Can trainsets such as the Acela Express and other bullet trains be doubleheaded? If so how is that done?
Double heading of “bullet” trains can most often be seen in France with the TGV. The nose cover opens up and out of the way of the way to expose the couplers and connections between the train-sets, and the TGV can be run with two sets under the control of a single engineer.
The Acela does not have the same “doubling” ability that the TGV does. This is due in part to the difference in the passenger capacity and ridership of the North East Corridor and of the wide SNCF (French national railroad) passenger network. If there is high ridership anticpated for a particular route, the TGV is typically “doubled” instead of running a second section.
With the Acela, there is only 20 train sets, plus the Acela inspection car that is run every few weeks, so double heading an Acela would represent a huge fraction of the fleet.
If some idiot were to block one of the crossings on the Acela’s route, (It has happened before, when a Connecticut driver forced her way under the crossing gates, into the path of a 70MPH Acela) it could potentially ruin not one, but two sets, which could cripple the Acela for sometime to come.
It is possible to double-head the Acela, but impractical right now, considering the following:
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present rider-ship of the Acela
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The number of Acela sets in existence
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The length of a double Acela set compared to the length of station platforms. Some stations would require a double stop to unload passengers, as there is not a through path from one train to the other.
There are some videos on YouTube showing a pair of TGV sets being coupled together, I am sure that other places out there might have some as well.
I have some photos of the TGV double-headed, I can dig them out and post them if you would like.
Don’t the Acelas have a power unit at both ends? If they do, aren’t they in a sense already double headed?
Probably more like distributed power or MU than doubleheading.