- Author
-
Allender, P. J.
- Title
- Smoke Control on Underground Railways.
- Coporate
- Metro-Cammell Ltd., Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Book or Conf
- International Conference on Flammability. INTERFLAM '85. Conference Workbook. March 26-28, 1985,
Guildford, England,
115-121 p.,
1985
- Keywords
-
railroads
|
internal combustion engines
- Abstract
- Modern underground railways no longer use steam or internal combustion engines for hauling passengers through smoke filled tunnels. All present day underground railways use electrically operated vehicles with traction power distributed to several axles. Acceleration from rest to maximum speed consumes a great deal of energy, in some cases as much as a megawatt per train. The supply of energy to sections of tract requires tunnel cables, and is usually collected by a train either from overheat catenary wires or from track level conductors. High traction current, up to 1500 amps, obviously needs protection against overheating and accidental displacement of live components. Within passenger compartments there can be little control over passenger carried goods or passenger activities. Many underground railways are banning smoking to avoid one risk of fire. Deliberate arson cannot be excluded, but its effects may be minimised.