Re: [Seattle] Melbourne W2 involved in accident

[David McLoughlin <davemclNOSPAM@iprolink.co.nz>]

Aidan Stanger wrote:
> 
> Jeff Kurland <kurlandj@mediaone.net> wrote:


>  Has any city exported more used trams than Melbourne?

Almost certainly. I doubt that even 100 Melbourne W-class cars have been
sold overseas for further use. Maybe not even 50.

Many US cities sold quite large fleets of PCC cars when their systems
closed. Virtually the entire fleet from DC Transit went to Barcelona and
Sarajevo about 1960-61. Many US PCCs went to Mexico City and to Toronto.
There was a lot of selling between US cities too. Boston and
Philadelphia bought lots of PCCs from other cities, and most recently
Philadelphia sold a lot of its PCCs to San Francisco for further use. 

Ditto in Europe. Copenhagen had a fleet of 100 near-new Düwag trams
which it sold to Alexandria in Egypt about 1971 -- they are still
running today and even have their original Copenhagen fleet numbers.

Many older trams in west European cities are now being sold east, to
former Soviet bloc countries and to Turkey.


> > [Seattle] also has a trolley bus tunnel (ETB, actually dual-mode) that has tram
> > tracks within it that have never been used.
> >
> > These tracks will be ripped out and replaced with new tram tracks; the
> > tunnel will be used as part of their soon-to-be-built light rail system.
> 
> Why can't the old tracks be used?

Because they were really laid for show when the tunnel was built. They
are actually not suitable to run trams on, no proper electrical
conductivity, etc.

David McLoughlin
Auckland New Zealand