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British Rail Class 444
The British Rail Class 444 ''Desiro'' is an electric multiple-unit passenger train built by Siemens Transportation Systems in Austria between 2002 and 2004. The Class 444 currently operate on express passenger services for South Western Railway. The class first entered service with South West Trains in 2004. Description At the start of the 21st century, as part of its franchise agreement, South West Trains was required to replace the slam-door rolling stock of Classes 411, 412, 421 and 423, which did not meet modern health and safety standards, with new trains by 2005. In April 2001 an order was placed with Siemens for 785 vehicles. This was originally to be split as 100 four-car Class 450/0 outer-suburban units, 32 five-car Class 450/2 inner-suburban units, and 45 five-car Class 444 express units. The Class 444 fleet was built at Siemens' Vienna plant. Before being shipped to Britain via the Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Western Railway (2017–2025)
First MTR South Western Trains Limited, trading as South Western Railway (SWR), is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%) which operated the South Western franchise between August 2017 and May 2025. On 20 August 2017, SWR took over South Western franchise operations from the previous franchisee South West Trains. SWR operated commuter services from its Central London terminus at to south west London, suburban services in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset, as well as regional services in Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire. Its subsidiary Island Line (train operating company), Island Line operated services on the Isle of Wight. Rolling stock changes have included a comprehensive refurbishment of existing units and the acquisition of new-build units from Bombardier Transportation, Bombardier to replace SWR's , and multiple units. The fleet operated on the Island Line was also replaced by the during 2021. Dur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Train Protection & Warning System
The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) is a train protection system used throughout the British passenger main-line railway network, and in Victoria, Australia. According to the UK Rail Safety and Standards Board, the purpose of TPWS is to stop a train by automatically initiating a brake demand, where TPWS track equipment is fitted, if the train has: passed a signal at danger without authority; approached a signal at danger too fast; approached a reduction in permissible speed too fast; approached buffer stops too fast. TPWS is not designed to prevent signals passed at danger (SPADs) but to mitigate the consequences of a SPAD, by preventing a train that has had a SPAD from reaching a conflict point after the signal. A standard installation consists of an on-track transmitter adjacent to a signal, activated when the signal is at danger. A train that passes the signal will have its emergency brake activated. If the train is travelling at speed, this may be too late to stop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional and urban trains along with trams. The company and its name (originally spelled Alsthom) was formed by a merger between the electric engineering division of Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques (Als) and Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (thom) in 1928. Significant acquisitions later included the Constructions Électriques de France (1932), shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique (1976), and parts of ACEC (late 1980s). A merger with parts of the British General Electric Company formed GEC Alsthom in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, the company expanded its holdings in the rail sector, acquiring German rolling stock manufacturer Linke-Hofmann-Busch and Italian rail signaling specialist Sasib Railways. In 1998, GEC Alsthom was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wegberg-Wildenrath Test And Validation Centre
The Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre () is a railway test centre owned by Siemens Mobility, Siemens near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History The centre is located on the site of the former RAF Wildenrath British military airfield. After the airfield closed in 1992, it was taken over by Siemens Mobility, Siemens which opened the test and validation centre in June 1997. It had five tracks over . By 2007, the railway test tracks had taken over considerable areas of the airfield, with all but the western threshold and overrun of the runway obliterated. The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and loops. Of the southern dispersals, the central and eastern are bisected by the main railway oval test track. There are ovals of track for testing trains, and various electrification systems. The test track is connected to the rest of the German railway network by a long branch line to the German portion of the Iron Rhine freigh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel (), sometimes referred to by the Portmanteau, portmanteau Chunnel, is a undersea railway tunnel, opened in 1994, that connects Folkestone (Kent, England) with Coquelles (Pas-de-Calais, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland. At its lowest point, the tunnel is below the sea bed and below sea level. At , it has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world and is the List of longest railway tunnels, third-longest railway tunnel in the world. While designed to accommodate trains travelling at up to , for safety, trains are restricted to a top speed of through the tunnel. The tunnel is owned and operated by Getlink, formerly Groupe Eurotunnel. The tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains, LeShuttle services for road vehicles and Rail freight transport, freight trains. It connects end-to-end with high-speed railway lines: the LG ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Modern Locomotives Illustrated
''Modern Locomotives Illustrated'' (formerly ''Locomotives Illustrated'') was a British bi-monthly railway publication. History ''Locomotives Illustrated'' was founded in 1975 by Geoffrey Freeman Allen with the intention of creating a series of magazines, each issue dedicated to an individual class of British steam locomotive. By mid-2007, the magazine had covered almost every class of steam locomotive and the publishers, ''Locomotives Illustrated'' ended in early 2008 after 170 issues. Ian Allan Publishing, were keen to revamp it. Ian Allan approached Colin J Marsden, former editor of ''Railways Illustrated'', to take over the editorship and re-launch the magazine as ''Modern Locomotives Illustrated'' with a focus on modern diesel and electric locomotives and multiple units. and ''Modern Locomotives Illustrated'' began from issue 171 in May 2008. The publishers originally envisaged a run of 66 issues, which is expected to rise to closer to 80. The magazine is now published b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail Class 450
The British Rail Class 450 ''Siemens Desiro, Desiro'' is a type of Third rail, third-rail Direct current, DC electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train that entered service during 2003. Used for outer-suburban services, the units were built with both first- and standard-class accommodation. They have a maximum speed of . The ''Desiro UK'' family also includes units of Classes British Rail Class 185, 185, British Rail Class 350, 350, British Rail Class 360, 360, British Rail Class 380, 380 and British Rail Class 444, 444. Along with the Class 444 ''Desiro'', the Class 450 units are operated by South Western Railway. Introduction In April 2001, 785 vehicles were ordered by South West Trains in order to complete the replacement of its slam door trains, slam-door rolling stock, in accordance with its franchise commitment to do so by 2005, as the slam-door trains, many of which were more than 40 years old, did not meet modern health and safety requirements. Introduction to se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail Class 423
The British Rail Class 423 ( 4 VEP), electric multiple unit passenger trains were mostly built by British Rail (BR) at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were built at Derby Works. They have manually opening doors next to every seating row and were the last coaching stock built in this pattern for BR. They were mostly found working outer-suburban services in South London and rural services in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ..., up to 2005 when they were finally replaced by Electrostar and Siemens Desiro, Desiro units. The fleet had a working life of 38 years. Description Standard units Ordered in 1965, 194 standard four-car 4 VEP units were built between 1967 and 1974, numbered 7701 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail Class 421
The British Rail Class 421 (Southern Railway multiple unit numbering and classification, 4CIG) electric multiple units were built at BR's Holgate Road carriage works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later units were introduced on services to Portsmouth. These units replaced older Southern Railway (UK), Southern Railway-designed units, such as the British Rail Class 403, 5Bel "Brighton Belle" units, and British Rail Class 404, 4Cor units. The fleet's lifespan was 46 years. Design Standard units The standard units contained only passenger accommodation, and formed the bulk of the fleet. They were unusual in that all four traction motors were mounted on one non-driving motor coach. Units consisted of two driving trailers, sandwiching the non-driving motor coach and an intermediate trailer. Units were built in two batches. 'Phase 1' units were built from 1963 to 1966 for the Brighton Lin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Rail Class 412
The British Rail Class 411 (British Rail unit designations, 4CEP) electric multiple units were built at Eastleigh railway works, Eastleigh works from 1956–63 for the newly electrified main lines in Kent. These units, which used the British Railways Mark 1 bodyshell, were based on the earlier Southern Railway (UK), Southern Railway British Rail Class 404, 4 COR design, built in 1937. Variants of the class 411 design included the Class 410 and Class 412 4 BEP units, which contained a buffet car in place of a standard trailer. They were later used on services in Sussex and Hampshire; following the privatisation of British Rail in 1995, the units were used by the Connex South Central, Connex South Eastern and South West Trains franchises. They were replaced by British Rail Class 458, Juniper, Siemens Desiro, Desiro, and British Rail Class 375, Electrostar units. The fleet's lifespan was 49 years. These units are the longest-lived BR Mark 1 EMUs. Description A total of 133 units ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
