Re: [Melb] Citadis: Seat Layout

[Bill Bolton <billbolton@computer.org>]

"David Bennetts" <davibenn@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

> The US also developed the PCC car in the 1930s which was a great advance in
> acceleration, braking and passenger comfort over old type cars

In the US...

> - Europe didn't lead the way here but followed on.

No.  Many of the cars being built in Western Europe in the 1920/30s
prior to the US introduction of the PCC were significantly in advance
of the technology that was commonly used in contemporaneous US
streetcars.  Quite a few of the common European design features of the
time happened to find their way into the ERPCC design.

  "Within three months of his selection Hirshfield had acquired
   a complete set of the 'Electric Railway Journal' and other
   industry publications and read them. Hirshfield's library even
   included German language periodicals.  By the time the [ERPCC]
   committee met in 1930 he had prepared a detailed resreach program."

   (page 31, "PCC - The Car That Fought Back", Interurbans Special #64,
    1980)

The PCC was big leap forward IN THE US because the streetcar industry
there was under intense competition from busses due to only piecemeal
investment in technology development for several decades and a strong
"Not Invented Here" lack of standardisation by individual operators.

Heck, even the Sydney P class cars of the 1920s were a more advanced
design from a control and running equipment point of view than most
streetcars being built in the US at that time (Pages 56/57, op cit) as
well as being the high point of Sydney 2nd Generation tram system
control and running equipment technology.

Cheers,

Bill


Bill Bolton
Sydney, Australia