Thank you gentlemen for the diverting information. I just spend a rewarding 40 mins searching for information on the ACF Talgo trains. Fascinating!
AMTK Experiments
#12
Posted 19 February 2018 - 03:05 PM
Such an interesting topic!
1) IIRC, the GM/EMD Aerotrain may not have been a "pure TALGO".
The Passenger Cars of the GM Aerotrainb were reported to be GM Bus Bodies on Flanged Wheels.
2) The Fairbanks-Morse (F-M) Speed Merchants were probably "purer" TALGOs.
3) The last (2) photos of the ACF Talgo appear to be taken at Union Station in Providence, RI.
Probably advanced publicity for the NYNH&H's new Talgo trainset.
I wonder if the "Power Car" actually was a functional engine, or was it a simple conceptual mockup?
1) IIRC, the GM/EMD Aerotrain may not have been a "pure TALGO".
The Passenger Cars of the GM Aerotrainb were reported to be GM Bus Bodies on Flanged Wheels.
2) The Fairbanks-Morse (F-M) Speed Merchants were probably "purer" TALGOs.
3) The last (2) photos of the ACF Talgo appear to be taken at Union Station in Providence, RI.
Probably advanced publicity for the NYNH&H's new Talgo trainset.
I wonder if the "Power Car" actually was a functional engine, or was it a simple conceptual mockup?
#13
Posted 19 February 2018 - 03:50 PM
Sandy River Tom, on 19 February 2018 - 03:05 PM, said:
Such an interesting topic!
1) IIRC, the GM/EMD Aerotrain may not have been a "pure TALGO".
The Passenger Cars of the GM Aerotrainb were reported to be GM Bus Bodies on Flanged Wheels.
2) The Fairbanks-Morse (F-M) Speed Merchants were probably "purer" TALGOs.
3) The last (2) photos of the ACF Talgo appear to be taken at Union Station in Providence, RI.
Probably advanced publicity for the NYNH&H's new Talgo trainset.
I wonder if the "Power Car" actually was a functional engine, or was it a simple conceptual mockup?
1) IIRC, the GM/EMD Aerotrain may not have been a "pure TALGO".
The Passenger Cars of the GM Aerotrainb were reported to be GM Bus Bodies on Flanged Wheels.
2) The Fairbanks-Morse (F-M) Speed Merchants were probably "purer" TALGOs.
3) The last (2) photos of the ACF Talgo appear to be taken at Union Station in Providence, RI.
Probably advanced publicity for the NYNH&H's new Talgo trainset.
I wonder if the "Power Car" actually was a functional engine, or was it a simple conceptual mockup?
Tom, that was the ACF/Talgo demonstrator. There were three trainsets built, two were shipped to Spain but the third was displayed in the US to try to drum up business for ACF. More here: http://streamlinerme...es.info/?p=2238
#14
Posted 02 March 2018 - 12:49 PM
EMD built two demonstrator Aerotrains, but there was a third LWT12 locomotive built to power the Rock Island Talgo Jet Rocket. Both of the Aerotrains and the Talgo finished up as comuter trains on the Rock Island in Chicago. Quite a contrast to the Gallery cars which came along a little later.
#15
Posted 03 March 2018 - 06:21 PM
The pure-GM Aerotrains are reputed to have been built with bus bodies, and were not really Talgo trains.
#16
Posted 14 March 2018 - 05:12 PM
All these interesting "experiments" that Amtrak tried and I only know of one (TALGOs used by Amtrak Cascades) that has "made the cut" so to speak. I understand why the Aerotrain didn't make it even though it was pre-Amtrak, and it was explained about the turboliners, but what happened with the LRC, UA Turbotrain & Bombardier's Jet Train? The Jet train is the most puzzling to me as one day it just up and vanished. Amtrak nor Bombardier never made any other mention of it again.
#17
Posted 31 March 2018 - 02:27 AM
The basic LRC car bodyshell design has been reused on Amtrak - it, now with a slightly more reliable tilt system, is found in the form of the Acela Express...
Turbotrain and JetTrain fell foul of the one thing which has plagued all gas-turbines in rail applications: fuel costs. And fuel-efficiency helps drive this cost, as gas-turbines are very thirsty when operating at low speeds, which trains inevitably do (even UP's Big Blows had 850hp C-B diesels for low-speed operation). Maybe a G-T/Battery Hybrid might be the solution, but by then something else will probably be cleaner/cheaper...
Turbotrain and JetTrain fell foul of the one thing which has plagued all gas-turbines in rail applications: fuel costs. And fuel-efficiency helps drive this cost, as gas-turbines are very thirsty when operating at low speeds, which trains inevitably do (even UP's Big Blows had 850hp C-B diesels for low-speed operation). Maybe a G-T/Battery Hybrid might be the solution, but by then something else will probably be cleaner/cheaper...