Liberia 5 Dollars Silver Coin 2011 History of Railroads, TGV Reseau
"History of Railroads" proof series is dominated by a splendid full-colour design portraying the world's most well known trains. This issue honors the TGV Reseau, a high-speed French train. Official legal tender of Liberia, each coin is an extremely exclusive limited edition.
Silver coloured coin, Denomination: 5 Dollars, Diameter: 38.6 mm, Weight: 20 g, Alloy: 999/1000 Ag, Quality: Proof, Edge: milled, Issue: 2011, Mintage: 1981.
In the series "History of Railroads" were issued these coins:
Flying Scotsman, Trans-Siberian Railway, Adler, Sharp Stewart, Royal Hudson, Bernina Express, Blue Train, Mallard, Flam Line, MAV-220, Shinkansen 500, Union Pacific Big Boy, Trans Europ Express, Durango & Silverton, Austrian State Railroad, China Railways, TGV Réseau, Indian Pacific, PKP Fablok OL 49 Poland.
The SNCF TGV Réseau (TGV-R) trains were built by Alstom between 1992 and 1996. These TGV trainsets are based on the earlier TGV Atlantique.
The first Réseau ("Network") sets entered service in 1993. Fifty dual-voltage trainsets were built in 1992-1994, numbered 501-550. A further 40 triple-voltage trainsets, numbered 4501-4540, were built in 1994-1996. The last ten triple voltage units carry the Thalys livery and are known as Thalys PBA (Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam) sets. As well as using standard French voltages of 25 kV AC and 1,500 V DC (also used in the Netherlands), the triple voltage sets can operate under the Belgian and Italian 3 kV DC supplies.
They are formed of two power cars (8,800 kW or 11,800 hp under 25 kV—like the TGV Atlantique) and eight carriages, giving a capacity of 377 seats. They have a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). They are 200 m (656 ft) long and are 2.904 m (9 ft 6.3 in) wide. The dual-voltage sets weigh 383 t (377 long tons; 422 short tons), and owing to axle-load restrictions in Belgium the triple-voltage sets have a series of modifications, such as the replacement of steel with aluminium and hollow axles, to reduce the weight to under 17 t (16.7 long tons; 18.7 short tons) per axle.
Owing to early complaints of uncomfortable pressure changes when entering tunnels at high speed on the LGV Atlantique, the Réseau sets are pressure-sealed.