Refrigerators and Sleeping Coaches

Refrigerators and Sleeping Coaches

A. Refrigerators

All of us are familiar with a refrigerator car which is known to be a special type of covered car. Before the refrigerator car was invented, some 100 years ago, it was impossible to convey fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and other food products for long distances.

In old days, the refrigerator car used ice or a mixture of ice and salt to keep the goods cold. Then dry ice was made use of. Modern cars are furnished with refrigerator units which are very much like the electric refrigerators used in our homes.

The refrigerator unit is driven by a diesel engine and is provided with automatic controls which maintain the proper temperature in the freight compartments.

Thanks to the heat insulation the refrigerator cars may be used to carry fruit and vegetables in the winter time. The insulated body of the car reliably protects the goods from the outside cold. But in countries where winters happen to be very cold the refrigerator car may be provided with electric heating.

In Ukraine there are special five-car refrigerator sets equipped with refrigerating and heating units. The train is composed of one diesel car and four refrigerator wagons; the former is arranged in the middle of the train and is used for the centralized supply of power to all wagons of the train.

B. Sleeping Cars

One of the most important railroad inventions is sure to be a sleeping car. The earliest trains had no sleeping cars. There was really no need for them for the early railroads were short, no journey lasted more than a few hours. As railroads increased in number and better cars were built, the passengers could make longer journeys, and night travel became possible.

We know of the modern sleeping car having been invented I Pullman. G. Pullman built his first car in 1859 remodeling a stage couch bud this purpose. This car did not look like the cars we are familiar with and was much simpler in design. However, it proved to be so much more suitable for long-distance travel that passengers gladly paid the extra money for travelling in it.

Encouraged by his success, G. M. Pullman built a far longer sleeping car which he named the "Pioneer". When the "Pioneer" was first taken from the stop, it appeared to be too wide and too high for many of the bridges and station platforms. But the officials were so greatly pleased with this car that they decided to rebuild the bridges and platforms.

After having solved the problem of sleeping cars, Pullman turned his attention to providing passengers with food. He was the first to design and build the so-called "hotel" car which was followed by a "restaurant" car. The hotel car container at one ends a small kitchen from which passengers could be served meals in their seats. Pullman's restaurant car may be regarded the forerunner of the modern dining car which is found practically in all of today's long-distance trains.

The prototype of the modern sleeping car is known to have appeared in the middle of the last century and George M. Pullman, an American publisher is regarded to be its inventor.

We know the passenger rolling stock of today to comprise several types of cars. There exist sleeping and dining cars, coaches for day and night service, saloon coaches for tourists; etc. The modern rolling stock is built with two types of inside arrangement. One is the compartment type with a side corridor, and the other is the open vehicle with a central passage.

Many innovations have been introduced in car construction since the early days. Modem carriages are made of light-weight steel, aluminium and plastics. The application of these materials has resulted in considerable reduction of the rolling stock weight and, in addition, has increased the resistance of cars to corrosion. The is to say, these materials and design improvements have provided better performance of cars and decreased maintenance costs.

The railroad travel depends largely upon the standards of railroad cars and service seems to be quite evident. At present, most long-distance trains are being furnished with fluorescent lighting and air-conditioning, the former gives a considerable saving in power compared to conventional lighting. As regards the air-conditioning, it is likely to be one of the most remarkable developments being introduced on railways. Although it involves extra weight and cost, its application is justified by the comfortable conditions of travel. If universally introduced, these and other improvements will allow railways to compete more successfully with air and road transport.

II. Essential vocabulary A

refrigerator - холодильник	familiar - звичний, давно знайомий
to cover - закривати, покривати	to convey -перевозити, транспортувати
fresh - свіжий	product - продукт; результат
ice - крига, лід	mixture - змішування, суміш
salt - сіль	to keep - тримати, зберігати
dry - штучний	to furnish - постачати, меблювати
unit - агрегат; секція; блок; вузол, елемент	to drive - везти, надавати руху
engine - машина, двигун	to provide - постачати, забезпечувати
automatic - автоматичний механізм	control - нагляд, контроль
to maintain - підтримувати, зберігати	proper - правильний, відповідний
freight - перевезення вантажів; вантаж	compartment - відділення; купе
heat - спека; теплота; нагрівання	insulation - ізоляція
to insulate -ізолювати; роз'єднувати	body - тіло; корпус
reliable - надійний	to protect - захищати, запобігати
set - секція	to equip - обладнувати, оснащувати
саг - вагон	wagon - вагон-платформа, вагон
in the middle of- усередині	to centralize - зосереджувати
to arrange - упорядковувати, улаштовувати

III. Check yourself

1. What special type of covered car do you know?

2. How are modern cars furnished?

3. What maintains the proper temperature in the freight compartments?

4. Is the refrigerator unit driven by a diesel engine?

5. What body of the car protects the goods from the outside cold?

6. Are there special five-car refrigerator sets equipped with refrigerating andheating units?

7. What is the function of the former?

IV. Translate the sentences

1. Сто років тому, перед створенням вагона-холодильника було неможливим перевезення свіжого м'яса, фруктів, овочів та інших харчових продуктів на далеку відстань.

2. У давні часи у вагоні-холодильнику використовували лід або суміш льоду й солі, щоб утримати вантаж холодним.

3. Завдяки теплоізоляції вагон-холодильник може використовуватися для перевезення фруктів і овочів у зимовий час.

4. Потяг складається з дизель -вагона та чотирьох вагонів-холодильників.

II. Essential vocabulary В

invention - винахід, відкриття	sure - правильний, безсумнівний
sleeping-car- спальний вагон	early - ранній
to need - мати потребу, потребувати	journey - подорож, рейс
to last — тривати, зберігатися	to increase - збільшуватися, зростати
passenger - пасажир	possible - можливий, імовірний
to invent - винаходити, вигадувати	to remodel- переробляти, реконструювати
stage-coach - поштова карета	body - тіло; корпус; кузов
purpose - намір, мета	to look like - бути схожим
familiar- звичний	to design - проектувати, конструювати
to prove- доводити, підтверджувати	suitable - придатний, відповідний
gladly- радісно	paid - сплачений, оплачуваний
encourage - підбадьорювати, заохочувати	success успіх
pioneer - першовідкривач, піонер	to appear - показуватися
wide - широкий, великий	bridge - міст
to please - подобатися	official - чиновник, службовець
to decide - вирішувати, зважуватися	to solve - розв'язувати
to provide - постачати, забезпечувати	so-called - так званий
hotel - готель	to follow - наслідувати, успадковувати
to contain - містити в собі, вміщати	to regard - дивитися, розглядати
forerunner - попередник	dining-car - вагон-ресторан
to found - створювати, засновувати

III. Check yourself

1. What is one of the most important railroad inventions?

2. Who invented the modern sleeping car?

3. What did it proved?

4. What was the prototype of the modern sleeping-car?

5. What did Pullman built encouraged by his success?

6. Were the officials so pleased with this car?

7. What did they decide?

8. Who was the first to design and build the restaurant car?

IV. Translate the sentences

1. Справді, не було потреби у спальних вагонах: залізні дороги були короткими, жоден рейс не тривав більше 5 годин.

2. Винахідник збудував перший спальний вагон у 1859 році, переробивши поштову карету.

3. Пульман назвав свій спальний вагон "Піонер". Здавалося, що він був занадто широкий та високий для багатьох мостів і станційних платформ.

4. У готелі-вагоні на одному кінці були миленька кухня, звідки пасажирів могли обслуговувати на місцях.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04