Talgo

Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles. It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches. Another feature of the design is the suspension, which allows the vehicle to passively tilt into curves, aiding passenger comfort.

Corporate history

TALGO stands for "Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol" (Goicoechea-Oriol light articulated train), Alejandro Goicoechea and José Luis Oriol being the founders of the company. Talgo Patents S.A. was originally incorporated in 1942. In March 2007 Talgo sold its Finnish rolling stock manufacturing subsidiary Talgo Oy to its local management and other Finnish investors. The company, which Talgo had owned for only seven years, reverted to its previous name of Transtech Oy. The company spends 10 to 12 percent of revenues on research and development,cite web
url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=GO6c-1WVxhcC&pg=PA104&lpg=PA104&dq=Talgo+III+RD&source=web&ots=FSbzqwppak&sig=JJNqb3zrd6DH0LWAe0wgkGNqW4M&hl=en#PPA104,M1
title=The Limits of Convergence
ISBN=0691057052
author=Mauro F. Guillén
publisher=Princeton University Press
year=2001
accessdate=2008-05-07] but the main revenue source is the Spanish state railway operator RENFE.cite web
url=http://books.google.com.au/books?id=hOsiGt_VoAMC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=Talgo+III+RD&source=web&ots=nvHjAuroJt&sig=BiLs-U9E8928ZrdGGLM0y-yySPo&hl=en
title=The Rise of Spanish Multinationals
publisher=Cambridge University Press
year=2005
author=Mauro F. Guillén
accessdate=2008-05-07]

Technology

Talgo trains are best known for their unconventional articulated railway passenger cars design in which the wheels are mounted in pairs, but not joined by an axle, and being between rather than underneath the individual coaches. Talgo trains fitted with variable gauge axles can change rail gauge - for instance at the Spanish (1668 millimeters)/French (1435 millimeters) border. Since the introduction of the Talgo Pendular, the train tilts naturally inwards on curves, making it more comfortable for the passengers. This system also allows the train to run faster on some lines.

Trains

Talgo trains are divided into a number of generations. They come in both locomotive hauled and self propelled versions.

Talgo I

The Talgo I coaches were built in 1942.cite web
url=http://www.talgo.com/htm/English/historia1.htm
title=Historia de Talgo
publisher=www.talgo.com
accessdate=2008-05-07] Built as a prototype it broke numerous speed records.

Talgo II

Talgo II coaches and locomotives were first built in 1950 at the American Car and Foundry Company works in the United States under the direction of Spanish engineers. It then entered service in Rock Island Line, servicing the Jet Rocket train, between Chicago and Peoria. One was also trailed on the New York Central Railroad until 1958 but saw little success.

In Spain Talgo II trains entered revenue service soon after, with total success, and were not retired until 1972.

Talgo III

Talgo III coaches and locomotives entered service in 1964, introducing longer cars and easy directional reversibility of the cars. The Talgo III RD variant was equipped with variable gauge axles, and ran the first though train from Madrid to Paris as well as Barcelona to Geneva in 1968, despite the difference in rail gauge.

Talgo Pendular

The Talgo Pendular (Talgo IV and Talgo V, also VI & Talgo 200 or 6th generation) introduced from 1980 created the 'natural tilting' train - a tilting train that does not need electronic sensors or hydraulic equipment to move the carriages.

In 1988 they were used on trials for Amtrak on Boston-New York corridor in the United States and on Deutsche Bahn lines in Germany. Trial commercial services with Talgo cars in the United States commenced in 1994 between Seattle and Portland, and from 1998 different train have been used on the Amtrak Cascades services from Vancouver, British Columbia south to Seattle, Washington, continuing south via Portland, Oregon to Eugene, Oregon. [cite web
url=http://www.talgoamerica.com/history.asp
title=TALGO AMERICA - History
publisher=www.talgoamerica.com
accessdate=2008-05-07]

Talgo 200 series trains are also in use in Kazakhstan for the overnight train Almaty - Astana. [cite web
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQQ/is_12_40/ai_68704726
title=Kazakhstan Buys Two Talgo Trains | International Railway Journal | Find Articles at BNET.com
publisher=findarticles.com
accessdate=2008-05-07]

Talgo 250

The Talgo 250 (Talgo VII & Talgo VII) is a dual voltage electric train (AC-DC) equipped with variable gauge axles. Due to this, they are used for the cross-border services to Montpellier. Developed for RENFE (classed as S.130) the intermediate coaches are of 7th generation Talgo Pendular design. [cite web
url=http://www.talgo.com/htm/English/productos1.htm
title=Productos Talgo
publisher=www.talgo.com
accessdate=2008-05-07]

Talgo 350

The Talgo 350 (class S.102) marked the companies entry into the high-speed train manufacturing market. Tests with the prototype commenced in 1994, and Talgo 350 trains have been operating at a top commercial speed of 330 km/h on the Madrid-Barcelona and Madrid-Valladolid line since December 22 2007. This series of trains are designed to reach a speed of convert|350|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on, although present lines and commercial services limit the speed at convert|330|km/h|mi/h|abbr=on. [cite web
url=http://www.railway-technology.com/features/feature1097/
title=Railway Technology - Spain's Great Rail Race - High-Speed Train Lines
publisher=www.railway-technology.com
accessdate=2008-05-07] [cite web
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQQ/is_10_42/ai_99512028
title=Talgo evolves its unique design for ultra high speed - High Speed: Spain | International Railway Journal | Find Articles at BNET.com
publisher=findarticles.com
accessdate=2008-05-07]

Talgo XXI

Talgo XXI (also known as the Talgo 7th generation) is a high speed diesel-powered train, that operates in push-pull with one or two locomotives. They have been built to North American standards — in compliance with United States FRA regulations — rather than to European UIC standards. [cite web
url=http://www.talgoamerica.com/talgo_xxi.asp
title=TALGO AMERICA - Talgo XXI
publisher=www.talgoamerica.com
accessdate=2008-05-07] It has travelled at 256 km/h on the Olmedo - Medina del Campo high speed experimental line on 9 July 2002, [cite web
url=http://www.talgo.com/htm/historia101.htm
title=Talgo: History
publisher=www.talgo.com
accessdate=2008-06-02] which has led to a claim for the world speed record for a diesel train.

Variable Gauge Axles (VGA)

Talgo has been developing a range of Variable Gauge Axles rolling stock. By 2006, VGA locomotives were starting to become available. [ http://www.crashbuffer.com/p14e.htm ]

ee also

*
*Amtrak Cascades
*Articulated car
*EMD LWT12
*FM P-12-42
*Talgo XXI
*Tilting train
*UAC TurboTrain
*Wheelset (railroad)

References

External links

* [http://www.talgousa.com/ Talgo USA Web site (English)]
* [http://www.talgo.com/htm/spain.htm Talgo company Web site (choice of Spanish or English)]
* [http://www.talgo.de Talgo Deutschland]
* [http://www.talgo.fi Transtech Oy] (Finland)
* [http://albumfototrenes.idohost.com/Coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=search&search=talgo Talgo Pictures]