France breaks world speed record for rail trains

[DSM_421]

Agreed.

[Matt D.]

you sure bout dat? why does it say 25,000hp engines? Or was it motors? I know it said they cranked up the boost to 31,000 volts, but a 25k hp electric motor would be ginormous.
From Wikipedia...
TGVs are all electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC. Catenary wires are kept at a greater mechanical tension than normal lines because the pantograph causes oscillations in the wire, and the wave must travel faster than the train to avoid producing standing waves that would cause the wires to break. This was a problem when rail speed record attempts were made in 1990; power wire tension had to be increased further still to accommodate train speeds of over 500 km/h (310 mph). On LGVs, only the rear pantograph is raised, avoiding amplification of the oscillations created by the front pantograph. The front power car is supplied by a cable running along the roof of the train. Eurostar trains are long enough that oscillations are damped sufficiently between the front and rear power cars, so both pantographs can be raised - there is no interconnecting high-voltage cable along the 400-m length of the train. On lignes classiques slower maximum speeds prevent oscillation problems, and on DC lines both pantographs must be raised.

[DSM_421]

lol thats awesome

[FattyBoomBatty]

25kV does not necissarily 25k hp equate. Wikipedia some info on the motors for me. It is interesting to read about the lines they use, but 50hz is super low. I wonder if there are some high frequency lines nearby to carry the power long distances and transformers for the train's power supply.

[bluntedelvis]

Ohhh I'm sure the Train has some sort of multimillion dollar electric link to where the power levels are always their.

[polishmafia]

Why do planes need to go faster than 200 mph then? There's no need and it wastes fuel.

why do planes need to fly faster than 200mph? have you ever flown to asia, or europe?? im not talking fuel here... you said there was no need.

from new york to paris is almost 4000 miles. would you want to be stuck on a plane for 20 hours just to fly across the atlantic?

new york to toyko is 6800 miles, or 34 hours. might as well take a fuckin boat if it would take that long.

[92EvilTalon]

Agree this is breaking news. Granted megnetic trains can go fast as proven. But to take a electric train and push it that fast. Thats amazing. Also did you see that commercial for the new Lexus? There hybrid that puts out over 300hp...thats nuts. I knew electric can be speedy but wow its down right fast now. And the lady said the engine for the train was three dubble decker bus's if I heard her right.

[Matt D.]

25kV does not necissarily 25k hp equate. Wikipedia some info on the motors for me. It is interesting to read about the lines they use, but 50hz is super low. I wonder if there are some high frequency lines nearby to carry the power long distances and transformers for the train's power supply.
Are you arguing with yourself? You're the only person who has mentioned anything about what amount of power the train is making/using.

[Thor06]

People on the news were throwing around 25,000 hp numbers, I think thats what he was talking about.

[Swifty1638]

some planes need to fly over 200mph up in the atmosphere where the air is more sparse, and quicker flow is needed for lift.

-A. Swift