Red Rattlers be damned!

["Roger Lloyd" <rogerlloyd@optusnet.com.au.nospam>]

As an expat NSW railfan living in Victoria for the past 28 years, I object
to the NSW press and some misguided railfans calling the old single decker
electric cars "red rattlers". This is a term unfortunately stolen from
Victoria where it was used (quite correctly) to describe the Tait cars on
the Melbourne suburban system - believe me, they did rattle and shake! They
had two sliding doors for each compartment (one each side) and loose fitting
windows and, like the old P class Sydney trams, really required some form of
diagonal bracing to stiffen them up. When they started to move, the
underframe moved first and the roof followed, if you get what I mean. By
comparison, the Sydney Leeds type cars were steel bodied and gave a firm and
solid ride and DID NOT RATTLE!!! With their high seat backs they were more
comfortable than Tangaras and newer stock.
Roger Lloyd