Topic
Public Transit
Why Train Wheels Never Need to Steer
No one steers a train around a curve. A 19th-century trick of geometry, the conical wheel, does that job instead, and railroads are still refining it.
Why Subway Trains Screech So Loudly on Tight Curves
Trains can't steer their wheels independently, so tight curves force a stick-slip vibration that turns steel into a very loud, unintentional bell.