Theme: unusual railways

SEARCH OF HIGHER SPEEDS
(1) The advance of transportation took a long time and scores of talented engineers did all in their power to de­velop the transportation system people have now at their disposal. But man never stops at what he has reached, and what seems fantastic today turns out to be quite realizable tomorrow.
(2) Speed has always been a highly desirable goal for the engineers in their attempts to perfect the existing means of rail transport. This problem is of particular significance when it comes to developing a passenger transportation system. Railway history knows many examples when test runs of modified or newly designed trains resulted in speed rec­ords. They prove that the possibilities of high speeds have not yet been exhausted.
(3) Were it possible to design a train running at the speeds of the aircraft, railways could successfully compete with aviation. At the same time, it is desirable that the new train should run over the existing tracks without re­quiring costly reconstruction or frequent renewals of the permanent way.
(4) In this respect, the Soviet-made ER-200 train now operating on a commercial basis is worfii mentioning. This train meets the requirements of high speeds, safety and passenger comfort. A lot of preparatory work had to be done on the Oktyabrskaya Railway before the ER-200 was put into service. Running on some sections at 200 kph, the train covers a distance of 650 km between Moscow and Leningrad in 4 hours 39 minutes thus cutting the journey time by 4 hours compared with the previous schedules.
(5) Many latest achievements of railway technology have been incorporated in the new Soviet express train. The stream-lined shape of the whole train cuts down air friction and allows higher speeds to be attained. The driving com­partment being equipped with cab signalling, the driver has, at all times, signals displayed before him. The job of the locomotive driver has been greatly facilitated. Pushing a controller¹ is all he must do to start or brake down the train.
(6) The coaches the ER-200 is composed of are extreme­ly comfortable, being supplied with air-conditioning, sound-proof windows and soft aircraft-like seats. The pas­sengers who happen to travel by the new Soviet express have snack-bars at their disposal. Their journey is accom­panied by background music.
(7) Another high-speed train of interest is the British Advanced Passenger Train (APT). The remarkable feature of this 200 kph train is its ability to go round curves safe­ly at speeds 40 per cent faster than those now acceptable for conventional trains and do it without causing discom­fort to passengers. This ability was due to a special sus­pension of the train body. Another key feature of the APT was its ability to stop from 200 kph within a considerably shorter distance than that allowed for 160 kph trains. Be­sides, lightweight alloys were to help it travel faster and save a considerable amount of energy needed for its pro­pulsion. However, numerous technical innovations incorpo­rated in its design involved so many problems and risk that the British Railways authorities found it cheaper to take this train out of service,
II
(8) One more proposition for new nigh-speed ground, transport is contactless systems which show great promise fast regards speeds. These systems may be divided into two
principal types: the air-cushion system and the magnetic suspension system. Both, of, them have one feature in com­mon: ² there is a thin film of air between the vehicle and the track which can be provided either by turbo-jet engines or by powerful magnets.
(9) Serious investigations in these systems are being carried on in France, Britain, Japan, the USSR, the USA and Canada. But it is France that has succeeded in creat­ing the world's first practical version of a train riding on an air cushion. The train being now operated commercially has already reached 186 mph. Successful as it is,³ the air-cushion train is unlikely to be 'acceptable in densely-pop­ulated areas because of noise and air pollution.
(10) It is magnetically-suspended vehicles that seem to be more advantageous. These vehicles are suspended above the track by electromagnetic attraction or repulsion and propelled by electric motors of special design. There being no metal friction, very little power would be required for propulsion. Being silent in operation, the magnetically-sus­pended vehicles would be suitable forsuburban and city areas. Besides, they are pollution-free and thus have not undesirable effects on the environment.
(11) It should be mentioned, however, that one of the main obstacles on the way to introducing contactless trans­port is that it needs a specially designed concrete track.
(12) In this respect, the so-called Corridor system re­cently designed in the USA is more advantageous for high- speed intercity passenger service. The system is intended' for carrying several thousands of passengers in an hour between Boston and Washington and is based on a few simple calculations: (1) The maximum speed along the Cor­ridor must be something about 400 mph. To attain this speed the train should be protected from ice and from the objects which might fall on its path. That's why the train should travel in a tube. (2) To eliminate air friction, most of the air should be pumped out of the tube. For heavy continuous traffic a pair of tubes would, be needed. (3) The air at atmospheric pressure should be admitted behind the train to accelerate it; a similar effect could-decelerate the train to a stop. (4) Each train would .he half a mile long and would run on conventional steel wheels.
(13) Although very costly, the Corridor system is likely to offer a number of economic benefits in addition to nu­merous conveniences to travellers.
I
(1) Transportning rivojlanishi uzoq vaqt talab qildi va ko'plab iste'dodli muhandislar odamlarning ixtiyorida bo'lgan transport tizimini rivojlantirish uchun bor kuchlarini sarfladilar. Ammo inson hech qachon erishgan narsasida to'xtamaydi va bugun fantastik ko'ringan narsa ertaga amalga oshishi mumkin bo'ladi.
(2) Mavjud temir yo'l transportini takomillashtirishga urinishlarida muhandislar uchun tezlik har doim juda orzu qilingan maqsad bo'lib kelgan. Bu muammo yo‘lovchi tashish tizimini rivojlantirishda alohida ahamiyat kasb etadi. Temir yo'l tarixida o'zgartirilgan yoki yangi ishlab chiqilgan poyezdlarning sinovi tezligi qayd etilganiga ko'p misollar bor. Ular yuqori tezlik imkoniyatlari hali tugamaganligini isbotlaydilar.
(3) Agar samolyot tezligida harakatlanadigan poezdni loyihalash mumkin bo'lsa, temir yo'llar aviatsiya bilan muvaffaqiyatli raqobatlasha oladi. Shu bilan birga, yangi poyezdning re¬konstruksiya va doimiy yo‘lni tez-tez yangilab turishni talab qilmasdan, mavjud yo‘llar bo‘ylab harakatlanishi maqsadga muvofiqdir.
(4) Shu nuqtai nazardan, hozirda tijorat asosida ishlayotgan Sovet Ittifoqida ishlab chiqarilgan ER-200 poyezdini eslatib o'tish mumkin. Ushbu poyezd yuqori tezlik, xavfsizlik va yo‘lovchilar uchun qulaylik talablariga javob beradi. ER-200 foydalanishga topshirilgunga qadar Oktyabr temir yo'lida juda ko'p tayyorgarlik ishlari olib borilishi kerak edi. Ayrim uchastkalarda soatiga 200 km tezlikda harakatlanadigan poyezd Moskva va Leningrad o‘rtasidagi 650 km masofani 4 soat 39 daqiqada bosib o‘tadi va shu bilan oldingi jadvalga nisbatan yo‘l vaqtini 4 soatga qisqartiradi.
(5) Temir yo'l texnologiyasining ko'plab so'nggi yutuqlari yangi sovet tezyurar poyezdiga kiritilgan. Butun poezdning oqimli shakli havo ishqalanishini kamaytiradi va yuqori tezlikka erishishga imkon beradi. Haydovchi kabina signalizatsiyasi bilan jihozlangan bo'lib, haydovchi har doim uning oldida signallarni ko'rsatadi. Lokomotiv mashinistining ishi ancha osonlashdi. Poyezdni ishga tushirish yoki tormozlash uchun u faqat boshqaruvchini itarishi kerak.
(6) ER-200 vagonlari juda qulay, konditsioner, ovoz o'tkazmaydigan oynalar va samolyotga o'xshash yumshoq o'rindiqlar bilan ta'minlangan. Yangi sovet ekspressida sayohat qilgan yo'lovchilar ixtiyorida snack-barlar mavjud. Ularning sayohati fon musiqasi bilan birga keladi.
(7) Yana bir qiziqish uyg'otadigan tezyurar poyezd - Britaniya Advanced Passenger Train (APT). Ushbu 200 km/soat tezlikdagi poyezdning diqqatga sazovor xususiyati shundaki, u oddiy poyezdlar uchun qabul qilinadigan tezlikdan 40 foizga tezroq egri chiziq bo‘ylab xavfsiz aylanib, yo‘lovchilarga noqulaylik tug‘dirmaydi. Bu qobiliyat poezd tanasining maxsus to'xtatilishi bilan bog'liq edi. APT ning yana bir muhim xususiyati uning soatiga 200 km dan 160 km tezlikdagi poyezdlar uchun ruxsat etilganidan ancha qisqaroq masofada to‘xtash qobiliyati edi. Bundan tashqari, engil qotishmalar uning tezroq harakatlanishiga yordam berishi va harakatlanishi uchun zarur bo'lgan energiyani sezilarli darajada tejashi kerak edi. Biroq, uning dizayniga kiritilgan ko'plab texnik yangiliklar shu qadar ko'p muammolar va xavflarni o'z ichiga oldiki, Britaniya temir yo'llari ma'murlari ushbu poezdni xizmatdan chiqarishni arzonroq deb topdilar.
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(8) Yangi yaqin tezlikdagi yer uchun yana bir taklif, transport - bu tezlikka nisbatan katta va'da beradigan kontaktsiz tizimlar. Ushbu tizimlarni ikkiga bo'lish mumkin
asosiy turlari: havo yostig'i tizimi va magnit suspenziya tizimi. Ikkalasining ham umumiy xususiyati bor: 2 avtomobil va yo'l o'rtasida turbo-reaktiv dvigatellar yoki kuchli magnitlar bilan ta'minlanishi mumkin bo'lgan yupqa havo plyonkasi mavjud.
(9) Frantsiya, Buyuk Britaniya, Yaponiya, SSSR, AQSh va Kanadada ushbu tizimlar bo'yicha jiddiy tekshiruvlar olib borilmoqda. Ammo aynan Frantsiya havo yostig'ida harakatlanadigan poezdning dunyodagi birinchi amaliy versiyasini yaratishga muvaffaq bo'ldi. Hozirda tijorat maqsadida harakatlanayotgan poyezd soatiga 186 milyaga yetdi. Muvaffaqiyatli bo'lsa-da, havo yostig'i poezdi shovqin va havoning ifloslanishi tufayli aholi zich joylashgan hududlarda qabul qilinishi dargumon.
(10) Magnit osilgan transport vositalari ko'proq afzalroq ko'rinadi. Ushbu transport vositalari elektromagnit tortishish yoki itarish orqali yo'l ustida to'xtatiladi va maxsus konstruktsiyali elektr motorlar bilan harakatlanadi. Metall ishqalanish bo'lmasa, harakatlanish uchun juda oz kuch kerak bo'ladi. Ishlashda jim bo'lgan magnit osilgan transport vositalari shahar atrofi va shahar hududlari uchun mos keladi. Bundan tashqari, ular ifloslanmaydi va shuning uchun atrof-muhitga kiruvchi ta'sir ko'rsatmaydi.
(11) Ammo shuni ta'kidlash kerakki, kontaktsiz transportni joriy etish yo'lidagi asosiy to'siqlardan biri bu maxsus ishlab chiqilgan beton yo'lga muhtojligidir.
(12) Shu nuqtai nazardan, yaqinda AQShda ishlab chiqilgan Koridor deb ataladigan tizim shaharlararo yo'lovchilarga yuqori tezlikda xizmat ko'rsatish uchun ko'proq foydalidir. Tizim Boston va Vashington oʻrtasida soatiga bir necha ming yoʻlovchini tashish uchun moʻljallangan va bir necha oddiy hisob-kitoblarga asoslanadi: (1) Korridor boʻylab maksimal tezlik taxminan 400 mil/soat boʻlishi kerak. Ushbu tezlikka erishish uchun poezdni muzdan va uning yo'liga tushishi mumkin bo'lgan narsalardan himoya qilish kerak. Shuning uchun poezd trubkada harakatlanishi kerak. (2) Havoning ishqalanishini bartaraf qilish uchun havoning ko'p qismini trubadan chiqarish kerak. Og'ir doimiy transport uchun bir juft naycha kerak bo'ladi. (3) Atmosfera bosimidagi havo uni tezlashtirish uchun poezd orqasiga kiritilishi kerak; shunga o'xshash ta'sir poezdni to'xtashgacha sekinlashtirishi mumkin. (4) Har bir poyezdning uzunligi yarim milyani tashkil qiladi va an'anaviy po'lat g'ildiraklarda yurar edi.
(13) Garchi juda qimmat bo'lsa-da, Yo'lak tizimi sayohatchilarga ko'plab qulayliklarga qo'shimcha ravishda bir qator iqtisodiy imtiyozlarni taqdim etishi mumkin.