How do they get new rolling stock to Blackpool and other metros?

[Comstock]

Relatively recently Blackpool had new trams. How did they get them there? Is the Blackpool Tramway connected to mainline rail lines? Or did they come on a truck?

And as an obvious extension to this, what about other tram and metro systems? I was particularly thinking of Glasgow, with its four foot gauge.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Yes, by road lorry. Same for Glasgow and, indeed, all of the modern light rail networks.

 

[jkkne]

There’s some decent videos in YouTube showing the Tyne and Wear metro stock leaving (and arriving) for refurbs by lorry

 

[edwin_m]

The longer articulated trams are split apart at one of the articulations to make them easier to move by road.

 

[Comstock]

Ok, thanks. Just a final question. Is the Blackpool tramway connected to the National Rail network at all, or is it completely self contained?

 

[100andthirty]

It was several years ago that I was driving along a motorway in La Rochelle (France) and saw a complete tram on a very long low loader coming the other way. I don't recall the detail but probably no more than a 5 segment tram.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Ok, thanks. Just a final question. Is the Blackpool tramway connected to the National Rail network at all, or is it completely self contained?

It is completely self-contained.

 

[Comstock]

It is completely self-contained.

Thank you

 

[edwin_m]

There was formerly a connection to the Fleetwood tramway and railway wagons could be brought in and moved around by an electric loco, but not on any of the street sections as the flanges would have been too big for the grooves (Glasgow had a slightly narrower gauge to allow wagons to run on street on flange tips). I think there was also a siding into Rigby Road depot from the railway into Central immediately over the back wall, but I don't believe this was connected to the tram tracks - probably there was a power station that needed coal.

 

[Comstock]

Yes, I was just wondering about the early days of the tramway as well. Moving a tram by road in the 1880s would have been no casual task. Even in the inter war years it would have needed some thought.

Obviously they could load them onto railway trucks, but I had visions of them being pulled along by a steam locomotive instead. Perhaps it wasn't practical. Maybe they were too high for the bridges on the main line or I've missed something else obvious.

 

[edwin_m]

Yes, I was just wondering about the early days of the tramway as well. Moving a tram by road in the 1880s would have been no casual task. Even in the inter war years it would have needed some thought.

Obviously they could load them onto railway trucks, but I had visions of them being pulled along by a steam locomotive instead. Perhaps it wasn't practical. Maybe they were too high for the bridges on the main line or I've missed something else obvious.

Tram wheel flanges are much smaller than those of trains, so they fit in the grooves on street track. This means that a tram on a railway track would derail on points.

 

[172006]

According to the specification for new Deep Tube trains: "There is no rail link from the Waterloo & City line to any other line, and single cars are delivered and removed by crane through the roof of the depot. "

 

[Comstock]

Tram wheel flanges are much smaller than those of trains, so they fit in the grooves on street track. This means that a tram on a railway track would derail on points.

Thank you. Amateur effort from me put in its place.

 

[ac6000cw]

Yes, I was just wondering about the early days of the tramway as well. Moving a tram by road in the 1880s would have been no casual task. Even in the inter war years it would have needed some thought.

Obviously they could load them onto railway trucks, but I had visions of them being pulled along by a steam locomotive instead. Perhaps it wasn't practical. Maybe they were too high for the bridges on the main line or I've missed something else obvious.

Don't forget that old trams were pretty simple vehicles compared to today's long articulated versions packed full of equipment, so they could have been transported by normal wagons in 'knocked down' kit form and re-assembled at the destination.

 

[Deerfold]

According to the specification for new Deep Tube trains: "There is no rail link from the Waterloo & City line to any other line, and single cars are delivered and removed by crane through the roof of the depot. "

Indeed. This happens here: https://goo.gl/maps/KcaLSbAUjUUEbBR96

 

[geoffk]

Thank you. Amateur effort from me put in its place.

Not really, we all need to ask these questions sometimes! Metrolink trams in Manchester are quite slow over points and crossings on railway-type track and this is mainly down to the wheel profile.

 

[edwin_m]

Not really, we all need to ask these questions sometimes! Metrolink trams in Manchester are quite slow over points and crossings on railway-type track and this is mainly down to the wheel profile.

Probably more due to line of sight operation. Metrolink and tram-train wheels have a special profile which gets thicker above rail level to engage with the raised check rails that are needed on off-street Metrolink and the Network Rail part of the Rotherham tram-train route.

 

[507 001]

Not really, we all need to ask these questions sometimes! Metrolink trams in Manchester are quite slow over points and crossings on railway-type track and this is mainly down to the wheel profile.

No it’s not.

We run quite regularly over ‘railway style points’ at high speeds on the Bury, Altrincham and Rochdale lines.

The ones we run slowly over are the manually operated emergency turn backs. That is simply just in case the points have been left reverse and need to be pushed over.