Pendolino or rapido trains

Following my first article on pendolino trains, famous Canadian turbo-trains. The train configuration is one with a locomotive at both ends and aI would like to give you a few more images of the variable number of wagons. The locomotive is equiped with a gaz turbine power plant in the front of the locomotive, a passenger compartment in the back and the drivers cockpit in top looking like the WW2 british bombers. On each wagon center, only two doors were provided for passenger access.


The USA bought several turbo-train sets from United Aircraft Corp and we can see one here in its triple wafgon format : only one passenger wagon was between each locomotive allowing fors faster speeds.







With the growing complaints by passengers about the service quality offered by both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific companies, the federal government decided to to launch a specific company for passenger service. VIA Rail was born and the headquarters were located in Montreal being central in the St-Lawrence corridor and not far from major eastern US cities. Hence, VIA bought CN's turbo-trains and operated them until the arrival of the LRC.

In 1972, this turbo-train was the sole train powered by a turbine along with the French Alsthom turbo-train.


The main problem problem with Canadian passenger transport was simply their lack of realism. For example, the turbo-train operated by the CN were pulling up to ten wagons and this weight charge could only result in lower cruising speeds (never more than160 km/h while the Amtrack small train sets could easily approach 200 km/h). Another example, the CN and CP were the track owners and they were giving priority to freight transport using the very low speed American locomotives (speed not exceeding 70 km/h). Of course to cross Canada from coast to coast, you did not need speed but long train loads instead. Inasmuch, many passengers were blocked many hours behind a freight train. This shows the incompatibility of freight and passenger service. From the moment that VIA obtained priority on tracks, the freight trains were scheduled after the passenger ones, then dramatic service improvements came from the train punctuality and the rolling stock could then prove its worthiness.  One last point was that it was useless to design "rapido" trains if you asked them to stop at every station. This also shows that VIA has never bought appropriate train sets for the "milk runs" like so many can be found in Europe.

This means that Canada has rarely put the realistic and necessary effort or investment into proper train transport aimed at passenger satisfaction translated in terms of rapid service and punctuality.

One can easily appreciate the sleek elegance of these trains with its top windows becoming the VIA trademark. Moreover, from an engineering point of viex, these trains were the sum of the ebats available technology of the moment:
- the Spanish Talgo attachment technology. Two wagons were sitting on a single wheel set and this feature is the best way to insure train lengthwise stability. This principle was later applied on the French TGV which do not see their wagons folding in accidents.
- The first wagon tilting mechanism which later inspired the second generation of Talgos. This tilting mechanism was a very effective passive one.
- The turbine powered locomotives.
The rapido train have set North American records at speeds up to 270 km/h in trial runs. The Canadian crusing speeds were 150 km/h. The limiting factor was the poor track quality.

As fas as drawbacks are concerned, we can identify the following:
- the lack of access doors,
- the very heavy locomotives,
- the long train sets limiting speeds,
- the suspension was not isolating vibration very well and the ride was not considered a very comfortable one.