re-post: Electric brethren

[Nick Fotis]

(sorry, I canceled the previous message)

I think that you find interesting this train movement.

A Bombardier IORE section get transported between two adaptor wagons
(because the standard UIC screw coupler is not compatible with SA-3 and
AAR couplers) behind a Bombardier TRAXX electric locomotive.

Both are products of Kassel, same transformer power (5.6 MW on the
rails), but these couldn't be much more different.

http://www.railcolor.net/index.php?nav=1000006&file=bomb_33667_58&action=image
and
http://www.railcolor.net/index.php?nav=1000006&file=bomb_35025_51&action=image

Cheers,
N.F.

[Glen Labah]

Post by Nick Fotis
A Bombardier IORE section get transported between two adaptor wagons
(because the standard UIC screw coupler is not compatible with SA-3 and
AAR couplers) behind a Bombardier TRAXX electric locomotive.

One day, Europe will indeed convert to an automated coupler, but will
any of us live to see that day?

(It took the USA an act of congress - literally - to adopt the AAR
coupler.)

I find it interesting they are using two axle wagons as the adapter
wagons. I was under the impression that use of two axle wagons had
ceased in Europe.

[Charles Ellson]

Post by Glen Labah

Post by Nick Fotis
A Bombardier IORE section get transported between two adaptor wagons
(because the standard UIC screw coupler is not compatible with SA-3 and
AAR couplers) behind a Bombardier TRAXX electric locomotive.

One day, Europe will indeed convert to an automated coupler, but will
any of us live to see that day?

Not until someone agrees _which_ coupler.

Post by Glen Labah
(It took the USA an act of congress - literally - to adopt the AAR
coupler.)
I find it interesting they are using two axle wagons as the adapter
wagons. I was under the impression that use of two axle wagons had
ceased in Europe.

Short wheelbase wagons are effectively extinct but there seem to be
plenty of long wheelbase wagons in use in various countries for
non-container traffic.

[Nick Fotis]

Post by Charles Ellson

Post by Glen Labah

Post by Nick Fotis
A Bombardier IORE section get transported between two adaptor wagons
(because the standard UIC screw coupler is not compatible with SA-3 and
AAR couplers) behind a Bombardier TRAXX electric locomotive.

One day, Europe will indeed convert to an automated coupler, but will
any of us live to see that day?

Not until someone agrees _which_ coupler.

My feeling is that automatic couplers will wait for a very long time for
pan-European adoption.

The Faiveley TRANSPACT coupler (equivalent to the Russian SA-3) is used
in a handful of ore trains, while SA-3 and AAR couplers are used in
Sweden (IORE and DM3 locomotives) and few other places.

My guess is that there will be a gradual conversion to strong hook (1250
kN instead of the original 550 kN - that is around half the AAR coupler
strength, if I am not mistaken). This hook is already standard on new
coal and aggregate wagons, as far as I can see (these use labels on
wagon ends for that).
Locomotives are already fitted with 850 and 1250 kN hooks in most places.

Post by Charles Ellson

Post by Glen Labah
I find it interesting they are using two axle wagons as the adapter
wagons. I was under the impression that use of two axle wagons had
ceased in Europe.

Short wheelbase wagons are effectively extinct but there seem to be
plenty of long wheelbase wagons in use in various countries for
non-container traffic.

If you look carefully at the second photo, you should note the
additional weights over the axles, in order to keep the wagons on track
even between heavy loads.

Two-axle wagons are plentiful in Europe, especially slide wall doors and
single ISO container (40 feet).
Shorter than 40 feet are rare, indeed.

I googled around, and I happened upon a page of Slovenian state
railways, which illustrates their owned types (typical fleet).
They even provide technical drawings and data.

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/hbbins shows a slide wall
wagon (used mostly for pallet loads)

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/habbins is the 4-axle
variant (80+ feet long), preferred if your pallets are heavy enough to
max out the weight limit.
If you are volume-limited, 2-axle wagons give more volume per axle.

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/gbs is a typical 2-axle
boxcar (their manufacture has ceased in favor of the slide wall type above)

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/kgs shows a typical
40-feet platform

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/laags (these carry
exclusively ISO containers)

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/freight/wagons/laess is a typical car
transport wagon, made of two half wagons.

N.F.