B)turbo trains

A)ELECTRIC TRACTION

Ex.3.Translate the following texts. Write your translation and read it in your English group.

Ex.2.Discuss in your English group the topics mentioned in this text.

1. The reasons for shifting from steam to diesel traction.

2. Major advantages of diesel traction over steam power.

3. Advantages of the electric traction as compared with the diesel-electric one.

Efforts to propel railway vehicles using batteries date back to 1835. The first successful application of electric traction was in 1879, when an electric locomotive ran at an exhibition in Berlin. The first commercial application of electric traction was for suburban and underground railroads. In 1895, the Baltimore and Ohio Line electrified a stretch of track to avoid smoke and noise problems in a tunnel. The first country to use electric traction for main-line operations was Italy, where a system was inaugurated as early as 1902.

By World War I, a number of electrified lines were operating in Europe and in the United States. Major electrification programs were undertaken in such countries as Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Austria.

By the end of the 1920’s, nearly every European country had at least a small percentage of electrified railroad lines.

Electric traction was also introduced in Australia (1919), New Zealand (1923), India (1925), Indonesia (1925) and South Africa (1926).

A number of subway terminals and suburban services were electrified between 1900 and 1938 in the USA, and there were a few main-line electrifications.

By 1990, electrified lines had made up a significant percentage of the national railroads’ total route miles in such countries as Switzerland (99.6%), Holland (69%), Belgium (62%), Sweden (62%), Norway (60%), Italy (59%), Austria (57%), Japan (56%), Germany (46%), France (37%) and Great Britain (30%). By contrast, electrified route mileage in the USA was less than 1%.

The century’s second half was also marked by the creation all over the world of many new commuter rapid-transit rail systems as well as the extension of existing networks.

A turbo train is a high-speed passenger train powered by a gas-turbine engine similar to that used in jet aircraft. Unlike conventional trains, the turbo variety does not have a separate locomotive. Its turbine power unit is small enough to be built into a passenger car.

A typical turbo train consists of several coaches with power units located in each of the end cars. The cars are constructed of aluminum that reduces weight and minimizes the power required for high-speed locomotion. A pendulous banking suspension system enables the turbo train to travel around corners safely and smoothly at speeds 30 to 40% faster than other types of trains. With such a suspension system, a car is suspended above its center of gravity so as to swing freely from a special frame, which causes the train to bank inward rather than outward around curves under centrifugal force.

The turbo trains were designed during the early 1960’s at the United Aircraft Corporation. They were first produced at the Sikorsky Aircraft Division. These American-built turbo trains operated in the 1970’s between Boston and New York City and also provided the rail service between Montreal and Toronto. French models were built later and were operating in New York State in the 1980’s.

The success of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed electric trains and the sharp rise of fuel prices in the 1970’s caused a serious decline in the use of turbo trains.

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