Re: Re: GCLR Trivia
  Mick Duncan

Gday  Richard

Correct, In the M&MTB days the only speed limits were on points and crossings, esp on facing points, 5 MPH

The only rule re curves was to cut off before entering the curve
which I ignored as powering into the curve gave a much smoother ride

Cheers,    Mick

On 12/10/2017 12:08 PM, Richard Youltressteleg@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
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> In the past and still in much of Melbourne, the tram driver was allowed to decide just how fast to go round curves, and did so fast enough to not throw about standing passengers, and I believe that nearly all drivers’ speeds would be faster than what some theorist has set for today.

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> So you can’t judge the ability of a tram by dictated speeds.

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> These conservative speeds are applied to the GC line as well although one curve has been poorly built and the front of the tram negotiates the curve in stages rather than one smooth turn. The 25km there is probably justified. Not so elsewhere.

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> Regards,

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> On 12 Oct 2017, at 6:46 am,prescottt@... mailto:prescottt@ymail.com [TramsDownUnder] TramsDownUnder@... mailto:TramsDownUnder@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

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>> I think the sharpest curves on the Gold Coast line are 25 metre radius with transition curves, which is within the current minimum standard required for these modern fixed-truck trams. The lead-in curves at Sydney Central are I think 20 metres and trams creep around these. These modern trams have to crawl around such curves at a few km/h, not the 15 km/h or so that a proper bogie tram is able to. If there are plenty of curves, this affects the running time of the journey. In Europe, calculations are made of the number of minutes lost on a route for different types of tram. Many systems in Europe (like Prague) quite commonly have even 18 metre curves with no transitions. There are a lot of factors at play between the tram type and the track.

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>> Tony P

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>> ---InTramsDownUnder@... mailto:TramsDownUnder@yahoogroups.com, <tressteleg@...> wrote :

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>> With the work continuing on the Helensvale station concourse bridge extension, the viewing window has been made accessible again at long last and this gives an elevated view of the tram terminus.

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>> With all the recent talk in these pages about 4 wheel trams chewing up curves, I took a close look, and photos, of the rails on the inner track on the curve outside the Cecil Hotel in Southport, the greater-than-90º turn from Scarborough St into Nerang St. I don’t have any figures, but it is probably the steepest curve on the system, apart from, maybe, curves within the depot. Incidentally I have never heard a tram screech on this curve, something many other curves are guilty of.

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>> I could see no sign of iron filings in the groove or any other sign of wear despite being in daily use for over 3 years. And this is  wear by Bombardier trams with real axles.

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>> Some years back I similarly looked at the curve out of the Railway Colonnade at Central Station, and saw a similar lack of wear.

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>> So to accurately condemn one class of tram or another, somebody needs to take a close look at a curve or two in Melbourne used exclusively by one class of tram. I can’t think of anywhere that is only Combino, but maybe the 109 has somewhere where few if any other tram types regularly operate.

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>> Personally I would consider the mono motor Duwag trucks as the worst curve chewers. A truck which, on a curve, at times will want all wheels turning at a different rate but has all wheels mechanically linked, can hardly be a good idea.

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>> As for the new GC trams, I could see 15 in the depot yard this afternoon. 16 may have been there too but neither is in revenue use yet. 17 would be in the workshop with 18 due Thursday night.

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>> I had a brief chat to a lady driver who told me that when one of the new cars was arriving, she was doing a Late so after work went down to watch it being unloaded in Queen St just where the first batch was delivered. She was keen enough to watch the whole unloading, advising that just going down the ramp took 1 1/2 hours.

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>> More on tramway operating logistics, the working conditions have been brought into line with the rail industry and rules dictate 12 hours off between shifts, not a minute less. The working day must not exceed 9 hours, part of which is a meal break of at least 40 minutes.

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>> Regards,

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