The Brilliant Engineering behind Pantographs! 

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Even as a train engineer I'm fascinated how much engineering is behind a pantograph which seems like a very straight-forward simple mechanism.

I love how this channel break down complexity by begining with a simple model, explaining the disavantage of this model and adding something to solve that disavantage, and keep doing this ultil fully explaining how the system works

Premium grade video. Good, clean, simple and clear video explanations. Starting with the basics and slowly building up to the final solution. This is what video tutorials should be about.

Hi. I am a train driver from Germany. Thanks for this very interesting video. I am not aware that both pantographs have to be raised at high speeds. Different regulations may apply in other countries. In Germany, the front pantograph must be raised if there are wagons with dangerous goods behind the locomotive, or wagons with plastic sheeting, or another locomotive. Because of flying sparks. In addition, the second pantograph is a fallback. There is a sensor in the contact strip that responds if the contact strip breaks. Then this pantograph is unusable. In the case of a locomotive, both pantographs may only be raised if the overhead line is icy. Then the top speed is limited to 110 km/h.

It's hard to keep the consistency without any sponsors.. Great guys

BME here. I can’t help but notice the mechanics of the pantograph is a good representation of how the musculoskeletal system maintains stillness and balance.

Very nice video, to mention that the rear pantograph is usually connected also because if an accident happens, the front pantograph would have fallen on all of those devices on top of the locomotive

This channel is one of the best. Actually going down to the very details is a structured and incremental fashion. Simplifying things in a way that is not misrepresented. Really really appreciate this channel.

Perfect focused explanation without any useless talk,,, Loved the way animation created and explained

As a mechanic on the Siemens S-70, SD160 & SD100 I agree with and appreciate how simple the explanation in this video is. I’ll be sure to pass this on to newer mechanics.

More stuff I never thought to ask about, brilliantly explained. Trains in my area (south of England) don't have pantographs (because we have an electrified third rail) but I see these in other parts of the country.

I Lisbon and Porto (both in Portugal) there are still trams with the trolley pole collectors, but with a wheel instead off a grooved head. In Lisbon there are also some that have both the trolley pole collector and a modern pantograph as they share lines with more modern tram.

one of the true lions of youtube

Wow..this is an incredibly helpful video for mechanical engineers. This would certainly help us to have a better clarity in Kinematics of Machines subject. Thanks a lot 😀

I used to work in overhead line design. A guy I worked with designed a system in the uk where the lift is air powered and if a carbon came off the pan it released the air pressure dropping the pan to prevent damage to the line.

Legends have already seen this

In the end of the video, actually some engines have 2 pantographs for different voltages. In France, for example the BB7200 has 2 pantographs for 1500V DC (1 pantograph would drain too much current when starting to move a long train) The BB15000 has only one pantograph of 25000V AC And the BB22200 has 2 pantographs, one for 1500VDC and one for 25000VAC (+ when starting under 1500VDC) These 3 engines are from the same family

Amazing technology Lots of love ❤️ From Nepal 🇳🇵

Using a pantograph on the back side is also a safety feature. If it breaks, it's pieces will just fall behind and the locomotive can proceed to the next station using the front one. If the front one breaks, it's pieces will likely also damage one on the back, or some electrical equipment on the roof, and the entire line will become blocked until a working locomotive arrives to pull it to the station.

I always liked the diamond pantograph like the GG-1's just my opinion. Have a great day everyone

After watching these videos, I'd love to do my engineering again... And really gonna like to study again... 😍

I love these, whoever you are we need this!

The two pantographs are used not only when changing direction, but for different electric systems as well. Like direct and alternating current ( it's the case in Russia, and, as I know, in some EU countries, like Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland). Different countties, different historical periods, different standarts.

This is why I love mechanical engineering

The concept of pantograph is completely clear.. Thanks for the animation and explanation

One of the things this misses is that on some SNCF and Korail trains, they actually keep the collector hollow and run the pneumatics through it. As the carbon top wears down, or is otherwise impacted by something on the catenary, the air leaks out and collapses the pantograph, bringing the train to a halt. This is an important safety feature as if left up, it could rip the catenary, or damage the carriage.

About a year ago I've been wondering how these work and wasn't able to find a good explanation online. Glad one exists now. Curious choice of train though, I wouldn't have expected to see our Railjets in a learn engineering video, that gave it an almost eerie sense of familiarity.

6:42 we can make the collector head round instead of rectangular.

Hooray! Very well explained! Thank you!

As Austrian it's nice to see that you use an ÖBB train

I wondered about this mechanism a week before. Now it's here in my youtube recommendation list .

Bless you All World you work

Thank you for this very interesting video!

NGL, while I love the wonderful animation, it's always a delight to see some of the people involved in the channel

Great video. Great animations. Thank you sir for such valuable content.

Sorry, but the taurus type lok have reversed pantographs ;) Let see the orientation of the pantographs on a Railjet lok: it is not the same, as shown from 8:55. And the reason, why loks use the rear pantograph is not the aerodynamics. The real reason is not that: if the train uses the front pantograph, and it breaks (for any reasons), it can also break the rear panto, and also other equipment on the roof. When the train uses the rear, and it breaks, the train can go next with the front pantograph. But there is a case, where the front pantograph is used: the tank trains, filled with flammable substances. Because at the contact point can sparks occur and these sparks can give flame to the trailers, it is common, to use the front pantograph and/or extra protective car between the locomotive and the first car to protect the cargo.

Beautiful description... A model for other you tubers dealing with technical matters..

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT NEWS WORK

0:51 dude just despawned into dust. this clip is some great meme material

Also if you use the front pantograph when going forward and anything should happen to it at high speed , it will come crashing down over the rear pantograph damaging it, leaving you with no power whatsoever.

Absolutely perfect video! Thank you

A pantograph is called a pantograph because of the linkage mechanism that resembles a drawing tool of the same name. I don’t know the history of overhead conductors on trains, but it can only have been called a pantograph for as long as it has had this type of linkage.

Simply awesome teaching... gratitude for whole team🙌👍

The use of two pentagraphs is a safety feature as well. If the OTL is warn, it might tangle the pentagraph and rip it of the roof of the engine. Then it’s quit handy to have a second set! 😅

in bullet train, there are even more pantographs on coaches for example, Japanese bullet train has 10 cars (2 trailers and 8 coaches) car no. 1 and car no. 10 (trailers) have pantographs as mentioned in the video but also car no 3 and car no. 7 would also have pantographs even they are just coaches but rest coaches no. 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 would not have pantographs.

An apparently simple mechanism has such a complex development history. The collective genius of the railway engineers!👍 Many thanks for the lucid explanation and fascinating graphics.

Nice illustration.. I had chance to work with the company who manufacturing the compressors to supply air to pantograph mechanism. Really nice video.

The content I love to watch.

Very Nice Bro! Get Good People!

Great illustration 👏👍

Excellent… clear and understandable!👌

Hey, the trolley-pull collector--that's how the San Francisco buses work! That rope is why kids can run behind a bus and yank the collector off the wire! Good times.

The last minute is fascinating

Very impressed with the knowledge and quality of videos Thanks lesics

Интересно и понятно всё объяснили, спасибо

A perfect example of something that many of us have thought little about..........until now!

This is the same technology that allows the mechanical drawing drafter instrument to maintain parallel lines

Indian railways runs double stack container train on electric lines. Please clear that too. How they made elongated Pantograph & what are issues related to it. Thank you from India for sharing knowledge.

Explore indian pantographs.. they have gaps at the point of poles. So train get power for few secs and lose power for few seconds and it goes on It's incredible how it works..

really nice video

I'm passionate about public transport and I would say that this video is amazing, although I have pieces of knowledge about the pantograph. It's similar to those on trams.

This is an incredibly well explained video with fantastic graphics. Well done and thank you!

I love technology ♥️!

Railjet (C) by OEBB, State railway of Austria 🇦🇹 In Austria we call the diamondpanthograph, scissor's-panthograph ;-)

To everyone hardwork behind this awesome video hats off!!!

Vids made by geniuses are the best - And this vid is one of them!

Awesome....! A complete marvel of Engineering.

Brilliant - learned so much from this!

Engineer's team is really appreciable.......

Starting from the first iterations of an invention is a great way to explain things. Wish I saw it more.

Brilliant and crisp content

Great video. Worth noting that the OHL voltage can vary considerably. For example in Victoria, Australia, we use approx 1500VDC for trains and something like 650VDC for trams. Higher voltage is more efficient, but our system is older.

Sometimes the YT algorillas actually suggest something you actually like this being a case in point. I didn't wait for the end but I subscribed as soon as I got to the narrator's Hooray! Brill.

The engineering involved is extremely clever, and the explanations nicely clear. However there is an implication throughout that the pantograph mechanism was invented for this purpose yet it it is far older than electric trains, or indeed any trains at all! Pantograph from the Greek παντ- "all" and γραφ- "to write" is a copying instrument the earliest description we have is by Hero of Alexandria who lived 10-70CE, two millennia ago. The principle of keeping two points at a regulated attitude to each other by mechanical means is at least that old and likely older as Hero describes something already known. Applying this principle to a modern engineering problem was an act of genius even if it wasn't entirely novel invention.

Also one of the reasons that some cargo trains have more pantographs, the top layer of the panto wears down yes an creates small vlames around it, like reallyyy little pieces flying of it and burning up cause its so hot. When its dark outside (wheter BTW also inpacts the wear a lot) look at the trains going by its like a light show. And cargo trains with high explosive cars temp to use the panto in the front to maximise the distance between the sparks and highly flameble cars behind it jusy tot be extra save :)

You can easily see how advanced the pantograph technology is on the shinkansen, and why they went trough the trouble they did resulting in the cool and weird designs of today

Thoroughly enjoyed the video

Wow. Very useful video. Every doubt cleared in a single video ❤

This would have been very useful for showing applications in my Fluid Mechanics as well as Mechanisms & Kinematics classes.

I love it how you took the pride of the Austrian railways, the Taurus, and put all sorts of silly current collectors on it. 🙂 It ought to be mentioned that the French class 15000 (25 kV AC) has a single pantograph, whereas the class 22200 (1.5 kV DC and 25 kV AC bi-currant) has two pantographs that both point in the same direction. The orientation of the pantographs is a bit of a mixed bag in these "nez cassés" locomotives.

I love videos like this. Very educational.

Thank you. I am working as a translation manager for ALSTOM and had the Panto, as we lovingly call "him" for translation (I always say "Hi Panto", when one of our trams passes by) - now I understand much better.

Oh my freaking god! What an amazing crispy knowledge filled video.... That too soooo many info! You guys really impressed me a lot!!

I love the animation of the ÖBB Railjet for these videos!

Very excellent demonstration Thanks

Thank you for this video on the mechanism of a pantograph.

Excellent graphics and animation. Makes subfect easy to understand.

So lucidly explained. Fantabulous demo backed up with concepts and reasons. As enticing as railway journey Hats off to you and team for gargantuan efforts to make it easier for us to understand the complex mechanism.

I watched this entire video with sound off and still understood everything. That goes to show the quality of the graphics of this video.

Awesome explanation. Thank you so much for providing such information

Brilliant. Thank you.

Crystal clear explanation 👌

Seeing and understanding this concept it feels so good i love trains and knowing how it works is just awesome

Now I learn more about the Pantograph and great Thanks.

Wawww, this is really well explained. Thank you

From KG to PG. From Kinder Garten to Post Graduation. The adaptability of the Pantograph to changes in levels of Traction and form an effective conduit for the heavy electric power from source to the motor is well detailed for easier understanding. The surge current aspect as and when the pantograph makes and breaks the supply system is worth appreciating resulting in a sparkless phenomena. The alignment and supports system with the holding system, governed by mathematics of Catenary Curves also play an important role in keeping the traction wire to remain horizontal throughout the stretch. It is a perfect example of an integrated engineering marvel of Team Work. I rate this video 10/10. RangarajaN, Jersey City, Jul 02, 2022

Brilliant!!

looks like I have never watched this video before 😊