Who does Hi-speed the best?

Country?

Now the NEC is up dated in some area's but in other the cat. and trackwork is very shoddy and no up to date, for the Acela, who should have been called the American Flyer!

"American Flyer" is a registered trademark of Gilbert Toys IIRC. So that's automatically out.

What criteria are you looking for? Fastest average speed, fastest top speed, nicest-looking trainsets...? The fastest one (and I can't find info as to whether it's operating yet) is supposed to be the Talgo 350, with a top speed of 220 mph (in Spain, on the Madrid-Barcelona AVE line). France's TGVs run at 196 mph; German ICE trains run at 175 mph. The Eurostar now operates at 186 mph in Britain, thanks to a new LGV built there.

Acela Express is supposed to run at 150 mph in regular service. The top tested speed of AE is 169 mph.

The UAC Turbotrain was tested at about 171 mph; and there are rumors that the Rohr Turboliners currently operating between New York and Albany are capable of about 155 mph. However, these trainsets would not be FRA Tier II-compliant...

Are we forgetting the Japanese? October 1 (I believe), 1964, the shinkansen ("new main line"), or "bullet trains" began operation, the beginings of modern high-speed rail. While they don't currently hold the speed records and their 700 series trainsets aren't the best looking examples of railroad technology, I'm still going to put my vote in for the Japanese.

My favorite is the Akita Komachi that runs between Akita City to Tokyo. The "Super Express" (the train with the fewest stops) takes 3hrs 40min to get from Akita to Tokyo but it doesn't really feel like it takes that long. A couple cans of Sapparo (or Asahi or Kirin... whatever your pleasure), some onigari (rice balls wrapped in seaweed) or dried squid tenticles and you're good to go. I often napped on the run between Morioka and Tokyo, which helped to pass the time. It was actually a smooth and comfortable ride, quite enjoyable.

Well, that's my twenty yen (equivilent of two cents).

Are we forgetting the Japanese?

Nope, just me

As for the US, I hold no further hope. If Japan getting the first Shinkansens going was not impetus enough to get the HSR ball rolling in the "land of the free", then it ain't going to happen without a huge cultural change...

I'd say Germany. The ICE is hard to beat.

Does not Japan have "mag-lev" trains?

Where they glider OVER the rail? Or those are not considered trains.

Japan has one Maglev line. It's based on older technology when it comes to magnets, and it's not a long line, but it is fast (last year hitting 361 mph).

And it's just a test track, right? I don't think it actually takes revenue passengers anywhere.

It is a test line, but will be part of the new Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka route.
Went to Otsuki to watch it run. Very fast.

Not that they are great and they were not meant for public comment, here are some pics from one of the Tokaidao line's platforms. Most of the pictures are of the Series 700. I took the Toki Max the following day but it sucked cause it was on the lower level and you couldn't see a thing with the conrete wall on the side of the ROW.

There is about 40 or so 30-50kB pics on each page so a 56k modem will take a bit over 10 minutes to load.

http://www.rbi2000.com/toktrain/tokyo1.htm

http://www.rbi2000.com/toktrain/tokyo2.htm

FYI....I took the pics down. If there was one anyone wanted in full size (why I can not fathom since they sucked) let me know.

Hey, compared to the 700 series "platypus" (so called because their front ends look like the snout/bill of a platypus) units, that concrete wall is a modern work of art!

I prefer the look of the old zero series (the original) trainsets myself. But don't take my word for it, as I'm a historian with a terminal case of nostalga. At least the E3 trainsets (Akita "Komachi" and Yamagata "Tsubasa" Shinkansen trainsets) resemble the French TGV and Eurostar trains to some degree.

(For those of you who have no idea of what the various Shinkansen trainsets look like, have a peek at the link below.

http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dajf/byunbyun/types.htm

Enjoy!)

As for the Yamanashi Maglev. I haven't heard too much about it since I left Japan. I remember that in late spring/early summer of 2000, they got the trainsets up to 500 or 555 km/hr and just before I left in August of 2000, they were about to start working on the problem of buffeting and other such things when the trains passed each other in tunnels.

(Again, for those of you who don't know about the Yamanashi Maglev, here's a link to the Aichi Prefecture (where the test track is located) website about the maglev...

http://www.pref.aichi.jp/kotsu/rinia/4_e.html

enjoy shite kudasai.)

OMG...

I was just doing a little digging on the 'net to see what else I could find in regards to the Yamanashi Maglev and I can't believe what I came across.

Apparently they've designed a new head-end car for the trainsets, the Mc5. It is supposed to be an areodynamic improvement for the trainsets but all I could think of upon first seeing it (besides wondering about the validity of the report and getting over bad flashbacks of driving my mother's 1990 Pontiac Transport SE minivan) was how much it resembled a dustbuster handvac. I think this supports my argument that while areodynamics is an essential part of design... asthetics should NOT be overlooked in the process.


The new Mc5 head-end car... (it's a PDF file!)

http://www.mhi.co.jp/tech/pdf/e403/e403138.pdf


The evil that is the Pontiac Transport minivan (this is a '93... but there wasn't much change from '90... and it's WHITE, like mom's was!!!!)

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/382177


And a dustbuster handvac...

http://www.blackanddecker.com/productgu ... Brand.aspx

I have to agree....Germany's ICE lines. Very dependable, comfortable trainsets, on time performance, well maintained and many nationwide corridors. I have ridden the ICE's in Germany for years, nary a problem!!

Germany has had a MagLev test track up and running for some years. The technology and equipment were intended to be imported and constructed between the Orlando (FL) International Airport and Walt Disney World. Financing arrangements fell through, and the line was never built. Space still exists at the Airport for high speed train usage at the East Terminal.

ACLfan