On 10/10/2017 1:47 PM, Tony Gallowayarg@... [TramsDownUnder] wrote:
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> And speaking of tramcar design, the latest (August) Trolley Wire has an article, reprinted from the March 1930 issue of “Electrical Engineer of Australia and New Zealand”, about the Melbourne Y1s. With electro-pneumatic controls and brakes it seems the cars only needed Tomlinson couplers for MU operation, though the article doesn’t mention that potential.

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> What I think is a strong clue as to why more of these cars weren’t built is in the title of the article : “TRAMCAR OF NEW TYPE FOR MELBOURNE - Large Car for Two-man or One-man Operation”.

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> It isn’t any wonder then, at the onset of the Depression, that the union was suspicious of a front entrance design like the Y/Y1.

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True on the reason for opposition.  The cars even had a tap to isiolate the centre doorway and fold down seats over the step space.

However, I suspect the reference to 'electro-pneumatic controls' is probably just a reference to dead-man handles on the controllers.

They were (and still are) fitted with standard K35JJ controllers - the dead-man handles were removed in 1935.

Mal Rowe - who travelled from wedding to reception by 'Yapper'