview :RTRI was established in its current form in 1986 just before Japanese National Railways was privatised and split into separate JR group companies. RTRI conducts research about everything related to...
) to be used on motorised axles. - PKP SUW 2000SUW 2000SUW 2000 is a type of variable gauge system that allows a train to travel across a railway break-of-gauge.The SUW 2000 design is manufactured by Polish company ZNTK Poznań for Polish State Railways...
system produced by ZNTK Poznań for Polish State RailwaysPolskie Koleje Panstwoweis the dominant railway operator in Poland.The company was founded when the former state-owned operator was divided into several units based on the requirements laid down by the European Union...
.
- The Montreux-Oberland BernoisMontreux-Oberland BernoisThe Montreux-Oberland Bernois railway , is a railway operating in southwest Switzerland, one of the oldest electric railways in the country; its main line, in length, built to gauge, connects Montreux, Gstaad and Zweisimmen where passengers can transfer to a branch of the standard gauge...
(MOB) railway, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in preparation by Prose (Manufacturer) of WinterthurWinterthurWinterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
/.
Compatibility
The variable gauge systems are not themselves all compatible. Only the SUW 2000SUW 2000
SUW 2000 is a type of variable gauge system that allows a train to travel across a railway break-of-gauge.The SUW 2000 design is manufactured by Polish company ZNTK Poznań for Polish State Railways...
and Rafil Type V systems are interoperable.
In 2009, at Roda de Barà
Roda de Barà
Roda de Barà is a municipality in the comarca of the Tarragonès inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast in the east of the comarca...
near Tarragona
Tarragona
Tarragona is a city located in the south of Catalonia on the north-east of Spain, by the Mediterranean. It is the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the capital of the Catalan comarca Tarragonès. In the medieval and modern times it was the capital of the Vegueria of Tarragona...
, a Unichanger capable of handle four different VGA systems was under development.
International traffic
VGA is particularly important with international railway traffic because gauge changes tend to occur more often at international borders.Gauge changer
The gauge changer is a device which forces the gauge adjustment in the wheels. Designs consist of a pair of running rails that gradually vary in width between the two gauges, combined with other rails and levers to unlock, move, support and re-lock the adjustable axles.In the TALGO-RD system, a constant spray of water is used to lubricate the metal surfaces, to reduce heat and wear. A TALGO-RD gauge changer is 20 metres long and 6 metres wide.
Operation
Variable gauge multiple unitMultiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
s, or a train including a variable gauge locomotive (e.g. Talgo 250) and rolling stock, may drive straight across a gauge changer. Normally the locomotive will not be able to change gauge, meaning that it must move out the way whilst the remainder of the train itself passes through. On the opposite side, a new locomotive of the other gauge will couple to the train.
A train (or an individual car) can be pushed halfway across the gauge-changer, uncoupled, and then (once far enough across) coupled to the new locomotive and pulled the rest of the way. A long length of wire-rope with hooks on the end means that the process can be asynchronous, with the rope used to bridge across the length of the gauge changer (to temporarily couple the arriving cars and receiving locomotive).
On long-distance trains in Spain and night-trains crossing from Spain into France, the arriving locomotive stops just short of the gauge changer, uncouples and moves into a short siding out of the way. A built-in diesel propulsion system on board the passenger cars then moves the train through the gauge changer at a controlled low speed. The new locomotive is coupled onto the front only after the full train has finished passed through the changer under its own power.
Australia
In 1933, as many as 140 inventions were offered to Australia railway to overcome the breaks of gauge between the different states. None was accepted. About 20 of these devices were adjustable wheels/axles of some kind or another, which may be analogous to the modern VGA. VGA systems were mostly intended for Broad Gauge and Standard Gauge lines.Canada
Variable gauge axles were used for a while on the Grand Trunk RailwayGrand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
in the 1860s in Canada to connect and standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
without transshipment. Five-hundred vehicles were fitted with "adjustable gauge trucks" but following heavy day-in, day-out use the system proved unsatisfactory, particularly in cold weather. The system used telescoping axles with wide hubs that allowed the wheels to be squeezed or stretched apart through a gauge-changer, after holding pins had been manually released.
Railway operations over the Niagara Bridge
Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge was the world's first working railway suspension bridge. It spanned and stood downstream of Niagara Falls from 1855 to 1897...
were also complicated.
Finland/Sweden
In 1999, a gauge-changer was installed at TornioTornio
Tornio is a town and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , with a total population of . It borders to the Swedish municipality of Haparanda...
at the Finnish end of the dual-gauge section between Haparanda
Haparanda
Haparanda is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 4,778 inhabitants in 2005. It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland...
and Tornio, for use with variable gauge freight wagons. The Tornio gauge changer is a Rafil design from Germany; a similar Talgo-RD gauge changer at the Haparanda end used to exist, but was removed as it required de-icing in winter.
Train ferry
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
traffic operated by SeaRail
SeaRail
SeaRail operates a train ferry for railway freight wagons between Turku, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden. Because the track gauge of the Finnish railways is wider than the standard gauge of much of the rest of Europe , a special fleet of freight wagons with interchangeable bogies is used...
and arriving from Germany and Sweden by sea uses truck exchange facilities in the Port of Turku
Port of Turku
The Port of Turku is a port located in the south-west of Finland, where the mainland meets the beginning of the Turku archipelago. Sited within Finland's fifth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between Turku and the Swedish capital of Stockholm and the enclaved Åland...
.
Japan
The Gauge Change TrainGauge Change Train
The Gauge Change Train or is the name given to a Japanese project started in 1994 to develop a high-speed train with variable gauge axles to allow inter-running between the standard gauge Shinkansen network, and the narrow gauge provincial network....
is under development to allow running of Electric Multiple Unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
trains on high-speed network at 300 km/h and off onto the smaller network at reduced speeds. See US patent 5816170.
One train was tested on the US HS Test Track in 2002.
Poland
Poland has SUW 2000SUW 2000
SUW 2000 is a type of variable gauge system that allows a train to travel across a railway break-of-gauge.The SUW 2000 design is manufactured by Polish company ZNTK Poznań for Polish State Railways...
gauge changers installed on international lines to Lithuania and Ukraine used for daily night-trains and some freight transport.
- Since 14 December 2003, VGA trains were introduced between KrakowKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(Poland) and KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
(Ukraine) instead of truck exchange. VGA saves about 3 hours compared to truck exchange. Gauges involved are and .
- See Ukraine.
Spain
Spain is the largest user of variable gauge systems. Much of the Iberian PeninsulaIberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
has a different gauge from the rest of Europe. The older lines use , with new high-speed rail
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...
way lines and connections to France using standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. There are also significant lengths of lines. Two gauge changes are installed on lines to France and at all entrances/exits leading between the high-speed network and older lines.
In February 2004, RENFE placed orders for:
- Forty-five CAF/Alstom 25 kV AC/3 kV DC, variable gauge EMUs for 250 km/h regional services, between October 2006 and May 2009 (€580 million)
- Twenty-six 25 kV AC variable gauge trains for 250 km/h long-distance services using two Bombardier power cars and Talgo Series VII trailer cars (€370 million) Gauges involved are and .
- OlmedoOlmedo, SpainOlmedo is a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain.-Transport:Olmedo is on the N-601 road ....
to Medina del CampoMedina del CampoMedina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
in ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, Spanish test track. - November 2008 - High Speed trainset for CadizCádizCadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
to WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. - July 2009 - Talgo 250 supplied with Voith Turbo SZH-692 gauge change final drives.
Switzerland
Variable gauge axles are going to be implemented on the Montreux-Interlaken-Lucerne line trains between Montreux and Interlaken will switch from to at Zweisimmen. According to RGI, the VGA design being trialled do not have axles connecting the wheels on either. Rather the axleboxes hinge in and out as required. The problem of rack equipment has yet to be trackled.Ukraine
As part of a joint bid for the 2012 European Football cup with Poland VGA trains would be introduced across their border.United Kingdom
John Fowler mentions in 1886 at attempt by the GWR to develop a "telescopical" axle.Trams ran between Leeds (1435 mm gauge) and Bradford (1220 mm gauge) following a successful trial in 1906 using Bradford tram car number 124. The system was later patented by - GB 8959 of 1906. This system was improved again in patent GB 19655 of 1909 by introducing a locking system acting on the wheel and axle rather than just the wheel rim. This provided a more effective grip where the wheel was free to move along the axle.
Africa
VGA would be useful in Africa should isolated lines of different gauges meet more than they do now. The system chosen would need to handle at least the three principal gauges.Time taken
In VGA, the train is pulled through the "adjuster" at about 10 km/h (2.77 m/s) without any need to uncouple the wagons or disconnect (and test) the brake equipment.Spares
VGA always has the exact number of wheels of each gauge and they are always at hand, whereas with truck exchange, there must be a complete set of trucks of the right gauge and with wheels of the same diameter at the depot.Truck exchange needs a stock of spare trucks of each gauge, which need to be shunted as required. If there is an influx of traffic one might run out of trucks of the other gauge. Depending on the sophistication of the exchange facility, the cars may need to be uncoupled for the truck exchange to take place.
Locomotives
Steam locomotive are generally not gauge convertible on-the-fly. While diesel locomotives can be truck exchanged, this is not normally done owing to the complexity in the reconnection of cables and hoses. In Australia, some locomotives are transferred between gauges. The transfer might happen every few months, but not for an individual trip.By 2004, variable gauge electric passenger locomotives were available from Talgo. It is not clear if variable gauge freight locomotives are available.
Electric
- L-9202 is an experimental high speed Bo-BoBo-BoA Bo-Bo or Bo′Bo′ is a locomotive with two independent four-wheeled bogies with all axles powered by individual traction motors...
dual voltage (3 kV DC/25 kV AC) VGA locomotive. - Talgo 250 locomotives were also planned to haul dual-voltage variable-gauge trainsets from MontpellierMontpellier-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
200 km from the border to Barcelona and Madrid. Two Talgo 250 power cars haul 11 passenger trailer cars. - EMU
Weight
- A gauge adjustable truck complete with wheelsets weighs a total of about one ton/tonne more than a conventional truck and normally has to use disc brakes, which are harder to cool.
History
- 1915. C. W. Prosser. - ArgusThe Argus (Australia)The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
- 1921. C. R. Prosser. - ArgusThe Argus (Australia)The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
Friday 8 July 1921 - 1922. J. Grieve. - ArgusThe Argus (Australia)The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
19 July 1922
See also
- Axle trackAxle trackThe axle track in automobiles and other wheeled vehicles which have two or more wheels on an axle, is the distance between the centreline of two roadwheels on the same axle, each on the other side of the vehicle...
- AVEAVEAlta Velocidad Española is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . The name is literally translated from Spanish as "Spanish High Speed", but also a play on the word , meaning "bird".AVE trains run on a network of...
- Dual couplings and match cars
- INTERGAUGE a form of VGA
- InteroperabilityInteroperabilityInteroperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
- List of rail gauges
- Ramsey Car Transfer ApparatusRamsey Car Transfer ApparatusIn railroad industry, the Ramsey Car Transfer Apparatus was a proposed device to replace bogies on railroad cars to permit transfer of a train between railroad lines with different gauge....
- SUW 2000SUW 2000SUW 2000 is a type of variable gauge system that allows a train to travel across a railway break-of-gauge.The SUW 2000 design is manufactured by Polish company ZNTK Poznań for Polish State Railways...
a form of VGA - WheelsetWheelset (railroad)A wheelset is the wheel-axle assembly of a railroad car. The frame assembly beneath each end of a car, railcar or locomotive that holds the wheelsets is called the bogie...
External links
- A train axle system with variable gauge wheels, patent EP1112908, assigned to Talgo SA.
- Variable gauge bogie for rolling stock, patent EP0873929, assigned to Railway Technical Research Institute.
- Railway axle assembly furnished with automatic change of track gauge and adaptable to conventional freight bogies, patent US5787814, assigned to Talgo SA.
- Variable-Gauge Wagon Wheelsets - Brief Article, International Railway Journal, July, 1999
- European Automatic Track Gauge Changeover Systems, UICInternational Union of RailwaysThe UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
-backed study of different variable gauge systems - Talgo's variable gauge system explained (in french)
- Talgo's Variable gauge system in action
- UA report
- CFR
- Wishnevski
- Ukraine
- http://www.eurailpress.de/fileadmin/user_upload/RTR_SPAIN/Sistemas_automaticos_de_cambio_de_ancho_de_via_en_Espana.pdfAutomatic gauge changing systems in Spain SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
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