Overmod Here's a direct picture of the painted NJ Custom Brass trolley Someone who knows brass-locomotive history can probably tell you how the model company came to choose this prototype for construction, and when the original (unpainted) version was produced.
Here's a direct picture of the painted NJ Custom Brass trolley
Someone who knows brass-locomotive history can probably tell you how the model company came to choose this prototype for construction, and when the original (unpainted) version was produced.
Must be an interesting story, no wonder forum members suggested me to post on the modeling section!
Jones 3D Modeling Club https://www.youtube.com/Jones3DModelingClub
Zuerich, Switzerland's VBZ extended some of its 1970s-era Tram 2000 sets with a low-floor "Saenfte" module (rough translation - sedan chair or litter, probably due to the section being carried by the original end units.)
https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/vbz/de/index/die_vbz/fahrzeuge/trams/tram2000_saenfte.html#&gid=1&pid=1
The two-rooms-and-a-bath name was partly due to the tendensy of the early articulation joints to leak during a rain-storm. The Boston cars had this reputation.
The concept was revived in Europe after WWII when new equipment was needed and right away. Brussels had some built with PCC-like streamlining but with the two trucks, four motors, and two of the controllers from 30-year-old single-truck cars. They rode roughly but did the job and didn't leak. I rode one one a fantrip in the 1970s, organized by Jack May. In Brussels they were replaced first by regular European PCCs and then by three-truck, two-section articulated PCCs, the last of which are finally being replaced.
But examine the construction of modern low-floor LRVs, like the Alstom Citadas model used in Jerusalem (MU) and Dublin (not MU). In these two cities the version is five-section, twelve wheels. Both cities use double-ended cars, so there are two front secdtions with driver's cabs, seperated from the passenger sections by glass walls and doors. The middle section duplicates the end sections minus the driver cabs and thus is the shortest section. The two front sections and middle section each have four wheels. The other two sections lack wheels, have entirely flat low floors, two double doors on each side, and are suspended between a middle and a front section, like the center section of a room-and-a-bath. The end and middle sections have back-to-back cross seats, allowing the wheels to protrude above the low car floor. And the wheels are not in a truck that pivots under the car body but are indepenently suspended without pivoting.
The excelant trackwork, with gooved rail throughout, makes for a smooth ride. The ride through switches is smoothed by a good suspension system for each wheel and flange support at frogs.
The design concept can be and is expanded to seven- and nine-section versions in other cities. Just add more middle and intermediate-suspended sections on a one-for-one basis. Without a total redesign.
Thinking about these cars, the purpose of the articulation was to provide a low floor entrance where a conductor could collect fares for both cars. Other than the low floor and fare collection, there was no advantage to passengers over a pair of saloon cars running coupled.
Cars of the original saloon design were known in Sydney Australia as the "C class" and were the first electric tramcars in service from about 1899. These cars were usually run in pairs, each car having a four motor controller at one end and connecting cables (and a two motor controller) at the "coupling" end. Sydney used roving conductors to collect fares, so there was no need to add the articulated section. In earlier days some saloon cars were built without motors and hauled as trailers, but this was really only suitable for lines without serious gradients, and required the motor car to "run around" at terminals.
Peter
Jones1945Cool. I wonder if there is any K-28 controller still working!
Seashore Trolley Museum has Manchester and Nashua 38, which I know for certain has K-28s. I'm pretty sure there are others in the museum fleet. I know there are some in parts storage. The K-28 has five notches to full series, three to full parallel. With 4 GE-80 motors it was (and still is) good for abour 35MPH on good track.
Mr. Jones, you should post the photo of that model on "Model Railroader" if it's HO, or "Classic Toy Trains" if it's O or S gauge.
The folks on either site will probably go nuts when they see it, trust me!
Cool. I wonder if there is any K-28 controller still working!
Wiki, GE K35 controller.
The Brooklyn car article confirms the use of a K-28 controller, which is a four motor controller. While it doesn't say whether one or two sets of grids were used, they were upgraded to unbreakable!
It looks like the Brooklyn "bath" was built by Laconia, a middle-of-the-pack builder in Laconia NH, which just barely made the transition to steel construction before folding.
I'm sure Forum members can recognize the signature research and information ... in this instance I am just the messenger!
Thank you very much Miningman and rcdrye, those are some very nice found and detailed informations. If I run the BRT I would build a tiny bar stools chairs for the conductor. I wonder what the Double Decker version looks like......
Jones1945 Thank you very much, rcdrye. Was the front car controlling the motors of the rear car as well?
Thank you very much, rcdrye. Was the front car controlling the motors of the rear car as well?
I would assume the rebuilds were wired as a four motor car, with a K-type controller on each end. The cable connection would require 18 wires (see below), assuming the grids on each car were used by the controllers on the respective cars.
The big improvement on the Brooklyn car was a much better joint between sections, with some lateral and vertical control. The Boston cars had a reputation for VERY rough riding in the middle section, which was where the conductor stood.
For the connecting cable bundle, each motor would get 4 wires (two each armature and field) and both "T" (Trolley) and "G" (Ground) would have to be tied together. If a single grid set was used, there would be several more, depending on the controller model used.
Boston (and a few other cities) built the "Two rooms and a Bath" cars out of single-truckers in the 1910s to get a car that could negotiate downtown streets and still carry a reasonable number of passengers. There were also some double-truck versions. The arrival of the type 3 and 4 cars and the large Center-Entrance cars made the high-maintenance articulated cars surplus. There were earlier articulated cars (Cleveland had some in the 1890s) but they didn't have the suspended section.
I found this Trolley on the web without any historical background provided. I can't find any pic of them on the web, probably a rare model:
"BROOKLYN RAPIDTRANSIT ARTICULATED 3 CAR TROLLEY #4900"
Source: ebay
"Boston Elevated railroad single truck articulated trolley":
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