TILTING TRAINS - A MATURE TECHNOLOGY

This article explains the principle of the tilting train, which can travel faster through curved sections of track, and assesses various projects for tilting trains. On curved track, 'lateral acceleration' is more significant than braking and linear acceleration. One way of reducing it is to cant the track towards the inside of the curve, but this is inadequate if the track must carry trains with different speeds. By the 1970s, several railways were cooperating on the development of tilting trains with 'active tilt', using hydraulic actuators to implement tilts of up to 8.5, 9 or 10 degrees. The first designs, including British Rail's later abandoned Advanced Passenger Train (APT), made the mistake of using tilt to compensate totally for lateral acceleration. In theory, electro-hydraulic actuators, using microprocessor control of hydraulic rams, could tilt the train accurately. In practice, further design improvements had to be made, including instruments to anticipate the curve and the combined use of tilt and cant. Brief descriptions are given of the following tilting trains: (1) the Swedish ABB X2000 Marks 1 and 2 and HSE multiple unit; and (2) the Italian Fiat ETR460. Two German companies are also developing tilting trains.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00268356
• Corporate Authors:

  Ian Allan Limited

  Terminal House
  Shepperton, Middlesex  England  TW17 8AS
• Publication Date: 1995-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 159-62
• Serial:
  • MODERN RAILWAYS
  • Volume: 52
  • Issue Number: 558
  • Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing, Limited
  • ISSN: 0026-8356

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceleration (Mechanics); Curvature; Design; Digital computers; Hydraulic fluids; Hydraulics; Railroad tracks; Railroad trains; Railroad transportation
• ITRD Terms: 5405: Acceleration; 2870: Degree of curvature; 9011: Design (overall design); 8673: Digital computer; 5431: Hydraulics (fluid); 1173: Rail bound transport; 1268: Train
• Subject Areas: Design; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00682298
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Aug 17 1995 12:00AM