Railway Technology
A funicular railway balances cars through a cable
Learn how a cable-linked funicular differs from a rack railway, and which details to look for when interpreting a photograph of a steep route.
RAILWAYS · HISTORY · DISCOVERY
Follow the line. Find the story.
Explore railway history through maps, museum objects and the places that connect them, from Montana to rail networks around the world.
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Notes from the railway archive
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Locomotive Technology
What a superheater changed inside a steam locomotive
A locomotive superheater gives steam another passage through hot gases before the cylinders. Follow the route to understand its role beside the boiler.
Railway Communication
A railway whistle board records an instruction at a particular place
A whistle board is a railway instruction tied to a place and rule system. Record its location and date before interpreting a preserved sign or photograph.
Railway Technology
How a pantograph keeps an electric train connected to the overhead wire
Understand how a pantograph collects electricity from an overhead contact wire and what to notice in railway photographs.
Railway Engineering History
Why automatic train air brakes apply when brake-pipe pressure falls
The automatic air brake uses a fall in brake-pipe pressure as a signal. Discover the historical idea behind the hoses joining railway vehicles.
Railway Technology
The toothed rail that lets a rack railway tackle a steep climb
A rack railway adds a toothed rail to help a train climb. Learn what to look for in historic photographs and how it differs from a cable-hauled line.