French train breaks speed record
A French train with a 25,000-horsepower engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph (574.8 kph) as it zipped through the countryside to the applause of spectators.
Roaring like a jet plane, with sparks flying overhead and kicking up a long trail of dust, the black and chrome V150 with three double-decker cars surpassed the record of 320.2 mph (515.3 kph) set in 1990 by another French train.
It fell short, however, of beating the ultimate record set by Japan's magnetically levitated train, which hit 361 mph (580.9 kph) in 2003.
The demonstration was meant to showcase technology that France is trying to sell to overseas markets such as China.
As the V150 sped through the countryside, people lined bridges and clapped and cheered when it roared beneath them.
On board, there were noticeable vibrations as the train hurtled along. The air pressure briefly caused a slight earache.
"We saw the countryside go by a little faster than we did during the tests," said Eric Pieczac, who operated the train. "I'm proud to have fulfilled the mission."
"Everything went very well," he added. Technicians on the train had "French excellence" emblazoned on the backs of their T-shirts.
Philippe Mellier, president of Alstom Transports, the builder, had said before the test that the train would try to break the record held by the Japanese maglev train. But, in the end, the TGV came up just short.
The V150 was equipped with larger wheels than the usual TGV to cover more ground with each rotation and a stronger, 25,000-horsepower engine, said Alain Cuccaroni, in charge of the technical aspects of testing.
take care...
A French train with a 25,000-horsepower engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph (574.8 kph) as it zipped through the countryside to the applause of spectators.
Roaring like a jet plane, with sparks flying overhead and kicking up a long trail of dust, the black and chrome V150 with three double-decker cars surpassed the record of 320.2 mph (515.3 kph) set in 1990 by another French train.
It fell short, however, of beating the ultimate record set by Japan's magnetically levitated train, which hit 361 mph (580.9 kph) in 2003.
The demonstration was meant to showcase technology that France is trying to sell to overseas markets such as China.
As the V150 sped through the countryside, people lined bridges and clapped and cheered when it roared beneath them.
On board, there were noticeable vibrations as the train hurtled along. The air pressure briefly caused a slight earache.
"We saw the countryside go by a little faster than we did during the tests," said Eric Pieczac, who operated the train. "I'm proud to have fulfilled the mission."
"Everything went very well," he added. Technicians on the train had "French excellence" emblazoned on the backs of their T-shirts.
Philippe Mellier, president of Alstom Transports, the builder, had said before the test that the train would try to break the record held by the Japanese maglev train. But, in the end, the TGV came up just short.
The V150 was equipped with larger wheels than the usual TGV to cover more ground with each rotation and a stronger, 25,000-horsepower engine, said Alain Cuccaroni, in charge of the technical aspects of testing.
take care...