ADVANCED PASSENGER TRAIN

The first of British Rail's new advanced passenger trains (APT) has recently been seen running on the mainline between London and Glasgow. This article describes the new generation of 250 km/h electrically-powered tilting trains. Three prototype trains are being built and tested. They will accommodate 600 passengers in 12 trailer vehicles arranged symmetrically either side of two central power cars. The positioning of two power units in the middle of a train was dictated by two constraints: first, to achieve satisfactory pantograph dynamics, current can be collected from the overhead wire at one point and, secondly, it is thought undesirable to push a train with more than one power car. The first constraint dictates that the power cars should be adjacent, the second that they should not be at one end. The essential difference between APT and any other train in Britain is that it tilts by up to 9 degrees when cornering. This cancels the passengers' sensation of being thrown outwards on curves and allows the speed of the train round a curve to be dictated by engineering and safety constraints rather than by passenger comfort.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00135127
• Corporate Authors:

  Institution of Electrical Engineers

  Savoy Place
  London WC2R 0BL, NY  England  10016-5997
• Authors:
  • Kemp, R J
• Publication Date: 1979-7

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 474-479
• Serial:
  • Electronics and Power
  • Volume: 25
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: IEE Publishing Department
  • ISSN: 0013-5127

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Articulated cars; Electric power generation and transmission; Electrical conductivity; High speed rail; Pantographs; Push pull trains; Tilting trains
• Identifier Terms: British Rail
• Uncontrolled Terms: Articulated trains
• Old TRIS Terms: Advanced passenger trains; Conductor collector dynamics; Electric power collection
• Subject Areas: Energy; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00310653
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 9 1980 12:00AM