From: BRANDT_JOBST/HP1900_01@HPLOMG.HPL.HP.COM
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: ICE high speed train
Date: 21 Jul 92 17:46:21 GMT

ICE travel-- a nice ride but a technical disappointment.

I just spent some time riding around Germany on the DB (Deutsche
Bundesbahn) and DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn) the west and east German
railroads that are still separate but under one directorship.  I don't
know what that means but it seems to be a book keeping definition.

The German rail pass that I used was for 10 days and is valid for one
month and allowing 10 non-contiguous days of travel by the using date
entries for every day used.  Before boarding, the day's date must be
entered in the appropriate box (of which there are 10).  It is available
in 1st and 2nd class and both are good on all trains of the two railroads,
including the ICE, IC, EC and D trains that otherwise require a surcharge.

It was pleasant to see the Shaffhausen-Singen DB line electrified and
that Swiss locomotives run through to Singen Germany.  From there the
run to Stuttgart was with an east German Loco from Henningsdorf, the
big locomotive works in former east Germany that is filling orders for
both railroads.  From Stuttgart I took the ICE
Munich-Stgt-Frankfurt-Hamburg run and changed to a Rhein valley EC in
Mannheim.

The ICE was a revelation because it had all the problems that I
anticipated and more.  The stability from car to car was worse than I
had thought with substantial jostling even on the smooth new high
speed right of way.  On the IC lines it was a real bounce but then the
lateral accelerations were rude as well.  It defies walking on the
line between Frankfurt and Fulda as they run at max speed of ~200
km/h.  On the high speed lines 250 is achieved now and then but for
some reason it only lasts long enough to clock it before the brakes
are applied.

The outer wind covers between cars have been scrapped so there is a
large loss in wind drag by the sharp edged car ends that were designed
to accept a shroud to aerodynamically connect cars.  Because the
vestibules passages are wide, they are not as difficult to cross as
one might expect and they have a smooth and continuous segmented
floor.  Automatic doors open as passengers approach and close after no
motion is detected when the passenger is out of range.  This leaves
doors open for longer than you would like, a problem with most trains.

The most annoying problem is a droning/drumming noise that throbs
throughout some cars.  The DB/DR newspaper acknowledges this and says
that the matter is under investigation.  I believe they know exactly
what it is because it is speed dependent and at low speed reveals
itself as small flat spots on the wheels and are distinctly audible as
such.  This points to their ABS system that apparently cannot react to
a skidding wheel fast enough to prevent them from developing.  These
seem to be small enough that the just cause a horrendous rumble at
speeds over 160 km/h.  At first I couldn't figure out why they should
have such problems but then as I rode more I discovered that sudden
speed reductions are not so rare.  I first thought I was experiencing
an emergency stop but this was on a high speed line with no features
that would cause unexpected disturbances.  The acceleration was about
like an aircraft landing.  I was impressed with the rate because I
have never felt such strong braking.  I am sure the ABS system was
heavily taxed and we probably picked up a few more flats on the way.

Each car has fixed seats facing fore and aft and some face to face so
that leg room becomes an intimate affair with the opponent.  The IC
and EC cars have locked but reversible seat pairs so that all seats
face forward on each run (of course there are a number of dead end
stations that make all seats back\wards too [as in Stgt. or Fkft]).
There are employee compartments that take up 1/4 of a car and roomy
toilets so that many cars seat about 24 passengers in second class,
fewer in first class, never more than three seats across.

There are two telephones on each train that can only be used with
prepaid electronic phone cards.  These are available in 12 and 50 DM
with a surcharge of 3 DM if you don't buy them at the post office
before boarding.  In fact they are scraping for funds everywhere with
surcharges.  Their diners are about 2x the price of equally good ones
on EC/IC trains.  Making a phone call requires waiting in line where
there is no place to wait in the aisle.  On the  line it is
rough and tumble literally as they try to keep to their schedule on a
relatively curvy section of smooth track.

The whole thing seems to come to reality when you read that the French
German, Belgian and Luxembourg high speed train Paris-Brussels-Berlin
will be a TGV.  Oh yes, the booking system is such that seats can be
reserved but no one knows which until searching for seats that cannot
be identified whether they are aisle or window.  It soon becomes clear
why SNCF sells their seats the way airlines do.  All seats are booked
and the computer knows at all times which seats are occupied.

The French who run somewhat faster use only one pantograph to make
sure that the contact beam encounters only undisturbed contact wire,
the second power unit is fed by a rooftop conductor that connects the
two power units.  ICE spent much time reinventing the high speed
pantograph because they use one at each end of the train and had
difficulty maintaining an arc free rear pantograph.

It is interesting to read what engineering problems were solved on the
TGV.  These details have been and are discussed in RGI but it seems
RGI doesn't get read at DB labs where they design ICE trains from
first principles.  It is amazing to think that a German ICE has twice
as many wheels as a TGV and twice as many vestibules and are built of
steel.  It reminds me of back to the future.  I don't understand how
this massive redundant R&D effort can escape the auditor's scrutiny
and the engineering fraternity's criticism.

It seems to me that DB/DR would do good to start buying TGV's with
interiors to their own specifications immediately and stop the
blundering ICE development that must converge on a train like the TGV.
Even our container double stack trains are articulated single truck
inseparable strings.  How can one ignore the need for this design in a
unit train regardless whether freight or passenger?

It's a nice ride if cost be damned but I think they could get a lot
more for their money.  This seems especially true when you see that
the IC/EC trains run at 200 km/h at a better average speed with
"ordinary" passenger cars with substantially greater capacity.  The
ICE makes better time primarily because it has far fewer stops.

jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.railroad