Advanced Passenger Train

The British Advanced Passenger Trains were passenger trains British Rail (BR), which were developed with the aim of high travel speeds. Two subspecies can be distinguished: First, the APT -E exists (E for experimental ), which was operated with a gas turbine and secondly, the APT -P ( P for prototype ), which was electrically driven.

Concept of APT trains

The basic idea behind the APT trains was without reaching the high cost of new lines significant time savings to remain competitive at distances over 300 kilometers in comparison with the emerging aircraft. The formulated objective time over existing compounds was about 50 %, but the railcars had to have a tilting technology that allowed them to go faster through corners with small radii; also greatly improved braking systems were needed without major adaptations of the signal system to drive through the old routes now with higher speed and still arrive in time to a standstill.

APT -E

In the 1960s, British Rail pursued by the development of the High Speed ​​Train HST125 a concept, which allowed them to reach existing, not always electrified lines with relatively conventional, but appropriate technologies high speeds. However, 1967 was the decision to develop an even significantly more modern vehicle and many new techniques to combine in a train. The resulting first generation of ATP carries the suffix E for experimental.

Were located at the ends of the train the ATP -E two power cars, between two intermediate cars were queued. The train had car bodies made ​​of aluminum, Jakobs bogies, gas turbines and a tilting, the tilt angle of up to 9 ° allowed and on the principle -based, that the inclination based on the slope of the forward- moving car calculated. The maximum elevation of the car side was 400 mm.

1973, the construction of a first unit was approved after some delays, in 1975 presented to the public. On test drives the vehicle reached a top speed of 242 km / h and put the 159 km long, originally designed for lower speeds route between London and Leicester back in under an hour. Back in 1976 attracted the BR this test train of the routes down, for use in the real passenger train service of the train was anyway not suitable because the two intermediate cars and thus the capacity of proportion were to drive car, but thanks to the first positive experience with the concept the development as ATP -P was resolved.

The external reclaimed ATP - E can be seen in the field office of the National Railway Museum in Shildon.

APT -P

The APT -P was an electrical development, its design was favored by high oil prices and the low efficiency of gas turbines. As a route covered by the destination London - Glasgow was chosen. The line mode should be original plans, recorded with four four ten -car trains 1977 (2 control car, 10 seat cars and two motor cars).

Technology

To drive the speed of 240 km / h on the not designed for this purpose distances, had next to the tilt technology, which was acquired from the ATP -E, also the braking system to be adjusted. In addition to the then novel magnetic track brakes also specially developed hydro- kinetic brakes were fitted with water turbines, which allowed a braking distance of 1830 meters from top speed to a stop.

Special feature of the APT -P is the ranking of the trains, it actually consists of two continuously interconnected units with a centrally located drive cars, each of which APT -P had two. There was a passage way through the motor car, but this was forbidden for passengers, and everyone had the same proportion of seats pulling part of the 1st and 2nd class and a private train restaurant. In addition, significantly more staff was needed. Only a development that was planned but never built, should have power heads at the ends of the train, and thus be more economical. Necessary, the step with the concatenated motor car was because due to the poor because the flaccid upper line could bear only a pantograph. A single power head would, however, may not have sufficient capacity to cope with the gradient -rich track at high speed and 13 railroad cars.

Use

The planned commissioning in 1977 postponed due to technical problems; until the end of 1979 there was a train to test drive available, after he completed a year earlier, was the same but it derailed at 160 km / h. in the spring of 1980, the third train was completed. The official line operation should first begin in May, in October 1980; but still occurred after start-up problems, the start-up to December 7, 1981 went.

The first public train left at 7:00 clock in Glasgow from, reached a top speed of 240 km / h and took about 4 ¼ hours for the journey to London, where some passengers are said to have complained of nausea. On the following day of operation, the tilting addressed 6 cars of the train abruptly from the bank on, which led to destroyed dishes in the restaurant of the tensioning member concerned. On the third day of operation, blocking the brakes of an ATP -P, another train had to interrupt his journey in Crewe because of heavy snowfall. Thus, the planned use of ATP -P trains ended three days after its launch. The fourth ordered train was never built, the remaining three trains took until the summer of 1986 test runs for new components and were partly kept as a reserve for some intercity lines, a return to the map service was no longer provided.

Whereabouts of trains

• APT- E: the externally refurbished train is to visit the Railway Museum Shildon.
• APT -P: a motor car ( in a dilapidated condition ) is also seen in Shildon. In the Museum of Crewe an almost complete train is seen feature is the possibility of tilting technology demonstration. A complete train was left of the British Rail 's private collection of Pete Waterman.