Category Transport

Cable cars, such as the ones in San Francisco, are pulled along by a moving loop of cable, made from strong steel. The cable passes through a slot between the rails, and the cars fix on to it. This way, cable cars can climb very steep hills.

Where is the longest straight?

It’s difficult to build straight stretches of track near towns, but much easier in empty parts of the world. The longest stretch of straight track is in the desert of Australia. It is perfectly straight for 478 kilometres.

Amazing! Railways can go missing! During the American Civil War, the South ripped up some of its less important railways to use as spare parts along the battle front. The states of Florida and Texas gave up their entire networks!

Can trains travel the length of Africa?

There is no direct link from Cairo in North Africa to Cape Town, South Africa, 9,760 kilometres away. Cecil Rhodes tried to build a railway line in the late 19th century, but one of his problems was finding enough workmen. Twenty eight of his men were eaten by lions on the Athi Plains in Kenya! However there are plans to complete this link soon.

Is it true? America’s rail network is longer than the equator!

Yes. If the entire train track in America was laid end-to-end it would form a single track which would go almost six times around the world –that’s 240,000 kilometres!

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France was the first country to use electric trains on a major mainline route, making the whole of the Paris to Orleans route electric in 1900. French electric trains have broken many speed records. This 1981 train was able to travel as fast as 380 kph, which was a record at the time.

Is it true? Electric trains were invented in 1879.

Yes. Werner von Siemens demonstrated an electric train at the Berlin Trades Exhibition, in Germany in 1879. People queued up to have a ride on the tiny carriages.

What’s a pantograph?

A pantograph is the metal connecter that reaches from the roof of an electric engine to the live wire overhead — just like the pole at the back of a fairground bumper car.

Amazing! One electric train travels all over Europe. Trans-Europ-Express was designed to use the different electricity supplies in different European countries. Engineers have to change its wheels though, every time it travels in and out of Spain.

Are electric engines better than diesel?

Electric power lets trains use energy without creating too much mess. The only pollution is at the power station where the electricity is made. Electric power is ideal for trams and underground trains in cities. Diesels are better on long routes where great lengths of electricity would be too expensive.

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America’s Pennsylvania Railroad used Baldwin diesel engines in pairs. Each one had twelve small wheels on each side. Linked together, making a 6,000 horse-power monster, they looked like they had 24 ‘legs’.

Amazing! Diesel engines can be steam engines too. The 1924 Kitson-Still used a diesel engine for its main power, but also used the heat of the engine to create steam. This powered an extra set of drive wheels.

Why did diesel take over from steam?

Diesel power first came into use to cope with the problem of smoke in cities and underground railways. During World War Two, military diesel engines became lighter and smaller. Just like today’s trains, the engines fitted under the floors of the carriages.

Which diesel looked like an aeroplane?

The German Kruckenburg of 1931 had a huge propeller at the back which pushed it along like an aeroplane on rails. It reached speeds up to 230 kph during a ten- kilometre speed trial. Unfortunately, it was too noisy and dangerous for everyday use.

Is it true? Diesel engines use electric motors.

Yes. Many diesel-engined trains actually use electric motor to turn the wheels. The engine itself uses diesel fuel. It turns a generator, which creates the electricity needed by the electric motors. This is because electric motors turn powerfully at all speeds, unlike a diesel engine.

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Between 1800 and 1825, there were ‘trains’ without engines in Wales and Austria. Horses pulled carriages along the rails. It was a smoother ride than road travel.

Which train was the first to carry passengers?

Stephenson’s Locomotion was the first engine to be used on a public railway, the Stockton and Darlington, in 1825. Stephenson’s Rocket won £500 in competition at Rain hill, Liverpool, four years later.

What was the first train engine?

Richard Trevithick, a mine engineer, first demonstrated a mobile engine on rails in 1804. It pulled 70 men and ten tonnes of iron ore, in front of a crowd of amazed onlookers. His next engine became a fairground ride.

Amazing! There were horse-drawn trains 50 years ago! The Fintona Branch of Ireland’s Great Northern railway remained horse-powered until the early 1950S.

Is it true? The ancient Greeks had a steam engine!

Yes. Hero of Alexander wrote about a steam-powered spinning ball, called the ‘aeolipile’ in 200 BC. But since slave labour was free, no one bothered to use the engine as a labour-saving device.

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Trains use special links called couplings to clip different parts together. Trains used to be coupled by hand, which could be dangerous.

What’s a locomotive?

A locomotive is the part of the train which contains the engine. It does the work of pulling (or pushing) the train along the track. Locomotives may have to carry their fuel with them. They have special wheels to grip the track.

Who steers the train?

Trains follow the track they’re on, so they don’t need a steering wheel. A person in the junction box can change the direction of a train by moving special junctions in the track called points.

Amazing! Some trains lean over! Modern fast trains take corners so quickly that passengers might slosh around inside. Computers in the train ‘feel’ the sideways forces, and tilt the train in the other direction so that you don’t spill your tea.

Is it true? Some trains are blown along by the wind.

Yes. At least, some were, especially when fuel was hard to find. America’s Baltimore & Ohio railroad experimented with sail power in the 1830s.

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The Renault Zoom is a tiny car which can get shorter by folding its rear wheels up. This makes it easier to park in smaller parking spaces. The Zoom also has a ‘green’ electric motor, which is powered by rechargeable batteries.

Which is the cleanest car?

The NECAR 4 is powered by liquid hydrogen, which is stored in a cylinder at the back of the car. The fuel is passed through a fuel cell, which creates the electricity to power the car. These cars are quiet and efficient, and instead of dirty exhaust fumes, they only produce water.

Is it true? Cars can run on plants.

Yes. In Brazil there’s an alternative source of fuel, taken directly from a plant. One ‘petrol tree’ is able to produce nearly 20 litres of fuel. The Brazilians are planning to grow huge plantations of these trees to solve the problem of increasing fuel shortages.

Which car runs on sunlight?

Cars are being developed that can convert sunlight into electricity to power their engines. The solar-powered car of the future might look like the vehicle with solar panels on the roof.

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In the film Goldfinger, James Bond drove an Aston Martin DB5 with a passenger ejector seat. Bond used it to get rid of one of his enemies. The Aston Martin also had machine guns, armour and spikes which came out of the wheels to slash the tyres of other cars.

Amazing! When the Pope travels away from the Vatican, he takes a special car, nicknamed the ‘Popemobile’. The car has a bullet-proof glass dome. When the Pope goes on tours he stands under the dome holding on to a hand rail. His followers can easily see him, and he can see them, without the risk of attack.

Which supercar had six wheels?

The wedge-shaped Panther Six was designed by Bob Jankel in 1977. It was five metres long and over two metres wide. Both pairs of front wheels steered the car, which was never sold to the public.

Who had his Rolls Royce painted in amazing flowery patterns?

The Beatles were the world’s biggest pop group in the 1960s. Singer John Lennon painted his Rolls Royce Phantom VI with trendy colourful patterns.

Is it true? There really was a car called a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Yes. In the 1920s, Count Louis Zborowski commissioned three incredibly fast Brooklands racing cars. The Count, a keen racer, competed in all three cars, but was killed in his Mercedes racing car in 1924.

Factory robots weld and paint cars on production lines. They are taught what to do by an engineer and then do it again and again very accurately. They work 24 hours a day and never get tired!

Who crash-tests cars?

Crash-test dummies are artificial humans which sit inside cars as they’re made to crash. The electronic dummies measure what happens to them, and if the cars’ safety features work properly. Cars which fail the tests have to be re-designed.

How are cars designed?

Every part of a car is designed using computers. Engineers draw what the parts and the car will look like, and the computer helps to control the machines which make the parts.

Amazing! When cars wear out they’re crushed into tiny cubes by a huge machine. It squashes the car first one way and then the other. The metal in the cube is recycled to make new cars.

Is it true? Cars are tested in wind tunnels.

Yes. A wind tunnel is a tube with a huge fan at one end. Engineers check how air flows around the cars. The easier it flows, the faster the car can go and the less fuel it uses.

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An internal combustion engine is the sort of engine that most cars have. ‘Internal combustion’ means that a fuel and air mixture burns inside can-shaped cylinders inside the engine.

Why do cars have gears?

Cars have gears so that they can start off and move at different speeds. First gear is for starting off. First and second gears are for going slowly. Fourth and fifth gears are for going quickly.

Is it true? The tread of a tyre grips the road.

No. The rubber of the tyres grips the road. Tread is the pattern of grooves around the outside of a tyre. The grooves let water escape from between a tyre and a wet road so that the rubber can touch the road surface for grip.

What are springs and dampers?

Springs and dampers make up a car’s suspension, which gives the people inside a smooth ride. Springs let the car’s wheels move up and down as it goes over bumps. Dampers stop the car from bouncing after it’s passed over the bumps.

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Until the middle of World War Two, Willys-Overland Company made ordinary cars. But they became famous for producing one of the best known cars of all time. The Willys jeep was a four-wheel drive general purpose (G.P) vehicle, used by the American army.

What is four-wheel drive?

When a car has four-wheel drive, it means that the engine makes all four wheels turn. In most cars, the engine only turns two of the wheels. Four-wheel drive is excellent for travelling off-road on muddy tracks and up steep hills.

Amazing! King George V of England owned a six-wheeled limousine. It was built by Crossley in 1929, and had a 3.8 litre, six cylinder engine. The king used it for cross country expeditions, but it never went into production.

Is it true? A car has been driven on the moon.

Yes. The missions Apollo 15, 16 and 17 that travelled to Moon in the 1970s carried Lunar Roving Vehicles (LRVs) or Moon buggies. The astronauts drove the electric buggies around the Moon’s surface, looking for interesting rocks. All three buggies are still on the Moon.

Which car can swim?

The 1962 Amphicar was part car, part boat. It had two propellers at the back, and the front wheels steered it, like a rudder. The large tail fins stopped water from flooding the engine.

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