Talgo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches. Another feature of the design is the suspension, which allows the vehicle to passively tilt into curves, aiding passenger comfort.
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[edit] Corporate history
TALGO stands for "Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol" (Goicoechea-Oriol light articulated train), Alejandro Goicoechea and Oriol being the founders of the company. Talgo Patents S.A. was originally incorporated in 1942. In March 2007 Talgo sold its Finnish rolling stock manufacturing subsidiary Talgo Oy to its local management and other Finnish investors. The company, which Talgo had owned for only seven years, reverted to its previous name of Transtech Oy. The company spends 10 to 12 percent of revenues on research and development,[1] but the main revenue source is the Spanish state railway operator RENFE.[2]
[edit] Technology
Talgo trains are best known for their unconventional articulated railway passenger cars design in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches. Talgo trains fitted with variable gauge axles can change rail gauge - for instance at the Spanish (1668 millimeters)/French (1435 millimeters) border. Since the introduction of the Talgo Pendular, the train tilts naturally inwards on corners, making it more comfortable for the passengers. This system also allows the train to run faster on some lines.
[edit] Trains
Talgo trains are divided into a number of generations. They come in both locomotive hauled and self propelled versions.
[edit] Talgo I
The Talgo I coaches were built in 1942.[3] Built as a prototype it broke numerous speed records.[1]
[edit] Talgo II
Talgo II coaches and locomotives were first built in 1950 at the American Car and Foundry Company works in the United States under the direction of Spanish engineers. One was also trailed on the New York Central Railroad until 1958 but saw little success.[1] They commenced revenue service in Spain soon after, and were not retired until 1972.[3]
[edit] Talgo III
Talgo III coaches and locomotives entered service in 1964, introducing longer cars and easy directional reversibility of the cars. The Talgo III RD variant was equipped with variable gauge axles, and ran the first though train from Madrid to Paris as well as Barcelona to Geneva in 1968, despite the difference in rail gauge.[1]
[edit] Talgo Pendular
The Talgo Pendular (Talgo IV and Talgo V, also VI & Talgo 200 or 6th generation) introduced from 1980 created the 'natural tilting' train - a tilting train that does not need electronic sensors or hydraulic equipment to move the carriages.[2]
In 1988 they were used on trials for Amtrak on Boston-New York corridor in the United States and on Deutsche Bahn lines in Germany.[3] Trial commercial services with Talgo cars in the United States commenced in 1994 between Seattle and Portland, and from 1998 different train have been used on the Amtrak Cascades services from Vancouver, British Columbia south to Seattle, Washington, continuing south via Portland, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon.[4]
Talgo 200 series trains are also in use in Kazakhstan for the overnight train Almaty - Astana.[5]
[edit] Talgo 250
The Talgo 250 (Talgo VII & Talgo VII) is a dual voltage electric train (AC-DC) equipped with variable gauge axles. Developed for RENFE (classed as S.130) the intermediate coaches are of 7th generation Talgo Pendular design.[6]
[edit] Talgo 350
The Talgo 350 (class S.102) marked the companies entry into the high-speed train manufacturing market. Tests with the prototype commenced in 1994,[3] and Talgo 350 trains have been operating at a top commercial speed of 330 km/h on the Madrid-Barcelona and Madrid-Valladolid line since December 22, 2007. This series of trains are designed to reach a speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), although present lines and commercial services limit the speed at 330 km/h (210 mph).[7][8]
[edit] Talgo XXI
Talgo XXI (also known as the Talgo 7th generation) is a high speed diesel-powered train, that operates in push-pull with one or two locomotives. They have been built for use in North American—complying with United States FRA regulations—rather than European UIC standards.[9] It has travelled at 256,38 km/h on the Olmedo - Medina del Campo high speed experimental line on 9 July 2002.[10] This has given it the world speed record for a diesel train.
[edit] See also
- es:Alejandro Goicoechea
- EMD LWT12
- Talgo XXI
- Articulated car
- Tilting train
- FM P-12-42
- UAC TurboTrain
- Amtrak Cascades
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Mauro F. Guillén (2001). The Limits of Convergence. Princeton University Press. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ a b Mauro F. Guillén (2005). The Rise of Spanish Multinationals. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ a b c d Historia de Talgo. www.talgo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ TALGO AMERICA - History. www.talgoamerica.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Kazakhstan Buys Two Talgo Trains. findarticles.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Productos Talgo. www.talgo.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Railway Technology - Spain's Great Rail Race - High-Speed Train Lines. www.railway-technology.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Talgo evolves its unique design for ultra high speed - High Speed: Spain. findarticles.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ TALGO AMERICA - Talgo XXI. www.talgoamerica.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Talgo: History. www.talgo.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
[edit] External links
- Talgo USA Web site (English)
- Talgo company Web site (choice of Spanish or English)
- Talgo Deutschland
- Transtech Oy (Finland)
- Talgo Pictures
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