Just saw it on the News. The French have a Train that can do 575 kph and man she needs a set of wings. I don’t think the curves on the MESS could handle that. Actually I don’t think any MR could handle that!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6521295.stm
Fergie
My layout isn’t superelevated enough to run that…
Tom
I’ve always a train that could lap itself on my 4 x 8 layout.
(Would that make time move backward? It did in the Superman Movie.)
Did you ever see the pics of that one bullet train that chucked a wheel at 200mph? Derailed into a concrete bridge. What a mess! Forget how many people died. I see they’re dreaming of an under sea tube train between NY and Europe that’s supposed to go 2500mph.
Boooorrrrriiiing. All it does is go fast in a straight line. no fun at all.
Dave H.
I don’t know about that. You ever been to a top fuel drag race in person? NOT boring at all!
In order to return full measure the noted French (unwarranted) arrogance, I have no intention of modelling anything French. I will not even have any white flags on my layout.[:D]
Amazing what you can accomplsh when your not funding a war, I hear they have plans to go to Mars in a few years. Why would the French want a train that can go 575KPH ? Are they planning to take the train?
Fergie–
Well, of COURSE I am! Can’t you see it leaving Yuba Pass at 531KM and flying out of my garage halfway across the street? Dang, I hope the model isn’t ABS, that stuff just SHATTERS when it hits pavement, LOL!
Tom
Is it true that the mechanism for the high speed French train was patterned after the old Athearn Hustler drives?
20 years back I had a stock Athearn BB F7 that could run at near bullet train speeds! Just like this french bullet train…that puppy could draw some current!
Would be great to see a system like this here in Florida. A promising, triangular shaped corridor (Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami ) was identified back in the early 80s. Many people want it but seems that no one wants to fund it. But our interstate widening projects are going well.
According to the news story I saw last night it took 25000 HP and special wheels ( probably the equivalent of code 100 track for the flanges too). My guess is at least 10,000 of that horsepower was for the last 20 mph. Not practical and a typical French stunt unless they plan to use it when they retreat from any battle they have ever been in.
Actually, the French could end up selling hogh speed trains to China. China plans to spend huge amounts on high speed trains (unlike USA).
Guess it’s pretty funny to laugh at the French with high speed trains and a railway infrastructure all over their country, when we abandoned passenger service (and allowed railways to get away with it,) and here we sit smugly and it takes 4 days to across North America if there is any sense of rail travel left (not really) and God forbid if you ever wanted to go North or South. Maybe we should praise them instead of mocking them, instead look at the rail system in North America.
Oh come on…nothing new here
The Tinplate guys have been running at this speed since day one!
The most interesting thing about any motor sport is the interview with the winner at the end of the race. Difference is, in NASCAR racing, there’s three hours of action between start and interview. NHRA drags last about five seconds.
On the original subject, if I were to model the standard curvature JNR Shinkansen curve in 1:80 scale, it would have a 25 meter radius! A simple circle of track would take a building 160 x 160 or larger to house it. I don’t know what radius France’s TGV lines are built to, but I’m willing to wager that the radius is even larger.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - sans Shinkansen)
“it takes 4 days to across North America .” Sure does. Maybe the fact that the USA is about four times as big as France and has those pesky rockies as well as a desert to deal with might have some bearing
Yeah, it sure is easy to discount another country’s effort when yours can’t do it.
By the way, it was “stock” track, and included switches and a diamond crossing.
Does that account for the track in such bad condition that trains run at 20 mph?
Thanks for demonstrating typical American arrogance (“If we didn’t do it first, it’s unnecessary”), in case we’d forgotten what it looks like.
Better get rid of those deadly jet airplanes, too; why, one crash can kill hundreds.
Bet that sucker took alot of AMERICAN FRIES to get up to that speed!!![:D]