Now this is a fast train!

[MRB]

Originally Posted by blucher

That must be like takeoff when flying except for a longer time of acceleration. That's unimaginable ground speed. I hope before they retire any trains they use one to approximate a derailment or collision. I'd be interested in how far that amount of mass moving over 500 mph might fly after impact.

I think if they get into bullet trains here they need to go to maglev because it's so smooth a ride, has potontial for far greater speeds than rail trains, and has considerably less moving parts to service.

Somehow I don't think how far it would fly after impact would be much to consider or worry about. I believe anyone in a train like this, during an accident, wouldn't feel a thing and would be considerably more than dead long before all the parts would stop moving from such a wreck.

[blucher]

I believe anyone in a train like this, during an accident, wouldn't feel a thing and would be considerably more than dead long before all the parts would stop moving from such a wreck.

99% would die of heart attacks long before they became mush I guess.

I don't think we can do fast trains until we kill off terrorists but we might have better luck in Canada. Hudson's Bay is becoming a warm weather ice free port for much of the year and improved rails are planned to ship Midwest grain to Europe via RR to Hudson's Bay and then by ship.
That's remote country and Canada has far fewer enemies. The other idea is an old one but would connect almost the entire world. Canada could probably help with some of the costs. Their prairies would use the same markets. Then there's Russia, South Korea and China and perhaps Japan.

[havasu]

it is not MPH, but KMPH, so maybe my Canadian friends can help...maybe 300 MPH?

[RiponredTJ]

575 kph/1.6 = about 360 mph.

I only know this because my Jeep is about to roll over to 200K km and I feel much better when I think of that mileage in non metric terms

That is stinking fast. I've had a car up to 142 mph, and thought that was insane.

[blucher]

Tried 135 once and felt lucky afterwards because I hit it racing in the country and the roads were iffy at best at times.