What’s the Longest Train in the World?

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  • Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
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Комментарии • 1,9 тыс.

  • @EkainMunduate
    @EkainMunduate 6 лет назад +1938

    1. The reason Finland has 1524mm guage is becouse the Russian Empire had it, but Russia switched to 1520mm to run the newer trains more "tight" and smooth, but Finland stayed with 1524mm. There is a direct train from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg that has a wheel distance of 1522mm so that its compatible on both countries.
    2. There is a narrow guage train half and hourly from San Sebastian to the french border called Topo that connects with the French national railroads. You dont need to walk the bridge from Irun.
    3. Spain uses a wider track than the rest of Europe becouse Spain needed more powerful and bigger locomotives for its mountainous region. Also, they thought that european countries would eventually use wider tracks (like Ireland, Russia...). The invasion thing is a myth. You cant even invade a country with trains LOL (just use a switch to derail or divert them).
    Source: I live in San Sebastian, I'm half finnish and a train nerd.
    Please like so that people get their facts right. Thanks for reading!

    • @valeriavagapova
      @valeriavagapova 5 лет назад +30

      Good info!

    • @dropdatabase2569
      @dropdatabase2569 5 лет назад +46

      That's cool. In fact, there are multiple trains between Russia and Finland. I myself used one from Moscow to Helsinki. I didn't know it had special wheel distance

    • @TheDancingHyena
      @TheDancingHyena 5 лет назад +78

      good info. But trains help an invasion progress by facilitating the movement of reinforcements and supplies into conquered territory, so your final point sounds rather silly indeed.

    • @ILikePi31415926535
      @ILikePi31415926535 4 года назад +55

      Yeah, spending 10 minutes reading about the massive logistics issues Austria-Hungary had due to variable gauge rail during WWI will tell you how trains can contribute to an invasion.

    • @thePronto
      @thePronto 4 года назад +28

      Won't 'like' because of your silly 3rd point illustrating you zero understanding of military matters or history. Why did all sides spend so much energy bombing rail infra in WW2 if all they needed to do was 'divert the trains'.

  • @that_oboe
    @that_oboe 6 лет назад +381

    I lost my *train* of thought when you made that smooth ad transition
    Isn't that *brilliant*

  • @toast6494
    @toast6494 3 года назад +273

    "How long is the trip?"
    "Seventeen."
    "Minutes?"
    "No, Seventeen."
    "Hours?"
    "No."
    "Then Seventeen what?"
    *"DAYS."*

    • @Ro_Gaming
      @Ro_Gaming 2 года назад +1

      no?
      *It's a defunct train that will move when the world ends in some sort of explosion*

  • @cpotisch
    @cpotisch 6 лет назад +11

    I took that 65 hour Chicago-Los Angeles train in February. It’s a the Amtrak “Texas Eagle”, taking three nights end to end.
    It takes so long because, similarly to that NK/Russia sleeper, service to Los Angeles is only operated by two cars. At San Antonio, the Texas Eagle transfers a sleeper and coach to a different train that heads on to Los Angeles.
    It’s a wildly indirect route, but a lot of fun!

  • @ashknoecklein
    @ashknoecklein 6 лет назад +89

    Wow I'm getting super nostalgic, my husband's grandfather was obsessed with trains. He spent an entire Thanksgiving explaining track gauges to me one year.

    • @ewanduffy
      @ewanduffy 4 года назад +2

      Notwithstanding that I am a railway enthusiast, I feel sorry for you!

  • @xWood4000
    @xWood4000 6 лет назад +708

    "Finland being Finland..." Great quote.

    • @lassemanninen430
      @lassemanninen430 6 лет назад +10

      xWood4000
      And false. Finland and Russia have same trackwith.

    • @6272355463637
      @6272355463637 6 лет назад +31

      Weeeeelll...
      Finland does use Russian broad gauge. But then the Soviets changed it (from 1524 mm to 1520 mm) - and Finland kept it at 1524 mm.

    • @VicMcFly111
      @VicMcFly111 6 лет назад +11

      Lasse Manninen no we don't. but the difference is so small that Finnish trains can operate in Russia and vice versa

    • @Afdch
      @Afdch 6 лет назад +1

      HAD same width. Finland still uses old Imperial units 5 ft gauge, USSR has moved to rounded metrics, hence 1520 mm.

    • @FizzyToni
      @FizzyToni 5 лет назад

      I lmao'd a little bit. / hajosin vähän :p

  • @roshanbabus9597
    @roshanbabus9597 6 лет назад +245

    I mean seriously, Russia, How big are you?
    I can't believe Alaska was yours!

    • @Sci_X1
      @Sci_X1 4 года назад +4

      The Soviet Union didn’t use Alaska

    • @roshanbabus9597
      @roshanbabus9597 4 года назад +20

      @@Sci_X1 I'm not talking about use. It's about how big Russia is.

    • @Sci_X1
      @Sci_X1 4 года назад +2

      Fido Doggy yeah I meant as in the Soviet Union didn’t have Alaska yet it was still bigger

    • @roshanbabus9597
      @roshanbabus9597 4 года назад +4

      @@Sci_X1 Yep. I get your point

    • @tylerliu2632
      @tylerliu2632 4 года назад +10

      @@Sci_X1 wasn't he talking about the Russian Empire?

  • @josearamirez2018
    @josearamirez2018 4 года назад +8

    The Talgo used to depart Madrid in the evening and arrive in Paris the next morning. It would change gauges on the go. It was only a first class service

  • @FutureNow
    @FutureNow 6 лет назад +2402

    18 days on a cargo train sounds like a special kind of hell.

    • @mehol3
      @mehol3 6 лет назад +13

      IKR

    • @MrWoodii
      @MrWoodii 6 лет назад +212

      Some poor Chinese hobo might learn that lesson the hard way. :(

    • @jimsvideos7201
      @jimsvideos7201 6 лет назад +46

      I guy I know did pretty much that in the Russian Army.

    • @jaxonvictoria4345
      @jaxonvictoria4345 6 лет назад +11

      FutureNow sounds like a Killem video

    • @TheUselessStoner
      @TheUselessStoner 6 лет назад +44

      in the us they are limited to 12 hours a day before a new crew must take over. i'm sure its something similar there so there has to be stations they stop at to refuel and change crew.

  • @chrismontoya7831
    @chrismontoya7831 6 лет назад +1707

    *I love this guy's train of thought*

  • @RenatoLaporte
    @RenatoLaporte 6 лет назад +4

    In the Spain explanation, I definitely missed the talk about Talgo trains and how you CAN cross from Spain to France with a modern system that change the gauge on the fly and it doesn't take hours.

  • @robinlindkvist3709
    @robinlindkvist3709 6 лет назад +21

    finland and russia have different tracks but same trains work on both of them becouse difference is so small

  • @ethanpet113
    @ethanpet113 6 лет назад +414

    "Previous testing has proven that trains don't work well off the track."

  • @toposebi95
    @toposebi95 6 лет назад +806

    Actually, you *don't* need to cross the bridge to Irun. To the left of the main (SNCF) Hendaye train station is a smaller, narrow-gauge station operated by the Basque Government's own railway company, Euskotren, that runs direct trains to San Sebastián every half-hour. The only walking necessary is a 1-minute trek through the main station's parking lot. Oh yeah, and there's no buses to San Sebastián from Hendaye. Well, there are, but they're long-distance buses - the same ones that go to Madrid, and you'll probably have to cough up 7 euros for the ride. Not exactly cheap.
    source: i live in irun

    • @jonistan9268
      @jonistan9268 6 лет назад +2

      Vasconium Is it a narrow gauge line? It appeared quite wide to me. (I visited Hendaye and Irun in autumn). As for the buses: Isn't there a bus company that runs services from Biarritz to Hendaye? (Beyond that would be pointless because the trains run so often but there aren't many local trains between Biarritz and Hendaye.)
      There are a few TGV trains to Hendaye every day and I think one of them continues over the bridge to Irun. Why is that?

    • @toposebi95
      @toposebi95 6 лет назад +13

      Jonistan Yup, it's 1000 mm (aka metre gauge) which is considered narrow.

    • @jonistan9268
      @jonistan9268 6 лет назад +3

      Vasconium ok thanks... That is also considering narrow gauge here in Switzerland.

    • @EkainMunduate
      @EkainMunduate 6 лет назад +7

      Jonistan both in Irun and Hendaye they have both nations track guages

    • @bossikblack3118
      @bossikblack3118 6 лет назад +12

      I read that as "i live in ruin" lol

  • @tarpattituopponen7783
    @tarpattituopponen7783 6 лет назад +48

    Finnish rail gauge is so little off from Russia that same trains can operate. 1524mm and 1520mm. It’s a relic from Tsar era.

    • @aydoyt
      @aydoyt 3 года назад +2

      4mm?

    • @felixbeutin9530
      @felixbeutin9530 3 года назад

      sounds unstable to me

    • @theTHwa3tes11
      @theTHwa3tes11 3 года назад +5

      @@felixbeutin9530 the line from Russia to Finland is 1,522mm Gauge.

    • @ZaHandle
      @ZaHandle 3 года назад

      Solution: wider wheels like only 2mm wider

    • @tarpattituopponen7783
      @tarpattituopponen7783 3 года назад

      @@theTHwa3tes11 On Russian side it's 1520 and in Finland it's 1524. It works. Railroads have a 5 millimeter tolerance anyway.

  • @Bsrt
    @Bsrt 6 лет назад +2

    Talgo and CAF trains have systems that allow to change the gauge without even stopping. There are even high speed trains (Renfe 120, 121, 130 and 730 series) with that system, and Renfe ordered 2 years ago 15 350 km/h dual gauge trains, wich are expected to be in service in 2020.

  • @puntobarrabajapunto
    @puntobarrabajapunto 6 лет назад +304

    I'm a spanish engineer and the reason of the different width of the railway was not the fear of a french invasion. The real reason was that Spain is a very mountainous country and for that reason spanish train engines had to be bigger than the rest of europe. As the spanish trains were bigger, railways had to be bigger too.

    • @stuartstrachan1784
      @stuartstrachan1784 4 года назад +11

      How does Austria manage?

    • @SFKelvin
      @SFKelvin 4 года назад +21

      I think it was actually to protect Spanish industry - rail car manufacturers, etc. Spain has a long tradition of this. For example, books imported into Spain had their covers cut off to protect Spanish bookbinders, etc.

    • @russellgxy2905
      @russellgxy2905 4 года назад +13

      @@SFKelvin That makes a bit more sense. For running trains through mountainous terrain which normal trains can't seem to manage, the normal practice would've been to shrink the gauge, not widen it!

    • @ewanduffy
      @ewanduffy 4 года назад +6

      Logically, mountainous territory should give rise to a narrower gauge to allow for sharper curves.

    • @OnkelJajusBahn
      @OnkelJajusBahn 4 года назад +4

      ​@@stuartstrachan1784 You can still operate mountain railways with standard gauge. You might need two locomotives in cases where Spain just needs one, but nowerdays this is not such a big issue any more. Austria even build a 760mm narrow gauge moutain railway called Mariazellerbahn. But I have no idea, why Austria sticked bith narrow gauge and Spain didn't propapelly Austria wanted to be compatible with the rest of central Europe. But also for excample Switzerland has many mountain railways in narrow gauge of 1000mm or Italy in 950mm. Narrow gauge, also has the advantage to allow for smaller curves, and has lower construction cost. But there is also a weird instance in the city of Linz: Linz built a tramway in the gauge 900mm, when they built the Pöstlingbergbahn, one of the steepest mountain railways in the world, connecting Linz to an adjacent mountain, they built that railway in 1000mm gauge, because they thought this 100mm smaller gauge wouldn't allow for strong enough motors. However they switched the railway to 900mm a few years ago, so trains from the mountain railway can run on tramway tracks to the city-center.

  • @amcghie7
    @amcghie7 6 лет назад +28

    I took the train from Moscow to Beijing, stopping off in a few places. That stop at the Mongolian border so they can change the train gauge is no joke. I remember I was bursting for a pee but they close the toilets because they don't want you peeing straight onto a track in a station and I've never been closer to pissing myself in my life. Ended up having to pee into a bottle, not fun! Definitely an experience though...

    • @rickd3777
      @rickd3777 3 года назад +4

      I’m a railfan from China (lives in California), they use the really old China Railway Class 18 coaches designed specifically for international trains, in 1995.

  • @MFahrulRozi
    @MFahrulRozi 4 года назад +8

    Me When I See The Title And Thumbnail:
    *it was time for thomas to leave, he had seen everything*

  • @POLARTTYRTM
    @POLARTTYRTM 6 лет назад +1041

    0:55 Freedom units. I laugh whenever I read or say that.

    • @FairyCRat
      @FairyCRat 6 лет назад +126

      POLARTTYRTM Metric system for the win though. Logic will reign supreme someday.

    • @zedramer
      @zedramer 6 лет назад +59

      The only units used by humans on the moon!

    • @Roxor128
      @Roxor128 6 лет назад +34

      Americans and their Orwellian terms... [shakes head]

    • @podoju
      @podoju 6 лет назад +68

      Doesn't the US customary unit come from their former British masters? The irony is staggering.

    • @konata736
      @konata736 6 лет назад +1

      I laughed way harder than I should have lmao

  • @Neojhun
    @Neojhun 6 лет назад +163

    "Previous Testing has Proven Trains Don't Work Well OFF the Track."
    Hmmm thanks Wendover I learnt something today.

    • @gtgokujr
      @gtgokujr 4 года назад

      lisanya23 same person

    • @sirk603
      @sirk603 4 года назад

      abraham carino no

    • @gtgokujr
      @gtgokujr 4 года назад

      The Kitten Gamer yes

    • @sirk603
      @sirk603 4 года назад

      abraham carino there was a video where they were in the same room together. I forget the link but I know it exists.

    • @sirk603
      @sirk603 4 года назад

      abraham carino scarily nvm I was thinking of real life lore

  • @EdMcF1
    @EdMcF1 11 месяцев назад +2

    In the 1980s, my neighbour took a train from Paris to Madrid, sleeper from Paris. He was a bit alarmed when he woke up in a shed with the carriage jacked 10 feet or so up in the air as they changed the wheels for the Spanish tracks.

  • @drdewott9154
    @drdewott9154 4 года назад +11

    "Now you can actually change the guages of trains but it's massivly difficult. At best it takes hours for a full length passenger train."
    Talgo: "Allow us to introduce ourselves."

  • @captainevenslower4400
    @captainevenslower4400 6 лет назад +229

    I'm afraid 2:04 is not true. There are systems which automatically convert a trains gauge simply by driving over a special designed part of tracks and the train has to have a special set of wheels. Although the train has to slow down, it only takes maybe minutes to do and the passengers mostly don't even notice it. It is for example used on trains from Europe to Moscow

    • @DiThi
      @DiThi 6 лет назад +23

      Came to say this. I travelled from Madrid to Paris 18 years ago. I didn't notice the change because I was sleeping in a bunk bed on the train.

    • @dsaneusp
      @dsaneusp 6 лет назад +43

      We actually have this all over Spain. It's used to switch between the standard gauge high-speed tracks to the conventional iberian gauge tracks, to take advantage of high speeds on certain journeys.

    • @pauulthefair
      @pauulthefair 6 лет назад +3

      Where's your evidence????

    • @captainevenslower4400
      @captainevenslower4400 6 лет назад +17

      Dumb Kid on RUclips i hope that question is based on your channel name

    • @magichands135
      @magichands135 6 лет назад +1

      Alberto Torres I díd notice it 25 years ago. We got kicked out of the train in the middle of the night at the border. Glad I still had my pants on in my sleeping bag.

  • @flan208
    @flan208 6 лет назад +51

    The real reason for Finland having different tracks is actually because Finland was a part of Russia when our first railroads were built and thus we used the same size as Russia.

    • @yegorgribenuke6853
      @yegorgribenuke6853 5 лет назад +3

      Why do i get to know this stuff from Bon-russian People instead Of history lessons

  • @Zeinzu2
    @Zeinzu2 4 года назад

    Very good AD segue ! I love it when people sneak them into vids (honestly).

  • @ShahidKhan-uf8hd
    @ShahidKhan-uf8hd 3 года назад +1

    Hey Sam, good job on this!! Even if a few few details were a bit of, you clearly put in a lot of effort to understand a complicated topic, and I appreciate you.

  • @MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot
    @MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot 6 лет назад +2228

    So, Wendover is about planes.
    HAI is becoming about trains...
    Is there gonna be a third channel in the future?

    • @HerodotusVon
      @HerodotusVon 6 лет назад +230

      ArpholomuleNutt Yes, and it’s about back pains

    • @joseperalta6235
      @joseperalta6235 6 лет назад +299

      Yes, Wendunder Productions; it's about submarines.

    • @MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot
      @MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot 6 лет назад +63

      You folks are missing the joke I was trying to go for.
      :(

    • @sylvanransom704
      @sylvanransom704 6 лет назад +123

      is the third one going to be about automobiles?

    • @kunlin579
      @kunlin579 6 лет назад +24

      ships or spaceships?

  • @luisbreva6122
    @luisbreva6122 6 лет назад +739

    from 1:20 to 1:25 thats not true. It was done like that because of spanish mountainous relief. Wider track could hold more powerful train engines (with bigger boilers) so trains could overcome larger slopes. The other thing is just an urban myth of that time, as france had invaded spain not much before (with terrible consequences for Spain) I actually had an exam about this today lol😂 Pleases like this so other people know about it

    • @DanielFernandes-fd5ml
      @DanielFernandes-fd5ml 6 лет назад +51

      This is correct. Spain (wrongly) considered larger tracks to be more efficient to overcome slopes. Why use different train tracks when a simple switch would be enough to derail an entire army on a train?

    • @FrancescoDoronzo
      @FrancescoDoronzo 6 лет назад +10

      I may be wrong, but I thought the limit for slopes is due to the low friction between the steel wheels and the steel rails, not because of low power engines: over a certain angle, the wheels slip and the train can't go up

    • @errementari7190
      @errementari7190 6 лет назад +40

      It's absolutely true. I don't know who teach you history that way but the mountainous relief was just an excuse. In that time Spain preferred a protectionist economy because its industries were less developed than the European ones, so one way to avoid French and European products to "invade" the Spanish market was the adoption of a wider track gauge.

    • @luisbreva6122
      @luisbreva6122 6 лет назад +8

      Francesco Doronzo Yes that may be true (im not fully sure tho) but having more powerful engines definitely helps a lot in progressively increasing slopes. And Spain has loads of those specially when u want to go from the periphery to the capital.

    • @luisbreva6122
      @luisbreva6122 6 лет назад +4

      A6Bilbao Well that might be another reason but the point is that no land invasion was feared (in fact that is the kind of stories that people usually make up). Btw no one has tought me that was is in my text book, which indeed isnt very accurate.

  • @CityWhisperer
    @CityWhisperer 3 года назад +5

    2:02 Actually, wrong. Using the same example of Spain, the national train rolling stock company, Talgo, developed a gauge-changeable train that could switch between the Iberian gauge and the standard one in just seconds, without the train even having to stop. It just went through a small cabinet located within the journey, even with passengers, without stopping and at around 20km/h. The gauge changed, magic. It's still used nowadays.

  • @Kaffeinated11
    @Kaffeinated11 6 лет назад

    This is my favorite "information" youtube channel by far!!! You take yourself just the right amount of serious XD

  • @ApaceLp
    @ApaceLp 6 лет назад +54

    *Fun Fact:*
    Even when neighboring countries use the same track gauges, they are not always using the same voltages for power, resulting in a lack of overhead cables in border regions.
    This means the standard protocol for a train travelling through the French-German Border is to:
    1. pick up a lot of speed,
    2. retract the pantograph mid journey,
    3. reconfigure the train for the new voltage,
    4. wait for the overhead cables to reapear
    5. extend the pantograph again.

    • @mihirv2574
      @mihirv2574 6 лет назад

      Apace you could use diesel engines for the trains

    • @ApaceLp
      @ApaceLp 6 лет назад +7

      Way to slow, expensive, loud and incompatible with modern high speed trains.

    • @mihirv2574
      @mihirv2574 6 лет назад

      Apace they'll still probably go at around 150 KMPH. However it will remain a last ditch option.

    • @varana
      @varana 6 лет назад

      They've been using multi-system engines at least since the 1960s, though, so the technology is quite well-established these days.

    • @kempo_95
      @kempo_95 6 лет назад

      Apace or stop and switch locomotives.

  • @MarsMountain
    @MarsMountain 6 лет назад +82

    I laughed hard at the "Foreign French units" vs "Freedom units"! 0:50

  • @jake.klusewitz
    @jake.klusewitz 2 года назад

    Wow, now I’ve watched every one of your videos. Thanks for all the interesting, educational and humorous content!!

  • @kaptainkaos1202
    @kaptainkaos1202 Год назад +1

    A few years ago my father and I did an around the US train trip. What a great time! Over 10,000 miles in 2 weeks.

  • @RWDY
    @RWDY 6 лет назад +14

    Not sure if anyone else has said this before, but the Spanish-made Talgo train called “Strizh” that the Russians run between Berlin and Moscow actually switches gauges automatically in a matter of minutes with a special transfer track. There are some cool videos of the process here on YT! It sort of scoots along the rail on what look like skis on a bit of track that’s kept wet with sprinklers to keep things lubricated as the wheels change to a broader/narrower gauge.

    • @ilyapetoushkoff8362
      @ilyapetoushkoff8362 6 лет назад +1

      What is also fun is that the other overnighters go through bogey change procedure, and the daily Minsk-Warsaw train established in 2018 in fact suggests passengers just change trains in Brest, and no wheel changing procedures are involved.

    • @ignaciomoreno9655
      @ignaciomoreno9655 Год назад +1

      We have a lot of them in Spain.

    • @pizzaipinya2442
      @pizzaipinya2442 Год назад

      That's Spanish technology my friend, used here a lot :)

    • @Nooticus
      @Nooticus 9 месяцев назад

      Sad that Strizh is no longer. And neither is any train from Russia to the EU, Mongolia, China or North Korea. ):

  • @hobbesfield1082
    @hobbesfield1082 6 лет назад +35

    Thank you so much for using km

    • @alexj1650
      @alexj1650 6 лет назад +2

      some will prefer freedom units
      *america fuck yea intensifies*

    • @evs251
      @evs251 5 лет назад +4

      Metric is only for smart people

    • @romankazinets1759
      @romankazinets1759 5 лет назад

      @@evs251 Nah.

  • @djtforever1414
    @djtforever1414 5 лет назад +1

    In August I got the overnight train from Chisinau, Moldova to Bucharest, Romania. Cranes picked up the carriages and changed the wheels under us.

  • @stanleyt.7930
    @stanleyt.7930 6 лет назад +1

    Spanish Talgo trains have flexible axles and can easily change gauge. They do it in a few minutes when going from standard gauge high speed lines to the wider Iberian gauge.

  • @zxxNikoxxz
    @zxxNikoxxz 6 лет назад +26

    The train stops at Hendaye and you have to run to *IRUN* to catch the next one

    • @Daniel.RF.Davidson
      @Daniel.RF.Davidson 3 года назад

      This comment is underrated. LOL. Loved the pun, mate.

  • @pauljmorton
    @pauljmorton 6 лет назад +51

    0:46 Yay, it looks like Finland is truly alone in this category.

    • @POLARTTYRTM
      @POLARTTYRTM 6 лет назад +3

      According to some idiots, Finlands doesn't even exist.

    • @seneca983
      @seneca983 6 лет назад +10

      The difference to the Russian gauge is only 4 mm though.

    • @Volodimar
      @Volodimar 6 лет назад +10

      Before 1970s russian gauge also was 1524mm, then USSR switched to 1520 but Finland didn't. Anyway, 4mm is not a big deal - even high speed trains, like Allegro pathtrought the border without changing wheels.

    • @laju
      @laju 6 лет назад +9

      Fun fact: The Allegro trainset has actually 1522 mm wheelsets, so it's equally 2 mm off at the both sides of the border. :)

    • @Heksu99
      @Heksu99 6 лет назад +3

      Yeah and even all other trains can cope with the 4mm. And the width comes from the time Finland was part of Russian Empire. I think it came there from USA?

  • @zirac
    @zirac 6 лет назад

    Thank God, Brilliant! Without you I would have never seen this video!

  • @GigginQuick
    @GigginQuick 4 года назад +1

    Actually, according to Amtrak’s timetables, the longest American passenger route is the California Zephyr from Chicago, IL to Emeryville, CA, which is 2438 miles. The Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles is 2265 miles.

  • @fateek2249
    @fateek2249 6 лет назад +45

    Previous testing has shown trains don't work well off the track.
    Interesting observation

    • @Banzybanz
      @Banzybanz 6 лет назад +3

      And that fish don't have legs.

    • @MrDannyDetail
      @MrDannyDetail 6 лет назад +3

      To use the vloggers humour/grammar:
      Fish don't work well out of the water.

  • @mxg75
    @mxg75 6 лет назад +16

    Gauge change doesn't have to take hours. Swapping out the wheel sets is doing it the hard way. Some trains in areas like Spain and Japan are equipped with telescoping axles. The train drives across some specialized machinery at about 10 km/hr and the axles are unlocked, stretched or compressed to fit on the new track gauge, and relocked. Takes less than a minute to process the entire train. See ruclips.net/video/ZiH4kt14yGw/видео.html for an example.

  • @josemarquez6420
    @josemarquez6420 6 лет назад

    I love how good these videos are that you regularly hit trending 👏

  • @airplaneplustrainguy8143
    @airplaneplustrainguy8143 6 лет назад +1

    Is that train from Pyongyang is a escape train?

  • @UnderstandingUs
    @UnderstandingUs 6 лет назад +184

    you should do a collaboration with wendover productions.

    • @lordmattis94
      @lordmattis94 6 лет назад +10

      This is made by Wendover Productions.

    • @meowdy..
      @meowdy.. 6 лет назад +37

      Lord of Eru woooosh

    • @AlexCuevas190
      @AlexCuevas190 6 лет назад +15

      Lord of Eru r/wooosh

    • @shlok975
      @shlok975 5 лет назад +2

      Wendover Productions and half as interesting are both channels made by the same guy whose name is Sam

    • @lel2015
      @lel2015 5 лет назад +3

      @@shlok975 Oh really wow I've watched both channels and I didn't notice Thanks for telling us!!!!

  • @GBA811
    @GBA811 6 лет назад +60

    0:54 Who made that map, deserves a cookie.

  • @foxacresfarm7595
    @foxacresfarm7595 6 лет назад

    Congrats! I love wendover and all there productions, insert bad pun. And just wanted to say good job on 17th on trending.

  • @paulstancel9731
    @paulstancel9731 6 лет назад

    Great videos as always!

  • @psbbianforlife
    @psbbianforlife 6 лет назад +16

    Half as interesting is an incorrect name for your channel. It is at least twice as interesting. Great stuff.

  • @KvotheHA
    @KvotheHA 6 лет назад +18

    At 2:05 that is not always the case. As you pointed out, most spanish railway tracks are "iberian gauge", but the newer ones are being built with the european gauge. Therefore Spain is the largest user in the world of variable gauge systems: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_gauge#Spain . They are quite convenient, as they consist in a small building placed above the tracks with entrances at both ends, and the gauge change mechanism inside. The Spanish-built Talgo trains have what is called a "Self Propelled Bogie of Variable Lenght" system (Sistema BRAVA in Spanish). This allows to perform the gauge change seamlessly, by just slowin the train to about 10km/h and crossing the facility, which is a bit longer than a train car. I have gone through many of these myself, since when I go from Madrid to my hometown in the peripheria of the country I have to switch from a high-speed railway line to an iberian gauge one. It takes about the same time as a regular stop in a station.

    • @presidentetrump496
      @presidentetrump496 6 лет назад

      Ha ha you trust Wikipedia

    • @OnkelJajusBahn
      @OnkelJajusBahn 6 лет назад +2

      Hope this comment will be upvoted. This technology is a lot easier than changing the entire systhem, as some stupid politicians sugested.

    • @dsaneusp
      @dsaneusp 6 лет назад +2

      Yes, can confirm it's 100% true being Spanish myself. Takes less than a minute and saves quite a bit of travel time as it allows the train to use high speed tracks.

    • @OnkelJajusBahn
      @OnkelJajusBahn 6 лет назад +1

      I am from Austria. And here on some small railways 1435mm freight wagons litteraly were placed on small 760mm wagons with the weels still on. I don't know if this is still in place but it would be another way to overcome gauge differences.

    • @becconvideo
      @becconvideo 4 года назад +1

      @@OnkelJajusBahn In Germany it was quite common on all narrow gauge railways - and in Switzerland it still is. For the time beeing we don't have any freight trains on narrow gauge (750mm, 1000mm) But with us in Saxony there was a silly law that only the government was allowed to build standart gauge railways - leaving industrial sidings stranded with narrow gauge "Rollbock" - (small bogie under each axle) or "Rollwagen" - just a flatbed car to load the standard freight car on.

  • @pablopostigoolsson5233
    @pablopostigoolsson5233 5 лет назад

    Hey I’ve been watching your videos for a year or so now and I love them. I used some of them for my urban geography class. I am sorry I have an amend to mehr to this video: changing the width of a train for it to circulate on different tracks is right now a matter of minutes. There is great technology that has been in use for that for decades now, eg on the overnight train Paris - Madrid. Keep it up!!

  • @djgeid7707
    @djgeid7707 4 года назад +1

    I've traveled in a normal train from my city to Paris through Irun/Henday. It doesn't take that long to change from one width to the other. The train stopped for less than an hour at the border.

  • @jesusgonzalez6715
    @jesusgonzalez6715 6 лет назад +15

    Actually, modern Talgo trains can change their gauge relatively rapidly

  • @DA-bm2mj
    @DA-bm2mj 6 лет назад +136

    FYI: calculus doesn't teach you numbers. you mostly deal with letters actually.
    you should probably consider retaking calculus.

    • @KasabianFan44
      @KasabianFan44 4 года назад +23

      Luckily, he can learn all about it at brilliant.org!

    • @jamesbizs
      @jamesbizs 4 года назад +6

      FYI: he said it seems like a bunch of nonsense numbers, until he took the brilliant course. So your comment doesn’t actually make sense

  • @LonelyPandaBear
    @LonelyPandaBear 6 лет назад +1

    Biarritz to San Sebastian, both lovely cities. Have family in Biarritz i would recommend a visit!

  • @gamersadda1327
    @gamersadda1327 5 лет назад

    Very well explained.....u r the best youtuber..im subbing u right now!

  • @StevioGaming1
    @StevioGaming1 6 лет назад +336

    hahahaha "French foreign units" or "freedom units"

    • @l.k5244
      @l.k5244 6 лет назад +20

      Stevio Gaming But 'freedom units' wouldn't be actually called like that because the Americans freed themselves from the inventors of this system. Mindfuck

    • @StevioGaming1
      @StevioGaming1 6 лет назад +3

      Layth Alkhaer ... My mind..., IT HURTS FUCK AHAHHHHHHH

    • @BPJJohn
      @BPJJohn 6 лет назад +4

      Have some "Freedom Fries" go with it ;)

    • @williamnghiem6890
      @williamnghiem6890 6 лет назад +3

      And a freedom rifle with freedom™️ bullets

    • @BJGvideos
      @BJGvideos 6 лет назад

      Layth Alkhaer Know what's funny is that the US isn't even the only country to use Imperial.

  • @failhail9338
    @failhail9338 6 лет назад +5

    How convenient that I'm on a 24 hour train trip and it gonna feel super long and this pops up

  • @neamtu7067
    @neamtu7067 4 года назад

    I appreciate how you also answered the other question in the beginning

  • @bdawg923
    @bdawg923 6 лет назад

    I love the new found humor in your videos! They used to be really interesting and informative but now they're also funny sometimes. :)

  • @bcubed72
    @bcubed72 6 лет назад +15

    Damn...now I wanna know about that 4.5 mile long train!

  • @bubblegumneko3432
    @bubblegumneko3432 6 лет назад +23

    1:25 ILLEGAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    • @AA11196
      @AA11196 6 лет назад +1

      ∞ ǝʇᴉuᴉɟuᴉ its illegal at night chill tf out

    • @jayasuriyas2604
      @jayasuriyas2604 6 лет назад +2

      Only photos of the Eiffel tower at night are illegal.

    • @bubblegumneko3432
      @bubblegumneko3432 6 лет назад +1

      still, the buildings around it

    • @lynxfl
      @lynxfl 6 лет назад

      it's not of a lit up eiffel tower at night, so no

  • @jamescox9869
    @jamescox9869 6 лет назад

    Great video! I didn't know about the differing track widths in France and Spain before.

  • @TRDz_Videos
    @TRDz_Videos 5 лет назад

    In Spain and Portugal there's a different gauge because in Iberian Peninsula there are lots of mountains and the steam locomotives haven't got enough power to cross them. So a bigger gauge means more capacity in it's boilers, and more power.
    Also, between 1969 and 2012, there were some international services between Spain and France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, which has got a tecnology made by Talgo. They made a system that allowed bogies to change gauge easily. If you want for more info, look for "Catalan Talgo" in Google or RUclips.
    Also, some French trains arrive to Irun, and some Spanish trains (in this case are from the vasque country operator EuskoTren and not from the Spanish national operator, Renfe) arrive to Hendaye

  • @tpmiranda
    @tpmiranda 6 лет назад +10

    Errr... Half as Interesting, FYI there are gauge changers that allow Spanish trains to cross freely between different gauges. The *intercambiador* Talgo, or CAF, are two examples of such thing. That is how Portugal is currently planning to introduce high speed in the country, by installing these gauge changers on the border, and run high speed trains on broad gauge... anywhere.
    Except where the gauge is metric. :)

  • @joaquinoroz7033
    @joaquinoroz7033 6 лет назад +8

    In spain, if you want to travel from Madrid to Pamplona (near San Sebastian), the Alvia train ( the not high-speed for long distance) starts the journey in high-speed rails (European wide), and then at half the travel it changes to spanish sized rails in a few minutes.
    Also, a train goes from China to Zaragoza, in Spain (funfact, near the place the train I mencioned early changes rails) not sure but I think is longest than the trip to London

  • @DesertRailProductions
    @DesertRailProductions Год назад +1

    The longest train is the train that stops you when your in a rush, I can confirm.

  • @nithinsrivatsa4726
    @nithinsrivatsa4726 6 лет назад

    I absolutely love this video. And your channels. The attention to detail is just incredible. Freedom units got me 😂😂😂😂

  • @bluelobster4847
    @bluelobster4847 6 лет назад +61

    1:26 That's the same picture of Paris as in your Eiffel Tower Copyright video. But this time not censored. Brace yourself for the lawsuits.

    • @echnaton123
      @echnaton123 6 лет назад +14

      no, it is about the light effects as far as I remember, not the tower itself

    • @bluelobster4847
      @bluelobster4847 6 лет назад +5

      that's correct, but in that video he also mentions that some of the buildings in that picture are technically still protected by copyright.

    • @echnaton123
      @echnaton123 6 лет назад

      BlueLobster yes and no, only buildings which have been built „recently“ need to be censored, but the Eiffel Tower is too old. Except for the lights. That is why it is legal in this video, because the lights are not shown. EDIT: Now I got it, you are talking about the other buildings. You re right, sorry.

    • @claqyagami6914
      @claqyagami6914 6 лет назад

      What what what??

  • @fuenareva
    @fuenareva 6 лет назад +53

    First of all yeah! you mentioned the Basque Country (we're I'm from) in one of your videos! Secondly, for the change between Irun and Hendaye, there is no need to cross the bridge on foot! The international bridge is fitted with dual gauge tracks, and most Spanish trains end in Hendaye, and most French trains in Irun.
    Finally, I'm sorry to say that you got it quite wrong with the gauge-changing trains. Since the late 2000s, the "Alvia" trains were put in service throughout spain. These special trains, can "drive through" the gauge changing without even stopping. The process takes a maximum of 5 minutes, while you don't even get off the train. With these new trains, RENFE could use the existing high speed lines (with speeds up to 250 kmh), and then branch routes to places with still no HSL and old track infrastructure.
    You can read more about them here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvia

    • @tpmiranda
      @tpmiranda 6 лет назад +4

      That is how Portugal is currently planning to introduce high speed in the country, by installing these gauge changers on the border, and run high speed trains on broad gauge... anywhere.

    • @sm6allegro
      @sm6allegro 6 лет назад +5

      The Talgo system was invented in the 60's, so it's been around for some time.

    • @tjjelmoni1389
      @tjjelmoni1389 3 года назад

      the Alvia from Madrid to Santander does just that somewhere around Palencia. it takes only around 5 minutes where the train moves reaaally slow and you hear some loud noises but you don't have to get off it and it doesn't really add much to the travel time. And as you said this allows the train to go really high speed between Madrid and Palencia and then use the old tracks through the mountains all the way to Santander

  • @adletkhanbirtanov100
    @adletkhanbirtanov100 5 лет назад +1

    Nowadays there are trains that can switch gauge in a few minutes. They operate e.g. in Spain to connect High speed line on european gauge and conventional line on iberian gauge. They implemented this on a Berlin-Moscow service too.

  • @KeystoneState
    @KeystoneState 6 лет назад

    I love your stuff man

  • @villevirtanen00
    @villevirtanen00 6 лет назад +7

    There is a metre-gauge (1000mm) line from Hendaye to Irun and beyond; all the way to Ferrol, branching off here and there. From Ferrol to Bilbao it is run by Renfe(formerly FEVE), from Bilbao to Hendaye by Euskotren :)

  • @y__h
    @y__h 6 лет назад +14

    Can we get a Wendover Production and Half As Interesting channel collaboration video?

    • @xXxMCmanxXx
      @xXxMCmanxXx 6 лет назад +1

      are they not the same person?

    • @varana
      @varana 6 лет назад +1

      ------> joke
      ----------------
      your head
      ;)

  • @Itapirkanmaa2
    @Itapirkanmaa2 6 лет назад +1

    The Finnish 1524 mm and the Russian 1520 mm gauges are actually fully compatible although they are nominally different. The loading gauge is the same as well. The exception is that HST trains running between the two countries have a nominal 1522 mm gauge.

  • @kowalskidiazdegeras9190
    @kowalskidiazdegeras9190 4 года назад

    Hey! Great video, but there were some mistakes when talking about track gauges in Spain. Here, we have lots of trains that have variable axel width. Almost all the important rolling stock has this technology (or can be retrofitted). They can, for example, be used in a normal railroad and then enlarged to go on a high speed route, or to go to France. The change needs a special machine the train goes through at 5km/h aprox, and thats all.
    And speaking about going to France through Irún and Hendaye... There used to be a direct sleeper service that stopped at my city. It made its width change there. Nowadays, you have to change there, but no worries because there are both Iberian and International gauge tracks in Hendaye ^^

  • @matthewmckenna248
    @matthewmckenna248 6 лет назад +50

    The graphic design on these videos of yours are great.

  • @dcwillis87
    @dcwillis87 6 лет назад +9

    More useless information that I definitely needed! 😂love your videos bro, keep it up!

  • @JacobBanerjee2821
    @JacobBanerjee2821 6 лет назад

    That transition at the end was flawless

  • @Hitorie_
    @Hitorie_ 2 года назад +1

    Yea Technically you can reach from San Sebastian to Hendaye by a thing called "Euskotren" which is a Basque train company. It works more like a metro but it works. Been on that "metro", great experience.

  • @Banzybanz
    @Banzybanz 6 лет назад +22

    Tell me more about that 7.2 km train.

    • @Navikonline
      @Navikonline 6 лет назад

      Bandish Bhoir
      you watch this train travelling about almost and above 10,000 kms in 14 days
      ruclips.net/video/RldZ4moddHw/видео.html

    • @shebbs1
      @shebbs1 4 года назад

      The longest passenger train in normal service, as of 2018, is the Ghan, running from Adelaide to Darwin, Australia. There have been longer one-off services. The longest non-passenger trains have exceeded 7,300m, BHP Biliton bulk mining trains, but these run on different tracks from Australian passenger trains. This is what makes it hard to assess, as it depends on whether you are considering a general track gauge or a specialist one. In terms of container trains, these usually run on common tracks with passenger trains, and have reached 2,400m in Canada.

  • @dankspain
    @dankspain 6 лет назад +9

    Just to shed some light on the Spanish gauge situation, because what it is said on the video is not entirely accurate.
    1 - Spain didn’t choose the 1668 mm gauge because of a hypothetical invasion by the French, that’s an urban myth. It’s on Wikipedia, a study was carried out in the 1800s that determined that a wider gauge would facilitate the introduction of bigger and more powerful locomotives that could prove useful due to the mountainous orography of Spain. A few years later technology would allow for such machines in the standard gauge, but Spain stuck to the new gauge. We’ve never prioritized changing the gauge of the entire network, which would eliminate a lot of headaches (Cough cough, I’m looking at you, Corridor Mediterráneo).
    2 - We have trains that can change gauges, in fact the service provided by RENFE’s Alvia (i.e S-130) usually does that, it runs on the high speed network with speeds of up to 250 km/h and then it changes gauge (and electrical system) to run on the conventional network. On trains travelling across the border with France this capability has been present since the late 60’s (i.e. Talgo III RD), so passengers wouldn’t have to switch trains.
    3 - We also have other gauges, the most extensive, of around 1000 km, belongs to the former FEVE network which has a width of 1000 mm. Metro de Madrid and some other local trains use different gauges as well.
    Anyway, I love your videos! Keep them coming!

    • @dsaneusp
      @dsaneusp 6 лет назад +2

      Yes, Renfe Classes 120, 121, 130 and 730 all can change gauge without stopping, used across all of Spain.

    • @larrybreavman4864
      @larrybreavman4864 6 лет назад +1

      Smart answer! Reasons for a wider gauge in Spain are collected in the Subercase Report. Subercase was the civil engineer who recommended that gauge in 1844, four years before the first railroad in Spain mainland. Military reasons are, just, an urban legend. A link to that report: www.grijalvo.com/Subercase/Informe_Subercase_modernizado.htm

  • @KSB20106
    @KSB20106 6 лет назад

    That was a smooth transition from the main topic of the video to the ad

  • @bowlerstuff9589
    @bowlerstuff9589 4 года назад +1

    when you said spain and Portugal at the start,both Irelands have the same kind of track as iberia

  • @flyingflx
    @flyingflx 6 лет назад +6

    0:58 "Tests have proven that trains do not run well off the tracks." 😂

  • @AA11196
    @AA11196 6 лет назад +558

    Longest train route* bait

    • @Chicken_o7
      @Chicken_o7 6 лет назад +37

      0:22 There it is

    • @hkr667
      @hkr667 6 лет назад +30

      I'm disappointed by him. This isn't the first intentional incorrect title either. He explains right away that this isn't about the longest train, but about the longest passenger train service. So just name the video accordingly. This is childish. But I have no doubt his fans will come to his rescue with the "if you don't like it, leave" and "it's his channel, he can do what he wants" comments.

    • @MrJuanDover
      @MrJuanDover 6 лет назад +22

      what an autistic thing to be this upset about

    • @lindaxiong8111
      @lindaxiong8111 6 лет назад +21

      Guys there is something called a thumbnail

    • @maxfeikss1583
      @maxfeikss1583 6 лет назад +4

      Casper Guo yes and there is another thing called the fucking video title what’s your point

  • @peakphotography3503
    @peakphotography3503 6 лет назад +1

    The Alvia Train in Spain can change its track with from 1435mm to 1668mm while its driving (to get from Spain to France)

  • @joesandra264
    @joesandra264 6 лет назад +10

    Research a bit before you claim things. Variable gauge trains don't take hours to change gauge.

  • @sethbrookes4998
    @sethbrookes4998 6 лет назад +5

    I can't be the only one who watches the whole of the sponsor every time purely because of how unbelievably smooth you are in the transitions

    • @darthmonks
      @darthmonks 6 лет назад

      Would you say he's Brilliant at it.

    • @northern_law738
      @northern_law738 3 года назад

      @@darthmonks That was my train of thought.

  • @timothydoekhie
    @timothydoekhie 6 лет назад +9

    I love how you made fun of the imperial system😂

  • @AhmadAltamimii
    @AhmadAltamimii 5 лет назад

    Man I love this channel more than the infographics show, that show drags too much unnecessary crap just to reach longer minutes and get more watch time, you just do your thing and go. I respect that.

  • @AnIndianBoi1905
    @AnIndianBoi1905 2 года назад +1

    2:57 Thank god you mentioned India: From Dibrugarh (In Assam) to Kaniyakumari (In Tamil Nadu) !

  • @eddies7883
    @eddies7883 6 лет назад +12

    The sponsor transitions are beautiful yet extremely frustrating.

  • @Alex-fv2qs
    @Alex-fv2qs 6 лет назад +13

    Great, when will you make a video about the longest physical train?

    • @realmenshoot3085
      @realmenshoot3085 6 лет назад

      Alex THIS^^^^^^^^^!!!!!!!

    • @Navikonline
      @Navikonline 6 лет назад

      Hey watch the longest train never end with 300 containers almost travelling 14 days
      ruclips.net/video/RldZ4moddHw/видео.html

  • @nrlooleegamingraw5303
    @nrlooleegamingraw5303 4 года назад +1

    4:17 Dagenham dock to be exact. Then it goes onto our special high tippy toppie foreign made vans to its destination

  • @edwardokaa
    @edwardokaa 6 лет назад

    The interchange at Hendaye-Irun is cool, but its opposite in Cerbere-Portbou is much cooler. A pair of small towns on the super-hilly med coast is an amazing place to put a huge railway interchange.

  • @thenotflatearth2714
    @thenotflatearth2714 6 лет назад +239

    It’s a rail shaped like a circle.
    That’s the longest train track

    • @sylvanransom704
      @sylvanransom704 6 лет назад +67

      I officially built the longest train track as a kid

    • @refk7875
      @refk7875 6 лет назад +2

      The Spherical Earth Well according to a previous Half as Interesting video (first one), this would actually be the shortest train track.

    • @jasonforster9445
      @jasonforster9445 6 лет назад +10

      Really, the track would be infinite so comparing it to rational numbers would be like comparing pizza to automobiles.

    • @TheSniper9752
      @TheSniper9752 6 лет назад +2

      In terms of displacement, that would not be true.

    • @williamnghiem6890
      @williamnghiem6890 6 лет назад

      *MIND BLOWN*