It’s the ultimate test of time!
How would old-school trains stand up against the ones we have today?
Is there even any comparing?
You might be surprised: the grandpappies of locomotives have their own victories if you
ask me!
But more on that later.
For now, full-steam ahead, er, back to the past!
Rail cars were used in some parts of England as far back as the early 1500s.
They were mostly for carrying coal or unrefined metals out of mines or onto ships.
The first real trains didn’t come along until the Locomotion No.1 made its maiden
journey in 1825.
This early engine looked like a barrel on wheels, and the little 400-foot train chugged
along at a leisurely 15 mph.
Small and slow – but it did manage to haul about 600 passengers on its opening day!
Fast forward 100 years, and trains were the kings of long-distance travel.
For example, there’s the jolly green giant known as the Flying Scotsman.
It has more to its name than a brief cameo in the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
Built almost a century after the Locomotion No.1, the engine car of the Flying Scotsman
is nearly 80 ft long and weighs over 100 tons.
(Compare that to Locomotion No.1’s measly 7-ton engine car!).
With a maximum speed of 100 mph, a race between the two wouldn’t even be a fair contest.
But what about the trains of today?
Diesel trains date back to the late 1800s, but only really started to come into their
own in the 1950s.
Modern diesel trains aren't that much faster than those of the Scotsman's generation.
The quickest diesel locomotives in the world are the British InterCity 125s.
In service since the 1970s, these trains were designed to travel at 125 mph but have been
known to reach speeds of up to 148 mph when pushed to their limits.
That’s a maximum speed comparable to some light aircraft.
Diesel trains are also much more efficient than their steam predecessors.
Steam engines burn coal or wood to boil water.
The steam is collected inside the body of the engine and used to turn the wheels that
push it forward.
The problem: it takes a lot of pressure to move a train, so coal-powered engines needed
time to warm up before they were ready to go.
Meaning too much coal had to be burnt before the train could start moving.
The excess steam also needed to be released when the train arrived, which meant so much
built-up energy going to waste.
Making matters worse, steam engines were dirty, so the boilers required a thorough cleaning
at least once a month.
The engines also needed to be partially disassembled as part of regular maintenance.
Diesel engines are much cleaner and less prone to breaking down.
In the 1930s, a typical steam train could spend as much as 65% of its time offline for
maintenance.
A diesel engine from the same era only had to spend 5% of its time in the garage, and
that number has only continued to shrink over the decades.
But if you want to talk about speed and efficiency, that would be electric.
One of the fastest trains operating today is the SNCF TGV POS.
Hey buy a vowel, will ya?
Its name may be a tongue-twisting jumble of letters, but these sleek locomotives are capable
of a blistering 200 mph!
There are a few reasons electric trains are able to achieve such cheek-flapping speeds,
but weight is one of the biggest.
Most diesel trains are actually diesel-electric.
This means that the engine produces electricity, which is then used to power the motors that
drive the train forward.
Electric trains only need the motor that turns the wheels.
Since they get all their power from the electrical grid, they also don’t need to worry about
carrying the weight of fuel.
Electric trains are also quieter and completely emission-free.
They can even produce some of their own power through a system known as regenerative braking.
Put simply, this means that as the train slows down, the electric motors can work as electrical
generators.
The energy they produce can then be put back into the railway electrical grid.
Removing the diesel engines also cuts down on the number of moving parts.
Fewer parts mean fewer things that can break, which cuts down on maintenance time.
The only real downside is the upfront cost of electrifying a preexisting rail network,
but that's the kind of problem that's only an issue once.
Then there are maglev trains, which use magnets to hover (or levitate) above the tracks.
Futuristic, fast, and quiet, they have all the benefits of conventional electric trains.
They're also immune to derailments, and the lack of wheels means they don’t experience
friction, which lets them travel at a much greater speed than is possible on standard
tracks.
As of 2019, the fastest train in the world is the SCMaglev, which can reach an incredible
maximum speed of 375 mph.
Hope you weren’t planning on seeing this bad boy for yourself any time soon – unfortunately,
the track it’s going to run on isn’t scheduled to open until 2027 and won’t be 100% complete
until 2042.
The problem is that maglev trains can't run on regular tracks.
An entirely new rail system must be built for them, and that comes with a hefty price
tag.
Not everyone's convinced the benefits of maglev trains outweigh the cost.
But what do you think?
Or, more generally, how is the rail system in your country?
Long overdue for an upgrade?
Let me know down in the comments!
Now, speed and efficiency are important and all, but what’s it like to ride on these
machines?
And how does that compare to our old barrel on wheels from earlier?
Yeah, the first generations of trains weren't very fun to ride in.
Oh, I'm sure there was a lot of excitement the first time you saw a giant metal horse
stampeding down the tracks, but that childlike wonder with a dash of fear wore off if you
were planning to ride for more than a few hours.
The first train cars resembled carriages or stagecoaches and didn't offer much protection
from the smoke billowing from the engine.
They were as unsafe as they were uncomfortable.
The cars sometimes banged together when stopping, and passengers were often thrown from their
seats.
The engine also tended to throw off sparks or hot embers that could cause a fire.
Glass half-full: it didn’t take too long for train cars to develop into something more
recognizable.
Half-empty: they weren’t much more comfortable.
Are you in Chicago and want to visit family on the East Coast?
Well, get ready to spend up to two days sitting on a hard, wooden bench!
Things would improve in 1862 when the Pullman company started producing luxury sleeper cars.
And I don’t use the word luxury lightly.
The cars had upholstered seats, carpeting, and lacquered wood.
Beds were concealed behind overhead panels and folded down like luggage compartments.
The Pullman company even manufactured private luxury cars.
Basically, hotel suites on wheels!
There ya go, Pappy, your victory!
…Or not.
Modern train cars are still much safer and more comfortable than anything from the 19th
century.
Although, anyone who rides the subway to work might have trouble believing that.
Depending on where you live, the subway is the best or worst part of city living.
Long-distance trains, on the other hand, can feel like the lap of luxury.
The seats on modern passenger trains are similar to the ones on many airliners.
The difference is that they don't need seatbelts, and you're free to get up and walk around
whenever you feel like it.
Private rail cars are rare in the modern world, but sleeper cars are alive and well.
Depending on the route, your train might come equipped with anything from a small café
or snack bar to its own gourmet restaurant.
And of course, most passenger trains come equipped with the greatest necessity of modern
living: free Wi-Fi!
All aboard! [train whistle toot]
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