Pantograph (rail) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A pantograph is a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The term stems from the resemblance to pantograph devices for copying writing and drawings.

B-and-O electric
Early 1895 flat pantograph on a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad electric engine
Schynige Platte diamond pantograph
The diamond-shaped pantograph of the Swiss cogwheel loco in Schynige Platte, built in 1911.
StrassenbahnPantograph
The (asymmetrical) 'Z'-shaped pantograph of the electrical pickup on the Berlin Straßenbahn. This pantograph is single-arm.
Pant Vienna III
Pantographs easily adapt to various heights of the overhead wires by partly folding. The tram line pictured here ran in Vienna.
PragueStreetcar.agr
Symmetrical, diamond shaped pantographs on trams in Prague.

Related pages

Images for kids

  • B&O pantograph

    Early (1895) flat pantograph on a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad electric locomotive. The contact ran inside the ∩ section bar, so both lateral and vertical flexibility was necessary

  • TTC LRV 4401 Roof Details closeup

    A Flexity Outlook LRV with its pantograph raised. Note the trolley pole in the rear, which provides compatibility with sections not yet upgraded for pantograph operation.

  • Pantograph on the Bradford Forster Square train at Menston railway station (30th December 2014)

    Close up of a single arm pantograph on a British Rail Class 333.

  • ICE S Messstromabnehmer

    High-performance pantograph used for measurements on the ICE S


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Pantograph (rail) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.