Light Rail Vehicles - LRT, ICTS, Monorail, and more

[notmyfriends]

ATP ?

[Canard]

Automatic Train Protection - would have halted the train from going too fast

[Canard]

Skip ahead to 13:40 or so. This is just before reaching the interchange (14:05) where the accident occured:


The accident occured just to the right of the Sandilands stop.

tram derailed as it was negotiating a "sharp, left-hand curve" which has a speed limit of 12 mph.

Uh oh, don't let Canard see the speed limit sign for that.

The curve is actually rated for 20 km/h!  They would have just said "12 mph" in the news because they converted it from metric, because the UK is still all hodge-podge when it comes to units.

   

[ijmorlan]

Skip ahead to 13:40 or so. This is just before reaching the interchange (14:05) where the accident occured:


The accident occured just to the right of the Sandilands stop.

Uh oh, don't let Canard see the speed limit sign for that.

The curve is actually rated for 20 km/h!  They would have just said "12 mph" in the news because they converted it from metric, because the UK is still all hodge-podge when it comes to units.

You’ve just hit upon the solution for our 12km/h signs! Just replace with 7.5 mph. Leave all the other signs alone, they’re already round enough in metric. Then we’re more like the brits (hodgepodge), and surely 7.5 is a “nicer” number than 12, right?

Also, interesting note: right after the curve, at the junction, the train (apparently) runs over the switch with the points still aligned for the other track. In other words it just pushes the points into position. I haven’t typically seen that in modern train systems, although Toronto’s streetcars do that.

[Canard]

They're called Spring Switches and they're pretty common on streetcars and tramways. In fact the brand-new Kansas City streetcar has 'em at the Union Station terminus.

[tomh009]

Rode on the Tokyo Monorail earlier today, for the first time in a long time. Love the routing, with waterfront views, and just 20 minutes from Hamamatsucho to the Haneda airport. But I was observing the seating layout at the ends of the cars, and it's definitely unusual, with the seats in the middle rather than against the windows. The result is that people (mostly tourists, admittedly) are stretching their legs and there is no standing room in those areas.

Is this fairly typical for a monorail? (This is probably an Iain question, given his depth of knowledge on monorails!)

[Canard]

Absolutely love the Tokyo Monorail!  Brought me to tears at sunset when leaving, as it was my last train before stepping back onto a plane leaving the land of the rising sun...

   

The Tokyo Monorail was Hitachi's first - since then, they've changed a lot.  The floor on the Tokyo Monorail is a little lower than standard, so the wheels (bogies) protrude up into the floor area, so the seating is unusual (it's wrapped around where the wheels are).

Newer Hitachi monorails (like Tama-Toshi and Osaka) have completely flat floors that are a little higher, with a different bogie design.  The seats are all longitudinal along the sides.  It's probably a better design, from a transit perspective, but the trains end up looking a little goofier - not quite as sleek as Tokyo's.

   
Tama-Toshi Monorail.  Note the much higher floor line compared to the top of the beamway.

   
Osaka's Monorail shares the same vehicle dimensions as Tama-Toshi.

   
The Tokyo Monorail, comparatively, has the floor much lower to the top of the beamway. This was my favourite photo from my trip, so I had to share it again.

If you like amazing views, make sure to take a ride on the Yurikamome over to Odaiba!  The spiral ride up onto the Rainbow Bridge is fantastic.  You can catch it at Shimbashi.

[tomh009]

Thanks! I figured I would find the expert here.

[Canard]

   

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Technis...d7.4128386

We're headed to Germany in mid-2017, and I'm really looking forward to riding the Siemens systems in Dortmund (pictured) and Dusseldorf. Such a wonderfully unobtrusive system.

[tomh009]

I thought Düsseldorf was a combination of LRT and conventional trams? If there is a monorail, I have missed it when visiting!

[Canard]

They have a second generation system of the Düsseldorf one (which was the prototype), connecting the airport terminals, parking garages, and an adjacent railway station.





The beautiful perfection of grade-separated transit almost brings a tear.

[KevinT]

Have you ever been on the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal, Germany? I love just watching it, the way it swings out around the corners as it goes. Not exactly a visually unobtrusive monorail, but its got history...

[tomh009]

They have a second generation system of the Düsseldorf one (which was the prototype), connecting the airport terminals, parking garages, and an adjacent railway station.

Ahhh, it's the airport only.  That's why I missed it, I have never flown into Düsseldorf.

[Canard]

No, I've only touched the edge of Germany (Rust). Sad the accident at Emsland means a ride on the Transrapid is now out of the question. But yes am quite familiar with the Schwebebahn! Another excellent video by my friend Luke:

[clasher]

I've been to Wuppertal, had the best bread of my trip to Germany there. There's also a neat brew pub in an old municipal swimming pool; very beautiful building. I didn't get to ride the Schwebebahn so I do plan on going back sometime.