La Fayette to Amtrak.
To cover the United States and Canada is one thing, but in this series we will also look at Mexico. Amtrak is currently the main civilian passenger company for long-haul rail travel, while a few companies remain in the freight business.
America has a long history of the railroads, following on from the United Kingdom and France 10 years after they were first invented. American carriage design has found itself employed on the British London Underground from 1911. meanwhile many early smaller locomotives were sent to Ireland for various narrow gauge adaptions.
The firsts trains brought from the U.K and France were as basic as you could get them, with carriages being adopted from the wild west stagecoach.
Showing posts with label Narrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Narrow. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Narrow Gauge Railways.
Wales, Isle of Man and Quarry's.
The Narrow Gauge was in its hey day associated with quarrying, this is so in Wales with slate. Today many of these railways in the UK are now tourist attractions. It was in World War-I (1914-18 that a portable railway was used to supply front line British troops.
Being small with engines only up to four tons, if the track was damaged by German shelling it could be quickly repaired and replaced. But this had not seen an end to the uses of the narrow gauge railway. In the Ukraine and Belarus there are extensive networks of these lines for the production of peat.
Ireland also has an extensive network operated by Board Na Mona in its own peat production. I have come across some very good narrow gauge models in the Railway Modeller magazine of layouts based on Irish scenes.
The Narrow Gauge was in its hey day associated with quarrying, this is so in Wales with slate. Today many of these railways in the UK are now tourist attractions. It was in World War-I (1914-18 that a portable railway was used to supply front line British troops.
Being small with engines only up to four tons, if the track was damaged by German shelling it could be quickly repaired and replaced. But this had not seen an end to the uses of the narrow gauge railway. In the Ukraine and Belarus there are extensive networks of these lines for the production of peat.
Ireland also has an extensive network operated by Board Na Mona in its own peat production. I have come across some very good narrow gauge models in the Railway Modeller magazine of layouts based on Irish scenes.
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Trains.
Life Lines.
They say that nations without a coast are doomed, but you could say the same, if they have no railways either with laid track or none. Nearly every country on the planet has a railway of some kind, from a narrow gauge to wide track.
The railways are an essential life line, especially in trade, wither it be cross border or not. The history and development of the locomotive is a backbone to any network. Trains of course come in all forms, some are used just for freight, while others for passengers. Trains can cover great distances such as in Russia, China, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.
In these fore mentioned countries trains can be up to four miles in length for freight cars, some now double decked. While passenger trains can be 25+ carriages long. Some trains are built for speed, such as in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where the rail lines have very few curves.
So you kind of see the picture and their value. Later in 2014 we will get down to the ''nitty gritty'' of these starter blogs.
They say that nations without a coast are doomed, but you could say the same, if they have no railways either with laid track or none. Nearly every country on the planet has a railway of some kind, from a narrow gauge to wide track.
The railways are an essential life line, especially in trade, wither it be cross border or not. The history and development of the locomotive is a backbone to any network. Trains of course come in all forms, some are used just for freight, while others for passengers. Trains can cover great distances such as in Russia, China, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.
In these fore mentioned countries trains can be up to four miles in length for freight cars, some now double decked. While passenger trains can be 25+ carriages long. Some trains are built for speed, such as in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where the rail lines have very few curves.
So you kind of see the picture and their value. Later in 2014 we will get down to the ''nitty gritty'' of these starter blogs.
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