It's Saturday morning. Must be 'Learn something new with Ruairidh' time. btw. How does one pronounce your name? Never been able to get my head around it even after following you for several years now. It's either gonna be insanely simple phonetically or will probably join the 'Never gonna get or remember that' list I imagine. Difficult ( for my small brain) account name aside. Thanks for the continued brilliantly researched and presented content chap.
@@smorris12 Particle physics, shipyard steel laying, how to get perfect cake icing. idk man. lot of crazy words there I have no idea about (( JK lest I offend half the Irish nation ))
Well, one correction is that Sweden is not "largely mountainous" but, in fact, rather the opposite. It is flat, with some rather minor mountains in the north towards the Norwegian border. There are other reasons Swedish mainlines are not so strait; many lakes that needed to be avoided and the cost of building infrastructure in a sparsely populated country meant that is was cheaper to go around obstacles than over or under them.
Yeah I cringed a bit when I heard that. If you look around there are no mountains anywhere near population centers. Sweden is hilly at worst. Lake dodging makes a lot more sense as an explanation for a tilting train and frequently bending track
The X2000 is a design classic. I hate to use the word "iconic", but I think it applies here. Definitely one of the best looking high speed trains ever, along with the ICE1 and the original TGV Atlantique and Sud Est. I've never been on one, but I recently visited Malmo and saw one at the station. So cool.
They struck a perfect mix of modern and classic with the sleek ends and corrugated sides. The original TGV and Shinkansen are definitely more iconic, but the X2 is a much more timeless design.
Thank you VERY much for this. I got to ride X2000 on the noon Metroliner in 1993. It was EXACTLY what Amtrak needed for the 19th century infrastructure that is the Northeast Corridor. In the end it was expensive and Amtrak wanted cheap and so we got the "American Flyer" later rebranded Acela. X2000 has been rebuilt losing the original GTO inverters and getting IGBT inverters (and ballast to make up for the weight loss) and will be in service through at least the end of the decade. Acela cannot be replaced soon enough. We had the answer in our hands...and we let it go.
Blame the AAR for that. They insisted on the ridiculous requirement for trains to resist structural deformation with sheer buff strength rather than crumple zones that could absorb kinetic energy, so most American trains are effectively built out of heavy steel armour plating. Unlike everywhere else in the world, that seeks to avoid derailments and collisions by providing adequate signalling and infrastructure, the AAR approach is to require rollingstock that won't be destroyed in the inevitable crashes. They've relaxed the rules somewhat but the legacy remains, and American railroads are notoriously resistant to embracing new ideas from overseas.
@@zoqaeski They were planning a waver for the NEC though. No there were more concerns about buying American and Bombardier had production in the US. In fact they have that waiver now for the Avelia Liberty.
@@zoqaeski The AAR does not write standards for passenger vehicles. Back in the late 90s when Acela was on the drawing board they designed for the then current FRA requirement for end buff strength: 800k lbs. After a knock down drag out fight within the FRA the 1m lbs buff strength requirement was adopted for vehicles above 125 but not above 150 mph. (For the record X2000 met the 800k requirement as designed and may have met 1m with little or no modification.) At this point, as later chronicled by NRPC OIG, they should have ripped up the plans for Acela and started over. Buff strength is a function of design as well as material. But starting over would raise the cost and exceed the already paper thin margin Bomber had committed to. Ergo, they added more steel and created a very fast tank.
@@quayzar1 At the time of testing X2000 and ICE the wreck of the Colonial at Chase, Maryland, was still very fresh on everyone’s (read FRA) mind. They were not going to sanction “high-speed” cab cars on the NEC and so if X2000 had been chosen there would have been a power car on each end. Also, at the time ABB had the facility in Elmira, New York, at the time and would have complied with the “buy USA” requirements. That property would later become the space for CAF USA to build the Viewliner 2s…but that’s another debacle.
My first ride on a high speed train was on an x2000 back in the early 2000s. It was a brilliant service especially compared to what I was used to in the UK and Ireland. It wasn’t particularly fast but the interior comfort, general design and cleanliness was a step above anything I’d previously experienced. A really great achievement.
But the speed of the X2000 is the same as UK trains such as the HST and 225 so surely if you count the X2000 as a high speed train then the HST should be a high speed train as well.
12:53 Although the Acela power cars were based on the French TGV, the coaches were based on the Canadian LRC, featuring active tilting which was not part of TGV designs. In effect what Amtrak had requested was an X2000 which met U.S. regulations.
During the 90's,I was able to get a press pass on the X-2000 to Washington,and that train was beautiful! An example of the speed factor,was when we went through Holmesburg Junction[North of Philadelphia],the train was doing 120 MPH,and a regular train was limited to 90/100 depending on type! The crew who was running those trips,were enthusiastic about that set! Really,Amtrak blew it on not ordering a few sets,as that would have given the airlines a good run for the money! And if Congress would finally treat Public Transportation as an asset,instead of a liability,that would give the nation,a good shot in the arm!! Thank you,for reviving some good memories!! Thanks again! Thank you 😇 😊!!
Except for the far north Sweden is not a mountainous country but it is very humpy. The geographical feature which dictated the shape of the railways was the prevalence of lakes and rivers. The engineers building the tracks originally took the easy way out following the edge of a lake or a river wherever possible giving rise to the extremely twisty track. Even today the most sinuous portions are those which follow the water's edge but the cancellation of G forces is so good that it can be quite a surprise to look out the window and see an adjacent stretch of water apparently sloping up to sky. I don't know whether it is still the case in the early days even the second-class carriages had the same at table 2+1 layout as first class which with the broad Swedish loading gauge made it about the most spacious second-class in Europe.
Fun fact. Back in 1990's Poland was looking for a high speed tilting trains and there were two competitors, Fiat Ferroviara with Pendolino and ADTranz with X2000 nicknamed "projekt fala" ("project wave").
i had the chance to travel on x2000 when i had come from italy and jumped on the x2000 in cph went to alvesta in sweden. thanks for uploading this video. 👍👍👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
As a Swedish train geek, I appreciate videos with high quality about our trains. Just a small correction. 2:32 The X1 was used in 1969-71 for tests of high-speed trains. X1 were new commuter trains at the time and they were needed in Stockholm. So they used an old X5 that was built in 1948. It was the X5 that was rebuilt into the X15.
As a Swedish train entusuast you have done great research, and very happy to see something Swedish being covered on your channel. And the X2000 are just now getting refurbishment i Västerås (Sweden) to extend their lifespan with 20-25 years!
It would be cool to see a video about the swedish regina trains. The regina trains are equivalemt to the british turbostars, being the backbone of regional services all over the country for over 20 years.
My wife always gets motion sickness on the x2000. I love it , i get a little chuckle when the beer bottles pop out of the coolers in dining cars when taking a bouncy curve.
Interesting topic on a great train set. When you take a ride on the X2000 you notice the comfort is amazing, it has a really plush, supple ride. Super comfy seats aswell. Until recently I had no idea it had a tilting system, it just seems to glide at high speed- it works that well!
Sadly the X2000's time in NSW Australia never went beyond the demo runs due mainly to the amount of severe curves reducing train speeds to as low as 40mph in places caused by government restraints on capital costs that forced the early railway planners to follow land contours that could be easily accommodated by the early steam locos of the period from 1855 onwards. Net result is that while yes you can enjoy the scenery onboard but in terms of competing with road and air places railways in NSW a very poor third behind road and air travel. For example a domestic flight between Sydney and Melbourne takes around 90 minutes where as The XPT covered the same distance in roughly 10 hours.
Actually, although the train itself did not export much, the technology has been used alot. For example, the NSB BM73 is based on the X2, but with distributed power. PS...I love the retro footage in this video!
It's weird to hear the train category of ICE trains pronounced as a word: "ice". It's actually meant to be pronounced letter by letter: Eye- See- Eee. (Well, or in German, if you can master that.)
I'm a Swedish driver but not currently qualified on the X2 (I hope to be in the not too distant future!). Just walking around the depot they have a very destinct aura around them. It's just something with the pretty brutal design and roaring fans when departing. I did drive it for two weeks during driver's training, and it's really something else. Going through curvy sections on the mainline at 180 km/h is something else, you're really flying while comfortably sipping your coffe (at least from the DVT...)!
I had the opportunity to look over the X2000 set when it visited Brisbane in the nineties. It consisted of a driving trailer and two carriages, with motive and head-end power provided by two XPT power cars. I had to laugh at the "Conference Room" on board - two pairs of seats facing each other over a table, surrounded by a perspex enclosure. I immediately thought of the Cone Of Silence on Get Smart.
I ride these quite frequently and they are gems to ride on. And they are undergoing refurbishments currently that improves the comfort, smooth ness and reliability of the tilt system. However when the tilt system breaks down, is not fun.
Nice! 🙂 But... "largely mountaineous" 0:15 "Primarily mountaineous" 1:10 .... whaaaaaat? ;-) There might be a few mountains in the largely unpopulated Arctic northwest - otherwise Sweden's landscape is pretty low-lying. The word you are looking for at most is: hilly.
Good to see a video that makes it clear the tilting us for the comfort and stability of the coaches if the passengers and not actually required for higher speeds on curved track
Hi Ruairidh. Very interesting video. It still sticks in my craw that BR did so much research and development into a tilting train, but could not get over the winning line. I heard that Italy had taken up the running, presumably culminating in the Pendolino. Therefore, it was with surprise that you didn't mention the Pendolino until almost the end and then almost in passing. I had no idea that Sweden had done so much work on the technology. By-the-by: Guangzhou is pronounced Guang-Jo and Chengdu is pronounced Chungdu.
2:32 X15 is NOT based on X1 unit, but by X5 units, wich the picture above correctly shows. The X1 units was also tested for tilting technology, but did not become an X15. Some X1 and X10 commuter train units can be seen at 5:39 next to the X2000 in Stockholm Central.
I had the pleasure to ride the new recently refurbished and upgraded version of X2000 from Gothenburg to Stockholm. It exceeded my expectations, though they were high. Nowadays you get breakfast, coffee/tea, water, snacks and fruit on first class. And you can order lunch.
I love the X2000 for comfort, for tilt to compensate for cant limited for heavy freight, for elastomeric mount of journals for radial steering and elimination of wear. Great for US lines.
Thanks for the video. 2 points. Sweden is not mountainous. I think you meant radially steered bogies, not radically. I rode on the X2000 demonstration cars between Sydney and Moss Vale in NSW in the 1995. It was a Bistro and first class car between 2 local XPT locomotives which had each been fitted with the ABB tilt control system. We hit 160km/h a few times but had to slow through tunnels due to the narrower NSW loading gauge.
I'm just amazed by how much I used a train back in the 1980's and early 90's in the UK despite owning a car. It all sort of dropped off once moving to the SW of France. in 1993 80% of the rail network closed down (as with Beeching). My last train trip was with the TGV from from Avignon to Paris, and then Eurostar in 2014 to Charing Cross.....
First introduced in 1990. Ironically this is posted in a week when HS2 to Manchester has been cancelled in the UK. Talk about being 30 odd years behind the curve.
@@vernongoodey5096 never mind speed they were first introduced in 1990. Years ahead of anything in the UK at the time. All that underinvestment under the Thatcher and subsequent governments left the UK light years behind rail travel on the continent especially France.
@@philbraithwaite1316 as a railway engineer I’m sure the actual locomotives don’t tilt and the drivers would suffer from nausea, don’t no if they have cured this. Your correct with Mrs Thatcher in all her years as a politician she only ever travelled twice by rail and one of those was when she named a Class 87 after herself (good old Sir Peter Parker)
@@philbraithwaite1316 hold on just realised the year you quoted, our HSTs that still hold the world speed record of 142mph we’re introduced wait for it in APRIL 1976. The genius design was that it ran on our old Victorian rail system at these speeds. & went from design to introduction within 4 years after the APT-E debacle
While I love the Acela, the X2000 would have been right at home on the Northeast Corridor. The corrugated stainless steel body compliment the AEM-7 / Amfleet stock perfectly, aswell as the Arrow/Silverliner EMU’s and ALP44 loco’s. Even the SJ livery looks very Amtrak like with its color scheme. Sometimes I wish that alternate history had occurred and we would have ended up with them…
Ahh yes the X2 or X2000, Swedish HST that toured US and Canada in the 1990s. Too bad nothing came out of it for Canada, while the US had Acela. There is the JetTrain, but that’s practically a farce practically following the TGV prototype backwards by going Electric to Turbine and never really went anywhere
Yeah the JetTrain never made sense because the top speed of trains is hardly ever the limitation in North America. Doesn't matter what train you have, if there's a level crossing you can't exceed 110 mph (177 km/h). And if a government is going to invest billions to build a grade separated line, they'll probably pay to electrify it
Can see this being the predecessor of the APT Class 370 Tilting Train that was trialed on the West Coast Main Line before it never came into service. And the Class 390 Pendolinos are the successor of the Class 370 APT.
12:35 I’m a high-speed train on the railroad track. I’m long and sleek with a trolley on the back. I move direct with wires above that’s what a fast train does.
Since your going up north, would it be possible for you to maybe cover some Danish stuff? (yes, dane here). I think the IC3 and IC4 would be very interesting choices. Excellent video btw
Great vlog as always! We have no rail service in Norway to speak of. 3% of total land mass is farmland. Can you please do a vlog on EA shuttle service between BOS-LGA-DCA v.v. I have tried to find info and/or books on the matter. EA was one of a few US airlines I never got to fly. I heard that you could get onboard, and buy the ticket from the cabin crew. Keep up the good work!
Great video! I've been lucky enough to travel on one of these trains and it was a great experience! Thank you for the endless stream of high quality videos on classic trains. Any chance of one on the class 91/Intercity 225 before they leave service please?
As a Hong Konger, I could possibly add something more to the Chinese export story. Part of the reason for the demise is that the Swedish firm did not provide regular electrical maintenance as part of the leasing contract. As a result, the Guangzhou railway group had to sort problems out on its own by sourcing components from both overseas and local reverse-engineering. The lack of proper support had raised the maintenance cost drastically over the years, while the train had grown to be incompatible with the newly renovated Guangshen railway when the Bombardier-designed CRH1 was in service (And subsequently the entire built-from-the-ground-up Chinese HSR). So X2000 quickly fell out of place after numerous failures. However, in retrospect, this train serves as an important landmark in Chinese HSR history as it was the intermediate product of slow mainline trains and the full-fledged dedicated HSR lines. It also teaches the Chinese how not to run imported models as later on they simply bought the right to manufacture the trains in China under the original maker's guidance.
I lived in Baltimore MD during the time period described here. I unfortunately never heard of it until now. I wish that wasnt the case. I would have lived to take a ride!
I'd like to see you cover Italy's Pendolino, which after the Alstom acquisition of Fiat Ferroviaria, is present on many high speed EMUs across Europe (though not much used)
Partial video that tells history of failed prototypes that had no commercial follow-up and ignores the true story of a 50-year success. The technology of the "titling train" called "Pendolino" is an entirely Italian invention and patent. In 1985, engineer Santanera filed a patent application for the Fiat Ferroviaria company, entitled "Railway vehicle for high speeds with variable trim body", granted with the number IT1183754B. This used 2 gyroscopes by aeronautical equipment (FIAT avio) and accelerometers, placed on the first bogie of the train. A computer, depending on the speed, calculated the inclination to be given to each individual carriage, when it reached the curve. The first Etr 401 "Pendolino" entered service between Rome and Ancona in 1976! Since 1988, with the Etr 450, they entered regular service, forming the backbone of the Italian 250km/h AV (high speed). Over 30 electric trains (ETR) were built of the 450,460,470 and 480 series. The FIAT railway patent was purchased by Alstom in 2000 for 300 million euros! Titling train manufactured by Altom around the world are built on the original Fiat patent.
Great video, but you got that bit about mountainous terrain all wrong. The populated parts of Sweden is not mountainous at all. The reason the lines are so bendy is because it was cheaper and faster to build them going around lakes and other obstacles. No substantial new lines had been built since the 19th century.
"Sweden primarily mountainous terrain" What? where? There are plenty of small hills, but barley any mountains. Apart from up in the north west, but there is no railways. The reason for not wanting a France style solution is simply that it was at this time not deemed a economical to build a full extra track for as little traffic as would be needed. This kind of have come bit and bite Sweden now with a large capacity shortage.
"The nation's largely mountainous terrain", really? Sweden's topography consists mainly of flat or gently rolling lowlands (but there are mountains in its western areas near Norway). Tha mainline railways in Sweden from the 19th century were adapted to the terrain if necessary, like lakes.
I rather wonder if ABB's primary intent with the X2 was to sell it to Amtrak. That Budd Company corrugated stainless steel body look is an unmistakable nod to the Amfleet car.
This is only done to fool the germans who love their Internal Combustion Engines. To pronunce it ice is OK. Failing AC and Heating are still common in Germany: Ladies and Tschentlemän, due to a malfunction the heating has failed
Nothing more than the basic flight control system found in simple autopiloted passenger aircraft - a directional XY gyroscope box with a couple of rate gyros, all feeding servo type motors for tilting.
Nothing like it actually. The autopilot has been around for around 100 years. It has the luxury of time and empty airspace in order correct for deviations from the straight and constant speed flight path of its single "carriage". By contrast, the tilt control is not concerned with the direction of travel. It's there to maintain the comfort and safety of the passengers by constantly monitoring changes in track cant, curvature & gradient, vehicle speed, acceleration & roll - then calculating the precise duration and force required for each of the 20 hydraulic rams along the length of the train and actuating those commands in real time before repeating the process all over again in the next half second.
Today, as they're over 30 years old, the reliability is not what it used to be, the X2 is now the most problem-prone train sets that SJ has, even surpassing the notorious X40 double-deckers from France. But SJ has started to overhaul the fleet by rebuilding them, both technically and cosmetically and the "new" units are almost like a brand new train making it possible to run them at least 20 more years, if not more
Switzerland here. Ours don't work. Why. ABB is partly Swiss. But we don't have ABB systems. We have Italian trains because these were 6 pence cheaper, and those don't work right, ever. It is a complete disaster. Sadly the Swiss rail system today is run by complete imbeciles.
Ha funny. As someone from the UK, I've always been jealous of the Swiss railway system. It is run fantastically. So punctual and clean, with services so well integrated with buses and boats. I guess perspective is all relative, but trust me, on the whole, you guys have it very good. I think the only exception is HSR, but then you are a small country, so not a huge deal.
The "BB" of "ABB" is Swiss. The A is "ASEA". But ABB sold of their part of the rail business to Daimler to form AdTranz, that in turn got acquired by Bombardier and later Alstom.
I'm genuinely curious if you have any females in your viewing demographics? This seems like such a specific male-interest topic, I cannot imagine women being interested. My girlfriend certainly wasn't 😁
Tilting trains with electronics were not pioneered by Britain at all even though the first shabby implementation was done there and passengers complained and stopped it. 30 years before any Briton could even think about it, the Germans had such ideas. Maybe the Brits stole some of it like most of their technology which is stolen. Then in the 1950s, the Japanese thought about it but later decided for dedicated tracks. In the 1960s, the French were also interested in it but quickly gave up the idea for dedicated tracks Only on these lines and only after Spain and Canada implemented those, the British could even think about such ideas. This is the issue with Brits. You talk about any science, they'll bring an unnecessary lie about some British link. Come one guy, you couldn't build a proper car or motorcycle which works, then why big big claims?
It's Saturday morning. Must be 'Learn something new with Ruairidh' time.
btw. How does one pronounce your name? Never been able to get my head around it even after following you for several years now. It's either gonna be insanely simple phonetically or will probably join the 'Never gonna get or remember that' list I imagine.
Difficult ( for my small brain) account name aside. Thanks for the continued brilliantly researched and presented content chap.
I think it's "Rory". Irish, by the look of it
@@smorris12 Right or wrong I can remember that. So he's now been renamed Rory whether he likes it or not 🤣
@@C2K777 I've found that until you meet a Siobhan, Niamh or Eimear, the chances of getting the pronunciation right are negligible!!
@@smorris12 Particle physics, shipyard steel laying, how to get perfect cake icing. idk man. lot of crazy words there I have no idea about (( JK lest I offend half the Irish nation ))
Thank you for your kind words, and the pronunciation is in fact 'Rory', from a Gaelic origin. 🙂
Well, one correction is that Sweden is not "largely mountainous" but, in fact, rather the opposite. It is flat, with some rather minor mountains in the north towards the Norwegian border. There are other reasons Swedish mainlines are not so strait; many lakes that needed to be avoided and the cost of building infrastructure in a sparsely populated country meant that is was cheaper to go around obstacles than over or under them.
It's hilly more than anything
@@wewillrockyou1986
Not particularly.
Tbf Its basicly just a massive hill going towards jonkoping
@@moggsly5669 Just this summer I cycled from Göteborg to Stockholm via Jönköping, and...can confirm.
Yeah I cringed a bit when I heard that. If you look around there are no mountains anywhere near population centers. Sweden is hilly at worst. Lake dodging makes a lot more sense as an explanation for a tilting train and frequently bending track
And 30 years later, the X2000 is still the best train running here in Sweden, in my opinion. Thank you for this nice presentation.
33* and is not the best depending on what you call "best train"
@@jultomten3739I clearly see "in my opinion" in Michaels comment..
@@davebowman6497 Missed that, sorry still 33 years :)
The X2000 is a design classic. I hate to use the word "iconic", but I think it applies here. Definitely one of the best looking high speed trains ever, along with the ICE1 and the original TGV Atlantique and Sud Est. I've never been on one, but I recently visited Malmo and saw one at the station. So cool.
They struck a perfect mix of modern and classic with the sleek ends and corrugated sides. The original TGV and Shinkansen are definitely more iconic, but the X2 is a much more timeless design.
Thank you VERY much for this. I got to ride X2000 on the noon Metroliner in 1993. It was EXACTLY what Amtrak needed for the 19th century infrastructure that is the Northeast Corridor. In the end it was expensive and Amtrak wanted cheap and so we got the "American Flyer" later rebranded Acela. X2000 has been rebuilt losing the original GTO inverters and getting IGBT inverters (and ballast to make up for the weight loss) and will be in service through at least the end of the decade. Acela cannot be replaced soon enough. We had the answer in our hands...and we let it go.
Blame the AAR for that. They insisted on the ridiculous requirement for trains to resist structural deformation with sheer buff strength rather than crumple zones that could absorb kinetic energy, so most American trains are effectively built out of heavy steel armour plating. Unlike everywhere else in the world, that seeks to avoid derailments and collisions by providing adequate signalling and infrastructure, the AAR approach is to require rollingstock that won't be destroyed in the inevitable crashes.
They've relaxed the rules somewhat but the legacy remains, and American railroads are notoriously resistant to embracing new ideas from overseas.
@@zoqaeski They were planning a waver for the NEC though. No there were more concerns about buying American and Bombardier had production in the US. In fact they have that waiver now for the Avelia Liberty.
@@zoqaeski The AAR does not write standards for passenger vehicles. Back in the late 90s when Acela was on the drawing board they designed for the then current FRA requirement for end buff strength: 800k lbs. After a knock down drag out fight within the FRA the 1m lbs buff strength requirement was adopted for vehicles above 125 but not above 150 mph. (For the record X2000 met the 800k requirement as designed and may have met 1m with little or no modification.) At this point, as later chronicled by NRPC OIG, they should have ripped up the plans for Acela and started over. Buff strength is a function of design as well as material. But starting over would raise the cost and exceed the already paper thin margin Bomber had committed to. Ergo, they added more steel and created a very fast tank.
@@quayzar1 At the time of testing X2000 and ICE the wreck of the Colonial at Chase, Maryland, was still very fresh on everyone’s (read FRA) mind. They were not going to sanction “high-speed” cab cars on the NEC and so if X2000 had been chosen there would have been a power car on each end. Also, at the time ABB had the facility in Elmira, New York, at the time and would have complied with the “buy USA” requirements. That property would later become the space for CAF USA to build the Viewliner 2s…but that’s another debacle.
My first ride on a high speed train was on an x2000 back in the early 2000s. It was a brilliant service especially compared to what I was used to in the UK and Ireland. It wasn’t particularly fast but the interior comfort, general design and cleanliness was a step above anything I’d previously experienced. A really great achievement.
But the speed of the X2000 is the same as UK trains such as the HST and 225 so surely if you count the X2000 as a high speed train then the HST should be a high speed train as well.
@@OntarioTrafficManAs I stated, It wan't particularly fast.
12:53 Although the Acela power cars were based on the French TGV, the coaches were based on the Canadian LRC, featuring active tilting which was not part of TGV designs.
In effect what Amtrak had requested was an X2000 which met U.S. regulations.
During the 90's,I was able to get a press pass on the X-2000 to Washington,and that train was beautiful! An example of the speed factor,was when we went through Holmesburg Junction[North of Philadelphia],the train was doing 120 MPH,and a regular train was limited to 90/100 depending on type! The crew who was running those trips,were enthusiastic about that set! Really,Amtrak blew it on not ordering a few sets,as that would have given the airlines a good run for the money! And if Congress would finally treat Public Transportation as an asset,instead of a liability,that would give the nation,a good shot in the arm!! Thank you,for reviving some good memories!! Thanks again! Thank you 😇 😊!!
Except for the far north Sweden is not a mountainous country but it is very humpy. The geographical feature which dictated the shape of the railways was the prevalence of lakes and rivers. The engineers building the tracks originally took the easy way out following the edge of a lake or a river wherever possible giving rise to the extremely twisty track. Even today the most sinuous portions are those which follow the water's edge but the cancellation of G forces is so good that it can be quite a surprise to look out the window and see an adjacent stretch of water apparently sloping up to sky.
I don't know whether it is still the case in the early days even the second-class carriages had the same at table 2+1 layout as first class which with the broad Swedish loading gauge made it about the most spacious second-class in Europe.
As a swedish train enthusiast, i got so happy seeing you covering something swedish!! Cherrs mate🍻
i didn't know it was that popular back then
Fun fact.
Back in 1990's Poland was looking for a high speed tilting trains and there were two competitors, Fiat Ferroviara with Pendolino and ADTranz with X2000 nicknamed "projekt fala" ("project wave").
Who came out winning?
i had the chance to travel on x2000 when i
had come from italy and jumped on the x2000 in cph went to alvesta in sweden.
thanks for uploading this video.
👍👍👍🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
As a Swedish train geek, I appreciate videos with high quality about our trains.
Just a small correction.
2:32 The X1 was used in 1969-71 for tests of high-speed trains. X1 were new commuter trains at the time and they were needed in Stockholm.
So they used an old X5 that was built in 1948. It was the X5 that was rebuilt into the X15.
And now we have a Swiss train called X15 "p" waiting to start service on the Roslagsbanan 😉
As a Swedish train entusuast you have done great research, and very happy to see something Swedish being covered on your channel.
And the X2000 are just now getting refurbishment i Västerås (Sweden) to extend their lifespan with 20-25 years!
It would be cool to see a video about the swedish regina trains. The regina trains are equivalemt to the british turbostars, being the backbone of regional services all over the country for over 20 years.
My wife always gets motion sickness on the x2000. I love it , i get a little chuckle when the beer bottles pop out of the coolers in dining cars when taking a bouncy curve.
Tackar så mycket! Tack!
"Thank you so much! Thank you!"
-Your friendly train guy from Sweden
Thank you for video. I had a Roco model of this express in ICE livery. It's nise to remember my childhood)
From Russia with love!
Interesting topic on a great train set. When you take a ride on the X2000 you notice the comfort is amazing, it has a really plush, supple ride. Super comfy seats aswell. Until recently I had no idea it had a tilting system, it just seems to glide at high speed- it works that well!
Sadly the X2000's time in NSW Australia never went beyond the demo runs due mainly to the amount of severe curves reducing train speeds to as low as 40mph in places caused by government restraints on capital costs that forced the early railway planners to follow land contours that could be easily accommodated by the early steam locos of the period from 1855 onwards. Net result is that while yes you can enjoy the scenery onboard but in terms of competing with road and air places railways in NSW a very poor third behind road and air travel. For example a domestic flight between Sydney and Melbourne takes around 90 minutes where as The XPT covered the same distance in roughly 10 hours.
Yet another excellent, highly informative video - thank you so much for sharing your brilliant documentaries! 😊
And a noticeably more measured delivery too! 👍
As a Swede I must say that I thank you for this!!!
And now an upgraded x2000c is out on the tracks in Sweden
Actually, although the train itself did not export much, the technology has been used alot. For example, the NSB BM73 is based on the X2, but with distributed power. PS...I love the retro footage in this video!
Happy to see one of my country's last own mmade projects before all train-related companies either got sold or bankrupted in the 1990s and forward
Yes! Thank you for doing my favorite train from childhood!
It's weird to hear the train category of ICE trains pronounced as a word: "ice". It's actually meant to be pronounced letter by letter: Eye- See- Eee. (Well, or in German, if you can master that.)
@@BB-xx3dv It is definitely not the usual way of saying it.
I'm a Swedish driver but not currently qualified on the X2 (I hope to be in the not too distant future!). Just walking around the depot they have a very destinct aura around them. It's just something with the pretty brutal design and roaring fans when departing. I did drive it for two weeks during driver's training, and it's really something else. Going through curvy sections on the mainline at 180 km/h is something else, you're really flying while comfortably sipping your coffe (at least from the DVT...)!
@bjornlillpers498 Curious~How's the feel while riding X2 locomotive side????
Feel uncomfy when it doesn't tilt ????
@@jim1997330 It's fine when you're in the seat, but you have to hold on to your coffee on twisty sections. It's pretty loud as well
@@bjornlillpers498 Thanks man, I finally got the answer I want (´▽｀)
Rare to see these unit ,locomotive + tilting carriages ~~~~
Får du köra X2000 nu?😉
I had the opportunity to look over the X2000 set when it visited Brisbane in the nineties. It consisted of a driving trailer and two carriages, with motive and head-end power provided by two XPT power cars. I had to laugh at the "Conference Room" on board - two pairs of seats facing each other over a table, surrounded by a perspex enclosure. I immediately thought of the Cone Of Silence on Get Smart.
I ride these quite frequently and they are gems to ride on. And they are undergoing refurbishments currently that improves the comfort, smooth ness and reliability of the tilt system. However when the tilt system breaks down, is not fun.
Funnily enough the tilt system was broken on the bistro car last time I traveled with x2000
Nice! 🙂
But... "largely mountaineous" 0:15 "Primarily mountaineous" 1:10 .... whaaaaaat? ;-) There might be a few mountains in the largely unpopulated Arctic northwest - otherwise Sweden's landscape is pretty low-lying. The word you are looking for at most is: hilly.
A great presentation, well announciated and a great deal of history and facts! Excellent!
Good to see a video that makes it clear the tilting us for the comfort and stability of the coaches if the passengers and not actually required for higher speeds on curved track
Hi Ruairidh. Very interesting video. It still sticks in my craw that BR did so much research and development into a tilting train, but could not get over the winning line. I heard that Italy had taken up the running, presumably culminating in the Pendolino. Therefore, it was with surprise that you didn't mention the Pendolino until almost the end and then almost in passing. I had no idea that Sweden had done so much work on the technology. By-the-by: Guangzhou is pronounced Guang-Jo and Chengdu is pronounced Chungdu.
2:32 X15 is NOT based on X1 unit, but by X5 units, wich the picture above correctly shows. The X1 units was also tested for tilting technology, but did not become an X15. Some X1 and X10 commuter train units can be seen at 5:39 next to the X2000 in Stockholm Central.
I had the pleasure to ride the new recently refurbished and upgraded version of X2000 from Gothenburg to Stockholm. It exceeded my expectations, though they were high. Nowadays you get breakfast, coffee/tea, water, snacks and fruit on first class. And you can order lunch.
I love the X2000 for comfort, for tilt to compensate for cant limited for heavy freight, for elastomeric mount of journals for radial steering and elimination of wear. Great for US lines.
Wow, That Train Is Fast.
Thanks for the video. 2 points.
Sweden is not mountainous.
I think you meant radially steered bogies, not radically.
I rode on the X2000 demonstration cars between Sydney and Moss Vale in NSW in the 1995. It was a Bistro and first class car between 2 local XPT locomotives which had each been fitted with the ABB tilt control system. We hit 160km/h a few times but had to slow through tunnels due to the narrower NSW loading gauge.
Not mountainous, no, but it has a lot of humps and waterways.
I'm just amazed by how much I used a train back in the 1980's and early 90's in the UK despite owning a car. It all sort of dropped off once moving to the SW of France. in 1993 80% of the rail network closed down (as with Beeching). My last train trip was with the TGV from from Avignon to Paris, and then Eurostar in 2014 to Charing Cross.....
First introduced in 1990. Ironically this is posted in a week when HS2 to Manchester has been cancelled in the UK. Talk about being 30 odd years behind the curve.
These aren’t exactly high speed trains as such your not getting 185mph here!
@@vernongoodey5096 never mind speed they were first introduced in 1990. Years ahead of anything in the UK at the time. All that underinvestment under the Thatcher and subsequent governments left the UK light years behind rail travel on the continent especially France.
@@philbraithwaite1316 as a railway engineer I’m sure the actual locomotives don’t tilt and the drivers would suffer from nausea, don’t no if they have cured this. Your correct with Mrs Thatcher in all her years as a politician she only ever travelled twice by rail and one of those was when she named a Class 87 after herself (good old Sir Peter Parker)
The uk has had 200kph in regular service since 1976 so not that bad.
@@philbraithwaite1316 hold on just realised the year you quoted, our HSTs that still hold the world speed record of 142mph we’re introduced wait for it in APRIL 1976. The genius design was that it ran on our old Victorian rail system at these speeds. & went from design to introduction within 4 years after the APT-E debacle
May I suggest the AEM-7 and the SBB-CFF-FFS Re 460 as potential topics for future videos?
There is a Norwegian variant of the Re460 known as EL18. Popular name "The loaf", since it has the shape of a loaf of white bread. 😁
I seem to recall that, the UK effort was a failure?
3 years of testing.... maybe that's why it worked, looking at you British Rail
While I love the Acela, the X2000 would have been right at home on the Northeast Corridor. The corrugated stainless steel body compliment the AEM-7 / Amfleet stock perfectly, aswell as the Arrow/Silverliner EMU’s and ALP44 loco’s. Even the SJ livery looks very Amtrak like with its color scheme. Sometimes I wish that alternate history had occurred and we would have ended up with them…
Ahh yes the X2 or X2000, Swedish HST that toured US and Canada in the 1990s. Too bad nothing came out of it for Canada, while the US had Acela. There is the JetTrain, but that’s practically a farce practically following the TGV prototype backwards by going Electric to Turbine and never really went anywhere
Yeah the JetTrain never made sense because the top speed of trains is hardly ever the limitation in North America. Doesn't matter what train you have, if there's a level crossing you can't exceed 110 mph (177 km/h).
And if a government is going to invest billions to build a grade separated line, they'll probably pay to electrify it
Can see this being the predecessor of the APT Class 370 Tilting Train that was trialed on the West Coast Main Line before it never came into service. And the Class 390 Pendolinos are the successor of the Class 370 APT.
Not really, the X2000 entered service several years after the APT.
True. 👍
Sweden a “largely mountainous nation”? The majority of it is fairly flat land, the mountains are there on the border with Norway.
Yes and no. He has confused mountains and hills. We have plenty of hills :)
i wouldnt be surprised if the script is AI generated since the voiceover is AI (based what i think is his own voice)
0:42 I'm reasonably sure that 90% of the trains here in Canada don't even go 80mph nowadays!
I love the X2000!
funny enough ive seen the x2000 in our museum. the X2000 from china is in gävle in Järnvägsmusét currently.
Lol
The Electroliner / Liberty Liner of the current Millenium.
Rory, do a video on this train, please. Both examples are found in museums in the USA.
12:35 I’m a high-speed train on the railroad track. I’m long and sleek with a trolley on the back. I move direct with wires above that’s what a fast train does.
Since your going up north, would it be possible for you to maybe cover some Danish stuff? (yes, dane here). I think the IC3 and IC4 would be very interesting choices. Excellent video btw
Great vlog as always! We have no rail service in Norway to speak of. 3% of total land mass is farmland. Can you please do a vlog on EA shuttle service between BOS-LGA-DCA v.v. I have tried to find info and/or books on the matter. EA was one of a few US airlines I never got to fly. I heard that you could get onboard, and buy the ticket from the cabin crew. Keep up the good work!
Great video! I've been lucky enough to travel on one of these trains and it was a great experience! Thank you for the endless stream of high quality videos on classic trains. Any chance of one on the class 91/Intercity 225 before they leave service please?
As a Hong Konger, I could possibly add something more to the Chinese export story. Part of the reason for the demise is that the Swedish firm did not provide regular electrical maintenance as part of the leasing contract. As a result, the Guangzhou railway group had to sort problems out on its own by sourcing components from both overseas and local reverse-engineering. The lack of proper support had raised the maintenance cost drastically over the years, while the train had grown to be incompatible with the newly renovated Guangshen railway when the Bombardier-designed CRH1 was in service (And subsequently the entire built-from-the-ground-up Chinese HSR). So X2000 quickly fell out of place after numerous failures.
However, in retrospect, this train serves as an important landmark in Chinese HSR history as it was the intermediate product of slow mainline trains and the full-fledged dedicated HSR lines. It also teaches the Chinese how not to run imported models as later on they simply bought the right to manufacture the trains in China under the original maker's guidance.
Very informative, and apparently, the train set was bought back and put in the Järnvägsmuseét (railway museum) in Gävle.
I lived in Baltimore MD during the time period described here. I unfortunately never heard of it until now. I wish that wasnt the case. I would have lived to take a ride!
X2000 is now in America on the northeast corridor but soon it retired 😊
It was not the X1 class that were rebuilt for tilting train trials it was the older 1948 built X5 that were rebuilt into the X15 for trials.
Interesting video, a shame we didn't perfect the APT
I'd like to see you cover Italy's Pendolino, which after the Alstom acquisition of Fiat Ferroviaria, is present on many high speed EMUs across Europe (though not much used)
I made an un-narrated Pendolino compilation.
Lovely!!
It's a damn fine train in the same way that the Volvo is a damn fine car.
Its a real painful shame that the british class 370 APT never saw the success that the X2000 saw.
The TGV looks like they ripped the X2000 off but couldn't manage to figure out leaning into curves... if it only made sense timeline-wise.
Laying the banked track couldn’t have been too easy!? Cheers
I would have loved to see an X2000 in Amtrak colors.
Partial video that tells history of failed prototypes that had no commercial follow-up and ignores the true story of a 50-year success. The technology of the "titling train" called "Pendolino" is an entirely Italian invention and patent. In 1985, engineer Santanera filed a patent application for the Fiat Ferroviaria company, entitled "Railway vehicle for high speeds with variable trim body", granted with the number IT1183754B. This used 2 gyroscopes by aeronautical equipment (FIAT avio) and accelerometers, placed on the first bogie of the train. A computer, depending on the speed, calculated the inclination to be given to each individual carriage, when it reached the curve. The first Etr 401 "Pendolino" entered service between Rome and Ancona in 1976! Since 1988, with the Etr 450, they entered regular service, forming the backbone of the Italian 250km/h AV (high speed). Over 30 electric trains (ETR) were built of the 450,460,470 and 480 series. The FIAT railway patent was purchased by Alstom in 2000 for 300 million euros! Titling train manufactured by Altom around the world are built on the original Fiat patent.
Why can't we get trains right in the UK????
Why not tilt the tracks instead of train, like how its done for roads?
Eg, the cost of re-building several thousand kilometers of track. Also possibly the camber becoming uncomfortable on slow trains.
They tilt the tracks too
What could have been...🇬🇧
Great video, but you got that bit about mountainous terrain all wrong. The populated parts of Sweden is not mountainous at all. The reason the lines are so bendy is because it was cheaper and faster to build them going around lakes and other obstacles. No substantial new lines had been built since the 19th century.
"Sweden primarily mountainous terrain"
What? where? There are plenty of small hills, but barley any mountains. Apart from up in the north west, but there is no railways.
The reason for not wanting a France style solution is simply that it was at this time not deemed a economical to build a full extra track for as little traffic as would be needed. This kind of have come bit and bite Sweden now with a large capacity shortage.
I got a mighty soft spot fot this train
"The nation's largely mountainous terrain", really? Sweden's topography consists mainly of flat or gently rolling lowlands (but there are mountains in its western areas near Norway). Tha mainline railways in Sweden from the 19th century were adapted to the terrain if necessary, like lakes.
I rather wonder if ABB's primary intent with the X2 was to sell it to Amtrak. That Budd Company corrugated stainless steel body look is an unmistakable nod to the Amfleet car.
Amtrak trialed the x2000 in 92-93 on the north east corridor.
The APT was so nearly there but rushed into use too soon due to meddling politicians!
0:21 That track is drunk.
🕉️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏🕉️🙏
"There goes a train" clip 10:03
One very minor correction: when spoken about, the ICE trains of Germany are not called "ice", the individual letters are said.
This is only done to fool the germans who love their Internal Combustion Engines. To pronunce it ice is OK. Failing AC and Heating are still common in Germany: Ladies and Tschentlemän, due to a malfunction the heating has failed
miles per hour? i thought Sweden is metric, esp in 1980s. not counting no one understands this imperial units in EU who watch now.
It is metric, but what if this content creator is American?
He's British, they still haven't caught up yet.@@TheExileFox
Nothing more than the basic flight control system found in simple autopiloted passenger aircraft - a directional XY gyroscope box with a couple of rate gyros, all feeding servo type motors for tilting.
..... yet all others before who attempted to implement this, failed!
Nothing like it actually. The autopilot has been around for around 100 years. It has the luxury of time and empty airspace in order correct for deviations from the straight and constant speed flight path of its single "carriage".
By contrast, the tilt control is not concerned with the direction of travel. It's there to maintain the comfort and safety of the passengers by constantly monitoring changes in track cant, curvature & gradient, vehicle speed, acceleration & roll - then calculating the precise duration and force required for each of the 20 hydraulic rams along the length of the train and actuating those commands in real time before repeating the process all over again in the next half second.
km/h please..
😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩
Today, as they're over 30 years old, the reliability is not what it used to be, the X2 is now the most problem-prone train sets that SJ has, even surpassing the notorious X40 double-deckers from France. But SJ has started to overhaul the fleet by rebuilding them, both technically and cosmetically and the "new" units are almost like a brand new train making it possible to run them at least 20 more years, if not more
Is the X2000 really so unreliable?
Yes. And I'm speaking from experience of driving them at a daily basis here. They're definitely not what they used to be
Sweden has barely any mountains. Certainly nowhere near any of the lines where the x2000 operates.
I do wish you'd slow down and relax your delivery.
The one that went to the us is STILL ain’t service
The APT done correctly.
Sj have x2C and x2U
This chanel is the last hold out aginest nabuler and main stream documentory chanels
small detail, that is not how you pronounce ICE
Too bad there is no Swedish train development anymore. :(
Or. The Vomiting machine as we call it in Sweden...
No actually we don't.
Never heard anyone calling it that.
Switzerland here. Ours don't work. Why. ABB is partly Swiss. But we don't have ABB systems. We have Italian trains because these were 6 pence cheaper, and those don't work right, ever. It is a complete disaster. Sadly the Swiss rail system today is run by complete imbeciles.
Ha funny. As someone from the UK, I've always been jealous of the Swiss railway system. It is run fantastically. So punctual and clean, with services so well integrated with buses and boats. I guess perspective is all relative, but trust me, on the whole, you guys have it very good. I think the only exception is HSR, but then you are a small country, so not a huge deal.
The "BB" of "ABB" is Swiss. The A is "ASEA". But ABB sold of their part of the rail business to Daimler to form AdTranz, that in turn got acquired by Bombardier and later Alstom.
I'm genuinely curious if you have any females in your viewing demographics?
This seems like such a specific male-interest topic, I cannot imagine women being interested. My girlfriend certainly wasn't 😁
@@AnyoneSeenMikeHuntgood topic, will investigate for more.
I'm a female 🤗 my hubby suggested this channel so I subscribed. This is the first video I clicked on, because I love X2000s :)
@@susieare question answered. Thanks
Next question... am I the only one? 😂
@@susieare......yes 😅
Tilting trains with electronics were not pioneered by Britain at all even though the first shabby implementation was done there and passengers complained and stopped it. 30 years before any Briton could even think about it, the Germans had such ideas. Maybe the Brits stole some of it like most of their technology which is stolen. Then in the 1950s, the Japanese thought about it but later decided for dedicated tracks. In the 1960s, the French were also interested in it but quickly gave up the idea for dedicated tracks
Only on these lines and only after Spain and Canada implemented those, the British could even think about such ideas.
This is the issue with Brits. You talk about any science, they'll bring an unnecessary lie about some British link. Come one guy, you couldn't build a proper car or motorcycle which works, then why big big claims?
Sweden a mountainous nation? 😂 Boy you know nothing about Sweden.