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0 pointsderefr8y ago0 comments

The parent is talking about subway "trains" (sets of coaches, with each car having its own small electric engines, all powered by a common third rail); not, er, train trains (vehicles that pull themselves along two rails using a locomotive.)

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the84728y ago· 2 in thread

Nitpick: self-propelling cars are not a distinguishing property for light rail. Some modern high speed trains use self-propelling cars[0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_Velaro

twic8y ago

The technical term is "electric multiple unit", and it's becoming the default for high-speed trains use them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_multiple_unit#Example...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_395

High speed aside, in the UK, i think pretty much all inner and outer suburban main-line trains are electric or diesel multiple units (eg if you get a train from London to Cambridge that takes 45 minutes, that's an EMU). According to some random report i found on wikipedia [1], in 2011 there were 1248 locomotive-hauled carriages, 2892 DMU carriages, and 8046 EMU carriages. I could tell you a great many more particulars but suppose that you are tired of it by this time.

[1] http://archive.nr.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/r...

isostatic8y ago

Loco hauled are very rare - HSTs from the 70s mainly being replaced on GWR mainline, a little use on WCML and cross country 2 or 3 sets?) and I think the east coast does them too. And Eurostar of course.

Aside from those it's freight and the sleepers isn't it?

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