Advanced Passenger Train

In the mid 20th century, British Rail express services were being compared unfavourably, and perhaps unfairly, with France's TGV and Japan's Shinkansen. Experience with High Speed Trains on the East Coast Main Line from London to Edinburgh had shown that reduced journey times could produce a significant increase in passenger numbers, but that line was largely straight and suited to high speeds. Other lines, such as the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow, were not straight enough to support high speeds with conventional equipment. La ...

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Advanced Passenger Train, Advanced Passenger Train - Background, Advanced Passenger Train - Demise of the APT, Advanced Passenger Train - APT today, Advanced Passenger Train - APT versus TGV and Shinkansen, Advanced Passenger Train - Further uses of APT technology, Advanced Passenger Train - Reference

Read more here: » Advanced Passenger Train: Encyclopedia II - Advanced Passenger Train - Background

The InterCity 225 entered service with British Rail on the East Coast Main Line in 1990. The units also operate on a small section of the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow and Carstairs. In 1996, as part of the privatisation of British Rail, all of the existing InterCity 225s were sold to HSBC Rail, who now lease them to GNER. The InterCity 225 is still potentially the fastest domestic train running in the UK, with a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham an Intercity 225 ...

See also:

InterCity 225, InterCity 225 - Service history, InterCity 225 - The future

Read more here: » InterCity 225: Encyclopedia II - InterCity 225 - Service history

GNER and Bombardier Transportation have been carrying out a complete rebuilding and refurbishment programme for the Mark IV coaches, called Project Mallard, since late 2003. Trains with these rebuilt coaches are known as Mallard sets, to distinguish them from unrefurbished 225s; the name echoes the Mallard steam locomotive, which was built in the 1930s by GNER’s predecessor, the London and North Eastern Railway, and holds t ...

See also:

InterCity 225, InterCity 225 - Service history, InterCity 225 - The future

Read more here: » InterCity 225: Encyclopedia II - InterCity 225 - The future

Class 253 and Class 254 were the classifications allocated to the production High Speed Train units. The former class was used for Western Region sets, operating out of London Paddington, and the latter for Eastern Region sets, operating out of London King's Cross, since these regions used different formations - the Western Region [WR] used 2+7 sets, whilst the ER preferred 2+8 sets with a second buffet car. British Rail Class 253 - History. When originally built, from 1976, the High Speed Tr ...

Including:

• British Rail Class 253 - History
• British Rail Class 253 - Formation

Read more here: » British Rail Class 253: Encyclopedia - British Rail Class 253

When originally built, in 1972, the prototype High Speed Train (HST) units were considered to be formed of two locomotives at either end of a rake of carriages. As a result, the power cars were designated Class 41 and numbered 41001/41002, while the carriages were given numbers in the new Mark 3 carriage number series. Shortly after their introduction, it was decided to classify the unit as a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit. It was allocated Class 252, and the whole formation was renumbered into a new carriage number series for HST and ...

See also:

British Rail Class 252, British Rail Class 252 - History, British Rail Class 252 - Formation

Read more here: » British Rail Class 252: Encyclopedia II - British Rail Class 252 - History

Tilting trains are trains the upper part of which, where the passengers are seated, can be tilted sideways. In a curve to the left, it tilts to the left to compensate for the centrifugal push to the right, and conversely. The train may be constructed such that inertial forces themselves cause the tilting, commonly referred to as passive tilt, or it may be actively induced by a computer-controlled mechanism, referred to as active tilt. The first tilting trains were the TALGO trains of Spain, developed in the 1930s as a lightweig ...

See also:

Tilting train, Tilting train - Introduction, Tilting train - Tilting trains, Tilting train - Tilting trains around the world

Read more here: » Tilting train: Encyclopedia II - Tilting train - Tilting trains

High-speed rail - Europe. France has perhaps the most developed high-speed network in Europe. The TGV network started in 1981 with the opening of the line between Lyon and Paris. The TGV network gradually spread out to other cities, and into other countries such as Switzerland. Trains that cross national boundaries may need to have special characteristics, such as the ability to handle different power supplies and signalling systems. This means th ...

See also:

High-speed rail, High-speed rail - Definition, High-speed rail - History, High-speed rail - High-speed trains versus automobiles or airplanes, High-speed rail - Target areas for high-speed trains, High-speed rail - Countries currently with high-speed rail, High-speed rail - Europe, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Countries planning high-speed rail, High-speed rail - North America, High-speed rail - Australia, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Technology, High-speed rail - Existing high-speed rail systems, High-speed rail - ETR 500 family, High-speed rail - ICE family, High-speed rail - Shinkansen family, High-speed rail - Talgo family, High-speed rail - TGV family, High-speed rail - Tilting trains, High-speed rail - Magnetic levitation trains, High-speed rail - Other

Read more here: » High-speed rail: Encyclopedia II - High-speed rail - Countries currently with high-speed rail

History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails. As early as 1676 railed roads were in use in Northumberland to ease the conveyance of coal from the mines to the banks of the river at Newcastle-on-Tyne. These were simply straight and parallel rails of timber on which carts with rollers drawn by horses enabled several wagons to be moved simultaneously. Called tramroads (the early coal wagons were called drams), these primitive rails were superseded in 1793 when the then superintendent of the ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825

The 1955 diesel locomotive classes are given in brackets where applicable. List of British Rail classes - Shunters. A large number of different shunter types were purchased by British Rail and its predecessors, many of which were withdrawn prior to the introduction of TOPS. The table below attempts to list the different types and the different classifications used to describe them as clearly as possible: Small shunters under 350 hp (261 kW) Large shunters 350 hp (261 kW) and overSee also:

List of British Rail classes, List of British Rail classes - Diesel locomotives, List of British Rail classes - Shunters, List of British Rail classes - Type 1s, List of British Rail classes - Type 2s, List of British Rail classes - Type 3s, List of British Rail classes - Type 4s, List of British Rail classes - Type 5s, List of British Rail classes - Electric locomotives, List of British Rail classes - DC electric locomotives, List of British Rail classes - AC electric locomotives, List of British Rail classes - Miscellaneous locomotives, List of British Rail classes - Departmental, List of British Rail classes - Steam, List of British Rail classes - Petrol, List of British Rail classes - Gas turbine, List of British Rail classes - Builders' demonstrators, List of British Rail classes - Diesel multiple units DMUs, List of British Rail classes - 1st generation heritage DMUs, List of British Rail classes - 2nd generation DMUs, List of British Rail classes - Diesel-electric multiple units DEMUs, List of British Rail classes - Electric multiple units EMUs, List of British Rail classes - AC EMUs and mixed-voltage EMUs, List of British Rail classes - DC EMUs, List of British Rail classes - Battery electric multiple unit, List of British Rail classes - Departmental multiple units, List of British Rail classes - Diesel multiple units, List of British Rail classes - Gas turbine multiple unit, List of British Rail classes - Electric Multiple Units

Read more here: » List of British Rail classes: Encyclopedia II - List of British Rail classes - Diesel locomotives

In 1997, when Virgin Trains won the InterCity West Coast franchise, they were obliged to replace the ageing train fleet they inherited with new trains. The old fleet consisted of an assortment of Classes 86, 87 and 90 electric locomotives, which operated in push-pull mode with Mk.2 and Mk.3 coaching stock. Virgin placed an order with Alstom/Fiat for the construction of new tilting trains. Tilting trains were nothing new for the West Coast Main Line. Twenty years previously, British Rail had developed the revolutionary, but ultimately ...

See also:

British Rail Class 390, British Rail Class 390 - Description, British Rail Class 390 - Current operations

Read more here: » British Rail Class 390: Encyclopedia II - British Rail Class 390 - Description

By the early 1980s it had become apparent that the Modernisation Plan DMUs were showing their age, and needed replacement or refurbishment. As several were insulated with blue asbestos, which BR was obliged to eradicate from its stock, the problem was compounded. BR designed two quite different trains as attempts to solve the problem, one being the Class 140 (Prototype Pacer) which was basically a Leyland bus body mounted on an improved wagon chassis- a low cost design, and the other being the two Class 210 Diesel Electric Multiple Unit, whi ...

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British diesel and electric multiple units, British diesel and electric multiple units - Definition, British diesel and electric multiple units - Electric Multiple Units, British diesel and electric multiple units - 3rd rail Electric multiple units E.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - Overhead power line E.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - Diesel multiple units D.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - First Generation DMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - Second Generation DMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - DEMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - Sources

Read more here: » British diesel and electric multiple units: Encyclopedia II - British diesel and electric multiple units - Second Generation DMUs

Union Pacific has long sought the biggest and best locomotives available. In the 1930s a pair of steam turbine locomotives were tried out but ultimately rejected. Even before World War II Union Pacific had been adding diesels to its roster, but these were mostly for passenger trains. The idea of lashing together four diesels to equal the power of a single steam locomotive was unappealing, so the search began for something bigger. General Electric had been building gas turbines for airplanes and proposed using something similar to create a mo ...

See also:

Gas turbine-electric locomotive, Gas turbine-electric locomotive - Union Pacific's turbine fleet, Gas turbine-electric locomotive - Other GTELs

Read more here: » Gas turbine-electric locomotive: Encyclopedia II - Gas turbine-electric locomotive - Union Pacific's turbine fleet

High-speed rail - Europe. France has perhaps the most developed high-speed network in Europe. The TGV network started in 1981 with the opening of the line between Lyon and Paris. The TGV network gradually spread out to other cities, and into other countries such as Switzerland. Trains that cross national boundaries may need to have special characteristics, such as the ability to handle different power supplies and signalling systems. This means th ...

See also:

High-speed rail, High-speed rail - Definition, High-speed rail - History, High-speed rail - High-speed trains vs. automobiles or airplanes, High-speed rail - Target areas for high-speed trains, High-speed rail - Countries currently with High-speed rail, High-speed rail - Europe, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Countries planning high-speed rail, High-speed rail - North America, High-speed rail - Australia, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Technology, High-speed rail - Existing high-speed rail systems, High-speed rail - ETR 500 family, High-speed rail - ICE family, High-speed rail - Shinkansen family, High-speed rail - Talgo family, High-speed rail - TGV family, High-speed rail - Tilting trains, High-speed rail - Magnetic levitation trains, High-speed rail - Other

Read more here: » High-speed rail: Encyclopedia II - High-speed rail - Countries currently with High-speed rail

When originally built, from 1976, the High Speed Train (HST) units were considered to be Diesel Electric Multiple Units, with semi-fixed formations of power cars and intermediate passenger-carrying trailer cars. They were all numbered in the carriage series, in the 4xxxx series set aside for HST and Advanced Passenger Train vehicles. Numbers followed those allocated to the prototype Class 252 unit, so for inst ...

See also:

British Rail Class 253, British Rail Class 253 - History, British Rail Class 253 - Formation

Read more here: » British Rail Class 253: Encyclopedia II - British Rail Class 253 - History

Although the Government was in favour of the development of trunk railways to stimulate economic recovery (in which they were tremendously successful) and to facilitate the movement of troops in times of potential civil unrest, it was legally necessary that each line was authorised by a separate Act of Parliament. While there were entrepreneurs with the vision of an intercity network of lines, such as the Early East Midlands railway schemes, it was much easier to find investors in shorter st ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania

The financial success of the early railways was phenomenal, as they had no real competition. The roads were still very slow and in poor condition. Prices of fuel and food fell in cities connected to railways owing to the fall in the cost of transport. The layout of lines with gentle gradients and curves, originating from the need to help the relatively weak engines and brakes, was a boon when speeds increased, avoiding for the most part the need to re-survey the course of a line. Less than 20 years after the Liverpool line opened, it was possible to travel fro ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes

The financial success of these lines was beyond all expectations and interests in London and Birmingham soon planned to build two lines to link these cities with each other and with the L&M. These two lines were the London and Birmingham, designed by Robert Stephenson, which ran from Euston Square, London, to Curzon Street, Birmingham, and the Grand Junction, engineered by Joseph Locke, which ran from Curzon Street to an end-on junction with the Warrington and Newton Line, a branch of the L&M, at Dallam, near Warrington in Cheshire. ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress

Two railways were the pioneers in railway development in England. History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway. The next successful venture was the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR). It is the one which is now considered to be the first true railway, in that it was specifically laid for use by steam locomotives, with cuttings and embankments, rather than using ropes to overcome gradients. It had been a project proposed several years before the S&DR, but ...

See also:

History of rail transport in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railed roads and tramways 1676 to 1825, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early rails, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early public railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Stockton and Darlington Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Liverpool and Manchester Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Further Progress, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Mania, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Government involvement, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Battle of the Gauges, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Early successes, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Major railway companies in Great Britain, History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Scottish railways, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Grouping, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Following the grouping: 1923-1947, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The grouping period, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Nationalisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The railways in the post-war world, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The modernisation plan, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The Beeching era, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1970s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1980s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - The 1990s, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Privatisation, History of rail transport in Great Britain - Contemporary developments

Read more here: » History of rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - History of rail transport in Great Britain - The development of the railways 1825 to 1923

High-speed rail - ETR 500 family. ETR 500 (Italy) High-speed rail - ICE family. ICE (InterCity Express), (Germany – Netherlands – Belgium – Switzerland – Austria) Renfe AVE, (Spain) CRH3, (China) High-speed rail - Shinkansen family. Shinkansen (Japan) < ...

See also:

High-speed rail, High-speed rail - Definition, High-speed rail - History, High-speed rail - High-speed trains versus automobiles or airplanes, High-speed rail - Target areas for high-speed trains, High-speed rail - Countries currently with high-speed rail, High-speed rail - Europe, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Countries planning high-speed rail, High-speed rail - North America, High-speed rail - Australia, High-speed rail - Asia, High-speed rail - Technology, High-speed rail - Existing high-speed rail systems, High-speed rail - ETR 500 family, High-speed rail - ICE family, High-speed rail - Shinkansen family, High-speed rail - Talgo family, High-speed rail - TGV family, High-speed rail - Tilting trains, High-speed rail - Magnetic levitation trains, High-speed rail - Other

Read more here: » High-speed rail: Encyclopedia II - High-speed rail - Existing high-speed rail systems

History of rail transport in Great Britain - English railways. Great Central Railway (GCR): before 1897 the GCR was called the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, when it served those areas by means of an east-west line; it then built a line to London, and was renamed as the GCR. The line occupied the central position between the East and West Coast main lines (see below) and had its London terminus at Marylebone station. Since nationalisation the route has been truncated.