Re: Flat Wheels in Sydney

[Bob Horgan <rhorgan@idx.com.au>]

I have been told that "flat wheels" result from heavy braking which results in
rail to wheel
friction. Poor maintenance is another factor to consider.

Rob McKiernan wrote:

> Folks,
> 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. The most I
> counted was 4 on a Tangara. Nearly all of the G and V sets that passed were
> ok. The flat wheels were present on all types of suburban stock it seemd.
> Can somebody out there tell me why this is so?. Is it bad driving or some
> other mechanical explanation?. Is there any maintenace program for this type
> of fault?. I have travelled a bit on overseas systems (Rome, Paris, London,
> Washington etc) and it seems to be a uniquely Sydney problem. It's been a
> while since I've travelled in Melbourne but I never heard the problem there.
> Do other cities experience in Australia experience this problem?
>
> Regards,
> Rob