TAN: Blackpool (was Re: Melbourne, Christchurch)
dayoung007
Wednesday, August 29, 2001 4:39 AM
--- In TramsDownUnder@y..., groompg@e... wrote:
No, not in the slightest--these 1934 cars still retain recycled
controllers and electrical equipment dating from about 1905, although
I think the controllers were retrofitted with the Dick, Kerr notch
regulator (don't know what it's called in the US-the device that lets
you notch up one point at a time, then pull the handle back slightly
before carrying on to the next notch- a device to prevent over-zealous
notching and the resultant banging of an overloaded circuit-breaker).
The air brakes were new I believe, as were the motors-except at this
remove (nearly 70 years) new is a pretty academic concept when applied
to these cars. Although there are one or two grades in Blackpool, the
boats in regular service were/are largely confined to the flat
Promenade route, just occasionally wandering north of Gynn Square and
up the hill to Cabin and Bispham.
I wouldn't want to be at the controls of one when making a fully-
loaded start on a hill-the controllers are nearly 100 years old,
they're handling a whopping amount of current and I bet somneone in SF
has set the breakers to trip out at higher current draw than would
have been the case in Blackpool. In such circumstances I'm not
surprised they give trouble, indeed the only surprise is that every
drop of solder hasn't run out of the controllers in molten form and
set fire to the wooden floor. But I have a dramatically pessimistic
view of life...
Four boats (and a bunch of railcoaches) were cut up in 1963 in a
misguided tidying fit, the rest survive to this day, as popular as
ever. Why Blackpool has let two of them stay in SF without making
serious attempts to get at least one back, I don't know. Moroever,
with the return of double deck standard car 147 from Trolleyville USA,
in return for a boat car, Blackpool are now down to 5 boats.
Possibly the new Blackpool heritage fleet they are assembling will
compensate for the lack of boats.
Sorry Tramsdownunder poeple, there's not a bit of NZ/OZ stuff in this
message.
Andrew D. Young
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. . . I don't know how well these English electric trucks rode
when new.They rode badly when I first knew them in the late 1950salthough somewere better than others. On good street track they were OK, butnot onthe Promenade and sleeper tracks which have a more resilient
foundation. . . .
Thanks.
The 228 rides pretty well on MUNI track, although one is quite
aware of wheel noise on special work (perhaps because of no
roof or windows?). The main problem with "the boat " seems to
be the tempermental controllers, especially when starting on a
hill. Two motors aren't ideal in SF either, but I've been surprised
by its hill-climbing abilities, with an experienced motorman.
Did Blackpool modernize the propulsion in the Boats later on?
Once under way, the 228 rolls along quite nicely, thank you.
No, not in the slightest--these 1934 cars still retain recycled
controllers and electrical equipment dating from about 1905, although
I think the controllers were retrofitted with the Dick, Kerr notch
regulator (don't know what it's called in the US-the device that lets
you notch up one point at a time, then pull the handle back slightly
before carrying on to the next notch- a device to prevent over-zealous
notching and the resultant banging of an overloaded circuit-breaker).
The air brakes were new I believe, as were the motors-except at this
remove (nearly 70 years) new is a pretty academic concept when applied
to these cars. Although there are one or two grades in Blackpool, the
boats in regular service were/are largely confined to the flat
Promenade route, just occasionally wandering north of Gynn Square and
up the hill to Cabin and Bispham.
I wouldn't want to be at the controls of one when making a fully-
loaded start on a hill-the controllers are nearly 100 years old,
they're handling a whopping amount of current and I bet somneone in SF
has set the breakers to trip out at higher current draw than would
have been the case in Blackpool. In such circumstances I'm not
surprised they give trouble, indeed the only surprise is that every
drop of solder hasn't run out of the controllers in molten form and
set fire to the wooden floor. But I have a dramatically pessimistic
view of life...
Four boats (and a bunch of railcoaches) were cut up in 1963 in a
misguided tidying fit, the rest survive to this day, as popular as
ever. Why Blackpool has let two of them stay in SF without making
serious attempts to get at least one back, I don't know. Moroever,
with the return of double deck standard car 147 from Trolleyville USA,
in return for a boat car, Blackpool are now down to 5 boats.
Possibly the new Blackpool heritage fleet they are assembling will
compensate for the lack of boats.
Sorry Tramsdownunder poeple, there's not a bit of NZ/OZ stuff in this
message.
Andrew D. Young
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Make Financial Web sites more customer-friendly
Get a $10 AMAZON.COM Gift Certificate
http://us.click.yahoo.com/hJ2ldA/Bd6CAA/cosFAA/DiTxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/