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This page is a collection of acronyms, snippets, trivia, facts - all the bits and pieces that web•TrainSim has scattered throughout his notes text file.

The start

• CP: Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (Portuguese Railways)
• GTO: Gate-Turn-Off Thyristor
• IGBT: Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
• RATP: Regie Autonome des Transports Parisien, the organisation that manages the Paris Metro network (Paris City Subway)
• RER: Re´seau Express Regional (loosely translated as Regional Express Network)
• R.G.P.: Rame Grand Parcours
• R.I.B.: Rames Inox de Banlieue
• R.I.O.: Rames Inox Omnibus
• RENFE: Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Espanoles
• SEI stands for Systeme d'Enclenchement Interne, the Automatic Switching System used on TGV lines. They are remote-controlled by PRCI, Poste tout Relais de Commande Informatique, the Traffic Control Computer Centre.
• SEPTA: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
• SNCF: Société Nationale des Chemins der Fer Français
• TALGO: Train Articulated Lightweight Goicoechea Oriol
• TER: Transport Express Régional
• UM: double units, Unite Multiple in French
• Loose consist in the German version of MSTS is Lockerer Zugverband
• The database version number seems to be the total number of saves in the Route Editor. A different number will not affect an activity unless there have been track changes where there is an activity path, amd that does not apply to any of the activities in the pack.
• To get to Mt Blanc (in the Haute Savoie), travel by train to Chamonix (further up the line from Saint Gervais), then take the tram.
• The catenary on the TGV lines isn't strung parallel to the track but zig-zags so the pantographs don't contact the wire in the same place and wear is spread across the whole contact area.