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Re: The Last SP Train #75, The Lark April 8, 1968 at LA
Author: mook
Date: 01-01-2010 - 19:57
Superelevation is also intended to equalize forces on the rails. One problem with tilting trains is that they can go fast enough to significantly wear one rail before its time - the British have run into this. So tilting trains are really just a stopgap; they can go a bit faster, but can't bring the whole Coast line (or even major parts of it) up to 79+ mph.
The other problem with super is that it's a compromise between freight and passenger. Freight needs it too, but to a lesser extent than passenger because of simpler running gear and the lower speeds (and freight generally doesn't complain much about getting jerked around). So if you share the line between passenger and freight you can't push the super and the speeds up very far before freight has problems.
Bottom line - Talgos (simpler and arguably more reliable system than the active stuff done on Acela and Canadian HSTs) would probably let speeds on the Coast be punched up by 10 or so mph in many areas compared to worn-out Superliners (forget speeding up Cuesta and much of the cliff running of course). On a 400 mile run in 13 hours, that's a difference of perhaps 1-2 hours - useful, but is it worth the money?
If you want relatively high speed for basic transportation (not a cruise line) you need to go down the SJ Valley then decide what to do about the hill into LA. There's a reason HSR and the current SJs go that way (in addition to having bigger towns for intermediate traffic). And there's a reason why people doing the drive use I-5 or 99 instead of 101 if they just want to get there.
Didn't SP try to sell the whole Coast to Metrolink at one time, but Metrolink couldn't come up with enough money?
The other problem with super is that it's a compromise between freight and passenger. Freight needs it too, but to a lesser extent than passenger because of simpler running gear and the lower speeds (and freight generally doesn't complain much about getting jerked around). So if you share the line between passenger and freight you can't push the super and the speeds up very far before freight has problems.
Bottom line - Talgos (simpler and arguably more reliable system than the active stuff done on Acela and Canadian HSTs) would probably let speeds on the Coast be punched up by 10 or so mph in many areas compared to worn-out Superliners (forget speeding up Cuesta and much of the cliff running of course). On a 400 mile run in 13 hours, that's a difference of perhaps 1-2 hours - useful, but is it worth the money?
If you want relatively high speed for basic transportation (not a cruise line) you need to go down the SJ Valley then decide what to do about the hill into LA. There's a reason HSR and the current SJs go that way (in addition to having bigger towns for intermediate traffic). And there's a reason why people doing the drive use I-5 or 99 instead of 101 if they just want to get there.
Didn't SP try to sell the whole Coast to Metrolink at one time, but Metrolink couldn't come up with enough money?
