InterCityExperimental

The Intercity Experimental, later renamed ICE V, was an experimental train for research into high-speed rail. It is the predecessor of all Intercity-Express trains.

History

Deutsche Bundesbahn had been operating InterCity trains at up to 200 km/h (120 mph) since 1977. The following year, research into even higher speeds began. At the DB works in Munich-Freimann, a workgroup called Forschungsgruppe Rad-Schiene was founded to evaluate the feasibility of high-speed traffic on conventional rail systems.

After several trials with conventional locomotive-pulled trains and the construction of a roller dynamometer test bench capable of reaching speeds of up to 500 km/h (310 mph), it was decided in September 1982 to build a trainset, with the powerheads permanently fixed to the intermediate carriages, to evaluate the specific concept of such a train.

The cost of construction was split between the Federal Ministry for Research (61%), the DB (17%) and the involved companies (22%).

Ice V

Ice V (pronounced "ice five") is a monoclinic crystalline phase of water, formed by cooling water to 253 K at 500 MPa. It has a complicated structure, including 4-membered, 5-membered, 6-membered, and 8-membered rings and a total of 28 molecules in the unit cell.Ganymede's interior probably includes a liquid water ocean with tens to hundreds of kilometers of Ice V at its base.

References