Thanks for the update, Mal. It is good to see proper separation used where possible. I rather liked the separation I saw in Budapest (before the NF 12Bs started operation) - a line of domes a couple of feet or so apart, and about 5 or 6" high. This was on the Grand Boulevard - forgot the local name or it - on which the 4 and 6 routes run. No doubt helps them to carry the 10 000 passengers phpd that the NF12Bs were designed for.

Regards

Dudley Horscroft
----- Original Message -----
From: Mal Rowe
To:TramsDownUnder@...
Sent: Saturday, December 22, 2012 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: [TramsDownUnder] Line Marking Car

On 22/12/2012 3:48 PM, Dudley Horscroft wrote:

Looking at those pics made me remember that Melbourne used to have a "Line Marking Car". This was a W2 with arrangements for painting the clearance lines clearly visible between tram and traffic.
It was a conversion from W2 233 and was scrapped in 1986.

Is the original line marking car still running, if not what? A Z converted for line marking or do they use a truck now, or have it done commercially?

Line marking is not done by a specialised tramway vehicle.
It's handled in the same way as other road markings.

'Tramway special' lane marking is still required - including the yellow lines or occasionally yellow lane separators like those shown in the attached pic.
http://tdu.to/5123_NicholsonSt_28Nov2008.jpg
As you can see, sometimes the separators are concrete and other times plastic.

More recent works have used kerbing - enforcing no crossing by motor vehicles.
For example - in Fitzroy St, St Kilda.
http://tdu.to/3535_FitzroySt_2July2011.JPG

Mal Rowe - who frequently enjoys passing queues of motor cars in a tram priority lane.