@ThePiquedPigeon

7 months ago

As an European/Italian who lives right above a railway and is very fond of trains, this video is a joy for the eyes! And it is really interesting to see the differences between rail services between The USA and what is done here in Europe. Double decker passenger cars are very common in many European countries, like in France and Italy for example, because people here tend to use the train a lot more than the car to commute between home and the workplace or school location, and double deckers obviously are more efficient in passenger throughput in a given amount of time. Low-level cars are also very appreciated because they are most of the time level with the platform, making embarking and disembarking a breeze especially for the disabled. European train manufactures produce mainly low-level rolling stock, double or single decked, these days. It seems that the main differences between USA and Europe is in a few cars: cabooses, autoracks and coil cars. For cabooses, the closest in Europe are the brake vans that were used mainly in the UK when cars had no brakes on them. The UK also had, between the 60s and the late 70s, the so called "brake tenders", which were very low and very heavy ballast cars, looking like big metal slabs on wheels, fitted with automatic brakes, meant to be connected to diesels and assist them with braking. Outside the UK, some European freight cars with brakes had a "braker's box", a very small cabin where the brake man sat during trips and provided him with a brake handle for that car. Continuous braking in all cars/wagons did away with all of these eventually. For autoracks, the main difference is that those in Europe are not enclosed like in The USA. The loaded cars are therefore exposed to the elements, like in a normal car carrier truck. Also, autoracks are at most double decked instead of triple decked. European coil cars are basically in two flavors: the "Shimmns" type and the "Rhlmms" type. The difference is wether the car is enclosed or not. The Rhlmms cars are basically flat cars with shaped seats for the coils, up to 5 usually, which are open to the elements. The Shimmns have a similar arrangement but are also enclosed, and there are two types of covers. One is a simple tarpaulin stretched all over the car from bulkheads and other support beams. The tarpaulin is opened by folding it one one side by moving said beams; the other cover type is a rigid telescopic metal cover, divided in three pieces, who slide into each other when opened. Thanks again for this treat, Grady. Keep it up!!

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