Talgo (light articulated train)
Talgo (tren articulado ligero)
- Date
- 1942 (servicio comercial 1950) · confidence high
- Place
- Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain
- Credited to
- Alejandro Goicoechea and José Luis Oriol
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A train of short, light coaches each supported by a single axle of independent wheels shared between two cars, which lowers the centre of gravity and allows curves to be taken faster. Goicoechea conceived it in 1941-1942 (Talgo 0 and Talgo I prototypes) and the Talgo II entered service in 1950 between Madrid and Valladolid.
Axles shared between articulated vehicles already existed with the Jacobs bogie (1901) and inter-war articulated trains; the Talgo's merit is the combination of articulation, lightness and independently guided wheels. The first commercial Talgo (1947-1949) was built in the USA by ACF.
What it led to
- variable-gauge running gear for changing gauge on the move (1960s-1970s)
- natural tilting of the coaches
- Talgo trains exported to the USA, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia