The following article was posted on today's Trains e-News Wire....... New world speed record set for electric locomotives September 8, 2006 MUNICH, Germany - An Austrian Railways train twice broke the speed record for electric locomotives last Saturday when it reached 357 kilometers per hour (221.82 mph) in southern Germany. The Siemens-developed Eurosprinter ES64U4 (OeBB class 1216) locomotive first set a record of 344 kilometers per hour (213.75 mph) on a new stretch of track between Kinding and Allersberg, then went on to break it less than an hour later, the Deutsche Presse Agentur and other news sources reported. The locomotive eclipsed the previous record set on May 28-29, 1955, by two French Railways electric locomotives between Bordeaux and Dax, which reached 331 kilometers per hour (205.67 mph). Siemens arranged to bring over the two French locomotives that set the record in 1955 out of a museum to be present at the event. Most express trains in Europe travel at 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph) and this is considered routine or normal. The fast trains such as the TGV travel at about 300 kph (180 mph) but they are not locomotive hauled. _________________________________________________________ Then I found the following using Google...... Siemens-developed Electric Locomotive Breaks World Speed Record (357km/h) Munich, 02.09.2006 An Austrian Railways train twice broke a 51-year-old speed record for electric locomotives on Saturday when it reached 357 kilometres per hour (kph) in southern Germany. The Siemens-developed Eurosprinter first set a record of 344 kph on a new stretch of track between Kinding and Allersberg, then went on break it less than an hour later. The previous record of 331 kilometres per hour was set by a French Railways electric locomotive between Bordeaux and Dax in 1955. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur A Siemens electrical locomotive type ES64U4 speeds past the highway Nuremberg - Munich near Hilpoltstein, southern Germany, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006 on the new high speed track in an attempt to break the world record. The lococomotive clocked a new record speed of 357 km/h. (AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)
thats so sweet. Nice looking engine. As a side note. I got a special train ride today on a different siemens product. It was the new Light Rail extension in denver. I got to ride the first public train with a bunch of media and VIP's.
I wouldn't call a TGV 'loco hauled' because you can't use it other than with a TGV set. This is a loco as you can couple it up to anything compatible and Speaking personally I tend to define things like the TGV, ICE, Pendolino, HST, Acela as 'High Speed Train Sets' - irrespective of how it's powered it's designed to be used as a train set, not separate equipment. Semantics I know.... You can have endless arguments about what the UK's HST sets are for example....even BR changed it's mind and 'redefined' them in it's number range from fixed train sets to loco's and coaches - even though they are only used as fixed sets.
I have a new job working for a contractor that video tapes all the light rail events. I basically get to drive around to all the facilites and videotape and hang out. Once I get my ID I'll be pretty much in like flint. Much of the light rail runs parallel to joint line, so I get to railfan while at work quite a bit.
