But how did it work in the past? If it has rubber tyres and one overhead wire...
I still say, if it needs to be earthed to the rails, then something that slides on the rail is the perfect counterpoint to something that slides on a wire.
But people used to touch trams when they boarded. They had earthed metal handrails. How is that different?
The rails are all welded together.
On Thursday 08 August 2013 22:20 Matty F wrote in uk.d-i-y:
Lots of wheels and lots of tons to ensure reliable contact.
And if you look at a railway, the few bolted joints and expansion gaps have continuity straps welded or (separately) bolted on.
I would expect tram lines to have similar provision where needed,
I was going to say they did some dodgy things back in those days...
But then I found this :-
How do they get by without room for expansion?
Cheers,
Colin.
The tram driver knows when there's no earth. All the lights go off and the controls won't work. In which case he immediately turns off the circuit breaker and the tram is safe. Besides the platform outside is insulated.
The rails are buried in concrete and don't get hot.
loaded closed. A wheel coming from the "wrong" track simply pushes against the spring and opens the point for each wheel. So the wheel or skate needs a few hundred kg of weight on it, to open the points. Or the wagon could ha ve a large spring forcing it down.
Perhaps there was some kind of skate dragged along in the rail with a showe r of sparks!
Yes, but getting past the track points is the problem. If there are two ska tes or wheels on the same track, maybe it's not a problem.
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