1. ubiminor

    ubiminor TrainBoard Member

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    The first single specimen of the Tren Articulado Liger Goicoechea Oriol (TALGO) was tried on Spanish railways in 1942, showing the benefits of the simple yet revolutionary idea of Alejandro Goicoechea: constructing a perfectly isostatic support for a train by using single axles connected by a triangular structure.
    0.jpg

    Somehow the first TALGO was not a success. The TALGO company could not afford to build more trains because of the war raging in Europe.

    The TALGO owners contracted the American Car and Foundry (ACF) company to build 3 trains of the TALGO II generation.

    About the engines, as ACF had only experience in making coaches, General Motors was tasked to develop what became the RENFE 350 locomotive.

    ACF thought it could sell TALGO trains in the US. So they also built a fourth train, named Talgo 1955 which was used as demonstrator around the US.


    Eventually, not many additional trains based on the TALGO concept were built and sold by ACF. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad bought one: the iconic Jet Rocket train (also in my list of models to do).
    1.jpg

    The TALGO 1955 was finally also purchased by RENFE (Spanish state railways) and together with the other three trains run in Spain for many years.

    Two of the original TALGO I locomotives survive as museum pieces (one in Madrid and another in Barcelona) as well as 3 short compositions of coaches.

    I think TALGO trains are ideal for railroad modelling. The very short coaches (only 6147 mmin the prototype) are well suited for the small radii of the track used in layouts and the train easily follows bends without 'cutting' the curve.

    My model is as usual 3D printed. 3.png
    The model of the entire train is made of 5 different parts:
    1. locomotive shell
    2. locomotive chassis for rokuhan shorty components (motor and bogies)
    3. passenger coaches shells
    4. baggage coaches
    5. end coach
    Each coach hosts just one wheelset and includes the couplings.

    6.jpg


    Before printing an entire train (the Spanish TALGO usually had between 12 and 16 coaches) I printed a small set, to try how the track riding properties were. 4.jpg
    5.jpg
    After few adjustments I printed a 12 coaches train.

    It runs very well and I really like the way it 'slithers' on the track like a silver snake.



    If anybody wants to have a go to make this very easy train just ask.

    Ciao
    G.
     
    ZFRANK, HoboTim, Kurt Moose and 7 others like this.
  2. JMC Scale Models

    JMC Scale Models TrainBoard Member

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    Vey nice work.
    ACF used to build beautiful buses in the 40's decade.

    Joao
     
  3. CNE1899

    CNE1899 TrainBoard Member

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    G,
    Very cool! Nice modeling and problem solving.
    I enjoyed the history as well.
    I checked out your "My Z Scale" site, very inspiring!

    Scott
     
  4. acptulsa

    acptulsa TrainBoard Member

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    That Talgo got off to a slow start isn't surprising, since the height of WWII didn't create a strong market for much of anything that wasn't a weapon, much less this:

    [​IMG]

    It wasn't GM, but rather GE, that helped AC&F do the 1949 locomotives. I don't know what diesels were used, but each locomotive had more than one, and they were truck engines that turned 1800 rpm.

    In the U.S, Patrick McGinness' New Haven gave the trainsets their most serious test. Crews admired their tracking qualities, but passengers hated the way they rode. Their doorsills were also too low for some U.S. platforms. But they were very successful indeed elsewhere.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2022
    mdvholland and Kurt Moose like this.
  5. ubiminor

    ubiminor TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you Scott an Joao.
    Acptulsa, indeed it was General Electric.
     
    JMC Scale Models likes this.
  6. SJ Z-man

    SJ Z-man TrainBoard Member

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    Excellent history and images. Now in my Historic flies.

    thx
     

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