That car also has a second pantograph with what looks like a hose running to the slider - most likely for de-icing and/or greasing the overhead. A rail vehicle would do those tasks better than a road vehicle.
Tony G
> On 22 May 2017, at 9:51 pm, Bramleybrammers@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:
>
>
> Here's a photo of a track cleaning tram in Helsinki I took a week ago.
>
> I would think using a truck is more flexible than a tram, because it can move out of the way to let revenue trams pass (something I often see happening in Melbourne). One reason Helsinki prefers a tram may be to deal with snow - a truck driver may lose track of the rails if the road is covered in snow - as it was a few days previously.
>
> http://tdu.to/Bram_helsinki_scrubber_12-05-17.jpg
>
> Bramley.
> Just back from a trip from Beijing to Helsinki via the Trans-Siberian railway!
>
>
> <Bram_helsinki_scrubber_12-05-17.jpg>