Simple question: How are trains built? Are they built in a factory somewhere, then lifted onto the track? Or are they built directly on the track, wheels up?
Like everything else, trains are modular. Wheels and trucks (the assemblage of four wheels at each end of a car) can be easily exchanged. I’m sure some cars are built from the ground up, and some are built and then placed on tracks. Some are probably built in another country, shipped via boat, and then lifted onto tracks next to the docks.
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Very few trains (mostly high-speed passenger) are integral and built up as a single, all-in-one unit. In all cases the carbody and trucks (wheelsets) are constructed separately, then mated during final assembly.
Most trains are made up of two discrete components:
- Locomotives, which provide the motive power to pull (or sometimes push) the train; in the USA, the two largest builders of mainline freight or passenger locomotives are General Electric and the Diesel Division of General Motors (formerly Electro-Motive Division). There are a few smaller specialty manufacturers as well.
A typical modern locomotive (most are diesel-electric; some are all-electric)is built on a production line not unlike that for an automobile. Assembly starts with a cast or fabricated frame. The prime mover and electric generator, electrical gear and controls are mounted on the frame, followed by the carbody, cab and ancillary equipment. Meanwhile, the trucks (containing the electric drive motors and primary brakes) are contructed on a separate line. Final assembly consists of jacking or lifting the completed carbody so that the trucks can be rolled into place, then lowering it onto the trucks and making the various electrical and air hookups.
- Freight or passenger cars, which are constructed by specialty manufacturers. Major manufacturers of freight cars include Trinity Industries, Gunderson and Johnstown America. Generally these companies specialize in certain car types. Johnstown America, for example, concentrates mainly on open-top hoppers and flats. Again, the carbody is built on a production line, then lowered onto the trucks when finished.
Passenger cars are more of a specialty item, and come in form of unpowered, locomotive-hauled cars or electric/diesel-electric multiple units. Construction, however, is more or less the same as for freight cars or locomotives. Bombardier is more or less the only remaining North American manufacturer, although several European and Japanese companies have built cars for the USA. Generally the deals for imported equipment specify a percentage of local content, and final assembly take place at a suitable facility in the US.
As stated at the beginning, the only true integral trains ( in common use are high-speed passenger equipment such as Amtrak’s Acela Express or the French TGV’s. These are built as individual cars with and electric “locomotive” at each end. Each “car” in the trainset is semi-permanently joined to the others during final assembly.
Cheers,