Editing Train (section)

== Specialized trains ==
There are a number of specialized trains which differ from the traditional definition of a train as a set of vehicles which travels on two rails.

=== Monorail ===
[[File:Tokyo-Monorail-Type1000-1082F-EV.jpg|thumb|A [[Tokyo Monorail]] train]]
{{Main|Monorail}}

Monorails were developed to meet medium-demand traffic in urban transit, and consist of a train running on a single rail, typically elevated. {{failed verification span|Monorails represent a small proportion of the train systems in use worldwide. Almost all monorail trains use linear induction motors|Neither source supports these claims. In particular, "In common with other advanced rapid transit systems, some monorails are driven by linear induction motor" != this article's claim that "almost all" use them.|date=October 2023}}<ref>{{cite web|year=2013|title=Linear Motor Driven System|url=http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/rolling_stock/linear/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930090347/http://www.hitachi-rail.com/products/rolling_stock/linear/index.html|archive-date=30 September 2018|access-date=23 June 2019|website=Hitachi-Rail.com|publisher=[[Hitachi|Hitachi, Ltd.]]}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=October 2023}}<ref>{{cite web|year=2015|title=Monorail|url=http://www.railsystem.net/monorail/|access-date=23 June 2019|website=RailSystem.net}}</ref>{{unreliable source|date=October 2023}}

=== Maglev ===
{{Main|Maglev}}
Maglev technology uses magnets to levitate the train above the track, reducing friction and allowing higher speeds.<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 24, 2016|title=How Maglev Works|url=https://www.energy.gov/articles/how-maglev-works|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Energy.gov|language=en}}</ref> The first commercial maglev train was an [[airport shuttle]] introduced in 1984 at [[Birmingham Airport]] in England.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-11-17|title=Birmingham Airport's old Maglev carriage to be sold|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-11780663|access-date=2021-11-05}}</ref>{{failed verification|Source says "one of the world's first magnetic levitation transport systems", which is not necessarily *the* first|date=October 2023}}

The [[Shanghai maglev train]], opened in 2002, is the fastest commercial train service of any kind, operating at speeds of up to {{convert|431|km/h|mph|abbr=on|sp=us}}.<ref name="maglev">{{Cite news|last1=Wang|first1=Serenitie|last2=Cripps|first2=Karla|date=May 24, 2019|title=China unveils 600km/h maglev train prototype|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-highspeed-maglev-prototype/index.html|access-date=2021-11-05|website=CNN|language=en}}</ref> Japan's [[L0 Series]] maglev holds the record for the world's fastest train ever, with a top speed of {{convert|374.7|mph|km/h|1|sp=us|order=flip}}.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=2015-04-21|title=Japan's maglev train breaks world speed record with 600km/h test run|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/21/japans-maglev-train-notches-up-new-world-speed-record-in-test-run|access-date=2021-11-05|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> Maglev has not yet been used for inter-city [[Public transport|mass transit]] routes, with only a few examples in use worldwide {{as of|2019|lc=yes}}.<ref name="maglev" />

=== Mine trains ===
{{Main|Mine railway}}

Mine trains are operated in large mines and carry both workers and goods. They are usually powered by electricity, to prevent emissions which would pose a health risk to workers underground.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Moore|first=Paul|date=2020-05-24|title=China's mines rolling out unmanned underground rail systems at a rapid pace|url=https://im-mining.com/2020/05/24/chinas-mines-rolling-unmanned-underground-rail-systems-rapid-pace/|access-date=2021-11-08|website=International Mining|language=en-GB}}</ref>{{globalize-inline|This source speaks only to mines in China|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Scale_2401.jpg|thumb|A preserved armored train]]

=== Militarized trains ===
{{Main|Armoured train|Railway gun}}
While they have long been important in transporting troops and military equipment, trains have occasionally been used for direct combat. Armored trains have been used in a number of conflicts, as have railroad based artillery systems.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 18, 2015|title=These are the incredible armored trains of World War I and World War II|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/these-armored-trains-of-world-wars-i-and-ii-2014-11|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Harrison|first=Scott|date=2019-06-11|title=From the Archives: 14-inch railroad guns fired near Oceanside|url=https://www.latimes.com/visuals/photography/la-me-fw-archives-14-inch-railroad-guns-fired-near-oceanside-20190516-htmlstory.html|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Railcar-launched ICBM]] systems have also been used by nuclear weapon states.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mizokami|first=Kyle|date=2017-02-27|title=All Aboard Russia's Nuclear Weapon Apocalypse Train|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a25423/all-aboard-russias-apocalypse-train/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Popular Mechanics|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Rack railway ===
{{Main|Rack railway}}
For climbing steep slopes, specialized rack railroads are used. In order to avoid slipping, a [[rack and pinion]] system is used, with a toothed rail placed between the two regular rails, which meshes with a drive gear under the locomotive.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Ellis|first1=Fred|last2=Frick|first2=Martin R.|date=May 24, 1976|title=The Pike's Peak Cog Railway Colorado Springs, Colorado: A National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark|url=https://www.asme.org/wwwasmeorg/media/resourcefiles/aboutasme/who%20we%20are/engineering%20history/landmarks/16-manitou-and-pikes-peak-cog-railway.pdf|access-date=November 5, 2021|website=American Society of Mechanical Engineers}}</ref>

=== Funicular ===
{{Main|Funicular}}
Funiculars are also used to climb steep slopes, but instead of a rack use a rope, which is attached to two cars and a pulley.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What Is a Funicular Railway|url=https://ridetheincline.com/what-is-a-funicular-railway/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=Incline Railway|language=en-US}}</ref> The two funicular cars travel up and down the slope on parallel sets of rails when the pulley is rotated. This design makes funiculars an efficient means of moving people and cargo up and down slopes.<ref name="funiculars">{{Cite web|last=Harley-Trochimczyk|first=Anna|date=July 7, 2009|title=The Fun of Funiculars|url=https://illumin.usc.edu/the-fun-of-funiculars/|access-date=2021-11-05|website=USC Viterbi School of Engineering|language=en-US}}</ref> The earliest funicular railroad, the [[Reisszug]], opened around 1500.<ref name="funiculars" />

=== Rubber-tired train ===
{{Main articles|Rubber-tyred metro|Rubber-tyred tram}}
Rubber tire trains, or rubber-tired metro systems, employ rubber tires for traction and guidance, offering advantages like better acceleration and reduced noise. However, they come with disadvantages, including higher costs for installation and maintenance, faster tire wear, and complex tire inflation mechanisms that require regular upkeep. Nonetheless, these systems are utilized in many urban rapid transit networks worldwide, enhancing passenger comfort and urban transportation efficiency.