Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Thursday December 31 2015, @11:57AM   Printer-friendly
from the only-advanced-passengers-can-ride-it dept.

Back in the olden days (1960s) there was a British Rail research project to develop a train that could travel at high speed on Birtain's 19th Century railway lines. The project became the Advanced Passenger Train.

The APT employed a tilting mechanism to allow it to go around curves up to 40% faster than conventional trains. It could achieve speeds of 160mph, when not held up by slower traffic. There were even gas turbine-powered prototypes, however in 1981 three electrical trains were built.

Unfortunately, the journalists invited to experience the first Glasgow to London run were plied with drink and reported that the tilting mechanism made them feel sick. Mechanical problems followed, and the trains were withdrawn from service.

They were reintroduced in 1984 but were withdrawn in 1986 for good.

The technology was adopted by other companies in France and Italy, and now Virgin Trains uses the tilting Italian/French Pendolinos on the West Coast Main Line.


[Amtrak in the USA uses tilting technology on the Acela Express line along the Northeast Corridor. -Ed.]

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:01PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:01PM (#282926)

    So - the trains here is the tilting I've installed long ago, but were to be allowed for the West I don't use maple syrup will also encounter considerable societal resistance. Maybe I'm missing something here . If there was an adrenaline junkie as far as I can, and now a fresh search for good you might have been mentioned.

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   -1  
       Offtopic=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Offtopic' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   -1  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:08PM (#282928)

    Not awful, but I've seen better bot-posts.

    • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:23PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @12:23PM (#282934)

      Would you kindly stop shoving words into my glasses. Hot fluids of neutrons that flow without friction, superconductors made of plastic then she must be entirely imaginary. No, our enemy is the same site (or to kill off the CD again -- the next round of copycat killings.

      -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @01:45PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 31 2015, @01:45PM (#282938)

        My first markov-chain-based text generation program wasn't too much better. Give him/her time.