Trams without wires

There is some wonderful film of tramway days in the Kingsway Tunnel in the film "The Elephant Will Never Forget" which is available on You Tube
 
The London Transport conduit system was not over their whole network. This link gives a little information about it.

The [ost No, 4 by Playmofire refers to what was, in some places known as the Dolter system.
wpehs.org.uk

Dolter System (Surface Contact Current Collection) -

The history of the Dolter system, the surface contact method of tramway current collection.
wpehs.org.uk wpehs.org.uk
Torquay is mentioned and the choice was made on appearance, the locals did not want unsightly overhead wiring. It only last a short while as it had the unfortunate habit of electrocuting animals, particularly horses.
 
PhilP said:
A trunk route then? :giggle:



And... Somewhere near Covent Garden, it would seem? :think:
:rofl::rofl::rofl:
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It's all in walking distance - quite a small area in fact .......................


..............provided you know where to walk :cool::cool:
 
van5 said:
I believe that a Manx Electric Railway tram traversed the Islands Steam railway towing a generator car as part of the year of the railways celebrations. I am unable to locate photographs.
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I think the MER car hauled a wagon-mounted generator rather using battery power; but like you, I can't find any details!
 
Northsider said:
I think the MER car hauled a wagon-mounted generator rather using battery power; but like you, I can't find any details!
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I certainly remember that occurring. Anyone with a decent library of Back numbers of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society Journal ought to be able to find references to it.
 
playmofire said:
I'm sure there were tram systems in the past that had pickups in the road via studs, rather like a third rail system.
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There still are, playmofire, for example in Bordeaux, Angers, Reims, Orléans, Dubai Rio de Janeiro and in Nice, where Line 2 has been open since last December and now runs from Magnan in the west of the centre to, alternately, the airport and the CADAM administrative centre, both of which are at the western end of the agglomeration. The eastern terminus will eventually be at the port.

Line 1 uses traditional overhead lines with pantograph current collection but in the interests of the visual environment, trams switch to battery operation through the large and impressive Places Masséna and Garibaldi.

Line 2, however, uses APS - a ground-based current collection system, again for aesthetic reasons. Supply points between the running rails are activated by radio as the tram passes over, with a maximum of two being live at any one time.

Tram 2.jpg
Line 1 tram at Pont St Michel (May 2019)

Tram 3.jpg
Line 1 tram crosses Place Garibaldi on battery power, December 2013

Tram 1.jpg
Line 2 tram at Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport, December 2018

Tram 5.jpg
Future Port terminus of Line 2 due to open in December 2019. (Perhaps...) Note boxes in second section of concrete for power supply
 
You can add Sydney, Australia to the list of APS cities. Test running has commenced over the APS III section of the CSLER (CBD and South Eastern Light Rail) between Sydney Town Hall and Circular Quay. Public service is due to commence in December.

CSLER Test Running at Circular Quay July 2019.jpg

Also, Newcastle, Australia is now running battery LRVs with charging points at stops, similar to Seville.

IMG_0470.jpg
 
Contact studs placed at regular intervals in the road is not new. Wolverhampton trams used the Lorraine system for some time before scrapping in favour of trolley buses

See link.....

www.geograph.org.uk

Tramcar 49 in Albion Tram Depot in the... © Jaggery

An information sheet in a window of the tram states that the tramcar was the last of a batch of three numbered 47-49 built by the United Electric Car Company to a Milnes design. They were delivered in 1909, equipped with the Lorraine Surface contact stud system. This system worked on the...
www.geograph.org.uk www.geograph.org.uk
 
Ref trams running on batteries between charging points, that would be an interesting facet for someone into trams to try and model. (That someone not being me, I'm not into battery power, but I would be interested to see it done!) ;)
 
I have heard from a couple of reliable sources that when the modern latter-day midland metro runs up the BIlston road into Wolverhampton, it has to travel under two plate girder bridges carrying the main Birmingham railway line.
The layout is such that there is a "dead" length of catenary under these bridges and as such the tram has to coast across the gap! There is a slight incline on this section which means that the drivers have to get it right if they are not to stall! Now how about that for a modelling challenge?
 
The mechanic said:
I have heard from a couple of reliable sources that when the modern latter-day midland metro runs up the BIlston road into Wolverhampton, it has to travel under two plate girder bridges carrying the main Birmingham railway line.
The layout is such that there is a "dead" length of catenary under these bridges and as such the tram has to coast across the gap! There is a slight incline on this section which means that the drivers have to get it right if they are not to stall! Now how about that for a modelling challenge?
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Unfortunately, it doesn't work with worm gears - a flywheel helps, but you need to have something like the old 00 Playcraft drives to be able to coast.

Still worth a challenge.

Running on DCC, you can do it all the time with a 'stay alive' module, but that's just cheating :punch:
 
How about the Parry People Mover system?

A ruddy-great flywheel under the floor, given extra 'spin' at the stops, by picking up power?? :nerd::think::think:
 
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