Safety and high speeds

1. 
   variant
   

I Speak about your research work:

1. 
   You should say the name of it
   
2. 
   Why you choose it
   
3. 
   It’s contribution to the railway system
   

II Translate this text and do exercises given below

SAFETY AND HIGH SPEEDS

I

(1) Today’s railways would not be so popular but for the ever-increasing speed. Super-high speeds, however, go hand in hand with safety.Indeed no passenger would dare to go by rail unless the railways were able to ensure safe travel.

1. Safety depends on many factors. First of all, it is determined by the condition of the track. Track-testing cars¹ driven slowly along the lines show the engineer where the track must be repaired and a great deal of track main*"" tenancy machines are available to keep the track well maintained.

2.In discussing railway safety consideration should also be given to efficient braking systems. From the very beginning, railway men attached great importance to the problem of stopping trains. At first, the brakes were installed in the locomotives, then they were fitted on passenger vehicles. But the early brakes proved to be entirely unsatisfactory. They were hand-operated and the braking process itself was too dangerous for the brakes men.

3. The most significant achievement in braking trains was undoubtedly made in 1872 when George Westinghouse, an American, suggested that automatic air brakes should be installed in the trains. When Westinghouse first proposed to adopt his brake some experts said they would not waste time on "such nonsense as stopping trains by air".

4. While undergoing a test the train equipped with the Westinghouse brakes approached a tunnel. Suddenly the driver saw a horse and a wagon on the track directly ahead. Immediately he applied the air brake. There came a scream of metal on metal and the train stopped. It seemed like a miracle! Never before in all the railway history had a train been stopped so fast.

5. The need for signalling arose when the number of trains increased and it was necessary that the train movements should be directed by one way or another. The function of the early signals was to ensure a certain interval of time between trains lest trains should collide. However, the time interval method, as it was then called, soon became unsatisfactory because with the increased number of trains and cases of their late arrival at stations this method could not ensure the interval of space.

6. The modification of this method is the modern block system under which the line is divided into short sections or blocks and a fixed colour-light signal is placed at the entrance to each block. The function of the block signal is not to admit a train to a block section if the latter is occupied by another train.

II

7. The most recent method of controlling the movements of trains is known as "Centralized Traffic Control" or CTC.³ The introduction of CTC is sure to be a step forward in the improvement of railway signalling. Under CTC all train movements are governed from a central point where there is a large illuminated panel with a diagram of all the tracks in the controlled section.Below the diagram there are small buttons. Pushing the buttons the operator changes the position of switches and signals. A number of small lights on the diagram show the dispatcher the location of each train. Having the location of all the trains in his section displayed for him the dispatcher can keep the train moving with as little delays as possible.

(10) In spite of the reliable signalling system and highly efficient methods of train operation accidents still occur on railways, particularly on high-speed lines. Indeed, no engine driver would be able to read block signals easily at a speed of, say, 200 kph.

8. Weather conditions can also prevent the driver from reading the wayside signals. Sometimes the drivers themselves are not careful enough. This has made the railways change radically the entire system of signalling.

(11) The cab signal is a small-size colour-light signal placed directly in front of the driver's seat. It gives the same signal indications as those given by the block signal. The advantage of the cab signal is that it is not affected by weather conditions. Under this system, a sound warning is given to the driver whenever the speed should be reduced. Should the driver ignore⁶ the warning, for any reason, the protective device will decrease the speed of the train or bring the train to a stop without the action of the driver. 11. From what has been said above it follows that careful track maintenance, efficient brakes and reliable signalling are the factors which assure safe running of trains at high and super-high speeds thereby increasing the track carrying capacity and improving the utilization of the rolling stock.

Exercise 1 Read the sentences and translate them into your native language.

1. We planned that we