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Worlds fastest train

12K views 21 replies 13 participants last post by  fp45 
#1 ·
#3 ·
That would be insane to model Maglev trains. They would need a special track and everything.:D This would be very cool if some day we were able to model Maglev trains though! :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
They make them for performance.

The world record for conventional high-speed rail is held by the V150, a specially configured version of Alstom’s TGV which clocked 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph) on a test run.

The world speed record for Maglev is held by the Japanese experimental MLX01: 581 km/h (361 mph).

They are almost flying!:D
 
#13 ·
The difference in the streamlining is in the expected max speed of the train. The faster the sleeker. pete
Not quite buying that, Pete. Sure, there may be some difference in the expected top speed, but in proportion to the length of the train and the "Reynolds Number" of air flow across it, I have a hard time believing that each would be tailored to such a substantially different shape. The Reynolds Numbers are too close to have that much of an impact.

I'm not saying that the shapes are wrong, but rather that there may be a range of "sweet spots" where there's quite a bit of potential variation in loco shape design with the same net drag coefficient.

TJ
 
#15 · (Edited)
The Reynolds number is a technical calculation to determine if a fluid (or gas) is flowing in turbulent (bad) or laminar (good) flow. High Reynolds numbers indicate turbulence which contribute to parasitic drag and would make the train less efficient.

I was surprised at the vast array of different styles in the Shinkasen trains while I was in Japan. Regardless of the shape they all hauled serious booty.

Here's a wiki link about it. I don't miss Fluid Mechanics class at all......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_number
 
#19 ·
High speed rail in any state will not be feasible. The people won't ride the train in general.
There are NO rail systems in the United States that actually pay their own way. They all have to be subsidized by the government which is why Florida turned down 12 million bucks from the feds to get a high speed rail going here. There is no way it will earn enough money to pay it's own way. California has been talking about high speed rail for thirty years and can't get it going because all the money is going to the illegal immigrunts. Pete
 
#20 ·
I would love to have a train service that takes me from my house to Sacramento in 45 mins. Also, looking at the proyected routes on the website, the "HIGH SPEED RAIL will be going right behind my house just like the San Joaquin Line does now.
 
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