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In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units). As of 2018[update], there are approximately 1,052,000 kilometres (654,000 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank (via Archive.org)) |
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Selected article of the week
The SR Class Q, also regarded as the Q Class, is a type of 0-6-0 steam locomotive constructed prior to the Second World War for use in the United Kingdom. The class was designed by Richard Maunsell to Victorian principles of locomotive design, and were for use on medium-distance freight turns to be found on the Southern Railway network. Twenty locomotives were built under the auspices of Maunsell's successor, Oliver Bulleid, in 1938, though they were superseded by Bulleid's newer Q1 Class design. Modified by Bulleid to improve performance, the Q Class locomotives were utilised throughout the Southern system until their withdrawal in 1965. Only one has survived into preservation; it is displayed on the Bluebell Railway.
Recently selected: Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad - Lysaker Station - Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Selected image of the week
A mid-Victorian era photograph showing a Colne Valley and Halstead Railway 2-2-2WT at Halstead engine shed.
This Sharp built engine was the only single used on the line. Originally constructed in 1849 for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, the locomotive was involved in an accident close to New Cross in 1855. After being rebuilt it was sold to the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway. This photo shows the driver involved in the crash (Mr C. Taunton) who was transferred to Halstead shed along with the locomotive. Today, much of the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway forms the basis of the Colne Valley Railway.
Recently selected: Backyard railroad - Derailed Shinkansen - Early section car
Did you know...
- ...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
- ...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
- ...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
- ...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?
Selected anniversaries
- August 23
![RJ Corman #8569, an SD40T-2, waits for its next assignment just across the river from Thurmond, WV, in 2008](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/RJCorman-No-8569.jpg/100px-RJCorman-No-8569.jpg)
- 1882 – The first Canadian Pacific Railway train arrives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 1897 – Groundbreaking ceremonies are held for the construction of the Ottawa and New York Railway.
- 1951 – The Cangkring (near Cirebon, Indonesia) train station is destroyed by fire.
- 2013 – Richard J. Corman, founder and owner of R.J. Corman Railroad Group (locomotive pictured), dies (b. 1955).
Train News
- July 24, 2021 – Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 2926, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944, moves under its own power for the first time since Christmas Eve of 1953, after nearly twenty-two years of being rebuilt by volunteers. The locomotive will be put into mainline excursion service. (NMSL&RHS, Trains Magazine on Facebook)
- May 5, 2021 – Steamtown National Historic Site completes thorough cosmetic overhaul on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4012, which is moved back on static display before National Train Day. (NEPA Scene)
- April 2, 2021 – 2021 Hualien train derailment – A Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derails at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least 200 others. North of Hualien City a construction truck had fallen down a slope onto the tracks. The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with the truck, and then came to a rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties. (Bloomberg, CNN, CNA, New York Times, Financial Times)
- December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)
- September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)
- June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)
General images
WikiProjects
WikiProject Trains (Shortcut: WP:TWP)
- WikiProject Stations (WP:STA)
- WikiProject Streetcars (WP:TRAM)
- WikiProject Rapid transit (WP:RTPJ) inactive
- By region:
- WikiProject Metros of the former Soviet Union (WP:SOVMETRO) inactive
- WikiProject Indian railways (WP:INRW)
- WikiProject Trains in Japan (WP:TJ)
- WikiProject New Zealand Railways (WP:NZR)
- WikiProject Pakistan Railways (WP:PKR) inactive
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Fictional rail transport topics:
Note: WikiProjects marked as inactive are retained pending future editing activity
Subcategories
Things you can do
See also Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/Todo and Wikipedia:Pages needing attention/Railroads
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