Power car

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SNCF TGV Duplex power car at Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles, France. TGV - Marseille.JPG
SNCF TGV Duplex power car at Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles, France.

In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:

Contents

The first of these types of vehicle is closely related to the locomotive. What differentiates the locomotive and the first type of power car is their construction or use. A locomotive can be physically separated from its train and does nothing but provide propulsion and control (and heat or electricity for passenger trains). On the other hand, a power car of the first type is frequently an integral part of its train, and if the train uses distributed traction, some of the car's interior space may be used for carrying passengers or cargo.

Examples

United States

Nearly all high speed trains use power cars, frequently at both ends.[ citation needed ] An example of these are the Acela Express trainsets in use by Amtrak, which are built by Bombardier in Canada using technology licensed from France's Alstom. The twenty Acela trainsets operate between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts. Each trainset consists of six passenger cars and two power cars. Another example is Brightline, which operates between Miami and Orlando International Airport. It is a trainset composed of two diesel bullet power cars at both ends and 4-7 passenger cars.

United Kingdom

Another traditional example would be the older InterCity 125, made for and used by British Rail and several subsequent privatised bodies like Great Western Railway.

New Zealand

Multiple units (diesel or electric) usually have a mix of power cars and trailers, often with one of each in a pair which can be coupled to other pairs to form a larger train; see e.g. New Zealand FP class electric multiple unit.

Australia

A Sydney Trains C set at Campsie station. There is a power car at each end, with two trailers in between. Campsie station 2007 (cropped).jpg
A Sydney Trains C set at Campsie station. There is a power car at each end, with two trailers in between.

The NSW TrainLink XPT, which is based on the InterCity 125, has a power car at each end, one pulling and the other pushing. [4] The Queensland Rail Diesel Tilt Train also has two power cars. [5] Electric Multiple Units, such as the Sydney Trains C set, have power cars on each end with trailer cars in the middle. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diesel multiple unit</span> Diesel-powered railcar designed to be used in formations of 2 or more cars

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streamliner</span> Vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance

A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired upright and recumbent bicycles. As part of the Streamline Moderne trend, the term was applied to passenger cars, trucks, and other types of light-, medium-, or heavy-duty vehicles, but now vehicle streamlining is so prevalent that it is not an outstanding characteristic. In land speed racing, it is a term applied to the long, slender, custom built, high-speed vehicles with enclosed wheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CountryLink</span> New South Wales government rail and road passenger operator

CountryLink was a passenger rail and road service brand that operated in regional areas of New South Wales, and to and from Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne. Originally created as a business unit of the State Rail Authority of New South Wales, it later became a subsidiary of RailCorp. CountryLink operated rail services using XPT and Xplorer rolling stock, with connecting coach services operated under contract by private operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Engineering Limited</span> Railway rolling stock manufacturer

British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was the railway systems engineering subsidiary of British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JetTrain</span> Experimental high-speed passenger trainset

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Push–pull is a configuration for locomotive-hauled trains, allowing them to be driven from either end of the train, whether having a locomotive at each end or not.

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A control car, cab car, control trailer, or driving trailer is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or two driver compartments with all the controls and gauges required to remotely operate the locomotive, including exterior locomotive equipment such as horns, bells, ploughs, and lights. They also have communications and safety systems such as GSM-R or European Train Control System (ETCS). Control cars enable push-pull operation when located on the end of a train opposite its locomotive by allowing the train to reverse direction at a terminus without moving the locomotive or turning the train around.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales XPT</span> Express passenger train in New South Wales, Australia

The New South Wales XPT is a class of diesel-powered passenger trains built by Comeng and ABB. Based on the British Rail designed High Speed Train, each XPT set comprises two XP power cars in a push-pull configuration and, between them, between four and seven passenger carriages. The first sets entered service under the State Rail Authority in 1982 and now operate under NSW TrainLink, running on long-distance regional and interstate North Coast, Main Western and Main Southern lines throughout New South Wales and interstate into Victoria and Queensland.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passenger train</span> Train used to carry people

A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self propelled passenger trains are known as multiple units or railcars. Passenger trains stop at stations or depots, where passengers may board and disembark. In most cases, passenger trains operate on a fixed schedule and have priority over freight trains.

This article contains a list of jargon used to varying degrees by railway enthusiasts, trainspotters, and railway employees in Australia, including nicknames for various locomotives and multiple units. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. There may be significant regional variation in usage; state variances may be indicated by the state abbreviation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulloch Limited</span> Australian manufacturer

Tulloch Limited was an Australian engineering and railway rolling stock manufacturer, located at Rhodes, New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British railcars and diesel multiple units</span> Network_Rail

Diesel multiple units and railcars are trains, usually with passenger accommodation, that do not require a locomotive. Railcars can be single cars, while in multiple units cars are marshalled together with a driving position either end. As of December 2010, 23 percent of the rail passenger cars used on Network Rail are part of a diesel multiple unit.

The 1100 class railcar or Budd railcar were a type of diesel railcar built by Commonwealth Engineering for the Department of Railways New South Wales in 1961. They primarily operated on the South Coast Daylight Express until withdrawn in 1993.

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An electro-diesel multiple unit (EDMU) or bi-mode multiple unit (BMU) is a form of a multiple unit that can be powered either by electric power picked up from the overhead lines or third rail or by using an onboard diesel engine, driving an electric generator, which produces AC or DC electric power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acela Express (trainset)</span> Trainset used on the Acela, Amtraks high-speed Northeast Corridor service

The first-generation Acela Express trainset is a unique set of vehicles used on the Acela, Amtrak's flagship high-speed service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States. When they debuted in 2000, the sets were the fastest in the Americas; reaching 150 mph (240 km/h) on 33.9 mi (54.6 km) of the route. They were built between 1998 and 2001 by a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier. Each set has two power cars derived from units that Alstom built for the TGV, and six passenger cars derived from the LRC that Bombardier built for Via Rail.

References

  1. "49 CFR 238.5 - Definitions: Power car". Code of Federal Regulations Title 49: Transportation. Office of the Federal Register . Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 "power car". McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Full Definition of POWER CAR". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  4. Section, Transport for NSW, Customer Experience Division, Customer Service Branch, Customer Information Services. "XPT Regional Trains". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 2018-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. UK, DVV Media. "Queensland orders 'next generation' diesel Tilt Train". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  6. sector=Government, corporateName=Sydney Trains; contact=Communications Directorate. "C Set - Sydney Trains". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 2018-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)