G'day Mick,
That certainly did happen.
A couple of years ago at a major trackwork site a gent involved in that incident told how it came about.
The track crew wanted to give the job a final gauge check but there were politicians or tramways bosses, or both, who wanted to get some publicity out of this job.
So they insisted that there was no time to fiddle around with tests and demanded that the first tram be run over the new work.
You already have quoted the result.
I believe that Mal Rowe was with me at the time and he may be able to correct me or add more details.
Regards,
Richard
> On 18 Sep 2017, at 7:39 pm, Mick Duncankitbuny@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Richard
>
> AFAIK, some track in Flinders St,near Market St was concreted
> but was under gauge, apparently the track gauge was put across the checks
>
> 1st tram over it derailed and possibly the one behind.
>
> Brand new track had to be dug up and relaid
>
> They are now better at it
>
> Cheers, Mick
>
>> On 17/09/2017 10:58 AM, Richard Youltressteleg@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
>> Apparently they did not get the regauging done all that accurately.
>>
>> I was in Melbourne around September 1987 and at Albert Park Station certain sleepers were marked because the track gauge was too narrow. I suspect it may have been laid to 4' 8" rather than 4' 8 1/2".
>>
>> Certainly when driving trams along there are year later, they made a strange squeaking sound which suggests that flanges were tight against the two rails.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> On 17 Sep 2017, at 8:37 am, Mal Rowemal.rowe@... [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@...> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 16/09/17 12:09,mcloughlin.dj@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
>>>>
>>>> >
>>>> > > one underestimated challenge has been the development of a wheel profile suitable for use on both Supertram and Network Rail tracks. At present, he says, all seven vehicles have been delivered with the standard wheel profile used on the rest of the tram fleet. Four cars are to be modified with new wheels to operate the Sheffield – Rotherham service.
>>>> >
>>>> On 17/09/2017 5:32 AM, Matthew Geiermatthew@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
>>>> Something Sydney did back in 1996 with the Variotram and it's hybrid profile wheels.
>>>>
>>>> They are literally re-inventing an already re-invented wheel.
>>>>
>>>> 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?
>>>
>>> For the St Kilda and Port Melbourne conversion, while the rails and overhead were unchanged (except of course for re-gauging the railway) tramway style points were installed - with standard tramway 'back-to-back' dimensions.
>>> http://tdu.to/431_Southbank_29May2004.jpg
>>>
>>> Mal Rowe - learning from TDU
>>> <431_Southbank_29May2004.jpg>
>
>