-=> Quoting Don Dellmann to Gregory Procter <=-
 DD> While tripping merrily through the mail, Gregory Procter was
 DD> overheard
 DD> They were the FASTEST interurbans in the world, and were in fact the
 DD> prototypes for the Japanese "Bullet" trains.
 GP> I'm not sure how you classify an "interurban" separately from an
 GP> electric train, but I bet I can find a faster one somewhere :-)
OK I think you win the FASTEST classification,
The German Marienfeld - Berlin line was the site of some record runs by 
Siemens
and Halske and AEG in 1902-3 culminating in 210.2Kmhr (130.5MPH) on 
3/10/1903
(English notation, US 10/23/1903) using interurbans.
However this was obtained using a specially installed 3 phase electric system
and side mounted bow collectors and was returned to DC after the tests.
The French TGV meets your criteria as it runs on special lightweight track
(14T axle load from memory) with no freight (except Postal trains) and uses
1500V DC on parts of its route, including at least one dedicated section.
This MUST hold the CURRENT fastest interurban tag :-)
 DD> An "Interurban" line is generally a line built to carry people rather
 DD> than  freight (although many, like the North Shore, did run freight
 DD> trains, in fact the North Shore back in the 1920's was one of the
 DD> originators of "Piggyback" {highway trailer on flatcar} service).
This was common practice in the 1830s! Until trains got too fast, the gentry
always rode in their own carriages mounted on flats.
I have plenty of pictures of horse drawn wagons (furniture vans) on flats as
well.
 DD> "Interurbans" usually are built to lighter standards than "Steam"
 DD> Using those definitions, the "Electroliners", at the time they were
 DD> built in the 1940's, were the fastest regularly scheduled "interurban"
 DD> trains in the world, running 90+ MPH over most of their run, going the
 DD> 80+ miles from Chicago to Milwaukee in 90 minutes INCLUDING 10-15
 DD> station stops and several miles of running at very slow speeds on the
 DD> Milwaukee city streets and the Chicago "EL" tracks.
I agree that this is impressive!
 DD> In the early 1950's, when Japanese engineers were designing the
 DD> "Tokaido" line from Tokyo to Osaka (the famous "bullet trains") they
 DD> came here to study the North Shore to see how they did it.  They also
 DD> went to France to see how the SNCF did it with heavy electric
 DD> (conventional "locomotive pulling a train") technology.  When the
 DD> "bullets" were actually built, they were essentially "MU" ("Multiple
 DD> unit") cars with a driver's cab at each end, a'la the electroliners.
Now here I draw the line, even though the designers studied the US 
interurbans,
I haven't found any evidence of them using the design or even the same design
principles.
The Bullet trains have all axles driven, are heavyweights, and run from high
voltages.
I'll go back and re-read the books I have access to and see what I can find.
Have you any good references to the North Shore Electroliners?
Author, title and publisher if possible, I'll try and get them through the
library.
Regards,
Greg.Procter.
  
... Catch the Blue Wave!
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