Portal:Trains/Did you know/June 2007

...that Locomotion No 1, an early British steam locomotive built in 1825 by Robert Stephenson and Company which hauled the first train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway on September 27, 1825, is today preserved in the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum?

...that the New York City Subway's new fleet of R142 electric multiple unit cars includes features such as Alstom ONIX AC propulsion, electronic braking, automatic climate control, and an on-board intercom system?

NSB El 18 with the express train at Finse on Bergensbanen

...that Norway's Bergensbanen railway line, which features no fewer than 182 tunnels and 300 bridges along its 493 km (306 mi) route between Oslo and Bergen, has recently been threatened with closure in favor of road-based transport alternatives?

...that because of the many difficulties associated with operating steam locomotives (which do not function properly unless the boiler is relatively level) on extreme gradients, rack railways were among the first railways to be electrified?

...that Hungary's Budapest Metro, the second oldest underground metro system in the world after the London Underground, is currently undergoing major expansion with an all new line (Metro 4) already under construction, and a further line (Metro 5) expected to begin construction during 2007?

...that prior to being merged into GEC-Alsthom in 1989, Birmingham-based manufacturer Metro Cammell had over the course of 70 years built some of the most well known rolling stock in use in the United Kingdom, such as the British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units, and the London Underground 1967 and 1973 stock?

...that the South Australian Railways (SAR) 620 class steam locomotive was the first streamlined steam locomotive class in Australia and the only locomotive class on the SAR to use a Baker valve gear?

...that the Gotthardbahn, which crosses the Alps between Switzerland and Italy using a series of spectacular spirals and the 15 km (9.3 mi) long Gotthard Rail Tunnel, was secured with fortresses to prevent its use by invading armies, with the southern end of the tunnel able to be blocked by an artificially-induced landslide?
...that the EMD FL9 locomotive model was a unique variation of the long-running EMD F series of diesel electric locomotives, able to switch over to operate as a straight electric locomotive via third rail or overhead catenary pickup on lines such as those around New York City where locomotives producing exhaust smoke were prohibited?

...that the DR Class 243 electric locomotive was introduced as part of a policy by the former Deutsche Reichsbahn of the GDR to reduce dependence on increasingly expensive diesel oil by increasing electrification of the DR network?

...that the United Kingdom's famous Great Western Railway originated from the desire of Bristol merchants to maintain the position of their port as the second port in the country (and the main port for American trade) and head off competition from rival Liverpool which was also building rail connections to London?

...that the TAZARA Railway was built in the 1970s by the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (abbreviated to 'TAZARA') to serve landlocked Zambia as an alternative to rail lines via apartheid-controlled Rhodesia and South Africa?

...that although it is operated by Amtrak, the Pacific Surfliner is primarily financed through funds made available by the State of California Department of Transportation and is operated under the Amtrak California brand?

Hua Lamphong Central Railway Station, Bangkok, Thailand

...that with 14 platforms, 26 ticket booths and two electric display boards, Bangkok, Thailand's Hua Lamphong railway station serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers each day?

...that the DB Class 420 electric multiple unit trains, originally commissioned by the former West German Deutsche Bundesbahn, underwent a key design change from steel to aluminium construction to make the cars more lightweight and able to carry a greater payload?
...that the PKP class ET21 was the first postwar class of electric locomotives in Poland, and some examples are still in use by some private rail operators?

...that Indian-based transport services consultancy organisation RITES Ltd. has recently won a 25 year contract to operate Tanzania Railways Corporation passenger and freight services on a concession basis?

Home (upper) and Distant (lower) signals

...that a distant signal is a type of railway signal that repeats the indication of a following signal and warns a train of the need to stop at that following home signal?

Preserved C class locomotive C 10

...that although a 2-8-0 steam locomotive was most commonly used for slower heavy freight traffic, a shortage of motive power in Australia during World War II led to the Victorian Railways C class' maximum permitted speed being raised to 60 mph (97 km/h) for mainline passenger service?

Vienna Südbahnhof, c. 1875

...that during the economic boom of the "Gründerzeit", increasing rail traffic in Austria led to a new and larger building for the Vienna Südbahnhof being erected in 1874, with the new station about three times wider than its predecessor?

...that the now-obsolete vacuum brake system, first introduced in the 1860s to allow the automatic application of brakes down the length of a train from a simple control in the driver's hand, was the primary form of train braking in the United Kingdom until the 1970s?

...that the NZR ADK class diesel multiple unit trains introduced to Auckland, New Zealand in 1993 were originally built for the Transperth division of Western Australian Government Railways in 1967-68?

...that during the early 20th century, the Trans-Aral Railway formed the only rail connection between European Russia and Central Asia?

...that while the rail systems of most Continental European countries use 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge track for part or all of their network, the Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses in Portugal utilises only 5 ft 5⅝ in (1668 mm) broad gauge or 3 ft 3⅜ in (1000 mm) metre gauge track?

...that during the American Civil War a train hauled by 4-4-0 locomotive The General was stolen by Union spies intent disrupting the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad, precipitating a famous pursuit led by the stolen train's conductor which became known as the Great Locomotive Chase?

...that since the Vennbahn's trackbed remains Belgian territory even when the line runs through Germany, it has created five small western enclaves of Germany?

...that although the 2007 movie Ghost Rider is set in Texas, USA, it was filmed in Melbourne, Australia, and a Victorian Railways L class electric locomotive (a class of locomotive that has never operated in the USA) was painted in a Texas Eagle livery for use as a movie prop?