Does the train have a steering wheel? Ant Farm

The driver does not need to control the route and direction. The driver only needs to control the speed and stop according to the regulations. The round handwheel on the train is not the steering wheel, but the governor for locomotive speed regulation.

This kind of round handwheel is rarely seen on locomotives now. With the development of science and technology and the acceleration of trains, the circular handwheel can no longer meet the needs of high-speed locomotives, so it is changed to push rod type. The efficiency of push-rod governor is twice that of hand-wheel governor, and it is faster, more flexible and more convenient.

How do drivers control trains to travel in different directions?

In fact, the train changes direction through a device called a turnout on the track. There is a circle of disc with a larger radius than the wheel inside the train wheel, which is called the wheel rim. It tightly blocks the wheel in the middle of the rail, which can not only avoid derailment, but also be used to change the track on the turnout. When there is a small gap in the turnout, the rim can pass through the small gap and drive in the direction of the original track.

When the two tracks are closely attached, the rim is guided to the new track direction. It can be seen that the direction of switch movement is very important. In the past, in China, switches were replaced manually. However, with the gradual increase of railway lines, in order to improve work efficiency and ensure traffic safety, most turnouts in China now rely on centralized control of circuits.