Preserving Modern tramcars
Kevin Taig
Sunday, December 29, 2002 9:45 PM
The debate seems to have gone off the track into
the personal area, ceased to move forward and be meaningful.
For any organisation considering purchase of a 25
year old vehicle should go into it with their eyes open.
When you go into a used motor car lot, the object
is to select a car with no rust and the possibility of mechanical
soundness consistent with long term hip pocket health - what is on the number
plate is almost irrelevant.
A good one will cost very little more than a bad
one on initial cost, but now comes the rub of selecting a bad one.
Scarce additional financial volunteer resources
will be required to rehabilitate this bad one so that it may make the DOI
specification. The introduction of the Department of Infrastructure into the
equation for preserved railways/tramways in general will mean increased
standards of restoration - more $$$. Overall this
mean less resources for restoring other cars which have been patiently waiting
their turn.
The selection of a car which has had recent
bodywork is sound enough, even sounder if a recent inspection of
possible trouble spots reveals all is well.
The restoration of these steel cars requires
different skills to those existing in the volunteer workforce. Its great that
metal can be cut and then re-joined by the magic mending sticks but being able
to weld uphand, overhead etc requires more skills than this mug downhand
volunteer welder-put togetherer possesses. The purchase of a more
refined welding machine will make this job easier and may repay its cost in
saved volunteer (or paid) time but there is still the skill factor.
Those of us who went to Bendigo for the 30th Anniv,
- Chrissie party show all saw X1 466 up on the blocks with body work all cut and
shut. Not a bad job when you consider the degree of difficulty and the parent
metal they may have had to start with. At the STM at Loftus they had
Joe Kirtchberger who did some good work on various steel cars. It can
be done but the resources are extremely slim, the alternative outsourcing - more
$$.
So here we are ready to buy, whatever the
organisation, eyes wide open with long term vision spectacles on and hopefully
politics and personals left far at home - this is about dollars, present, future
and scarce.
Tyres
Other things to be considered are tyres
in order that we do not set our descendants up for large expenses in the
future. This was probably not considered with "must get " trams of the past
but where there is a need to satisfy the DOI accreditation criteria,
long term - get the best. OK, at present they can be bought for $4or $500
from South Africa - but the future.
If a car must be sidelined in the future because of
tyres, then all the preservation effort up to that time is
degraded.
Control Systems
We have lived through a marvellous technological
age which started out as glass encased transistors(valves), through discrete
semiconductor components to computerised digital control. The problem is that
such semiconductor components in the transitional phase, usually only have a technological life of around 15 years and after
that it's "Sorry mate but they went out 10 years ago". This sort of equipment is
usually leave the premises in bulk in a dumpmaster bin.
So not only do we need spare circuit boards and
control elements but also where possible design data and to preserve any special
test gear of that era. This equipment is usually not bulky to store.
Is it an issue for COTMA - do we have a common
pool?
The Future
Looking at these modern Citadii & Combini, I am
forced to wonder "How in the hell is somebody in the future going to preserve
one of those XX##** things". These cars may get a half life control system
upgrade to cope with technological change..
Oh well, I'm 58 now, I don't think I'll have to
worry too much about it, all the best my sons.
Anybody else care to add to this debate
on what to look for when attempting to buy a good used
tramcar
Regards
Kevin
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