On 17/09/17 00:37, Mal Rowemal.rowe@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:

>> The attached is part of a drawing with an original date of 1995 and it makes reference to an even older ABB drawing. And presumably Karlsruhe had to solve this issue 'way back'.

>>

>> The key item is the stepped wheel back.

>>

>

> Is this only a major issue when you keep railway style points?

>


Yes.
I believe back when the Sydney Light Rail wass being planned, the mills along the line were still operating. So the system was designed to allow wheat trains to access the mill at Jones Street near the fish market at what is now the Wentworth Park tram stop. The mill closed before the light rail project even started and was an abandoned factory by the time the trams started running.

Despite the mill ceasing to operate (and others along the goods line following over the next few years) the railway points were kept in the design, even on the Dulwich Hill 'extension' where they quite definitely cut the connection to the heavy rail network.

Shortly after the line opened, the residents next to Wentworth Park made many complaints about the noise from the trams, and thus 'fillers' were put in the frogs so the wheels would flange run through the points instead of banging through them. Thus the points can no longer take a rail vehicle anyway.
At the same time one of the Variotrams (I think 2102, but would have to look it up) was fitted with a flange lubrication system. Just one tram fitted with this cut down the flange squeal for the entire fleet.

It's not clear what modifications will be needed to allow the street wheel profile Citadis to access the Lilyfield maintenance centre - there are several sets of railway geometry points between Haymarket and Lilyfield.