HSFV1 found at the Locomotion: the National Railway Museum at Shildon.
The High Speed Freight Vehicle was a generic term for a number of prototype four-wheeled rail vehicles which were fitted with various experimental suspensions developed by the British Rail Research Division in the late 1960s. The development was part of the investigation into the riding of vehicles and the interaction between wheel and rail.
HSFV1 was intended for fundamental empirical research into wheel-rail interaction and suspension dynamics to be better understood, following from work on wheel tread profiles. It was regularly run at speeds of up to 140 mph (230 km/h) on the Vehicles Laboratory's roller rig. It also performed at 90 mph (140 km/h) whilst under test on the main line. Its suspension had two vertical coil springs and two vertical and one lateral hydraulic damper at each corner of the vehicle. This was at a time when few freight trains travelled at more than 40 mph (65 km/h) and most passenger trains averaged about 70 mph (110 km/h). It supported theories of vehicle design which led to most later designs of train.
A similar converted UIC long-wheelbase four-wheeled ferry van (HSFV4) was utilised for high-speed trials. HSFV4 had two coil springs with two 45-degree-inclined hydraulic dampers and a traction rod at each corner.
Although they were excellent riding vehicles in the railway of the day they were viewed as experimental only and far too expensive for widespread adoption. It was also thought that the sophisticated suspension would not stand up to the daily rigours to which freight vehicles were subjected.[citation needed]
However in the early 1970s these experiments resulted in ten covered air-braked vans (COV-AB) being fitted with Taperlite suspension consisting of a long double leaf spring and having hydraulic dampers inclined at 45 degrees to effect both vertical and lateral movement. On test these vehicles were capable of 90 mph (140 km/h) but in service were limited to 75 mph (120 km/h) due to their running with other UIC long-link suspension vans. Ultimately they were converted to standard after a few years, except two examples. One of these was used by the R&DD on the Tribometer train and one by the DM&EE on their own test trains.
HSFV1 survived until recently in Serco stock at the RTC, but in May 2010 was moved out on its way to preservation. It was intended that it would eventually be displayed at the Electric Railway Museum in Coventry, but that museum is now closed. HSFV1 was donated to the APT-E preservation Group by Serco after the National Railway Museum chose not to preserve it, but NRM have recently[when?] relented and it is now displayed at Shildon alongside the restored APT-E, which after all benefitted from the fundamental research carried out into wheel/rail interaction with HSFV1.
HSFV4 is also still extant at the Eden Valley Railway where it is undergoing restoration.
A number of vehicles were produced, including HSFV1 and HSFV4,[1][2] with various tests being carried out between 1975 and 1979.[3][4][5] A variant of HSFV1 formed the basis for the suspension of the Class 140 Pacer railbus.
^"High speed freight vehicle suspensions". TrainTesting.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
^"LMW plus ride tests". TrainTesting.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
^"RESULTS OF THE 1975 CURVING TESTS WITH HSFV1 IN CORNWALL" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
^"MEASUREMENT OF WHEEL-RAIL CONTACT FORCES AT A SELECTION OF SWITCHES AND CROSSINGS USING HSFV1 EQUIPPED WITH LOAD MEASURING WHEELSETS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2008.
^"Decapod Lab25". TrainTesting.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
and 21 Related for: High Speed Freight Vehicle information
The HighSpeedFreightVehicle was a generic term for a number of prototype four-wheeled rail vehicles which were fitted with various experimental suspensions...
vehicles appeared during the 1890s. An electric vehicle held the vehicular land speed record until around 1900. In the early 20th century, the high cost...
development and implementation of the high-speed rail projects in India. The corporation is a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ (SPV) in the joint sector with equity...
a bullet and its highspeed. The Shinkansen name was first formally used in 1940 for a proposed standard gauge passenger and freight line between Tokyo...
types of vehicle that can be used on a railway, either specifically for running on the rails, or for maintenance or up-keep of a railway. Freight car (US)...
National HighSpeed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) is overlooking the implementation of high-speed train programs across the country, Dedicated Freight Corridor...
the 75th-anniversary celebrations for Mallard's setting the world steam speed record, 8,000 visitors turned up to welcome five sister A4 locomotives including...
European high-speed passenger network. A variety of electrification and signaling systems is in use, though this is less of an issue for freight; however...
A vehicle category classifies a land vehicle or trailer for regulatory purposes. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Information from Consolidated...
records List of high-speed trains High-speed rail Schienenzeppelin, experimental car, driven by propeller, speed record for rail vehicles on 21 June 1931...
tamper barrier vehicle or match wagon, with a different coupler at each end caboose (US) or brake van (UIC), attached to the rear of a freight train to watch...
Goods wagons or freight wagons (North America: freight cars), also known as goods carriages, goods trucks, freight carriages or freight trucks, are unpowered...
pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed...
modern highspeed trains where all the carriages share common bogies, they are an early form of the now more common design. Trams and light rail vehicles have...
high-speed trains to operate in the undersea Seikan Tunnel from 2016. The problem was that narrow-gauge freight trains did not operate at highspeeds...
HighSpeed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which is under construction in England. The route will be between Handsacre, in southern Staffordshire, and...
given speed. By 1964 this work had produced the first HighSpeedFreightVehicle, HSFV-1, a bogieless freight car capable of travelling safely at speeds up...
the vehicle travels must be built up. Terminals such as stations are locations where passengers and freight can be transferred from one vehicle or mode...
the New York City Subway. Conventional rail technologies including high-speed, freight, commuter, and rapid transit urban transit systems are considered...
empty freight cars with axle loads of 5.5 tonnes, Crr goes up to 0.00020 at 60 km/h but at a low speed of 20 km/h it increases to 0.00024 and at a high speed...
Global Information