April 29, 2008 - Since the dawn of the Orient Express in 1883, Europeans have dreamed of a rail network that would transcend national borders. For more than a century, the best that that could be accomplished was the handoff of passenger or freight consists from one national rail system to another, usually stopping at the border to change motive power. Even when most of the continent went to overhead wires to supply motive power, voltage and current were often different from one country to another. Today, however, all that is changing. Sporting service names like "EuroCity" and slogans like "Connecting Europe," electric engines glide seamlessly and swiftly across borders, and carriers offer freight and passenger services that span many nations.
With locomotive and car manufacturing facilities on four continents, Bombardier has emerged as a leader in the manufacture of equipment for these multinational rail carriers. Starting with electric locomotive technology developed by German firm Adtranz, which Bombardier acquired in 2001, Bombardier developed the TRAXX family of electric and diesel locomotives for service across Europe. TRAXX electrics feature modular construction and can be configured to run on multiple voltages and both AC and DC. Leading purchasers have included freight carriers with multinational networks, including Cargo, the freight division of the Swiss Federal Railways that runs through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and Railion, which spans Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
The TRAXX electric offers a near-perfect combination of speed, safety, and practicality. Its streamlined shape is designed for aerodynamics but also for economical construction, being composed almost entirely of flat surfaces. The ends are raked at an angle that slices through the air - but a steeper, more streamlined angle was avoided in order to minimize air turbulence between the engine and the following car. The controls, of course, are fully computerized with myriad safety systems. With up to 800 horsepower being delivered to each of its eight wheels, wheelslip control on the TRAXX was mandatory. Another system automatically ensures adherence to speed restrictions and trackside signals.
But the most practical feature of the TRAXX electric has nothing to do with speed or safety. It turns out the engine's smooth, flat sides make a perfect rolling billboard, either for publicizing the owner or selling ad space for additional revenue. The most complex images can be printed on a heavy plastic foil and applied neatly to the engine, and changed easily when necessary. Passenger engines based on the same platform have carried graphics publicizing rock musicals, vacation destinations, and even UNICEF.
The TRAXX electric also has an American incarnation. New Jersey Transit operates a fleet of 29 German-built Bombardier ALP-46 electrics that were derived from the same Adtranz technolgy as the TRAXX platform and delivered in 2001-2002. Capable of pulling longer trains than the NJT's ALP-44's, they operate in commuter service and also pulled Amfleet trains in the final days of Amtrak's Clocker service. The ALP-46's have been so successful that NJT has ordered an additional 27 engines to be delivered in 2008-2010 to pull a fleet of new Multilevel cars.
Learn more about it: On the M.T.H. Web site, search on the item number for any of these electrics for links to more information on the Traxx locomotives. You can also download a copy of the Traxx Electric Brochure by CLICKING HERE
Available In
DEMO TRAXX F140 AC2 Electric Engine w/Proto-Soundﾮ 2.0
20-2937-1 Hi-Rail Wheels
20-2937-2 Scale Wheels
SBB Cargo Switzerland TRAXX F140 AC Electric Engine w/Proto-Soundﾮ 2.0
20-5632-1 Hi-Rail Wheels
20-5632-2 Scale Wheels
20-5632-3 Non-Powered Hi-Rail Wheels
Veolia Transport Germany TRAXX P160 AC2 Electric Engine w/Proto-Soundﾮ 2.0
20-5633-1 Hi-Rail Wheels
20-5633-2 Scale Wheels
Railion European TRAXX F140 AC2 Electric Engine w/Proto-Soundﾮ 2.0
20-5634-1 Hi-Rail Wheels
20-5634-2 Scale Wheels
20-5634-3 Non-Powered Hi-Rail Wheels
Features
Directionally Controlled Headlights
Intricately Detailed ABS Body
Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
Die-Cast Truck Sides, Pilots and Fuel Tank
(2) Remotely Controlled Proto-Couplersﾮ
Colorful Paint Scheme
Metal Chassis
Metal Handrails and Decorative Horn
(2) Precision Flywheel Equipped Motors
Locomotive Speed Control In Scale MPH Increments
Proto-Scale 3-2 3-Rail/2-Rail Conversion Capable
Lighted Cab Interior
(2) Engineer Cab Figures
Metal Body Side Grilles
1:45 Scale Proportions
Proto-Sound 2.0 With The Digital Command System Featuring: Freight Yard Proto-Effects
Unit Measures:17 1/2ﾔ x 2 1/2ﾔ x 4 5/16ﾔ
Hi-Rail Version Operates On O-42 Curves, Scale Wheeled Version Operates On 31" Radius Curves
Who Is M.T.H.?
While our name may be new to European model railroaders, M.T.H. Electric Trains is a seasoned American model train manufacturer with a long history of innovation. In a little more than a quarter century, M.T.H. has grown from a tiny business operated out of a spare bedroom to an 80+ employee company headquartered in its own sprawling building in a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Over the past 28 years, we have cataloged over 10,000 different items in four scales: O gauge, One Gauge, HO gauge, and tinplate Standard Gauge. We are co-owners of two overseas facilities that make nothing but M.T.H. trains, and we use three other factories that are dedicated solely to our product line. This gives us more control of our manufacturing process and quality than many other train companies, whose products are often made in the same factories used by their competitors.
Our research and development team has received more than 10 patents on innovations in model railroading. We believe the Proto-Sound sound and control system found in every M.T.H. locomotive, in combination with our optional Digital Command System (DCS), makes our trains more realistic and more fun to operate than any other trains in model railroading.
About Our Technology
Thanks to our Proto-Soundﾮ sound and control system and our Proto-Scale 3-2TM conversion capability, the M.T.H. Chapelon Pacific can run in virtually any O gauge environment: 3-rail or 2-rail, AC or DC, 50 or 60 hz. With a conventional AC or DC transformer, Proto-Soundﾮ offers chuff sounds synchronized with the driver revolutions and squealing brakes when the engine slows down or stops. In addition, the engineﾒs Proto-Speed control acts like the cruise control on an automobile, helping your engine maintain a constant speed regardless of hills, curves, or heavy loads at any throttle setting from a crawl to full throttle.
Add an M.T.H. AC transformer equipped with whistle and bell buttons, and you can experience a much larger range of locomotive sounds, including whistle, passenger station announcements, crew conversations, coupler opening sounds, and typical steam engine sounds such as steam letoff.
To experience the full capabilities of the Chapelon Pacific, add the M.T.H. Digital Command System (DCS) for full command control and an even larger range of sound and control features. Like our AC transformers, our DCS system is fully compatible with European household current, when used with a standard 120 volt AC adapter.
