Buckaroo Banzai
Well-Known Forum User
I am on another excursion this weekend, not across the 8th Dimension but instead to the Railway museum in Mulhouse, France. known as the Cite Du Train, Visited the museum today and it covers the entire history of railways in France. If your like me and you like anything that moves, Planes, Trains and Automobiles you would find it interesting, really large collection of exhibits and only 10 Euro to get in, but I wont bore you with all the details but just the bits that you may find interesting.
(Please note, I'm not a train spotter but find the engineering side interesting)
Cité du Train - Site officiel - géré par Culturespaces, Mulhouse
Having previously visited the French National Automobile museum in Mulhouse (also known as the Schlumph Collection) and there being the largest collection of Bugatti's in the world, I dont remember reading any info or references to Ettore Bugatti's Train building adventures?
But after visiting the Train museum today it appears he also had a hand in building locomives too.
And in true Bugatti style his creation was futuristic and sleek (for 1932), novel, powerfull and Fast. in fact it held the a speed record for trains of 192kmh set in October 1934.
The Train was one long carraige with passenger seating throughout except for the engine and driver cabin mounted in the centre. The driver looked out of a small cockpit on the roof with the engine compartment below him.
Believe it or not the train was powered by 4 all aluminium, normally aspirated, straight 8 cylinder Bugatti designed petrol engines. each engine developing 200hp and god knows how much torque. forgot to note the cubic capacity of each engine but they looked BIG..!
Peering into the engine bay there didnt appear to be any silencers either with each engine having a common exhaust manifold that just exited out through the side of the carraige.
I cant begin to imagine what that thing must have sounded like on full bore. probably just a very very loud wail and It must have drank fuel like the space shuttle having twin Carburetters on each engine.
engine and driver cabin showing the four exhausts out the side
one of the engines with cutaways
(Please note, I'm not a train spotter but find the engineering side interesting)
Cité du Train - Site officiel - géré par Culturespaces, Mulhouse
Having previously visited the French National Automobile museum in Mulhouse (also known as the Schlumph Collection) and there being the largest collection of Bugatti's in the world, I dont remember reading any info or references to Ettore Bugatti's Train building adventures?
But after visiting the Train museum today it appears he also had a hand in building locomives too.
And in true Bugatti style his creation was futuristic and sleek (for 1932), novel, powerfull and Fast. in fact it held the a speed record for trains of 192kmh set in October 1934.
The Train was one long carraige with passenger seating throughout except for the engine and driver cabin mounted in the centre. The driver looked out of a small cockpit on the roof with the engine compartment below him.
Believe it or not the train was powered by 4 all aluminium, normally aspirated, straight 8 cylinder Bugatti designed petrol engines. each engine developing 200hp and god knows how much torque. forgot to note the cubic capacity of each engine but they looked BIG..!
Peering into the engine bay there didnt appear to be any silencers either with each engine having a common exhaust manifold that just exited out through the side of the carraige.
I cant begin to imagine what that thing must have sounded like on full bore. probably just a very very loud wail and It must have drank fuel like the space shuttle having twin Carburetters on each engine.
engine and driver cabin showing the four exhausts out the side
one of the engines with cutaways
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