Thursday, November 30, 2017

SHEFFIELD SUPERTRAM NOVEMBER 2017 - Martin Miller


Took a quick trip to Sheffield where I had hoped to see one of the tram train cars but had to be satisfied with the Ikea tram! At Herdings.

Monday, November 20, 2017

BUENOS AIRES TRAMWAY HISTORICO NOVEMBER 2017 - photos


Poster in tram interior.                                                                                                                                                               The Tranvia Historico in Buenos Aires operates at weekends offering free rides around a loop of approximately 1 mile.  The depot on Emilio Mitre Street is also used as a workshop for the Subte (underground system) cars.  It must be quite a sight to see the Subte cars emerge from the underground and trundle along the street to the depot.

Makers plate from Carris de Ferro do Porto


Detail of the wood work in the interior

Light fittings and clerestory glass


Photo of tram 291 arriving onits low loader

258 controller
Timetable

Depot yard

Info re Amigos Tranvia


258 passing the depot en route to the terminus

Mr Podesta, still enthusiastic after many years

People were queuing for the tram  at least an hours before service started

Along Emilio Mitre Street




These are the gates and tacks where the Subte cars come up to the surface to get to the tram depot workshop


Tranvia Cafe


Tranvia terminus stop

Passing the depot gates



One of the cars in the depot

Sube cars in the depot

Another depot shot, showing a Subte car, engine and 125

PANAMA AND CANAL OCTOBER 2017

As part of a South Americn tour we decided to go to Panama in order to do a full transit of the canal from Pacific to Atlantic. Prior to that we had a guided tour of the ruins of old Panama City and on a visit to the Maritime Museum we saw the remnants of the Panama city tramway in the square outside.

What a fantastic and interesting passage through the canal it was. We left the start point on Flamingo Island at 0730  and travelled the 57 miles taking 10 hours to do the transit.  When we set off it was announced that we would be accompanied through the locks by a sailing boat and car carrier.  The car carrier, Grand Legacy, was the size of a cruise boat and was carrying 5800 cars. Apparently the compartments in the boat are adjustable so that they can be made to fit any size cars so as to optimise space. The fee for transiting the canal for the car carrier was $8000, plus pilot boat @ $300 per hour. The fees for using the canal are graduated on size of vessel, cargo carried etc. The Pacific side is +24 feet high and the Atlantic +2 feet.

Each fill/empty of the lock uses 26 million gallons of water and takes 8 minutes to do and is  fed from Gatun Lake which is in the middle of the canal. The lakes takes the water run off from the Rain Forest.
Tram lines in the square outside the Maritime Museum

Looking in the opposite direction

Albrook bus terminal Panama city, very large and busy double deck bus terminal at the end of the Metro line, full of American school bus type buses.

Panama City metro train

Map celebrating 100 years of the canal

As we approached our first lock, a ship carrying 100's of containers was entering the loop canal which has been built to accommodate longer vessels

Grand Legacy car carrier in the lock with one of the mules

Close up of a mule. These are attached to the larger vessels and contrary to popular opinion do not pull the vessels through the locks, but work together to keep the vessels in the centre of the lock to avoid collisions with the sides.

Mules waiting to be deployed through the lock again

Grand Le3gacy showing all four mules  keeping her in the centre of the canal

Grand Legacy and her mules showing not much spare space either side. As can be seen, the mules have to do some climbing and lowering depending on the height of water in the lock

Sunday, November 12, 2017

MANCHESTER METROLINK OCTOBER 2017 Martin Miller


Manchester Metrolink - Cornbrook -
The works at Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday 22nd October 2017


Weaste
Manchester Metrolink - Media City Triangle
Crumpsall where the Trafford Services will turn back in a couple of years time 

The fascinating remnant of a previous era at Weaste together with the modern day 
 

Saturday, November 11, 2017

HONG KONG NOVEMBER 2017 - Frank Bagshaw

Frank Bagshaw has found the North Point loop
where trams slowly proceed through a market area full of people and traders.
Look what’s running on the Peak Tramway! (Sorry can't turn the foto round - K)

BIRMINGHAM GRAND CENTRAL OCTOBER 2017 - Martin Miller

Works underway for the extension towards the Town Hall  
Midland Metro - Busking at Grand Central

NOTTINGHAM STATIION TRAMS OCTOBER 2017 - Martin Miller


I thought the marketing of cheap city centre journeys was quite a neat idea.
Nottingham Station Trams