Tram-Trains To Be Trialled On The Penistone Line

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Welcome to the forum, ChrisP

[smokey]

What a waste of money? a 142 is a tram train! but all that money being pointlessly spent when its fine as it is, money would be far better spent on reopening Tavvy etc.

A 142 is a Bus body some what lightly welded to a Railway underframe, however to make a 142 a Tram Train you need to fit a totally different type of underframe.

[Conner]

What a waste of money? a 142 is a tram train! but all that money being pointlessly spent when its fine as it is, money would be far better spent on reopening Tavvy etc.

A 142 is a Bus body some what lightly welded to a Railway underframe, however to make a 142 a Tram Train you need to fit a totally different type of underframe.

A 142 is a bus on tracks but I definatly wouldn't say it has the same Leyland body as a Leyland bus would, the main simularities are the doors, the floor and toilet.

[John R]

I don't recall many Leyland National's having toilets?

[Conner]

I don't recall many Leyland National's having toilets?

I really don't know why I said that, I was thinking of that as a difference.

[eightf48544]

Basically continental tram rains are basically trams usually with low floors, nothing like a 142.

They are just adapted so they can run on heavy rail, mainly power supply 15KV in Germany, heavy rail AWS^▸ (Automatic Warning System - an arrangement of permanent magnets and electro-magnets that convey information about the associated signal to the train driver) and signalling interface plus I believe different profile wheels to run on the different rail profiles between heavy rail and street running.

Whilst a splendid idea they are really meant to come off  the street and serve a suburb using a heavy rail branch or mainline. Which thay may share with heavy rail trains including freight. Probably not more than 10 miles or so.

Hence they would be ideal to run Portishead to Severn Beach with street running through the centre of Bristol. They are definitely not suitable for 37 miles between Hudderfield and Sheffield, unless you run them at 10 minute intervals.

In additon they should run on elctric power for the bulk of the way and use the diesel for short lenghts at the end of the run e.g. Avonmouth Severn Beach). Certainly not on diesel power all the way as proposed in this scheme..