High-Speed Streamlined Passenger Trains.

Schonenberg Station, Berlin, German Railway Company.

Amerry christmas to readers everywhere! At Home, and throughout Europe, Christmas this year promises to be a much happier festival than those of recent times, thanks largely to improving trade and increased employment. During the depression numbers of railway employees were temporarily laid off, but most of these have now been reinstated, and of real unemployment in the transportation industry there is, to-day, little. Europe may, or may not, experience a genuine old-fashioned winter such as Charles Dickens loved to portray. Snow or sunshine, however, European railway folk will joyously celebrate this outstanding Christian festival, which so happily links together, in one common brotherhood, the peoples of the globe.

High-speed passenger trains, designed on streamlined principles, are a feature of present-day railway development. In both Europe and America interesting designs of streamlined trains and railcars have recently been put into service, and as a consequence main-line schedules are being speeded up materially.

At Home, the Great Western are utilising streamlined railcars in crosscountry services like that between Birmingham and Cardiff. The first streamlined railcar to be operated on the Great Western—and in Britain—was an experimental vehicle tried out in the Reading area last year. The new streamlined internal combustion cars follow the general lines of this pioneer vehicle, but are somewhat more powerful. Built by the Associated Equipment Co. Ltd., they incorporate two engines, of the A.E.C. 130 h.p. compressionignition type, enabling speeds of up to eighty m.p.h. to be reached. Fluid flywheel transmission is employed, incorporating a four-speed pre-selective Wilson patent gearbox. The brakes are of the road vehicle pattern, with fabric-lined shoes expanding inside drums, and operated on a vacuum-hydraulic system.

The new railcars of the Great Western have seating capacity for forty passengers in a central saloon. A luggage compartment, stand-up bar and cafeteria, and two lavatories are also provided, while there is a driver's compartment at each end. Total length of the car over buffers is 63ft. 7in. The 117 1/2-mile trip from Birmingham to Cardiff is performed at an average speed of 50 m.p.h., including two stops. The cars carry one class only, and a supplement of 2s. 6d. is charged in addition to the standard third-class fare. In explanation of the introduction of the streamlined express railcars, the Great Western management state that in certain cases there is insufficient traffic between important centres to justify the running of a through train, and many stops are necessary to make the service remunerative. To meet this position and to give a more expeditious service to the public, the express streamlined railcars have been introduced.

Across the Channel, Germany, Holland, Denmark and Russia are featuring

The new streamlined train of the Union Pacific Railway, U.S.A.

streamlined trains of various kinds. The “Flying Hamburger” Berlin-Hamburg service has now been supplemented by other services of fast streamlined trains linking important German centres. In Holland forty Diesel-electric streamlined trains are being introduced for main-line working, each train having three cars and seating 160 passengers.

Elaborate streamlining and the elimination of eddy currents under the carriages by the provision of sheet-iron aprons stretching almost down to rail level, are features of the new express trains put into traffic in Denmark. These are Diesel-electric articulated trains consisting of three cars, seating 156 passengers.

America gives us something really spectacular in the stainless steel streamlined train put into traffic on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad; the new streamlined passenger trains of the Union Pacific system; and the striking new streamlined trains under construction for the Baltimore and Ohio (Continued on page 56.) page 15 page 16