Re: Flat Wheels in Sydney

[Rod Gayford <rjaygee@smartchat.net.au>]

They have never really sorted out the computerised braking system on Tangaras. Some I have travelled
on (most days) have really bad flats. Once I was amazed we got to our destination as the flat was
actually vibrating the particular car. Yes, most Tangarras have flats.

Cheers
Rod Gayford

David McLoughlin wrote:

> Rob McKiernan wrote:
>
> > I caught a suburban train from Newtown to the City recently and while
> > waiting for the train to arrive I noticed that just about every second
> > suburban that went past had a flat wheel and some trains more.
> > Can somebody out there tell me why this is so?. Is it bad driving or some
> > other mechanical explanation?.  I have travelled a bit on overseas systems (Rome, Paris, London,
> > Washington etc) and it seems to be a uniquely Sydney problem.
>
> I have often experience flat wheels on trams (though increasingly less
> so with the widespread use of computerised braking and automatic
> sanding) but certainly I can support your contention that it is not
> something one notices much on trains. In fact I do not recall any major
> case of flat wheels on a train, especially on the modern, quiet trains
> one gets these days where a flat wheel would stand out.
>
> Trams are more prone to them because they have to stop suddenly in
> street traffic, which can cause a flat especially with older trams like
> Melbourne's Ws, though I have been on Zs with terrible flats. Trains
> being on private track can slow down at leisure... the only stops likely
> to cause a flat would be if the driver had to slam on the brakes to try
> to avoid hitting a pedestrian on the tracks or a car swerving around
> level crossing gates.
>
> Maybe Sydney trains face more of these kind of emergency stops than
> elsewhere.
>
> David McLoughlin
> Auckland New Zealand