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In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units).

As of 2018^[update], there are approximately 1,052,000 kilometres (654,000 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank (via Archive.org))

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Selected article of the week

Quainton Road railway station was opened in 1868 in undeveloped countryside near Quainton, Buckinghamshire, 44 miles (71 km) from London. Built by the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway, it was the result of pressure from the 3rd Duke of Buckingham to route the railway near his home at Wotton House and to open a railway station at the nearest point to it. Serving a relatively unpopulated area, Quainton Road was a crude railway station, described as "extremely primitive". All goods to and from the Brill Tramway passed through Quainton Road station, making it relatively heavily used despite its geographical isolation, and traffic increased further when construction began on Ferdinand de Rothschild's mansion of Waddesdon Manor. The Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway and the Brill Tramway were absorbed by London's Metropolitan Railway (MR), who already operated the line from Aylesbury to London. The MR rebuilt Quainton Road station and re-sited it to a more convenient location, allowing direct running of services between the Brill Tramway and the Aylesbury and Buckingham Railway. In 1933 the Metropolitan Railway was taken into public ownership to become the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, and despite its distance from London Quainton Road became a part of the London Transport system. From 1936 London Underground services were withdrawn, leaving the GCR as the only operator still using the station, although London Underground services were restored for a short period in the 1940s. In 1958 passenger services on most of the GCR were withdrawn. Trains continued to serve Quainton Road for a short time after that, but in 1963 passenger services were withdrawn and in 1966 goods services were withdrawn and the station was closed. In 1969 the Quainton Road Society was formed, with the aim of preserving the station. In 1971 the Quainton Road Society absorbed the London Railway Preservation Society, taking over its collection of historic railway equipment. The station was fully restored and reopened as a museum, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. In addition to the original station buildings, the museum has also acquired the former Oxford Rewley Road railway station and a London Transport building from Wembley Park, both of which have been reassembled on the site. Although no scheduled trains pass through Quainton Road, the station remains connected to the railway network. Freight trains still use the line through the station, and passenger trains still call at the station for special events at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

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An aerial view of the hump yard bowl of Kornwestheim classification yard in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, as seen in 2008.

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Did you know...

...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?

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Selected anniversaries

November 24

1892 – The first train ferry service on the Great Lakes and the first in the world over open waters is inaugurated with Ann Arbor Number 1 of the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Railway (reorganized in 1895 as the Ann Arbor Railroad) between Elberta, Michigan, and Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
1905 – Canadian Northern Railway completes tracklaying to Edmonton, Alberta, with Alberta's Lieutenant Governor ceremonially driving the last spike.
1916 – German sleeping and dining car operator Mitropa is founded.
1961 – Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (now known as Chepe; pictured) opens its line through the Copper Canyon in Mexico.

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Train News

Santa Fe No. 2926 at Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 24, 2021 – Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 2926, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944, moves under its own power for the first time since Christmas Eve of 1953, after nearly twenty-two years of being rebuilt by volunteers. The locomotive will be put into mainline excursion service. (NMSL&RHS, Trains Magazine on Facebook)
Big Boy No. 4012 at Steamtown National Historic Site
May 5, 2021 – Steamtown National Historic Site completes thorough cosmetic overhaul on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4012, which is moved back on static display before National Train Day. (NEPA Scene)
The derailed Taroko Express trainset, as seen from outside the entrance to the tunnel
April 2, 2021 – 2021 Hualien train derailment – A Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derails at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least 200 others. North of Hualien City a construction truck had fallen down a slope onto the tracks. The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with the truck, and then came to a rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties. (Bloomberg, CNN, CNA, New York Times, Financial Times)

The preserved C&O 1309 at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in October 2009

December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)

An Avelia Liberty train on a test run in Delaware in May 2020

September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)

Berryessa/North San José station on the first day of service

June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)

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General images

The following are images from various train-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Pacific National diesel locomotives in Australia showing three body types, cab unit (front), hood unit (middle) and box cab (rear) (from Locomotive)
Image 2Most derailments, such as this one in Switzerland, are minor and do not cause injuries or damage. (from Train)
Image 3Southern Railway (UK) 20002 was equipped with both pantograph and contact shoes. (from Locomotive)
Image 4A London Underground battery–electric locomotive at West Ham station used for hauling engineers' trains (from Locomotive)
Image 5A large Amtrak and Metra coach yard just south of Chicago Union Station. About 25 percent of all rail traffic in the United States travels through the Chicago area. (from Rail yard)
Image 6A China Railways HXD1D electric locomotive in China (from Locomotive)
Image 7A gas turbine locomotive operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (from Train)
Image 8A Tokyo Monorail train (from Train)
Image 9A number of maintenance vehicles at work on Metro-North Railroad (from Train)
Image 10Soviet RT-23 Molodets ICBM launch train, in the St Petersburg museum (from Railroad car)
Image 11Baltimore & Ohio electric engine, 1895 (from Locomotive)
Image 12A freight car (boxcar type) for the South Australian Railways, 1926 (from Railroad car)
Image 13Inside a modern-day car from Finland (from Railroad car)
Image 14A British Rail Class 150 in the United Kingdom (from Railroad car)
Image 15A wooden toy train set from Swedish manufacturer Brio (from Train)
Image 16A prototype of a Ganz AC electric locomotive in Valtellina, Italy, 1901 (from Locomotive)
Image 17The Japanese 0 Series Shinkansen pioneered high speed rail service. (from Train)
Image 18A narrow-gauge battery–electric locomotive used for mining (from Locomotive)
Image 19Yard for Amtrak equipment, located next to the Los Angeles River. The two tracks on the left are the mainline. (from Rail yard)
Image 20A coach yard in Shanghai, China (from Rail yard)
Image 21The EMD FT set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over from steam. (from Train)
Image 22British Rail Mark 3 coach, an all-steel car from the 1970s (from Railroad car)
Image 23An interior of a Circle line S7 Stock in London (from Railroad car)
Image 24US-style railroad truck (bogie) with journal bearings (from Train)
Image 25A Victorian Railways R class steam locomotive in Australia (from Locomotive)
Image 26This cab car includes a horn (top), a bell (top right), headlights (above the door), classification lights (red lights on side), and ditch lights (white lights on side). (from Train)
Image 27The "hump" of a hump yard. Railcars travel past retarders, which control their speed, and are directed onto tracks to be assembled into new trains. The control tower operates the retarders. (from Rail yard)
Image 28Electric train on Djursholmsbanan in Stockholm in the 1890s. (from Train)
Image 29Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons. (from Train)
Image 30The New Orleans Streetcar System is one of the oldest in the world. (from Train)
Image 31Second-class compartment of a China Railways CRH1A-A train (from Train)
Image 32Workington stabling point in 1981, with locomotives from Classes 25, 40 and 47 parked between duties. (from Rail yard)
Image 33A Union Pacific freight train; high clearances enable double-stacked containers to be carried in well cars. (from Train)
Image 34Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, by Claude Monet, 1877, Art Institute of Chicago (from Train)
Image 35The 1887 Daimler draisine (from Locomotive)
Image 36Werner von Siemens experimental DC electric train, 1879 (from Locomotive)
Image 37Various types of railroad cars in a classification yard in the United States (from Train)
Image 38Variety of rolling stock in rail yard (from Rolling stock)
Image 39This map of Cedar Hill Yard in Connecticut shows a variety of different facilities, including receiving yards, departure yards, classification yards, and a repair yard. (from Rail yard)
Image 40Restored clerestory cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin (from Railroad car)
Image 41Typical American extended vision caboose (from Railroad car)
Image 42Škoda Artic light rail train near the cathedral in Tampere, Finland (from Train)
Image 43China operates an extensive high speed rail network. (from Train)
Image 44A narrow gauge train in Austria (from Train)
Image 45The Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives represented the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power. (from Train)
Image 46A preserved armored train (from Train)
Image 47Armored train Hurban located in Zvolen, Slovakia (from Railroad car)
Image 48Garratt locomotives in Zimbabwe (from Train)
Image 49A Metropolitan line S8 Stock at Amersham in London (from Railroad car)
Image 50World's first useful diesel locomotive (a diesel–electric locomotive) for long distances SŽD Eel2, 1924 in Kyiv (from Locomotive)
Image 51Bombardier ALP-45DP at the Innotrans convention in Berlin (from Locomotive)
Image 52Trains carrying hazardous materials display information identifying their cargo and hazards. This tank car carrying chlorine displays, among other markings, a U.S. DOT placard showing a UN number that identifies the hazardous substance. (from Train)