All language subtitles for Building Giants Series 4 Part 6 Worlds Fastest Train 1080p

Narrator: In germany,
this team of elite engineers

Is embarking
on an epic endeavor.

They're attempting to build one
of the fastest trains on earth.

Made from nearly 500 tons
of aluminum and steel,

They have just 12 weeks to build
this high-tech supertrain.

To construct this colossus,

The team must battle
tight deadlines...

We don't want delays.

Narrator: ...35,000
individual components...

And punishing safety tests.

This spectacular train ranks

In a league of ambitious
new engineering wonders

That are bigger, faster, taller,
and more advanced

Than anything
ever constructed before.

This is the inside story

Of the extraordinary challenge
of building these giants.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪

Turkey, a country
with a growing population

Of 81 million,

Spread across an area nearly
twice as big as california.

♪

With 40 million people a year
choosing to travel by train,

Its aging rail network
is struggling to keep up.

To overcome this problem,

Turkey's national railway

Has tasked german train builders
siemens mobility

To design and construct

19 new state-of-the-art
high-speed trains.

The system, called
the velaro turkey,

Should revolutionize
turkey's rail network.

It can reach speeds
of 200 miles per hour

While carrying 500 passengers
at a time.

This is the super-high-speed
train the team must build.

Nearly 500 tons
of aluminum and steel

Make up its eight cars

That pierce through the air
almost silently

Thanks to their
advanced aerodynamic design.

Underneath the cars, 16
760-horsepower electric motors

Drive the train forwards.

Inside, soundproof windows,
ergonomic seats,

And a hospitality bar
mean passengers travel in style.

Above, a finely balanced
pneumatic arm

Draws electricity
from an overhead wire.

Capable of reaching
200 miles per hour,

This will be one of the fastest
passenger trains in the world.

♪

But building such a powerful
machine won't be easy.

♪

When traveling
at such high speeds,

Nothing can be left to chance.

Aerodynamics engineer
dr. Manuel gageik

And a team of designers

Spend years crafting
every aspect of the train

Long before it goes
into production.

During the build,

Engineers must stress-test
every single component

And assemble each section
with millimeter precision.

This is how they plan to do it.

First, workers weld

Precision-cut sheets
of aluminum together

To form the train's
aerodynamic cars.

Next, the team attaches
the car doors

And bolts the pneumatic arm,
called a pantograph,

Onto its roof.

Inside the car,

Electricians connect
over 18 miles of cables

Before workers install carpets
and hundreds of chairs.

♪

Next, engineers
assemble the bogies.

These structures
sit beneath each car

And contain the powerful
motors, brakes, and wheel set.

Finally, they join
the eight cars

Together to make a train,

Fitting a hand-built
nose section to cars on each end

So it can travel at top speed

In either direction.

Work begins in the small town
of krefeld, germany.

♪

Inside this vast,
2.7-million-square-foot factory,

2,200 welders, mechanics,
and machinists

Work against the clock

On a sophisticated
train production line.

They have just three months
to build the first of 19 trains,

Then put it through its paces
at their test track

In advance of delivery
to the client.

Inside unit 38 is where
velaro turkey is born.

And it all starts
with an undercarriage.

Two super-strong,
hollow aluminum beams

Make up the backbone
of each car,

Precision-drilled with hundreds
of fixing points

For electronics, brakes,
and the wheel system below.

Three tough plates of aluminum
tie the girders together

While four crossbeams
add extra strength.

In charge of constructing
this crucial section

Is mechanic patrick klingbeil.

My work for today is to put the
floor into the undercarriage,

Get it on the right position,

And then weld
the complete floor.

That's my work for today.

Narrator: Patrick assembles
the six strong support girders

In a huge jig.

He now has just four hours
to attach the sheeting

That will form the floor.

Klingbeil:
We have dates to finish this,

Five hours for this part,
six hours for this part.

Narrator:
Luckily for patrick,

Working with trains
is in his blood.

My father always
worked with trains.

Many years later,
I build them now.

[ laughs ]

♪

Narrator: His first challenge
is to lift the 880-pound floor

And place it on top
of the undercarriage.

Very, very heavy.
That's very, very dangerous.

So I check everything.

Narrator: He must position it
with pinpoint accuracy.

♪

His next challenge is
to securely weld the floor

To the undercarriage.

The stress exerted onto
the undercarriage at high speeds

Will be immense,

So these welds
must be incredibly strong.

Patrick has to go over
each joint up to seven times

To ensure its durability...

♪

...And then use ultrasound
to scan the welds once complete.

If the joint contains
any tiny air bubbles,

He will have to do it
all over again,

Causing a costly delay.

Thankfully, the welds are good.

Yes, I'm happy.
[ laughs ]

It looks perfect.

Yeah, I think it's good.

♪

Everything is okay.
Now I got a break.

Narrator: Now workers
transport this undercarriage

To the next stage of production,

The milling machine,
where one wrong move

Could ruin the entire
82-foot-long structure.

♪

Narrator:
In germany, a team of engineers

Is building one of
the fastest trains in the world.

They've welded together
the tough backbone of the car,

The undercarriage.

Now they have to finish it

Inside a vast milling machine.

This machine measures
98 feet long

And 26 feet high

And can carry loads
of up to 55 tons.

Bjoern seiler
oversees its operation

Right here in front of us,

We can see the very front end
of the high-speed train

With the typical
aerodynamic shape of the nose.

Narrator: The machine
bores holes into the aluminum

So mechanics
can attach components

Such as seating and piping.

♪

One mistake here,

And the whole undercarriage
will be ruined.

If the wheels set doesn't
fit properly, it costs time.

It costs money.

We don't want delays.

Narrator: Bjoern used his
hardened steel tools

To drill holes
into the aluminum

With incredible accuracy.

I'm a technical guy,
so I love this machine.

And he's my favorite operator.

Narrator:
But it's dangerous work.

Bjoern and his operator
must control the machine

From behind a protective screen

So they're not peppered
with sharp metal shards.

During milling operations,

The tool is spraying
aluminum chips,

And it's dangerous
to be inside the booth.

Narrator: It takes 12 hours
and 12 different tool heads

To drill. The entire
82-foot-long floor.

The milling is nearly finished.

You did an excellent job.

And the velaro undercarriage

Goes to the next
manufacturing step.

♪

Narrator: Workers now transport
the undercarriage

To the next build station.

They will transform it
into a fully formed car.

First, welders will attach

The two 82-foot-long sidewalls.

A crisscross structure
sandwiched inside

Makes them strong and light.

Next, workers attach
the curved roof,

Welding it to the car walls

While end pieces
keep the whole structure stiff.

♪

It takes 30 days, but at last,

The body of the car is complete.

All that's missing now
is its streamlined nose.

These noses are vital,

Because high-speed trains
have a weakness --

Tunnels.

Tunnels create huge
engineering challenges

For trains
traveling at high speed.

♪

As a train enters a tunnel,

It compresses the air
in front of it.

This creates pressure waves
that race ahead and cause a boom

As they reach
the end of the tunnel.

[ explosion ]

Over time, this could damage
the train, tunnel walls,

And nearby buildings.

To prevent this,

Engineers use computer modeling
and wind tunnel tests

To create an aerodynamic
curved nose

At the front of the train.

This reduces shockwaves
and eliminates tunnel boom.

They also make the sides of the
cars with no protruding parts

So the air passes
harmlessly around it.

♪

This keeps the train
and tunnel safe.

♪

This is the first stage
of the head of the train.

I'm gonna fix parts
of the head together.

Narrator: Experienced mechanic
ahmet is in charge

Of building
this complex nose section.

He must seamlessly join together
14 different shapes

Into a complicated series
of curves.

You can see the shape,
the curve of the part.

Narrator:
He starts by clamping curved,

5-millimeter-thick
sheets of aluminum

Together inside a huge jig.

Only once every piece
is in place

Can he weld them.

♪

Saukkan: Step by step,
we put them one by one together.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle.

Narrator: The first 13 sheets
fit just fine.

But the final 165-pound piece

Proves problematic.

This is the last part
of the puzzle,

The top of the head
of the train.

It's difficult to,
with the crane,

It's difficult to control it.

♪

It's not in the exact position

We have to put the components
a little bit further.

♪

[ metal clanks ]

Narrator: Finally,
all the pieces are in place.

After carefully
welding the joints,

The nose is now ready.

♪

The next challenge is to join it
to the rest of the car.

♪

The train nose
needs to fit perfectly,

Or it will set
the build back weeks.

The man for the tricky job ahead

Is master mechanic mustafa.

Gunay: It's difficult.

The move is challenging.
You need concentration.

Narrator:
Mustafa uses a powerful hoist

To carry the 1-ton nose

165 feet
over the crowded factory.

Controlling it is tough.

Gunay:
Because it's like a pendulum,

I don't want to swing too fast.

Narrator: He reaches
the rest of the car safely.

♪

Now he needs to fit it
into place.

It's a tight squeeze.

♪

Stop!

♪

Narrator: Success.

For the moment,
my work is finished.

Narrator: The aluminum shell of
the front car is now complete.

But it will take serious power

To accelerate the whole train
to its top speed.

Without a bogie,
a train isn't going anywhere.

Narrator: In germany,
engineers are building

One of the fastest trains
in the world, the velaro.

It will take a huge amount
of power

To accelerate this train
to top speed.

This poses a problem
for its designers.

So how do you accelerate
a nearly 500-ton train

To 200 miles per hour
as quickly as possible?

♪

On traditional trains,

One heavy engine pulls the rest
of the cars from the front.

In this layout, just a few
wheels drive the entire train.

With such limited grip, if it
tries to accelerate quickly,

The wheels simply spin.

[ metal screeching ]

So instead, the designers
of the velaro

Distribute 16 smaller motors
throughout the train.

♪

Now, 32 wheels
along its entire length

Power it forwards,
giving it far more grip.

This nearly 500-ton train
can now accelerate

To 200 miles per hour
in just six minutes.

♪

And if one motor fails,

The others still have
enough power

To get the train
to its destination on time.

♪

Engineers install the motors
over 600 miles away

From the german train factory,
in graz, austria.

This historic city is home
to over 300,000 people

And a high-tech,
750,000-square-foot factory.

♪

This is where workers
build the bogies,

The complex units that hold
the powerful motors

As well
as the wheels and brakes.

♪

With just seven weeks to go,
the pressure is on.

♪

Overseeing the bogie frame build
is mechanic daniel larch.

A bogie is the powerhouse
of a train.

Without a bogie,
a train isn't going anywhere.

Narrator: First,
his team bolts together

120 separate components
and welds them into position

To form a super-strong,
1-ton frame.

♪

Next, they fit the motors,
brake pads, and cables,

Then assemble the wheels.

♪

To do this, they grease
a specially hardened steel axle

And slide the disc brakes on,

Followed by the nearly
800-pound wheels.

These are custom machined with
a diameter of over 3 feet

And accurate to within
1/10 millimeter.

A powerful wheel press
secures them into position.

♪

Finally, they lift the frame
onto the wheels.

This is a critical stage.

Because the train travels
at such high speeds,

It's vital that the bogie frame
and wheels

Are perfectly aligned.

♪

As it travels,

Steel flanges on the wheels keep
the high-speed train on track.

But if the weight on each wheel
isn't even,

The wheel carrying less weight
can climb up the rail.

[ metal whining ]

These oscillations
can generate noise,

Extra wear, and instability.

To make sure this never happens.

The train builders insure
every single bogie

Is perfectly balanced, with an
equal amount of the car's weight

Pressing down onto each wheel.

♪

To make sure all trains
in the fleet run true,

Every bogie must pass
a stringent safety test

Before it leaves
the factory floor.

We roll it into the press

And simulate the weight
of the car shell onto the bogie.

Narrator: Once in position,
they press down on the bogie

With a load of 18 tons.

This is a trailer bogie.
We put on each side 9 tons.

Narrator:
When running, each train

Will carry thousands
of passengers a day.

So it's vital that every bogie
is perfectly balanced.

Larch: So, this measures
the forces under each wheel

To make sure
the bogie is balanced.

After our hard work,
this is the moment of truth.

♪

Now can see the forces
on each wheel.

Narrator: After many days
of intricate work,

This bogie passes its test.

I'm very happy with the test.
It's within tolerance.

Narrator:
The bogies are now ready

To be united with their cars
back in germany.

But with just five weeks

Until the cars
must depart for the test track,

It's now a race against time.

We have a big challenge,
and it's also difficult.

Ah. Stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop it!

Narrator: In germany,
this team is in a race

To construct a fleet
of pioneering high-speed trains.

♪

They've sprayed
the aluminum cars

With seven layers
of protective paint

And installed the complex
mechanical doors.

They now have
just five weeks to go

Before fully assembling
the first train.

But some vital components
are still missing.

♪

Today, mechanic lukas koscielski
is tasked with installing

The custom-built,
27-square-foot windscreen.

It's difficult to do, and you
need to have special training

For this kind of work.

♪

Narrator: At high speed,
the curved windscreen

Is under enormous pressure
from the incoming air.

Each one weighs 330 pounds,

Costs over $20,000,

And has been specially designed
for strength.

Koscielski:
High speed trains go fast,

So the windscreen needs to be
thicker than on other trains.

The thickness is about
20 millimeters.

Narrator:
This super-strong windscreen

Can resist more than
4,000 pounds of pressure.

♪

First, lukas uses a robotic arm

With rubber suction mounts

To lift the windscreen
above the train.

I'm getting nervous.

Narrator: One wrong move, and
the whole piece would be ruined.

♪

Next, he has to
glue it in place.

This is my gluing machine.

I first have to put some glue
in the corner...

♪

...To be sure that everywhere
is glued and no bubbles.

♪

I want it to be perfect.

♪

♪

Narrator: Lukas now carefully
lowers the windscreen

Into position.

♪

♪

I'm nearly finished.

I need to put the windscreen
in the right position.

♪

Narrator: Fitting the windscreen
in exactly the right place

Requires some elbow grease,

Help from a colleague,

And a bit of brute force.

♪

Ta-da.

[ laughs ]

Narrator: Lukas' boss gives it
a quality check.

♪

All is good.

I'm happy it's finished.
It fits perfectly.

My job is done.

♪

Narrator: The head car now looks
nearly complete from the outside

With its larger parts, windows,
and windscreen fitted in place.

♪

But the train has an astonishing
35,000 components.

Many of the most critical
are out of sight

Beneath the car floor.

Overseeing their installation
is mechanic petra hiebig.

Hiebig: Everybody thinks it's
just normal that things work.

Is it nice? Is it comfortable?

Can I get something to eat?

And it's a very
luxurious train inside.

But the other parts
have to work also.

Most importantly,
of course, the brakes

Are vital to the passenger.

♪

Narrator: Petra's team need to
install 165 feet of brake piping

Underneath each car.

Hiebig: It's about millimeters,
not centimeters.

♪

Sometimes you just need
some brutal force

To put things in place.

♪

Narrator: But amazingly,
one of the most important parts

Of the braking system
is a box of sand.

This puts sand onto the rails
for the braking.

Narrator: If the train brakes
during icy or wet conditions,

Its metal wheels can skid
along the smooth steel rails.

So special boxes
release sand onto the track

In front of the wheels,
helping them grip.

This is particularly important
for winter in turkey,

Where it can reach
minus-40 degrees

Hiebig:
Train needs sand because metal
on metal is just very smooth,

And you need sand to brake.

Very important if you
are going on high speed.

Narrator:
With just 21 days to go

Until the car departs
for the test track...

This is the one.

Narrator: ...It's crucial

That teams don't
fall behind schedule.

So many parts.
It's all about time.

Getting a bit late.

Need to put more effort on it
to make the deadlines.

♪

Narrator:
Finally, the brake system

And sandboxes are installed.

♪

After 10 weeks of work,

The car body
is now almost finished.

♪

It needs just
one more vital structure --

The power source.

♪

Narrator: In krefeld, germany,
a team of engineers

Has just two weeks
to finish the head car

Of one of the fastest trains
in the world.

They've almost completed
the car body.

Now they need to top it off

With an ingenious power source
called a pantograph.

The pantograph supplies
all of the train's power.

It transmits electricity from
the high-voltage cable overhead

To the motors below
to keep the wheels turning.

It must maintain
a constant connection,

Even at 200 miles per hour.

♪

To do that,
the top of the pantograph

Can move up and down
by over 3 feet.

An air-controlled piston
acts like suspension,

Pushing up with precisely
the right amount of force,

While the conductive elements on
top are formed of carbon strips

To minimize friction
and reduce weight.

Every piece
must work flawlessly.

Lose contact for a fraction
of a second,

And the enormous
electric current

Could cause a plasma arc,

Burning through the air
at 18,000 degrees fahrenheit.

♪

Today, evan avci must supervise

The testing of this pantograph
in position on the car.

[ speaking german ]

Narrator:
The team has already installed

The 350-pound pantograph
onto the roof,

Bolting it into position.

♪

Now evan starts the test.

The force of the pantograph
must read 70 newtons.

More than that,
it would push too hard.

And wear out the overhead wire.

Less than that,
it would push too little,

And contact would be lost.

Now the pantograph rises
to its full height

Of 5 1/2 feet.

Next, they measure the force.

Success.

It reads the correct force
of 70 newtons.

The pantograph passes its test.

♪

It's now the night shift
at the train workshop.

And the powerhouse of the train,

The bogies, have arrived
from austria.

♪

Mechanics hans and brocky
are in charge of lifting

The 40-ton car shell
onto its two bogies

With pinpoint accuracy.

We have a big challenge,
to put the car on the bogies.

And it's difficult.

It's a tight schedule.

Narrator:
The pressure is on.

The plan tonight is now
lift the train up.

Narrator: They first use
six stationary hoists

To lift the car up,

Then lock it in place
5 feet above the factory floor.

♪

Next, they roll the two
11-ton bogies into position.

This bogie is for
under the driver's seat.

Narrator: They must keep the car
completely horizontal

As they lower it down,

Or it could fall over.

♪

As tensions mount,

The car carefully lowers
into position.

♪

Ah. Stop, stop,
stop, stop, stop it!

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, it's good.
Alright.

Yeah.

Finally, hans and brocky

Securely bolt the bogies
to the car.

It's a huge milestone
for the team.

So, fine, brocky.

♪

With the bogies attached,

The head car
is finally complete.

♪

After a final
quality control check...

♪

...And a special train shower
to make sure it's watertight...

♪

...The cars are ready
for the test track.

Engineers now transport them
two at a time by rail

From the factory in krefeld

To the test track
40 miles away at wegberg.

♪

Here they will put
this pioneering train

Through a series
of grueling trials.

♪

Pushing the velaro turkey
to its limits

Is manager stephan ruiss.

His first job is to fully join

All eight individual cars
into a train.

Because the last test arrived

The eight cars roll out

And a special joint
called a coupler

Locks them together.

[ beep ]

♪

The eight-car train
is finally complete.

♪

It's now ready
for its toughest test of all --

The emergency brake test.

♪

Narrator: In germany,
engineers are pushing

One of the fastest
passenger trains in the world

To its limits on the test track.

Today, manager stephan
will conduct

The most critical test of all.

So just how do you brake
a nearly 500-ton juggernaut

Traveling at 200 miles per hour?

♪

Traditional trains slow down
by pushing brake pads

Directly onto their wheels.
At high speeds,

These brakes get incredibly hot
and quickly wear out.

♪

To prevent this problem,

The velaro has two separate
braking systems.

At high speeds, the electric
motor can switch modes

And slow the train down.

This is friction-free,
so minimizes wear.

Only once the train is slowed
to 25 miles per hour

Does it engage 128
air-powered disc brakes.

These use pneumatic pistons
to drive toughened pads

Onto three sets of discs
mounted on the wheel axle.

Working together,
these two systems

Should slow this
nearly 500-ton train

From 200 miles per hour
to a complete halt

In just 100 seconds.

♪

A lot rides on this
first emergency brake test.

If the train fails, it will
delay the entire operation.

Taking charge of the train today
is veteran driver alex.

♪

Alex doesn't have enough
track to reach top speed,

So he powers the train
up to 75 miles per hour.

When stephan
gives him the signal,

He will slam on the brakes.

At this speed,

The train should stop
in under 30 seconds,

Much faster
than traditional trains.

The question is,
will it stop in time?

It's the moment of truth.

Okay. Now.

[ air hissing ]

Narrator:
The electrical brakes kick in,

And the train starts to slow.

♪

Next, the mechanical
brakes take over.

[ metal whining ]

30 seconds later,
the test is complete.

The train has passed.

It's a massive relief
for the team.

Now the train
can be sent to turkey,

Where it will run at high speeds
for the first time.

This train is ready to depart.

♪

Special freight trains
transport it by rail

1,800 miles
across eastern europe.

♪

It takes two weeks until
it arrives at its destination,

Ankara, turkey.

♪

This fleet of supertrains

Now speeds along
3,000 miles of track

And transports millions
of passengers a month,

Revolutionizing
turkey's rail system.

Now, finally, one of the world's
fastest high-speed trains

Is ready to ride.

Gageik: I'm very proud
of the velaro turkey.

It's my favorite train,

And I'm very happy
with the end result.