Portal:Trains

Portals → Technology → Transport → Trains

The Trains Portal

Image:

In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units).

As of 2018^[update], there are approximately 1,052,000 kilometres (654,000 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank (via Archive.org))

Shortcuts

edit

Selected article of the week

The SECR N1 class was a type of 3-cylinder 2-6-0 ('mogul') steam locomotive designed by Richard Maunsell for mixed traffic duties, initially on the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR), and later operated for the Southern Railway (SR). The N1 was a development of the basic principles established by the Great Western Railway's (GWR) Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) George Jackson Churchward and by Maunsell's previous N class design. The N1 prototype was the result of modifications made to N class No. 822 during construction in 1922. The locomotive became operational in 1923 and used parts interchangeable with other Maunsell locomotive classes. The prototype N1 was the only member of the class constructed before the SECR became part of the Southern Railway at the Grouping in 1923, and featured a variant of the Gresley conjugated valve gear designed by Harold Holcroft. The class set the precedent for the Southern Railway's subsequent 3-cylinder designs. The N1s compared favourably with the N class, although the type showed little improvement in performance. More of the class were built when it became clear that the type's smaller cylinders provided greater route availability. A total of six engines were built. The N1 class was primarily used on the Eastern section of the Southern Railway network, and used by the Southern Region of British Railways (BR) from 1948. The N1s gave valuable service until they were withdrawn in 1962. None were preserved.

Recently selected: Harriman (Erie Railroad station) - History of the Oslo Tramway and Metro - Charles Holden

More selected articles - Candidates

edit

Selected image of the week

This image has been deleted

Japanese National Railways C55 class steam locomotive C55 50 pulls a local passenger train on the Sōya Main Line in August 1974.

Recently selected: Aguas Calientes station - 20th Century Limited - Track near Carnoustie at sunset

More selected pictures - Candidates

edit

Did you know...

...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?

More did you know facts - Candidates

edit

Selected anniversaries

September 28

1934 – The Winwick rail crash occurs when a busy signalman lines an express passenger train onto a track occupied by a stationary local train; 12 people die in the collision as three of the train's passenger cars are telescoped.
2004 – The second LUAS line opens, the "Red Line" linking Tallaght in west Dublin to the city centre and Heuston and Connolly stations on the main Irish railway network.
2004 – Charles Wickliffe Moorman IV is promoted to president of Norfolk Southern Railway.
2004 – Railpower Technologies signs a memorandum of understanding with Swedish Train Technology to perform hybrid locomotive conversions in Europe.

More... - Archive

edit

Train News

April 30, 2026 – American railroad companies Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern amend their plan for a merger. The plan involves connecting existing networks as well as adding new routes. (Railway-News)
April 30, 2026 – German company Siemens Mobility signs a 200-train contract with Swiss Federal Railways. The contract, which was awarded in November 2025, was until recently contested by Siemens’ competitor Stadler. (Railway Gazette)
April 26, 2026 – 2026 Bekasi train crash – The train Argo Bromo Anggrek collides with a Commuterline train near Jakarta, Indonesia. The crash left 16 people dead, all from the rear car of the Commuterline, and an additional 91 people injured. This happened after a separate train collided with a taxi earlier that day. (BBC, Reuters )

April 26, 2026 – In Mexico, tracks are opened for Tren Felipe Ángeles, a rail link that connects Felipe Ángeles International Airport with Mexico City. (Railway Gazette)

Archive

General images

The following are images from various train-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Most derailments, such as this one in Switzerland, are minor and do not cause injuries or damage. (from Train)
Image 2Soviet RT-23 Molodets ICBM launch train, in the St Petersburg museum (from Railroad car)
Image 3US-style railroad truck (bogie) with journal bearings (from Train)
Image 4A Tokyo Monorail train (from Train)
Image 5RegioCitadis light rail train in Zoetermeer (the Netherlands). (from Train)
Image 6Garratt locomotives in Zimbabwe (from Train)
Image 7British Rail Mark 3 coach, an all-steel car from the 1970s (from Railroad car)
Image 8A freight car (boxcar type) for the South Australian Railways, 1926 (from Railroad car)
Image 9The Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives represented the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power. (from Train)
Image 10A number of maintenance vehicles at work on Metro-North Railroad (from Train)
Image 11The ESS 3200 electric locomotive was introduced in 1925 in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. (from Locomotive)
Image 12Yard for Amtrak equipment, located next to the Los Angeles River. The two tracks on the left are the mainline. (from Rail yard)
Image 13A China Railways HXD1D electric locomotive in China (from Locomotive)
Image 14The EMD FT set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over from steam. (from Train)
Image 15Electric train on Djursholmsbanan in Stockholm in the 1890s. (from Train)
Image 16A British Rail Class 150 in the United Kingdom (from Railroad car)
Image 17China operates an extensive high speed rail network. (from Train)
Image 18Schedule of train departure times in Indonesia stations (from Train)
Image 19A narrow-gauge battery–electric locomotive used for mining (from Locomotive)
Image 20An Indian locomotive class WDM-3A diesel locomotive in India (from Locomotive)
Image 21The New Orleans Streetcar System is the oldest in the world. (from Train)
Image 22Bombardier ALP-45DP, at the Innotrans convention in Berlin (from Locomotive)
Image 23A Victorian Railways R class steam locomotive in Australia (from Locomotive)
Image 24A narrow gauge train in Austria (from Train)
Image 25Workington stabling point in 1981, with locomotives from Classes 25, 40 and 47 parked between duties. (from Rail yard)
Image 26Armored train Hurban located in Zvolen, Slovakia (from Railroad car)
Image 27Werner von Siemens experimental DC electric train, 1879 (from Locomotive)
Image 28Various types of railroad cars in a classification yard in the United States (from Train)
Image 29A London Underground battery–electric locomotive used for hauling engineers' trains, at West Ham station (from Locomotive)
Image 30Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, by Claude Monet, 1877, Art Institute of Chicago (from Train)
Image 31A wooden toy train set from Swedish manufacturer Brio (from Train)
Image 32Baltimore & Ohio electric engine, 1895 (from Locomotive)
Image 33An interior of a Circle line S7 Stock in London (from Railroad car)
Image 34A coach yard in Shanghai, China (from Rail yard)
Image 35A Metropolitan line S8 Stock at Amersham in London (from Railroad car)
Image 36A gas turbine locomotive operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (from Train)
Image 37The 1887 Daimler draisine (from Locomotive)
Image 38Typical American extended vision caboose (from Railroad car)
Image 39A large Amtrak and Metra coach yard just south of Chicago Union Station. About 25 percent of all rail traffic in the United States travels through the Chicago area. (from Rail yard)
Image 40A preserved armored train (from Train)
Image 41Restored clerestory cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin (from Railroad car)
Image 42The "hump" of a hump yard. Railcars travel past retarders, which control their speed, and are directed onto tracks to be assembled into new trains. The control tower operates the retarders. (from Rail yard)
Image 43TGV Lacroix first class interior (from Train)
Image 44This GO Transit Bombardier BiLevel cab car includes a horn (top), a bell (top right), headlights (above the door), classification lights (red lights on side), and ditch lights (white lights on side). (from Train)
Image 45A prototype of a Ganz AC electric locomotive in Valtellina, Italy, 1901 (from Locomotive)
Image 46Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons. (from Train)
Image 47The first useful diesel locomotive (a diesel–electric) for long distances, the SŽD Eel2, 1924 in Kyiv (from Locomotive)
Image 48Southern Railway (UK) 20002 was equipped with both a pantograph and contact shoes. (from Locomotive)
Image 49Trains carrying hazardous materials display information identifying their cargo and hazards. This tank car carrying chlorine displays, among other markings, a U.S. DOT placard showing a UN number that identifies the hazardous substance. (from Train)
Image 50This map of Cedar Hill Yard in Connecticut shows a variety of different facilities, including receiving yards, departure yards, classification yards, and a repair yard. (from Rail yard)