Automotive

Land Rover proves Ingenium's pull with 100-tonne train stunt

Land Rover proves Ingenium's pull with 100-tonne train stunt
Land Rover used a Discovery Sport to tow 10-tonnes worth of train
Land Rover used a Discovery Sport to tow 10-tonnes worth of train
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One of the train carriages towed by the Land Rover Discovery Sport
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One of the train carriages towed by the Land Rover Discovery Sport
Land Rover's tow-hitch assist came in handy when it was time to hook the train carriages up
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Land Rover's tow-hitch assist came in handy when it was time to hook the train carriages up
All Terrain Progress Control let the car's driver sit back and do the work
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All Terrain Progress Control let the car's driver sit back and do the work
The stabiliser wheels fitted to the Discovery Sport
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The stabiliser wheels fitted to the Discovery Sport 
The Land Rover Discovery Sport didn't use dedicated railway wheels, instead relying on small stabilisers
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The Land Rover Discovery Sport didn't use dedicated railway wheels, instead relying on small stabilisers
All aboard the Discovery Sport express?
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All aboard the Discovery Sport express?
The car/train hybrid covered 10 km of Swiss railway
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The car/train hybrid covered 10 km of Swiss railway
The route included an 85-foot high bridge crossing
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The route included an 85-foot high bridge crossing
Land Rover used a Discovery Sport to tow 10-tonnes worth of train
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Land Rover used a Discovery Sport to tow 10-tonnes worth of train
The Discovery Sport on its rail journey
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The Discovery Sport on its rail journey
You'd have to be a bit braver than us to drive across that bridge
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You'd have to be a bit braver than us to drive across that bridge
According to Land Rover, the car handled to towing challenge with a minimum of fuss
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According to Land Rover, the car handled to towing challenge with a minimum of fuss
The car crossing the River Rhine
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The car crossing the River Rhine
The trailers weighed a combined 10-tonnes
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The trailers weighed a combined 10-tonnes
Impressive as Land Rover's feats are, it's still nothing compared to Volvo and Nissan's best
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Impressive as Land Rover's feats are, it's still nothing compared to Volvo and Nissan's best
A new form of Swiss rail transport?
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A new form of Swiss rail transport?
The Disco Sport is actually rated to tow 2.5-tonnes
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The Disco Sport is actually rated to tow 2.5-tonnes
View gallery - 17 images

In the old days, there was no replacement for displacement, but that's not so true anymore. Take Land Rover as an example. The British marque managed to pull 100-tonnes (110 tons) worth of train with a Discovery Sport powered by a bog-stock 2.0-liter Ingenium diesel engine.

You might have expected such a feat to be aided by a heavy-duty low-range gearbox, but Land Rover didn't bother fitting one to the Discovery Sport. Instead, it relied on the 134-kW (180-hp) Ingenium diesel's 430 Nm (317 lb.ft) of torque and the standard nine-speed gearbox to get the carriages moving. Considering the car is actually rated to tow just 2.5 tonnes (2.76 tons), that's an impressive feat.

Driver Karl Richards didn't even need to worry about maintaining a stable speed during the 10 km (6.2 mi) trek along the Museumsbahn Stein am Rhein in Switzerland, thanks to Land Rover's all terrain progress control system, which acts like low-speed cruise control in rough terrain.

The stabiliser wheels fitted to the Discovery Sport
The stabiliser wheels fitted to the Discovery Sport 

The only modification made to the SUV was the fitment of small stabilizer wheels from Aquarius Railroad Technologies. They're not nearly as large or dramatic as the steel wheels fitted to Smart's Forrail, but were enough to make sure the car tracked straight and true on its journey.

Impressive as the Discovery Sport's feats are, it's still got a long way to go before being welcomed into the Vehicles Towing Way More Than They're Meant To Hall of Fame. After all, Volvo used one of its trucks to pull 750 tonnes earlier this year, while a Nissan Patrol towed 170.9 tonnes worth of cargo plane in 2013.

A video of the train pull is below.

Source: Land Rover

View gallery - 17 images
4 comments
4 comments
BradMay
John Wooten has pulled a 280-ton train along a track. So this means the Discovery is a bit over a third as powerful as a (rather strong) man? Colour me impressed!
Capt. Mark
What would be more impressive is if the Land Rover stayed on the tracks if it slammed on it's brakes while crossing the bridge ! Mass moves mass !
Jason Catterall
I wonder if it would be reliable long term doing this. Oh, wait, it's a Land Rover...
Imran Sheikh
Seems impossible to get the amount of Frictional force to pull the train. i think whats working in this stunt in Oscillation(pumping), Moment of Inertia & Gravity. also it is easy to pull a train cause no energy is lost in wheel compression.