Re: [Seattle] Melbourne W2 involved in accident

["Barry Campbell" <campblbm@ozemail.com.au>]

David McLoughlin wrote in message <399454DB.258C@iprolink.co.nz>...
>The Brisbane drop-centres were built in the 1920s, there were about 200
>of them. They were large bogie trams much like the Melbourne W2s in
>Seattle. They had a big metal spoked wheel in the cab which the driver
>turned to apply the brakes.
>
>Air brakes were fitted to all later trams and retrofitting of air brakes
>took place slowly with the drop-centres. This retrofitting still wasn't
>finished in the 1960s when the programme was abandoned, though by then
>the hand-brake cars were only used in peak hours.
>
>The last drop-centres ran in service in December 1968 and all Brisbane
>trams were scrapped on April 13 1969 in, as I have said vbefore, the
>biggest act of civic vandalism in Australia's history as this was mostly
>a fine, modern efficient system where the newest trams were only five
>years old at the closure, newer even now than any of the Melbourne W
>classes.


As much as I love trains, trams and any other miscellaneous tracked vehicles
I can't agree with Dave about the Brisbane system.

Brisbane is a city centered on the riverbank and hence is relatively hilly.
It also has many winding and narrow roads. I have a copy of the video "Wait
here for trams" which shows the  Brisbane system in its last years and one
of the things that is so fascinating is the lack of motor vehicles on the
roads. There is a shot of the Bowen Bridge Road/ Herston Road /Gilchrist
Avenue intersection outside the Royal Brisbane Hospital which is one of the
busiest suburban intersections in Brisbane and there are no traffic lights
there. As much as I hate traffic lights I would not like to see that corner
without them.

In the sixties I travelled a number of times in dropcentre cars along
Waterworks Road to Ashgrove. I often travel the same road now and I wonder
where the trams would run if they were still there.

Trams can be made to run well in flat cities with wide roads like Melbourne
but cities like Brisbane and Sydney are not suitable for them unless that
have offstreet running. But that's another story.


Barry Campbell