33-613: The North Wind was a summer passenger train between New York City, New York and resorts in New Hampshire's White Mountains (New England) . Travel time was about 9 hours over the 331-mile (533 km) route to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire . The route went via the New Haven Railroad from New York City, New York to Springfield, Massachusetts , where it left the New Haven–Springfield Line to reach
66-431: A dining car or restaurant car to allow passengers to have a meal during the course of their journey. Trains travelling overnight may also have sleeping cars . Currently, much of travel on these distances of over 500 miles (800 km) is done by air in many countries but in others long-distance travel by rail is a popular or the only cheap way to travel long distances. One notable and growing long-distance train category
99-483: A commercial venture, as well as creating publicity and hopefully demand for more locomotives. Trevithick's fourth railway locomotive was built new for the Steam Circus. It was named Catch Me Who Can by the sister of Davies Gilbert . This new locomotive differed from the previous locomotive designs: instead of a horizontal cylinder, flywheel, and geared drive, Catch Me Who Can used a vertical cylinder encased in
132-572: A fixed schedule and have priority over freight trains . Passenger trains may be made up of a number of passenger cars hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be made up of self-propelled railcars . Car design and the general safety of passenger trains have dramatically evolved over time, making travel by rail remarkably safe. Some passenger trains, both long-distance and short-distance, use bi-level (double-decker) cars to carry more passengers per train. Passenger trains hauled by locomotives are more expensive to operate than multiple units, but have
165-602: A higher passenger capacity. Many prestigious passenger train services have been bestowed a special name , some of which have become famous in literature and fiction. The first occasion on which a railway locomotive pulled a train carrying passengers was in the United Kingdom in 1804, at Penydarren Ironworks in Wales , when 70 employees of the ironworks were transported 9 miles by an engine designed by Richard Trevithick . The first passenger train in regular service
198-1114: A train consisting of a single passenger car (carriage, coach) with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g. the Great Western Railway , used the term " railmotor ". If the railcar is able to pull a full train, it is more likely to be called a " motor coach " or a "motor car". The term "railcar" is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit that consist of more than one coach. Rapid transit trains are trains that operate in urban areas on exclusive rights-of-way in that pedestrians and road vehicles may not access them. Light rails are electrically powered urban passenger trains that run along an exclusive rights-of-way at ground level, raised structures, tunnels, or in streets. Light rail systems generally use lighter equipment that operate at slower speeds to allow for more flexibility in integrating systems into urban environments. Trams (also known as streetcars in North America) are
231-411: A type of passenger train that runs a tramway track on or alongside public urban streets, often including segments of right-of-way for passengers and vehicles. Heritage trains are often operated by volunteers, often railfans , as a tourist attraction or as a museum railway. Usually, the trains are formed from historic vehicles retired from national commercial operation that have retained or assumed
264-655: Is high-speed rail, which generally runs at speeds above 200 km/h (120 mph) and often operates on a dedicated track that is surveyed and prepared to accommodate high speeds. The first successful example of a high-speed passenger rail system was Japan's Shinkansen , colloquially known as the "bullet train", which commenced operation in October 1964. Other examples include Italy's LeFrecce , France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally "high speed train"), Germany's ICE (Inter-City Express), and Spain's AVE (Alta Velocidad Española). In most cases, high-speed rail travel
297-440: Is time- and cost-competitive with air travel when distances do not exceed 500 to 600 km (310 to 370 mi), as airport check-in and boarding procedures can add at least two hours to the overall transit time. Also, rail operating costs over these distances may be lower when the amount of jet fuel consumed by an airliner during takeoff and climbout is taken into consideration. Air travel becomes more cost-competitive as
330-617: The Boston and Maine Railroad at Springfield, Massachusetts , continuing northward to White River Junction, Vermont , Whitefield, New Hampshire and finally Bretton Woods, New Hampshire . The North Wind was a fast, daytime train intended to lure vacationers to the White Mountains. It operated with fewer stops than the Day White Mountains (14 versus 30) so as to offer a more competitive travel time with driving. It
363-539: The Euston Road , near London 's Euston Square . The site is believed to be under University College London ’s Chadwick Building, which now houses the Centre for Transport Studies. A circular track 100 feet (30 m) in diameter was built, on which a locomotive and a small number of carriages would run. Members of the public could view and ride on this train for a fare of 1 shilling . Trevithick hoped this would be
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#1732765640919396-720: The United States began in the 1830s and became popular in the 1850s and '60s. The first electric passenger train was exhibited at the Berlin Industrial Exposition 1879 . The first successful commercial electric passenger train, the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway , ran a year later in Lichterfelde . Long-distance trains travel between many cities or regions of a country, and sometimes cross several countries. They often have
429-456: The boiler , driving one pair of wheels directly. The cylinder was 14.5 inches (37 cm) in diameter, with a 4 feet (1.2 m) stroke. The boiler was Trevithick's return-flue type, complete with an internal firebox . The locomotive was similar to an engine that Trevithick had built in 1803 to power a dredger for use on the Thames . In spite of his goal of introducing steam locomotion to
462-498: The 1956 season. Passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self propelled passenger trains are known as multiple units or railcars . Passenger trains stop at stations or depots , where passengers may board and disembark. In most cases, passenger trains operate on
495-547: The Steam Circus, and he could not pay to have the railway fixed, and it closed. In the long term, the Steam Circus was not a fruitless venture. Trevithick had become the first person to successfully prove that a steam locomotive on iron rails was feasible. It would be another 20 years before Trevithick’s concept was fully realised at the Rainhill Trials of 1829, at which the pioneering railway engineers George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson successfully demonstrated
528-399: The character, appearance, and operating practices of railways in their time. Sometimes lines that operate in isolation also provide transport facilities for local people. Much of the equipment used on these trains' systems is original or at least aims to replicate both the look and the operating practices of historic/former railways companies. Passenger rail is one of the modes of travel with
561-873: The conventional rail infrastructure to support trains that can operate safely at higher speeds. Many cities and their surrounding areas are served by commuter trains (also known as suburban trains), which serve commuters who live outside of the city they work in, or vice versa. More specifically, in the United States commuter rail service is defined as, "short-haul rail passenger transportation in metropolitan and suburban areas usually having reduced fare, multiple ride, and commuter tickets and morning and evening peak period operations". Trains are very efficient for transporting large numbers of people at once, compared to road transport. While automobiles may be delayed by traffic congestion , trains operate on dedicated rights-of-way which allow them to bypass such congestion. With
594-411: The furthest points of the journey. This practice allows less populous communities to be served in the most cost-effective way, at the expense of a longer journey time for those wishing to travel to the terminus station. Higher-speed rail services operate at top speeds that are higher than conventional inter-city trains but below high-speed rail services. These services are provided after improvements to
627-441: The iron rails to break as the 8-ton locomotive passed over them. Trevithick had the track taken up and timber baulks laid under it to provide a more stable footing. By 28 July, almost all the track had been relaid and the train ran again soon afterwards. Within two months of its original opening, the locomotive again derailed. By then, fewer people were paying the shilling fare. Trevithick had spent all of his savings on setting up
660-564: The lack of reliable information about Catch Me Who Can had long been acknowledged. A replica is under construction by the Trevithick 200 charity at the Severn Valley Railway workshops, close to the site where the original locomotive was built. As of July 2017 work towards completion of the engine continues with the braking mechanism being the only major item left to complete. The replica engine can be seen outside near to
693-554: The lowest carbon dioxide emissions. Rail travel emits much less carbon dioxide per mile than air travel (2–27%) or car travel (2–24%). Catch Me Who Can Catch Me Who Can was the fourth and last steam railway locomotive created by the inventor and mining engineer Richard Trevithick . It was an evolution of three earlier locomotives which had been built for Coalbrookdale , Penydarren ironworks and Wylam colliery. Demonstration runs began in July 1808, and Catch Me Who Can
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#1732765640919726-552: The potential of their locomotive "Rocket" . In 2008, the curator of the National Museum of Science and Industry , John Liffen, announced that the most widely-known depiction of Catch Me Who Can and the Bloomsbury demonstration track was likely a twentieth century forgery. Other depictions based on this influential work were in turn misleading. There are few reliable illustrations of the locomotive. Even before this,
759-435: The public could pay to ride in carriages pulled by Catch Me Who Can around this track. During these demonstration runs, the locomotive reached a reported speed of between 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) and 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). The circus closed following a derailment caused by one of the rails breaking underneath the locomotive. While the advantages and applications of steam locomotives had been demonstrated,
792-518: The public, Trevithick built a high wooden fence around the demonstration track, concealing it from view to all but those who paid to enter. This may have been done as a means of increasing revenue. Catch Me Who Can became the world’s first locomotive to haul fare-paying passengers. Some claimed that performance of the locomotive was inferior to that of a horse over a 24 hour endurance test. Trevithick claimed that Catch Me Who Can could travel over 240 miles (390 km) in that time. The locomotive
825-522: The same trackage (though not simultaneously), as well as producing a more comfortable ride for passengers. "Inter-city" is a general term for any rail service that uses trains with limited stops to provide fast long-distance travel. Inter-city services can be divided into three major groups: The distinction between the three types of inter-city rail service may be unclear; trains can run as InterCity services between major cities, then revert to an express (or even regional) train service to reach communities at
858-729: The travel distance increases because the fuel accounts for less of the overall operating cost of the airliner. Some high-speed rail systems employ tilting technology to improve stability in curves. Examples of tilting trains are the Advanced Passenger Train (APT), the Pendolino , the N700 Series Shinkansen , Amtrak 's Acela and the Spanish Talgo . Tilting is a dynamic form of superelevation , allowing both low- and high-speed traffic to use
891-399: The use of bilevel cars , which are tall enough to have two levels of seating, commuter rail services can haul as many as 150 commuters per train car, and over 1,000 per train: much more than the capacity of automobiles and buses. In British and Australian usage, a "railcar" is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term is usually used in reference to
924-420: The venture was a financial failure that played a significant part in Trevithick's bankruptcy in 1809. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the inventor and mining engineer Richard Trevithick was the primary developer of the steam locomotive . He wanted to present his new invention to the general public, and he looked for a suitable site to demonstrate his invention. He chose Bloomsbury , directly south of
957-675: Was a horse drawn train on the Swansea and Mumbles Railway which opened in 1807. In 1808, Trevithick ran a passenger-carrying exhibition train called Catch Me Who Can on a small loop of track in London. The exhibition, which ran for two weeks, charged passengers for rides. The first steam train carrying passengers on a public railway was hauled by Locomotion No. 1 on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 , traveling at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Travel by passenger trains in
990-543: Was combined with the Day White Mountains train from New York City to Springfield with that train making more stops north of Springfield and terminating in Groveton, New Hampshire . For the 1956 season, it ran combined with the Day White Mountains as far as White River Junction in an effort reduce passenger train expenses under the newly arrived president, Patrick McGinnis. The train was discontinued after
1023-503: Was considered the premier train serving the New York City to White Mountains route and offered parlor seats for its entire route as well as a dining car as far as Bellows Falls or White River Junction. Initially in 1946, the train provided gratifying results according to B&M management. For the summer of 1949, the northern terminus was extended from Whitefield, New Hampshire to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire . Starting in 1950, it
North Wind - Misplaced Pages Continue
1056-400: Was reported to have reached a top speed of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) on the circular track and Trevithick was of the opinion that it was capable of 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) on straight track. Operation of Catch Me Who was hindered by the soft ground that the track was laid on. Trial runs began around 24 July 1808, but almost immediately the ground under the track sank, causing
1089-576: Was the first locomotive in the world to haul fare-paying passengers. Catch Me Who Can was constructed during 1808 by the engineers John Urpeth Rastrick and John Hazledine at their foundry in Bridgnorth , England . It was demonstrated to the public at Trevithick's "Steam Circus", a circular track in Bloomsbury , just south of the present-day Euston Square tube station , in London . Members of
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