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Tramway Track
Tramway track is used on tramways or light rail operations. As with standard rail tracks, tram tracks have two parallel steel rails, the distance between the heads of the rails being the track gauge. When there is no need for pedestrians or road vehicles to traverse the track, conventional flat-bottom rail is used. However, when such traffic exists, such as in urban streets, grooved rails are used. Tram rails can be placed on several surfaces, such as on ground over which track ballast topped by sleepers (US: ties) and flat-bottom rails are laid – as with railway tracks – or, for street running, with grooved rails usually embedded into a concrete pavement. In some places, tracks are laid into grass turf surfaces; they are known as '' green track'', ''grassed track'' or ''track in lawn''. History Tramway tracks have been in existence since the mid-16th century. They were made of wood, but during the late 18th century iron and later steel came into use and then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tram System
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Because of their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term ''light rail'', which also includes systems separated from other traffic. Tram vehicles are usually lighter and shorter than main line and rapid transit trains. Most trams use electrical power, usually fed by a pantograph sliding on an overhead line; older systems may use a trolley pole or a bow collector. In some cases, a contact shoe on a third rail is used. If necessary, they may have dual power systems—electricity in city streets and diesel in more rural environments. Occasionally, trams also carry freight. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclist
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for purposes including transport, recreation, exercise, and competitive sport. History Cycling became popularized in Europe and North America in the latter part and especially the last decade of the 19th century. Today, over 50 percent of the human population knows how to ride a bike. War The bicycle has been used as a method of reconnaissance as well as transporting soldiers and supplies to combat zones. In this it has taken over many of the functions of horses in warfare. In the Second Boer War, both sides used bicycles for scouting. In World War I, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand used bicycles to move troops. In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops, and similar forces were instrumental in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Francisco Cable Car System
The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated Cable car (railway), cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The system forms part of the Intermodal passenger transport, intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which also includes the separate E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves Heritage railway#Heritage tramways, heritage streetcar lines, and the Muni Metro modern light rail system. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square, San Francisco, California, Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street (San Francisco), California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists, and as a res ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cable Car (railway)
A cable car (usually known as a cable tram outside North America) is a type of cable railway used for Public transport, mass transit in which rail cars are hauled by a continuously moving Wire rope, cable running at a constant speed. Individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. Cable cars are distinct from funiculars, where the cars are permanently attached to the cable. History The first cable-operated railway to use a moving rope that could be picked up or released by a Cable grip, grip on the cars was the Fawdon Wagonway, a colliery railway line that opened in 1826. Another began operation in 1840: the London and Blackwall Railway, which hauled passengers in east London, England. The rope available at the time proved too susceptible to wear and the system was abandoned in favour of steam locomotives after eight years. In America, the first cable car installation in operation probably was the IRT Ninth Avenue Line, West Side and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bordeaux Tramway
The Bordeaux tramway network (, ) consists of four lines serving the city of Bordeaux in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The system has a route length of , serving a total of 133 tram stops. The first line of Bordeaux's modern tramway opened on 21 December 2003. The system is notable for using the Alstom APS ground-level power supply system in the city centre. It has been operated by Keolis Bordeaux since 1 May 2009. History Original tramway The first public transport service in Bordeaux was a horse-drawn omnibus, introduced in 1830. In 1880, the first horse-drawn tramway was introduced, and eventually 752 horses were used to pull 71 cars. The horse-drawn tramway was limited to the city of Bordeaux and, as a consequence, the first electric tramway was introduced in the neighbouring suburbs in 1890. The city's horse-drawn trams were replaced by electric trams in 1900. In 1920, the various tramways were unified, allowing expansion of the system. By 1946, the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ground-level Power Supply
Ground-level power supply, also known as surface current collection or, in French, ''alimentation par le sol'' ("feeding via the ground"), is a concept and group of technologies that enable electric vehicles to collect electric power at ground level instead of the more common overhead lines. Ground-level power supply systems date to the beginning of electric tramways. Often they were implemented where the public expressed an aesthetic desire to avoid overhead lines. Some of the earliest systems used conduit current collection. Systems in the 21st century, such as Alstom APS, Ansaldo Tramwave, CAF ACR, and Elways, were developed to modern standards of safety and reliability, and added the ability to supply power to electric buses, trucks, and cars. Some ground-level power supply systems use efficient, energy-dense capacitors and batteries to power portions of an electric transit system—for example, enabling buses and trains to charge their batteries during station stops. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stud Contact System
The stud contact system is an obsolete ground-level power supply system for electric trams. The studs were cylinders with their tops flush with the road surface, and connected to an electrical cable underground. The studs contained a switch mechanism that made an electrical connection with the top of the stud when a car with a strong magnet at its underside passed over it, before automatically disconnencting. Electrical current was collected from the studs by a "skate" or " ski collector" under the tramcar. Stud contact systems were implemented from 1899 to 1921, and were short-lived due to safety issues. For example, one system by Diatto had switches that contained mercury, which often leaked or adhered to the side of the stud cylinder and kept the exposed top electrified. A system by Dolter implemented switches with pivot arms, which tended to get stuck in the electrified position. Similar systems were operated by Thomson-Houston in Monaco from 1898 to 1903, by František Kři� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conduit Current Collection
Conduit current collection is an obsolete system that was used by some electric tramways to pass current to streetcars via a "conduit", a small tunnel under the roadway. Modern systems fall under the term ground-level power supply. The system is primarily composed of a channel, or conduit, excavated under the roadway; the conduit is positioned either between the running rails, much in the same fashion as the cable for cable cars, or underneath one of the rails; a car is connected to a "plow" or "plough" that runs through the conduit and delivers power from two electric rails at the sides of the conduit to the car's electric motor. Plows were manually attached and detached from cars as they switched rail lines. Conduit current collection systems were implemented as early as 1881 with the Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway. It proved to be much more expensive, complicated, and trouble-prone than overhead wires. When electric street railways became ubiquitous, conduits were only used in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Overhead Line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union of Railways for the technology is ''overhead line''. It is known variously as overhead catenary, overhead contact line (OCL), overhead contact system (OCS), overhead equipment (OHE), overhead line equipment (OLE or OHLE), overhead lines (OHL), overhead wiring (OHW), traction wire, and trolley wire. An overhead line consists of one or more wires (or Overhead conductor rail, rails, particularly in tunnels) situated over rail tracks, raised to a high electrical potential by connection to feeder stations at regularly spaced intervals along the track. The feeder stations are usually fed from a High voltage, high-voltage Electricity distribution, electrical grid. Overview Electric trains that collect their current from overhead lines use a de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Electrification System
Railway electrification is the use of electric power for the propulsion of rail transport. Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), electric multiple units ( passenger cars with their own motors) or both. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network and distributed to the trains. Some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines, but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own distribution lines, switches, and transformers. Power is supplied to moving trains with a (nearly) continuous conductor running along the track that usually takes one of two forms: an overhead line, suspended from poles or towers along the track or from structure or tunnel ceilings and contacted by a pantograph, or a third rail mounted at track level and contacted by a sliding " pickup ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include segments on segregated Right-of-way (property access), right-of-way. The tramlines or tram networks operated as public transport are called tramways or simply trams/streetcars. Because of their close similarities, trams are commonly included in the wider term ''light rail'', which also includes systems separated from other traffic. Tram vehicles are usually lighter and shorter than Main line (railway), main line and rapid transit trains. Most trams use electrical power, usually fed by a Pantograph (transport), pantograph sliding on an overhead line; older systems may use a trolley pole or a bow collector. In some cases, a contact shoe on a third rail is used. If necessary, they may have dual power systems—electricity in city stre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Road Surface
A road surface (British English) or pavement (North American English) is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, macadam, hoggin, cobblestone and granite setts were extensively used, but these have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete laid on a compacted base course. Asphalt mixtures have been used in pavement construction since the beginning of the 20th century and are of two types: metalled (hard-surfaced) and unmetalled roads. Metalled roadways are made to sustain vehicular load and so are usually made on frequently used roads. Unmetalled roads, also known as gravel roads or dirt roads, are rough and can sustain less weight. Road surfaces are frequently marked to guide traffic. Today, permeable paving methods are beginning to be used for low-impact roadways and walkways to prevent flooding. Pavements are crucial to countries such as United St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
