Re: Melbourne Historic Fleet - thoughts

Good Morning Gentlemen

There are a number of intellegent examples of multi-voltaged tram
systems and he pantograph/trolley pole argument is a no brainer. The
answers are obvious, modify the trams (shock horror) or continue
multi tasking the overhead on specific lines. You will recall I
mentioned two routes - the St. Kilda line and City Cirle as
candidates for vintage operation.

The bean counters don't understand "emotional" or "historic" tourism
which you could argue vintage trams fall under. Funny how Bendigo and
Ballarat Tramways still survive! If the Yarra and Swanson are so
disinterested in the W's, maybe someone should set up another company
to operate them on specific routes. Yes there are costs of running
old tram cars, but what are the benefits - essentuate the positive
Gentlemen - it sells!

David Cawood
Business Systems Analyst.

--- In TramsDownUnder@y..., "Peter D. Ehrlich" <norcalrr@s...> wrote:

In a message dated 28 Nov 2001 @ 2223 PST, "Bill Bolton"
<billbolton@c...> wrote:

<[snipped]>

The fact
that Melbourne should have a single tramway Museum as big and
successful as Sydney. While utilising the fact the there is a

whole tram

system there which these Historic vehicles should be

demonstrated on!

The cost maintaining the "whole tram system" in a state where it

is

suitable for operation of historic vehicle would be prohibitive

and

serve no good purpose. An argument could probably be made to

maintain

a few routes capable of both trolley and pantograph operation.

The issue of raising the traction voltage is going to bite sooner

or

later, so even mixed trolley/pan operation may become a moor point
eventually.

Cheers,

Bill

San Francisco Municipal Railway does just that without difficulty.

The

entire surface network outside the Church & Duboce and West Portal

subway

portals is both pan and pole-compatible. Vintage cars pull out and

in over

the J-Church mixed witl LRVs, and can run on M-Ocean View, L-

Taraval, and

(when rebuilt by 2003) K-Ingleside. They also can operate on the N-

Judah,

but are barred there due to clearance restrictions. When the E-

Embarcadero

opens in 2003 or 2004, pole and pantograph cars will again be mixed.
Indeed, we have occasionally operated vintage cars down to Caltrain

Depot.

So in this sense, a Melbourne vintage operation is definitely do-

able.

Voltage considerations, however, are more of a concern. Take the

case of

the Newark, NJ city subway. While the PCCs were still operating,

and the

Kinki-Sharyo LRVs were being tested on weekends, there was a dual

voltage

setup. The power folks kept it at 600v during normal operation.

As soon as

the last PCC pulled back to Penn Station on Friday night, it was

raised to

750v for the LRVs, and set back to 600v for the following Monday

morning.

Well, allegedly, one morning the power people forgot to reset the

voltage,

and the first PCC pulled out and promptly fried its motors.

Then here is how San Jose neatly solved the problem. Its vintage

cars run

only on series, with the exception of Milan 2001, whose motors were

rewired

for 750v. The Milan car has a pantograph and can operate over the

entire

LRT network, while the rest of the cars are pole only and are

reportedly

restricted to the Younger Street/Transit Mall/Convention Center

route,

though one car--Santa Clara Interurban 1--went on its own power up

to Old

Ironsides for its inaugural day of operation--reportedly without any
problems.

Milantram

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