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However, this system also created the biggest disadvantage of the railway: the extremely long braking distance of the locomotives and carriages, which can be up to 1000 metres for modern trains travelling at speeds up to 160 km/h. This makes it impossible to operate a railway line like a road at a visual distance. Initially, this problem was irrelevant, as only one train ran at a time on most railway lines anyway. The connection of the networks of individual private railways to form a nationwide rail network and the introduction of through express trains between metropolises brought this difficulty back to the fore. | However, this system also created the biggest disadvantage of the railway: the extremely long braking distance of the locomotives and carriages, which can be up to 1000 metres for modern trains travelling at speeds up to 160 km/h. This makes it impossible to operate a railway line like a road at a visual distance. Initially, this problem was irrelevant, as only one train ran at a time on most railway lines anyway. The connection of the networks of individual private railways to form a nationwide rail network and the introduction of through express trains between metropolises brought this difficulty back to the fore. | ||
The most obvious solution was the time interval regulation: trains were only allowed to | The most obvious solution was the time interval regulation: trains were only allowed to leave a station towards the ''free track'' a prescribed time interval after the last train. It was only necessary to wait a few minutes after fast passenger trains, but a quarter to half of an hour after much slower freight trains. Not only was this regulation inefficient, but it also led to several railway accidents caused by inattentive railway staff or trains broken down on the track. So in the mid-1860s, work began again on a new solution to this problem. | ||
Revision as of 05:48, 22 May 2025
Early development
From the early 19th century onwards, the railway, as the engine of the industrial revolution, spread rapidly throughout Europe and also reached Germany in 1835. Here, the first train travelled between Nuremberg and Fürth, reaching top speeds of up to 50 km/h. Despite initial scepticism, the new means of transport quickly spread throughout the country. In particular, the high efficiency of the railway, achieved through the low friction of the wheel-rail system used, surpassed any other means of transport known at the time and even exceeded the car to this day.
However, this system also created the biggest disadvantage of the railway: the extremely long braking distance of the locomotives and carriages, which can be up to 1000 metres for modern trains travelling at speeds up to 160 km/h. This makes it impossible to operate a railway line like a road at a visual distance. Initially, this problem was irrelevant, as only one train ran at a time on most railway lines anyway. The connection of the networks of individual private railways to form a nationwide rail network and the introduction of through express trains between metropolises brought this difficulty back to the fore.
The most obvious solution was the time interval regulation: trains were only allowed to leave a station towards the free track a prescribed time interval after the last train. It was only necessary to wait a few minutes after fast passenger trains, but a quarter to half of an hour after much slower freight trains. Not only was this regulation inefficient, but it also led to several railway accidents caused by inattentive railway staff or trains broken down on the track. So in the mid-1860s, work began again on a new solution to this problem.