Trams: Is There Much Tramway Interest On Here??
- Thread starter stevelewis
- Start date
Come on, that chat up line's as old as the hills
[/QUOTE]You would not believe me if I said that the male star was playing the part of a cripple. They had to dodge the trams whilst filming!!!!!
Steve Lewis is quite active on RMweb, still changing interests from time-to-time. We talked on-line a couple of days ago regarding the Mariazellerbahn Himmelsteppe in HOe.
Although aware of the system. it's the first time I've seen any trackwork detailing - pic No.3 leaves a lot to the imagination as to how it would actually guide the tram. Fascinating!
A couple of tram photos from a trip to the USA last month.....
Newark (New Jersey) Light Rail LRV 120 at Branch Brook Park station on the "Newark Subway" line. Most of this route was originally constructed in the former Morris Canal bed and opened in 1935. It was operated by PCC cars purchased secondhand from Minneapolis from 1954 up until 2001 when the line was extended and these LRV's took over.
SEPTA Kawasaki built LRV on Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia. These date from the early 1990's and are basically a "modern" PCC car, operating all of the SEPTA tram routes with the exception of the 15 which uses modernised 1940's PCC cars.
I've kitbashed a couple of N gauge model Japanese tramcars into (non working) versions of these, and you can actualy now buy a motorised HO version. Don't think there will be much chance of a G scale version though...
Newark (New Jersey) Light Rail LRV 120 at Branch Brook Park station on the "Newark Subway" line. Most of this route was originally constructed in the former Morris Canal bed and opened in 1935. It was operated by PCC cars purchased secondhand from Minneapolis from 1954 up until 2001 when the line was extended and these LRV's took over.
SEPTA Kawasaki built LRV on Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia. These date from the early 1990's and are basically a "modern" PCC car, operating all of the SEPTA tram routes with the exception of the 15 which uses modernised 1940's PCC cars.
I've kitbashed a couple of N gauge model Japanese tramcars into (non working) versions of these, and you can actualy now buy a motorised HO version. Don't think there will be much chance of a G scale version though...
Not quite, the Caen trams use a Bombardier system where there are double flanged wheels that press down on the guide rail. They follow the rail and make the single axle 'bogies' holding the rubber road wheels. It has been found that a significant downward load is required to keep the guide wheels on the rail. This means that the lightweight guide rail infrastructure needs to be beefed up. It is also the experience that as the rubber tyres run on the same place in the carriageway the usual road structure ruts and breaks up, meaning that a new use of the system would probably need a solid concrete 'runway'. Bombardier did not cover the development costs of the system and got no further orders, so they have abandoned development - leaving it as an 'orphan technology'.
The Venice and Padua systems use the Translohr technology. This has a single central rail with a non-standard head (it is more like the old Hornby O gauge rail profile) with a wide shallow groove on each side. The guide wheels have single, rather coarse, flanges on the outside of the rail. These wheels are arranged in pairs set at a 90 degree angle to each other so that the flanges grasp under the head of the rail and the guidewheel pair effectively encloses the guideway. This means that the system is THEORETICALLY underailable (although there have been derailments) and the downward pressure required is less than in the Bombardier system. It still has the problems of road rutting found in Caen.
Both systems are claimed to be cheaper than tramways, although this is mainly due to the cheaper vehicles (they are lighter and are more buses-on-rails than the ridiculously heavy trains-in-the-street now being specified by light rail promoters) and the lighter fixed infrastructure - but that does not work. So it is doubtful whether there will be many of these 'innovative' systems.
Pic copied across from the Coffee Lounge, David's Pic of the Day 03.11.17
A street scene at Puerto Soller, Mallorca with a Soller tram on the run-around loop, 25.9.2007
![dig 070925033[1].JPG](https://cdn.gscalecentral.net/2017/11/89085_db2e8a4686f25e35045a0abbb5a92390_thumb.jpg "dig 070925033[1].JPG")
David
A street scene at Puerto Soller, Mallorca with a Soller tram on the run-around loop, 25.9.2007
![dig 070925033[1].JPG](https://cdn.gscalecentral.net/2017/11/89085_db2e8a4686f25e35045a0abbb5a92390.jpg "dig 070925033[1].JPG")
David
With the exception of extensions to existing Tramways new systems appear to have stalled in UK. Those Towns that have them have learnt the benefits and want more. Cameron when elected to Government In 2010 coalition declared that we must get the cost of Tram Systems down. Now we have bi-mode buses and driverless cars in the Governments minds. True Tram Systems cost too much and that needs to be attended to. Last night at a Town Council Planning Meeting to look at the outline plans for a major new enhancement of some 2800 Houses in St.Neots. I mentioned to the Presenters (Consultants) of the Project that Cambridge/Peterborough/Hunts Mayor was looking at a proposal for a Light Railway possibly underground in Cambridge and popping out to perhaps Cambourne and maybe even St.Neots that perhaps they might like to think about a route through the development and ensure that Utilities were appropriate for this possible Light Rail System as these were the items that can seriously inflate the costs. By the look of my opposite Councilors and Consultants I might just have landed from the Moon and be making beep beep noises, such are the way that Lessons are Learnt in the current Political climate. And yes they did say quite a few times 'we have learnt the lessons' of past applications etc. Makes my blood boil every time I hear the lessons learning phase as it is just rhetoric.
Still many thanks for the nice Tram Pics.
JonD
Still many thanks for the nice Tram Pics.
JonD
Did I read that right? 2800 more new houses in St Neots! When are you going to apply to be a new county?
Yup that is right and that is only Wintering Farm. Loves Farm 2 is to be around 1200 then Bedfordshire is planning for a big in the thousands just to the East of the Black Cat. Pretty well withingpn the St.Neots catchment area. So there could be between 5-7000 new Houses here before far too long. Then there is Tempsford again in Beds wher there could be 4-5000 new Houses and cause the diversion of the OxCam Railway Line with possible relocation of Sandy Station from the current location, these people are just nuts that propose all this stuff.
Oh and all that in Europe would probably get a new Tram System just for that amount of Housing.
JonD
With all these houses, Cambridgeshire will sink
...little boxes, on the hillside - and the're all made of ticky-tacky ....
Well at least Daly City, California (the place that inspired the song) is served by BART, One of the Muni Light Rail lines and at least one of their Trolleybus routes !
Went through the place every day when I had a holiday in the San Francisco area.....
Had a nice long rant yesterday so I guess I better put a few Tram Pics in now.
OEG in Heidelburg, the line that the LGB Steam Tram eminates from.
These will be Heidelburg Trams, not too keen on the Fizzy Coloured blue, but nice Trams.
JonD
OEG in Heidelburg, the line that the LGB Steam Tram eminates from.
These will be Heidelburg Trams, not too keen on the Fizzy Coloured blue, but nice Trams.
JonD
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Blackpool is still very interesting having New and older Double Deckers running. Only system in UK other than preserved lines that is doing that. Though to be fair all the other ones are New Systems incorporating old Railway Lines to a lesser or greater degree. Blackpool has just continued to run over the years thankfully. Overdue a trip myself but not possible with a Dog as most of the UK Systems do not allow Dogs. Not sure why because they are allowed in Bus and Train.
JonD
Morning Dunnyrail,
Hopefully they will relax rule on dogs and you’ll get a chance to visit Blackpool, well worth it if you visit on heritage running days! Tram in my photo is a conversion of a 1930’s balloon tram. They were meant to be used to supplement the new trams but so far this has rarely happened. Here is a before and after shot.