Street Running in the USA or Canada

[melmerby]

Later UK EMUs have many motored cars in the formation but only one pantograph is normally used.

The Class 390 (Pendolino) has 8 motored out of 11 and two pants only one of which is normally raised.

The class 800s likewise have 5 out of 9 (or 3 out of 5) motored cars but only one pant is used at a time.

 

Keith

[Wendell1976]

Here are some pictures of a CSX train in Marietta, Ohio. The train is running down Harmar Street. Marietta is about 165 miles(264 kilometers) south of Cleveland via the Interstate 77(I-77) freeway.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/662448/

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/248464/

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/193410/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

[Wendell1976]

Here is a picture of a Canadian National train running down Parmalee Street in Newberry, Michigan. Newberry is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near Lake Superior.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/554471/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

[Wendell1976]

Here are a couple of pictures of the Lake State Railway. The train is in Alpena, Michigan running down 10th Avenue. Alpena is near Lake Huron; about 240 miles(384 kilometers) north of Detroit via U.S. Highway 23(US-23) and the Interstate 75(I-75) freeway.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/250703/

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/247945/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

[jasond]

I was told that higher speed UK stuff only uses one overhead collector, preferably at the rear of the train, or a second collector might have to deal with wire still jiggling from its first encounter.

Jason

[newbryford]

I was told that higher speed UK stuff only uses one overhead collector, preferably at the rear of the train, or a second collector might have to deal with wire still jiggling from its first encounter.

Jason

 

Going OT from the street stuff.

High voltage bus lines along the tops of passenger vehicles was a no-go in the UK for many years - that's the reason why the APT-P had the two power cars in the middle of the two half sets.

 

The rear pan is normally used on a Pendolino to protect the front pan if there is a problem that should bring down the wires and potentially damage the pan. At least the train can continue if it is clear of the damaged section.

 

However, when two (or more)  EMUS are coupled, they each have to have their own pan up to provide power to their respective cars (unit)

 

I guess the US examples - as some are single cars - have to have a pan per unit (when a unit can be a 1, 2, 3 car or whatever, formation) 

 

Multiple pans along high speed trains can cause huge ripple effects along the contact wire resulting in bad contact further down the train. (Yes, I know they do it with TGV and Shinkansen etc).

[melmerby]

 

Multiple pans along high speed trains can cause huge ripple effects along the contact wire resulting in bad contact further down the train. (Yes, I know they do it with TGV and Shinkansen etc).

Later series Shinkansen have aerofoils on the pants and some even have monitoring cameras.

 

Keith

[newbryford]

Later series Shinkansen have aerofoils on the pants and some even have monitoring cameras.

 

Keith

 

Is that for high wind conditions?

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear Shinkhansen fans,

 

IIRC the pantograph surrounds were at-least inpart an attempt to tame wind noise thru the assembly at Speed...

 

Happy modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

[melmerby]

A pantograph like no other:

https://i2.wp.com/misfitsarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/unnamed.jpg?ssl=1

 

Keith

Edited September 21, 2018 by melmerby

[PhilJ W]

A pantograph like no other:

https://i2.wp.com/misfitsarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/unnamed.jpg?ssl=1

 

Keith

Inverted three rail.

[Pacific231G]

A pantograph like no other:

https://i2.wp.com/misfitsarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/unnamed.jpg?ssl=1

 

Keith

Interesting Keith. It looks like it might be the inverted equivalent of an oleo leg. It was used on the Shinkansen 500 Series and Showa IS a manucturer of shock absorbers. It was supposed to be much quieter than a conventional pan but I don't know if anyone else has used the design since.  Seeing it on a moving train, it and the fairing around it. reminded me of a submarine's conning tower. The odd downward curved extensions to each side of the contact head are probably to minimise vortexes, rather like the upturned wing tips of most modern jet airliners.  

Edited September 24, 2018 by Pacific231G

[Grovenor]

The odd downward curved extensions to each side of the contact head are probably to minimise vortexes,

Why odd? downward curved ends are pretty much standard for pantographs, primarily to ensure that the head stays under any converging or crossing contact wires.

Regds

[Pacific231G]

Why odd? downward curved ends are pretty much standard for pantographs, primarily to ensure that the head stays under any converging or crossing contact wires.

Regds

You're quite right Keith and I've amended my post from last night. It shows how much attention I've not been paying to the design of pans even though I see them most days, and looking at the horns on that photos of the  Shinkansen 500's pan  more closely they don't appear to be aerodynamic in shape though almost everything else is. The actual head though is definitely wing shaped with an apparent angle of attack and I've seen it referred to as a Wingraph (Wing + Pantograph) I can see how that upward force would improve contact with the wire at high speed but, like a conventional aircraft wing with a definite leading and trailing edge, would only work one way. All the videos I've found of the 500 series show a rather more conventional single arm pan, apparently the vertical column design proved too expensive, but they do incorporate a lot more aerodynamic, vortex reduction and noise reduction design than other pantographs. Perhaps if we'd paid more attention to JNR's work we wouldn't have ended up putting so much of HS2's route in tunnels and cuttings or behind noise barriers.  

 

Dr. Eiji Nakatsu, who ran the technical development department for Japan's Shinkansen trains is a keen birdwatcher and various aspects of this train in terms of aerodynamic efficiency and noise reduction were inspired by birds including its characteristic "Kingfisher" nose.  I've not been able to find out as much as I'd like to about Dr. Nakatsu's work but there is more about his application of biomimicry here. http://labs.blogs.com/its_alive_in_the_lab/2017/02/the-return-of-dr-eiji-nakatsu-and-biomimicry.html

Edited September 24, 2018 by Pacific231G

[Wendell1976]

Here is a picture of the LA Metro Blue Line light rail train running at night in Long Beach, California along its namesake boulevard. Long Beach is a big, beachfront suburb about 22 miles(35.2 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. My hometown of Compton, California is about midway between Los Angeles and Long Beach.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/509424/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

Edited September 28, 2018 by Wendell1976

[Wendell1976]

Here is another picture of the Valley Metro light rail train in Phoenix, Arizona. The train is running down Central Avenue(a.k.a.- Zero or "0" Street) in Downtown Phoenix. I have been in Phoenix for about the last 36 hours. The reason why I am in this area is because I have a career as a professional truck driver. Yesterday, I had visited a model train store called "An Affair With Trains"(www.aawtrains.com) in the northern part of Phoenix and I went joy riding on the Valley Metro light rail.

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/462069/

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

[melmerby]

There is something really wrong with that Railpictures site.

I am trying to view on a computer without any sort of adblocker installed and it still insists I have an adblocker. It's rubbish.

I did try an e-mail to them earlier asking whether there is anything else that might trigger it and they didn't even have the courtesy to reply!

 

Not a very professional outfit.

 

Keith

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear Keith,

 

Tests here OK on Droid, Win7Pro, and Win10pro, using latest Chrome, Edge, and IE browsers. (09:00 AEST, Sat 29 Sept 2018).

 

Happy Modelling,

Aim to Improve,

Prof Klyzlr

[melmerby]

PC 1: (Desktop) Doesn't work on Win 10, Firefox or IE, Intel Core i7 processor. ABP installed but turned off

PC 2: (Desktop) Doesn't work on Win 10, Firefox or IE, AMD Ryzen 5. No adblocker installed.

PC 3: (Laptop) Does work on Win 10, Firefox, Intel Core i7 mobile processor, ADB installed but turned off.

 

Keith

 

EDIT Other sites that ask for adblockers to be turned off (when installed) do work.

I've even tried using a VPN set to USA but makes no difference to those it blocks.

Edited September 29, 2018 by melmerby

[mullie]

I'm currently in Essex, though live in Dorset, working on a MacBook using Safari, and just tried accessing the site via Chrome. Seems to work fine but then the ads that come up in front of the pictures I simply remove by clicking in the top right corner. Other than that I use Apple default settings pretty much.

 

Martyn

[Mike Boucher]

Does it count if the street is a bridge?  (and a toll bridge, no less)



Springfield Terminal railroad.  a whopping 6 1/2 mile long railroad, at one point electrified, running from Charlestown, NH, to Springfield, VT.  Eventually taken over by the Boston and Maine, and merged into Guilford.  This photo, taken May 20th, 1975, shows eastbound GE 44 tonner crossing the bridge over the Connecticut River.  Cars had to pay a toll, as the bridge was owned by the railroad (at least, that's my understanding).

While the tracks are long gone, the bridge still stands, no longer a toll bridge, carrying cars only.

[melmerby]

Does it count if the street is a bridge?  (and a toll bridge, no less)

 

Springfield Terminal 05-20-1975.jpg

 

Springfield Terminal railroad.  a whopping 6 1/2 mile long railroad, at one point electrified, running from Charlestown, NH, to Springfield, VT.  Eventually taken over by the Boston and Maine, and merged into Guilford.  This photo, taken May 20th, 1975, shows eastbound GE 44 tonner crossing the bridge over the Connecticut River.  Cars had to pay a toll, as the bridge was owned by the railroad (at least, that's my understanding).

 

While the tracks are long gone, the bridge still stands, no longer a toll bridge, carrying cars only.

Looks a bit different now:

https://goo.gl/maps/iba429rGfPH2

 

Keith

[Wendell1976]

Does it count if the street is a bridge?  (and a toll bridge, no less)

Springfield Terminal 05-20-1975.jpgSpringfield Terminal railroad.  a whopping 6 1/2 mile long railroad, at one point electrified, running from Charlestown, NH, to Springfield, VT.  Eventually taken over by the Boston and Maine, and merged into Guilford.  This photo, taken May 20th, 1975, shows eastbound GE 44 tonner crossing the bridge over the Connecticut River.  Cars had to pay a toll, as the bridge was owned by the railroad (at least, that's my understanding).

While the tracks are long gone, the bridge still stands, no longer a toll bridge, carrying cars only.

Nice picture, Mike!

 

Wendell

Idaho, USA

[Regularity]

Couldn’t find this in a quick search, and technically it’s not street running so much as running at the side of the street, but this is an interesting move, and provides for a potentially simple layout concept with but a single turnout (read the caption!)

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/255556/

[Talltim]

NYC DES-3 tri-mode on the streets of Manhattan complete with cowboy escort. Judging by the cars this photo is mid 40s