![]() ![]() Verify correct operation and generate statistics.Support off – put weight back on lock from the guide rails.Support on – takes weight off lock and on the guide rails.Verify that all vehicles in train are suitable for Gauge Change.Designs consist of a pair of running rails that gradually vary in width between the two gauges, combined with other rails and levers to perform the following steps, using Talgo RD as an example: Gauge changer A Talgo gauge changing system in Lleida, SpainĪ gauge changer is a device which forces the gauge adjustment in the wheels. The Talgo RD GC changes gauge at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph 4.2 m/s) so a 100 m (328 ft) train takes only 24 seconds to convert. Only CAF and Talgo produce high-speed VGA, allowing speeds up to 250 km/h. The maximum speed of the trains equipped with the different technologies varies. When one of the gauges is narrow there may not be enough space between the wheels for the Brakes, Gauge Changer and the Traction Motors. VGA is particularly important with international railway traffic because gauge changes tend to occur more often at international borders.ĭifferent systems have different limitations, for example, some can be used on carriages and wagons only and are unsuitable for motive power, while others require that rolling stock is unloaded before going through the gauge changer. In 2009, at Roda de Barà near Tarragona, a Unichanger capable of handling four different VGA systems was under development. The SUW 2000 and Rafil Type V systems are interoperable, as are TALGO-RD and CAF-BRAVA. The variable gauge systems are not themselves all compatible. Montreux-Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB), also developed by Prose of Winterthur in 2022 ( 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1⁄ 2 in)/ 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3⁄ 8 in)).PKP SUW 2000 system produced by ZNTK Poznań for Polish State Railways.Japan Railways RTRI (from the Japan Railway Technical Research Institute) to be used on motorised axles.DBAG– Rafil Type V for freight (from Radsatzfabrik Ilsenburg for Deutsche Bahn).being developed in 2002 for use between Europe and Russia. The design was subsequently obtained and improved by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF). ![]() The system was originally called the "Vevey axle". The BRAVA system was originally designed in 1968 by the Vevey Company in Switzerland.CAF-BRAVA (from Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles).From 2014 for freight wagons up to 22.5 tonne axleloads.It is used on the Strizh train (swift) between Moscow and Berlin.The Talgo system has been in revenue service in Portbou and Irun, on the Spanish-French border, since 1969.There are several variable gauge axle systems: Systems Variable gauge axle DR III for 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1⁄ 2 in) and 1,524 mm ( 5 ft) gauge, developed in 1957 No gauge changer designs supporting more than two gauges are used. Systems allow the adjustment between two gauges. Variable gauge axles help solve the problem of a break-of-gauge without having to resort to dual gauge tracks or transshipment. Īlternative names include Gauge Adjustable Wheelsets (GAW), Automatic Track Gauge Changeover System (ATGCS/TGCS), Rolling Stock Re-Gauging System (RSRS), Rail Gauge Adjustment System (RGAS), Shifting wheelset, Variable Gauge Rolling Truck, track gauge change and track change wheelset. Although several alternatives exist, including transferring freight, replacing individual wheels and axles, truck exchange, transporter flatcars or the simple transshipment of freight or passengers, they are impractical, thus a cheap and fast system for changing gauge would be beneficial for cross-border freight traffic. Similar systems for freight traffic are still in their infancy, as the higher axle weight increases the technological challenge. Installed variable gauge systems exist within the internal network of Spain, and are installed on international links between Spain/France (Spanish train), Sweden/Finland (Swedish train), Poland/ Lithuania (Polish train) and Poland/ Ukraine (Polish train).Ī system for changing gauge without the need to stop is in widespread use for passenger traffic in Spain, for services run on a mix of dedicated high-speed lines (using Standard gauge) and older lines (using Iberian gauge). In effect, the track widens or narrows.Īs the train passes through the gauge changer, the wheels are unlocked, are moved closer together, or further apart, and are then re-locked. The gauge is altered by driving the train through a gauge changer or gauge changing facility. A variable gauge system allows railway vehicles in a train to travel across a break of gauge between two railway networks with different track gauges.įor through operation, a train must be equipped with special bogies holding variable gauge wheelsets containing a variable gauge axle (VGA). ![]()
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