Standard and Narrow Gauge (including 500 series Shinkansen)

[bill937ca]

[to2leo]

Thanks for the video Bill, I think I can stand on that bridge and watch the trains go by for hours!  ;D

[scott]

Good grief--that's more passenger-train volume in 1:17 than our town gets in an entire day.  ::)

[Bernard]

What a timely video. If you want to see the effects of the financial situation in the USA, take the LIRR. I take that train to work every day and ridership is way down. The early morning rush hour trains that run from 6:30 - 8:30, it used to be impossible to get a seat at my station stop, now the trains are half empty.

 

Bill - maybe you know the answer, what is the reason for having two different gauges, why isn't it uniform?

[CaptOblivious]

What a timely video. If you want to see the effects of the financial situation in the USA, take the LIRR. I take that train to work every day and ridership is way down. The early morning rush hour trains that run from 6:30 - 8:30, it used to be impossible to get a seat at my station stop, now the trains are half empty.

 

Bill - maybe you know the answer, what is the reason for having two different gauges, why isn't it uniform?

 

Narrow gauge allows for tighter turns, important in mountainous Japan; standard gauge allows for higher speeds :D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen#History