EASY READ How things work
How do trains work?
Most modern trains are electric or diesel-electric. High-speed trains, such as the French Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) or the China Railways High-Speed "Harmony", are powered by electric motors. In diesel-electric trains, a diesel engine drives a generator which produces the electricity to power the motors.
Electric power
An electric locomotive takes its power from overhead electricity cables running above the tracks or from an electrified third rail. A pantograph collects the electricity from the overhead cables. Then a motor block and a transformer control the flow of electricity to the motors.
Tracks and wheels
A railway track normally consists of two flat-bottomed steel rails. They are fixed to timber or concrete sleepers (also known as ties), which are laid on crushed stone or concrete. The distance between the two rails is called the gauge.
Trains—consisting of locomotives (also known as engines, or power cars if they carry passengers) and carriages—are guided by the tracks on which they run. Train wheels have a ridge, called a flange, on one side to keep them from running off the rails.
Maglevs
A maglev, short for MAGnetic LEVitation, is a type of train that uses magnets to hover above the track. This removes the friction from wheels on rails that limits the speed of ordinary trains. Maglev trains can therefore travel faster, as well as more smoothly and quietly, than wheeled trains. They have been tested at speeds of up to 603 km/h (374 mph). Maglevs also use much less fuel.
A maglev train works because “like” magnetic poles push each other apart and "opposite" magnetic poles are attracted to each other. Powerful magnets fixed to the track push and pull magnets fixed to the train in such a way that the train continually moves forwards.
Consultant: Mike Goldsmith
Ready to find out more?
Here are some pages in other parts of Q-files you might like to explore:
Modern trains
Maglev trains
Modern trains A-Z