What do ya make of this puppy!?


NYC Jet RDC M-497 was just a test of high speed operations. After the tests, the jet pod was removed and the unit was placed back in service. I kitbashed a model in HO scale a long time ago.
 
Even if that thing is based on a prototype, there's no way I'd ever buy it. I aim for maximum realism in my modeling, and things that look 'ordinary' are more believeable to layout viewers. RDCs with jet engines on them have a toylike appearance IMHO.
 
Even if that thing is based on a prototype, there's no way I'd ever buy it. I aim for maximum realism in my modeling, and things that look 'ordinary' are more believeable to layout viewers. RDCs with jet engines on them have a toylike appearance IMHO.

I totally agree. I just figured I'd share it with everyone haha. It has to be the most odd thing Ive ever seen.
 
Well, it was the real thing, if only for a few months, on the NYC. Railroads were starting to experiment with turbines in the 50's and 60's and the NYC thought this would be a great publicity stunt. While the NYC did break the world's speed record, the run was a disaster, with ballast being thrown up to one-half mile away, breaking hundreds of windows. The noise level was, as one might expect, more than a bit loud. :) The Central never looked at the M-497 as a serious attempt at high speed train service and it was a year and a half later that the even bigger disaster of the the Penn Central occured. You can read an interesting little article about it at http://www.midwesthsr.org/docs/M-497online.pdf.
 
Well, it was the real thing, if only for a few months, on the NYC. Railroads were starting to experiment with turbines in the 50's and 60's and the NYC thought this would be a great publicity stunt. While the NYC did break the world's speed record, the run was a disaster, with ballast being thrown up to one-half mile away, breaking hundreds of windows. The noise level was, as one might expect, more than a bit loud. :) The Central never looked at the M-497 as a serious attempt at high speed train service and it was a year and a half later that the even bigger disaster of the the Penn Central occured. You can read an interesting little article about it at http://www.midwesthsr.org/docs/M-497online.pdf.
Jim, you've been posting some amazing links lately, thanks!
 
Even if that thing is based on a prototype, there's no way I'd ever buy it. I aim for maximum realism in my modeling, and things that look 'ordinary' are more believeable to layout viewers. RDCs with jet engines on them have a toylike appearance IMHO.

My inner 'collector'---ohno ohno:eek:---just thinks that it would be a neat addition to ol' Fred "Howdhedodat!?" Thompson's Exceda Hysterical Society Museum and Odd Duck Emporium:eek::D:D:D
 
Thanks, Josh. The M-497 was constructed in the NYC's Collinwood shops, not far from where I lived. I got to see it DIT in a special train as it was being transported to central Ohio for it's record run. It was one weird looking beast. My uncle lived about three miles form the track where it made it's runs. He said it shook the windows in his house. They NYC was originally going to construct a special test track with the rails laid on a concrete roadbed but Pearlman wanted to do the whole thing as cheaply as possible, so the regular mainline was used, after being cleaned up a bit. I think it cost the Central something like $50,000 in damage claims, so they probably could have built the test track cheaper. I can't imagine how the Central's engineers didn't think all that loose ballast wouldn't become airborne when the car went by at 180 mph. :eek:
 
180 mph? What were they trying to do, imitate a model railroad?

I would guess that the ballast was kicked into the air by the jet exhaust (if it weren't shooting out at high speed, there wouldn't be any thrust) rather than just the train itself going fast.
 
Oh no. You bet that it was the slipstream of the vehicle itself that was kicking up ballast. I've seen bits go flying from underneath even regular speed freight trains. Besides, the jet exhaust was 13-14 feet up in the air and pointed back over the roof, not pointed at the ground. The shovelnose bit with the engines right up above is the front.
 
Well trains in Europe routinely go 180 - 200mph and they don't kick up ballast all over the place so I am sure the Jet Exhaust had something to do with it or just lousy aerodynamics of the car body.
 
It was actually a combination of the two. The jet exhaust was carried for almost a mile behind the M-497 and it mixed with the slipstream of the car to dislodge the ballast. The rear of the M-497 was also damaged by the jet exhaust. The armored front of the car was damaged by debris and ballast being sucked up under the face of the car. The aerodynamics of an RDC also didn't lend itself to slipping through the air very well. The whole thing just wasn't very well planned.

Most of the European high speed trains rely on a combination of aerodynamics and a specially built roadbed of concrete ties on a concrete base to obviate the problems of flying ballast. One of the reasons the Acela only rarely is able to run at its top speed of 150 mph is due to the poor roadbed and track conditions needed to sustain high speeds without damage to the train or surrounding structures.
 
Most of the European high speed trains rely on a combination of aerodynamics and a specially built roadbed of concrete ties on a concrete base to obviate the problems of flying ballast. One of the reasons the Acela only rarely is able to run at its top speed of 150 mph is due to the poor roadbed and track conditions needed to sustain high speeds without damage to the train or surrounding structures.

Actually there is very little rail on a concrete base. 98% of European and Japanese High Speed rail uses ballast but maybe its more course and heavier then what you would see on a regular line. As for the acela its more of the signal system , Catenary, and track profile that doesnt lend itself to 150mph runnin over much of its route. The track can handle the speeds up to even 180mph but there wouldnt be much gain as the trains still would need to slow down for curves along the route, stations, Etc.
 



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