Running times [was Re: Re: FW: daily digest, Sat.13.1.18]
  Dean Filgate

Richard, surely you're not suggesting that Yarra Trams ought to adjust
trams according to traffic conditions and loadings ? ;-P

When we had line inspectors (and conductors) this was routine; if two trams
on the same route and heading to the same destination, you could bet your
last dollar that the first one was running late and the second running
empty ! Any braid who had an relatively good understanding of the system
(and there were a few who did NOT !) would give the first crew a
short-shunt; if the Line Inspector was really 'switched-on', he would swap
the crews and shunt the second tram - with minimum disruption to passengers
and services.
Which reminds me of a couple of incidents from my time on the job in the
1990s (I regard TDU as a forum for such oral/aural history - if you are of
a differing opinion, then I respectfully suggest that you skip to the next
message now).
One morning in the school holidays I was working on the Mont Albert line to
the City (peak-hour, as I mostly worked brokens). It was DEATHLY quiet -
very little traffic, and even less passengers; my driver had 'dragged the
road' as much as she dared but we still ended-up at Eastern Hill 10 minutes
early. At the stop before, she confided to me ( A1/2s were good for
driver-conductor "communication") that she was worried that the Inspector
would take a dim view of the situation. Trying to reassure her, I told her
to just tell the truth of what happened, and I would back her.
We pulled-up at the old Bundy clock opposite St Vincent's and opened the
doors for the passengers; old Keith was there (that's what we called him,
but truth be known, I'm probably older NOW than he was THEN !).
The conversation went something like this:
"You're ten minutes EARLY, driver !"
"I'm sorry - there's no traffic, no passengers - I've tried my best to . .
..."
"Oh relax, everyone's running early this morning, We know it's a problem
today, so just shunt at the Fish Market - that should soak-up some time and
keep you out of the way of the Prestons and South Melbournes without
shunting back and forth."
"Oooh, thank you Keith, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU !"
We then closed the doors, and pulled-up at the traffic lights a few yards
further-on (a few 0.914m ? Sorry, on one of my 'hobby-horses' - I just get
worked-up when I see some writers translate old distances LITERALLY, which
makes a 'dog's breakfast' of generalisation). Where was I now ? Oh yes,
going past the Eye & Ear Hospital - we took-off with the green light, and
once out of sight of the last stop, my driver started saying "Psst, pssst"
and wispering "Come here !" and waving her hand for me come forward, which
I did.
Curious, I approached, and asked what the matter was; she replied (in a
whisper), "Dean - where's the Fish Market ?" After I finished laughing
(not at her, but that she had accepted a short-shunt without a clue as to
where it was) I explained; she was grateful, and we both had a good laugh
about it later. Like most of the lady drivers at Kew, she was a pleasure to
wok with.
The other incident was related to me by the conductor to whom it happened.
One dark evening in heavy traffic, the trams were crawling past like grapes
- in bunches. This particular Mont Albert tram was trailing two other, and
had but a single passenger. As was common then, one of the Depot Starters
was on duty - monitoring the 'service'. The crew asked the question "Can we
run-in ? We only have one passenger, and there's trams in front of AND
behind us !" This particular Braid was NOT one of the ones that we avoided
- in fact, he was one of the best in managing crews and keeping things
running well. He replied that they could shunt after the last passenger got
off and the tram was empty, knowing full-well that other passengers would
come and go in dribs and drabs. The tram crew groaned a "Thanks for that",
but with smiles all-round - definitely no hard feelings on either side,
just a resignation to an illogical situation beyond their control. In those
days, the stop at the depot was at the entrance points, and the next was at
the rear wall of the depot, at the traffic lights where the 'Monties'
turned into High Street South. As they took-off from the stop at the depot
entrance, the sole passenger rang the bell - and disembarked at the depot
corner ! Joy of joys !! It became 'battle stations !' Quick - grab the
point bar, change the destination, CLOSE the doors before someone else gets
on !!! They flew around on the green light, and proceeded to shunt at the
cross-over at the rear exit road from the depot - no easy task in peak-hour
traffic (the conductor had to be dropped-off before the points, to stop
cars coming-up right behind the tram and blocking its reverse movement *).
Within a few minutes, the tram that the Starter had dispatched had returned
to "Car-in". Apparently the expression on the inspector's face out-did
Macauley Culkin from 'Home Alone'. "W


* I kid you not, one day - in light traffic, mind you - we did this (type
of shunting manoeuver); I signalled to the approaching car that we were
about to reverse, then changed the points, and left the ~3 foot-long point
bar (about a metre tall for those not au-fait with the 'old money') in the
point mechanism while I pulled the trolley pole down. As I was tying the
rope, I heard the screech of metal-on-metal, and turned to see the car
DRIVE-OVER the point bar. I could not believe my eyes ! And my driver did
not believe me either - until he saw the point bar, bent almost to a
right-angle; good thing that the points were already changed, because with
the bar in that condition, it would be virtually impossible to do so now !!!

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