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Re: When Will the Feds Stop Outlawing Railcars Used By the Rest of the World?
Author: Max Wyss
Date: 07-15-2016 - 19:24
That's correct, in transit applications, particularly for street operation, the deceleration is specified. For mainline application, it is indirectly given, by the requirement to brake within a certain distance, from a given speed. This is the reason why, for example, in Germany and Switzerland, 200 km/h operation requires every truck to be equipped with magnet rail brakes. I kind of remember a few times back when I was travelling regularly in Germany, when the IC hit the brakes at (only) 160 km/h; almost a case for a seatbelt…
Due to the way they work, magnetic rail brakes get stronger at slow speeds. So, when you hit the rail brakes at maybe 15 km/h, a stop is almost immediate.
With streetcar operation, it is known that in the fall, when leaves start to fall, and rain starts, the rails get extremely slippery, and (at least in my former hometown), it was (semi-official) practice to brake with the (emergency) magnetic rail brakes. It was then always a way to show the operator's skills to use them, to release them at the right moment, and to stop at the right place at the curb of a stop.
Due to the way they work, magnetic rail brakes get stronger at slow speeds. So, when you hit the rail brakes at maybe 15 km/h, a stop is almost immediate.
With streetcar operation, it is known that in the fall, when leaves start to fall, and rain starts, the rails get extremely slippery, and (at least in my former hometown), it was (semi-official) practice to brake with the (emergency) magnetic rail brakes. It was then always a way to show the operator's skills to use them, to release them at the right moment, and to stop at the right place at the curb of a stop.
