Commuting Info: Arlingtoncards.com/commute | Arlingtoncards.com/trains
Trainspotting: Arlingtoncardinal.net/trains from the Chicago area & around the world …
Union Pacific 3985 just west of O’Hare International Airport.
A train column for kids and kids at heart. Check Arlingtoncardinal.net/trains for pictures and video of trains from the Chicago area and around the world. Photos and videos about trains, train engines, freight trains, passenger cars and railroads from around the world. A delight for kids and trainspotters, everywhere.
Rail transport is the transport of passengers and goods by means of wheeled train cars specially designed to run along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of a country’s logistics chain, which facilitates international trading and economic growth in most countries.
Typical railway/railroad tracks consist of two parallel rails made of steel, secured to cross-beams (railroad ties made of wood, which are called sleepers in the United Kingdom). The ties maintain a constant distance between the two rails; a measurement known as the ‘gauge’ of the track. To maintain the alignment of the track, it is either laid on a bed of ballast (large gravel-like rocks) or else secured to a solid concrete foundation. The whole is referred to as permanent way (UK usage) or right-of-way (North American usage).
Railway rolling stock, which is fitted with metal wheels, moves with low frictional resistance when compared to road vehicles. On the other hand, locomotives and powered cars normally rely on the point of contact of the wheel with the rail for traction and adhesion (the part of the transmitted axle load that makes the wheel “adhere” to the smooth rail). While the wheel-to-rail friction is usually sufficient under normal dry rail conditions, friction and adhesion can be reduced or even lost when the rails are contaminated with moisture, grease, ice or dead leaves.
Do you have a favorite railway or a favorite railroad? Commuters, freights, switchers, coal cars, locomotives and steam engines. They will all be right here. View/Refresh for an updated list of trains below …