Growling Gears

[bill937ca]

[miyakoji]

OK Bikkuri, this monster vs JRE's remaining 203s... call it.

[bikkuri bahn]

OK Bikkuri, this monster vs JRE's remaining 203s... call it.

 

Different creatures, these are gear/pinion jobs, while the 203's are cardan link, with a smoother sound.  Low speed the geared ones are nice, but at speed I prefer a cardan link.

[miyakoji]

I had to look that up.  A cardan joint is the same thing as a universal joint right?  I did not know those were found in any EMUs.

[bikkuri bahn]

Yeah, more or less, though it looks different from a drive shaft on a motor vehicle.  Cardan link traction motors became common on EMUs after the introduction of the JNR class 101 EMU, and the success of that model led the private railways to pretty much abandon (except Sotetsu) other drive designs (like direct drive motors pioneered by the PCC car) and build new rolling stock with standard dc motors mounted parallel to the axle but with a cardan link. I wish the railway museums would focus more on this aspect of rolling stock design, but maybe it's too esoteric for the average museum visitor.

[miyakoji]

Is this the thing I just commented on in gmat's Tokyo Summer Fair 2011 thread?  I thought that it was a torque limiter.

[bill937ca]

Yeah, more or less, though it looks different from a drive shaft on a motor vehicle.  Cardan link traction motors became common on EMUs after the introduction of the JNR class 101 EMU, and the success of that model led the private railways to pretty much abandon (except Sotetsu) other drive designs (like direct drive motors pioneered by the PCC car) and build new rolling stock with standard dc motors mounted parallel to the axle but with a cardan link. I wish the railway museums would focus more on this aspect of rolling stock design, but maybe it's too esoteric for the average museum visitor.

 

I agree this would be big improvement. But at least for now we have the technical books of yesteryear and the few of today.  My sources are mainly European, but there is much published in Japan in Japanese.

[bikkuri bahn]

Is this the thing I just commented on in gmat's Tokyo Summer Fair 2011 thread?  I thought that it was a torque limiter.

 

Yes, that's it.

 

The Meitetsu train at 1:28 is the 6750 series, which was retired in Feb. of this year, and were the last nose suspended drive units used on Meitetsu, and apparently the last of its type on any of the major 1067mm private railways.  A pity I couldn't see (or hear) them...

 

http://railblog.up.seesaa.net/image/110219_meitetsu6750_4.jpg

[bikkuri bahn]

Yeah, more or less, though it looks different from a drive shaft on a motor vehicle.  Cardan link traction motors became common on EMUs after the introduction of the JNR class 101 EMU, and the success of that model led the private railways to pretty much abandon (except Sotetsu) other drive designs (like direct drive motors pioneered by the PCC car) and build new rolling stock with standard dc motors mounted parallel to the axle but with a cardan link. I wish the railway museums would focus more on this aspect of rolling stock design, but maybe it's too esoteric for the average museum visitor.

 

I agree this would be big improvement. But at least for now we have the technical books of yesteryear and the few of today.  My sources are mainly European, but there is much published in Japan in Japanese.

 

Yes, the books available here in Japan are excellent, compared to their non-existence in the U.S.  The problem I have with railway museums is that they all too often seem content on just displaying rolling stock with maybe a plaque giving basic information you can find in any rolling stock book or wikipedia, but don't make an effort to tell why the equipment is significant, either from the technical or societal/historical aspect.  This has been a criticism leveled at the display of the kumoha 101 at the railway museum in Saitama.