RE: City Circle 'W' s back in service.

[usenet.spam@gunzel.net (Michael)]

Vaughan Williams <ender2000@MailAndNews.com> wrote in article
<3B1D8E52@MailAndNews.com>: 

>I didn't ask how much the pitmen cost but you could work it out yourself
>(maybe $100k a year)

Small money compared with the inconvenience and consqeuence of a number of 
accidents, compensation payouts, 12 months of removal of the class, and 
inconvenience of passengers who have to put up with reduced services and 
over crowding as a result.

>The W's have returned to manual slack adjustment as part of the 
>modifications. 

Very good.

>I think the track brakes AND the speed restriction together constitute 
>overkill but he sort of did convince me that something was needed beyond
>the return to manual slack adjustment. He did say emphatically that will
>be the last experimentation with auto slack adjustment while he has
>anything to do with it!

That's something that I've been thinking about for a long time. No matter 
what attention the slack adjusters on the W's get, be it automatic or 
manual, the brakes are still not going to stop the tram as fast as the Z in 
front with it's track brakes. For this reason (and noting that I don't work 
in the industry, I just observe), the track brakes will be beneficial for 
the W's. 

I totally agree with you on the speed restriction, that it is overkill. 
Assuming the W's are structurally sound enough to manage such a quick stop 
at a greater speed than what they are now limited to (i.e. a track brake 
application), I don't see any reason for limiting their speed.

M>

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