When metros start/stop, I hear what sounds like gears shifting. Are there actually gears in the average metro? Take Berlin for example. I did some casual Googling and it doesn’t seem like they have gears. They do have several motors though. Maybe it’s motors turning on sequentially?
Sincerely,
Guy who knows almost nothing about trains but knows some about cars
I love that inverter sound so much. Electric trains should sound like spaceships.
This fast-talking Brit has the answers, and it's pretty complicated. The short answer is that it uses variable-frequency inverters to accelerate, not gears, and those inverters make super cool sounds when that happens.
When metros start/stop, I hear what sounds like gears shifting. Are there actually gears in the average metro? Take Berlin for example. I did some casual Googling and it doesn’t seem like they have gears. They do have several motors though. Maybe it’s motors turning on sequentially?
Sincerely, Guy who knows almost nothing about trains but knows some about cars
I love that inverter sound so much. Electric trains should sound like spaceships.
This fast-talking Brit has the answers, and it's pretty complicated. The short answer is that it uses variable-frequency inverters to accelerate, not gears, and those inverters make super cool sounds when that happens.
I am amazed by the mere existence of such a specific and in-depth video on this question. Going to give it a watch. Thank you!
There are entire channels on Youtube dedicated to inverter sounds. If you want to hear more trains sound like spaceships, look up GTO-VVVF for the good stuff.