Re: Re: Getting a vintage tram system going in Melbourne
Greg King
Monday, December 10, 2001 5:21 AM
Hi Peter,
As for the green cars having track brakes as well, yes! I am the first to
agree that, a W driven properly can stop in the same distance as a modern
car by using 4th emergency, remembering, a W does'nt travel as fast as a
modern car either but, in our type of operation, high speed is of less
importance than scheduled speed.
Greg
admittedly were worst braking cars on the whole system.Am not suggesting
that this will apply to new braking system and I agree that braking problem
was largely percieved.In my earliest days on the front all cars had castiron
shoes and all cars were hard to stop,some depots were worse than others,as I
remember Kew was worst and Brunswick the best especially their incomparable
Clydes.Ferodo shoes made the cars much quieter,stopped the jangling of
castiron shoes,when rolling slowly the cars seemed to whisper
along.Obviously the friction between shoes and wheels was much better,the
treads had been quite a dull and pitted silver,they became very shiny with
Ferodos,service braking required about half the application and held
smoothly on gradual release to a stop.I find it hard to visualise that you
could stop a conventionally braked car quicker than with a 1st emergency
stop{properly applied]on a Ferodo braked ca.Provided you maintained adhesion
by sanding early enough and cutting a notch to be on the safe side you could
push the brake handle through the gate and just about stand the car on its
nose,I don't think I ever pulled the key after we got Ferodos and that was
in 6 or 7 years of 6 day weeks in traffic that was much less disciplined
than it is these days with many,many more pissed motorists than now.We had
very inadequate running times up till about 1972/3 with no recovery at
terminuses so better braking cars made life much less stressful,once we got
an extra car on each road it became an absolute doddle and much easier for
the older blokes who had been doing it flat out 6 days a week for years,in
my ten years at South Melb.I only knew of 2 blokes reaching retiring age as
drivers,many went out medically unfit and a couple died before
retirement,most of the older blokes were returned servicemen and war service
would have taken its toll too.Better braking probably came too late for most
of them.To get back to the subject,its all about maintaining adhesion which
surely comes back to driver training eventually.Will the rebuilt trucks have
track brakes too?The other part of the equation is standing passengers[can't
bring myself to call them customers,next thing they'll be clients].I was
once on 980,our lonely PCC car,as a passenger.The driver had to drop anchor
coming the hill to Elizabeth in Bourke,the connie took off and hit the
drivers door on the full and she was taken away in an ambulance.A compromise
has to be reached.Regards to all,Peter B. -- In TramsDownUnder@y..., "Greg
King" <tramway@a...> wrote:
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As for the green cars having track brakes as well, yes! I am the first to
agree that, a W driven properly can stop in the same distance as a modern
car by using 4th emergency, remembering, a W does'nt travel as fast as a
modern car either but, in our type of operation, high speed is of less
importance than scheduled speed.
Greg
-Greg, a bit of a delay responding to this interesting info,W3 and W4class cars had truck mounted brake cylinders and with cast iron shoes
admittedly were worst braking cars on the whole system.Am not suggesting
that this will apply to new braking system and I agree that braking problem
was largely percieved.In my earliest days on the front all cars had castiron
shoes and all cars were hard to stop,some depots were worse than others,as I
remember Kew was worst and Brunswick the best especially their incomparable
Clydes.Ferodo shoes made the cars much quieter,stopped the jangling of
castiron shoes,when rolling slowly the cars seemed to whisper
along.Obviously the friction between shoes and wheels was much better,the
treads had been quite a dull and pitted silver,they became very shiny with
Ferodos,service braking required about half the application and held
smoothly on gradual release to a stop.I find it hard to visualise that you
could stop a conventionally braked car quicker than with a 1st emergency
stop{properly applied]on a Ferodo braked ca.Provided you maintained adhesion
by sanding early enough and cutting a notch to be on the safe side you could
push the brake handle through the gate and just about stand the car on its
nose,I don't think I ever pulled the key after we got Ferodos and that was
in 6 or 7 years of 6 day weeks in traffic that was much less disciplined
than it is these days with many,many more pissed motorists than now.We had
very inadequate running times up till about 1972/3 with no recovery at
terminuses so better braking cars made life much less stressful,once we got
an extra car on each road it became an absolute doddle and much easier for
the older blokes who had been doing it flat out 6 days a week for years,in
my ten years at South Melb.I only knew of 2 blokes reaching retiring age as
drivers,many went out medically unfit and a couple died before
retirement,most of the older blokes were returned servicemen and war service
would have taken its toll too.Better braking probably came too late for most
of them.To get back to the subject,its all about maintaining adhesion which
surely comes back to driver training eventually.Will the rebuilt trucks have
track brakes too?The other part of the equation is standing passengers[can't
bring myself to call them customers,next thing they'll be clients].I was
once on 980,our lonely PCC car,as a passenger.The driver had to drop anchor
coming the hill to Elizabeth in Bourke,the connie took off and hit the
drivers door on the full and she was taken away in an ambulance.A compromise
has to be reached.Regards to all,Peter B. -- In TramsDownUnder@y..., "Greg
King" <tramway@a...> wrote:
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Stop Smoking Now
Nicotrol will help
http://us.click.yahoo.com/2vN8tD/_pSDAA/ySSFAA/DiTxlB/TM
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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/