Tram
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/* Tram manufacturers */
{{Refimprove|date=April 2007}}
{{Cleanup|date=July 2008}}
{{otheruses4|public transport vehicles running on rails|other uses of “tram”}}
{{redirect|Streetcar}}
{{redirect|Trolleys||Trolley}}
{{train topics}}
A '''tram''', '''tramcar''', '''trolley''', '''trolley car''', or '''streetcar''' is a [[railroad car|railborne vehicle]], lighter than a [[train]], designed for the transport of passengers (and/or, very occasionally, [[freight (rail)|freight]]) within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, primarily on streets.
Tram systems (or “tramways” or “street railways”) were common throughout the industrialized world in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries, but they disappeared from many U.S. cities in the mid-20<sup>th</sup> century. In European cities they remained to be quite common. But in recent years, they have made a comeback in many U.S. cities. Many newer [[light rail]] systems share features with trams, although a distinction is usually drawn between the two, especially if the line has significant off-street running.
==Use of the term==
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Zg tram1.jpg|thumb|right|Croatian [[TMK 2200]] in [[Zagreb]], made by: [[CROTRAM]], [[low-floor]] tram]] -->
[[Image:Sarajevo tram.jpg|thumb|[[Sarajevo]] was the first city in [[Europe]] to have a full-time (from dawn to dusk) operational electric [[tram]] line. Since then it has upgraded to more modern trams.]]
The terms “tram” and “tramway” were originally [[Scots language|Scots]] and [[Northern English]] words for the type of truck used in [[coal mining|coal mines]] and the tracks on which they ran—probably derived from the North Sea Germanic word “trame” of unknown origin meaning the “beam or shaft of a barrow or sledge”, also “a barrow” or container body.
Although “tram” and “tramway” have been adopted by many languages, they are not used universally in English, North Americans preferring “trolley”, “trolley car” or “streetcar”. The term “streetcar” is first recorded in 1860, and is a North American usage, as is “trolley,” which is believed to derive from the “troller,” a four wheeled device that was dragged along dual overhead wires by a cable that connected the troller to the top of the car and collected electrical power from the [[overhead wire]], sometimes simply strung, sometimes on a [[catenary (railways)|catenary]]. The trolley pole, which supplanted the troller early-on, is fitted to the top of the car and is spring-loaded in order to keep the trolley wheel, at the upper of the pole, firmly in contact with the overhead wire. The terms trolley pole and trolley wheel both derive from the troller.<ref>Trolleys or streetcars are electrified through a single trolley wheel and pole and were grounded through the wheels and rails. The motorizing circuit must be designed to allow electrical current to flow through the undercarriage. Electrified buses with their rubber tires require dual trolleys for positive and negative anodes.</ref>
Modern trolleys often do not use a trolley wheel: either they have a metal shoe with a carbon insert or they dispense with the trolley pole completely and have instead a [[pantograph (rail)|pantograph]]. Other streetcars are sometimes called trolleys, even though strictly this may be incorrect: cable cars, for example, or [[conduit car]]s that draw power from an underground supply.
[[Tourist]] [[bus]]es made to look like streetcars are also sometimes called trolleys; see [[tourist trolley]]. Likewise, open, low-speed segmented vehicles on rubber tires, generally used to ferry tourists short distances, can be called trams, particularly in the U.S.; a famous example is the tram on the [[Universal Studios Backlot Tour|Universal Studios tour]].
[[Electricity|Electric]] buses, which still overwhelmingly use twin trolley poles (one for live current, one for return) are called '''[[trolleybus]]es''', '''trackless trolleys''' (particularly in the U.S.), or sometimes also '''trolleys'''.
== History ==
{{main|History of trams}}
The very first tram (streetcar) was the [[Swansea and Mumbles Railway]] in south [[Wales]], UK); it was horse drawn at first and later by steam power and then electric. The Mumbles Railway Act 1804 was passed by the British Parliament, and the first passenger railway (which acted like streetcars did in the US some 30 years later) started operating in 1807.
[[Image:VW-Cargotram-Dresden.jpg|thumb|left|[[Volkswagen]] Cargo-Tram in [[Dresden, Germany]] on a section of [[grassed track]]. It delivers parts to the [[Transparent Factory]]]]
[[Image:Altstadtstrecke Straßenbahn, Frankfurt.jpg|thumb|left|[[Public transport in Frankfurt am Main|Trams]] in Frankfurt, Germany]]
The first streetcars, also known as [[horsecar]]s in North America, were built in the [[United States]] and developed from city [[stagecoach]] lines and [[bus|omnibus]] lines that picked up and dropped off passengers on a regular route and without the need to be pre-hired. These trams were an [[animal railway]], usually using [[horse]]s and sometimes [[mule]]s to haul the cars, usually two as a team. Rarely other animals were tried, including humans in emergencies. The first streetcar—the [[New York and Harlem Railroad]]’s [[Fourth Avenue Line (Manhattan surface)|Fourth Avenue Line]]—ran along [[the Bowery]] and [[Fourth Avenue (Manhattan)|Fourth Avenue]] in [[New York City]], and began service in the year 1832. It was followed in 1835 by [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], which is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.<!--what line?--><ref>{{cite web|last = Bellis|first = Mary|title = History of Streetcars and Cable Cars|url = http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blstreetcars.htm|accessdate = 2007-01-10}}</ref> At first the [[Rail profile|rails]] protruded above street level, causing accidents and major trouble for pedestrians. They were supplanted in 1852 by [[Tramway track#Grooved rail|grooved rails]] or [[Tramway track#Grooved rail|girder rails]], invented by [[Alphonse Loubat]]. The first tram in Paris, France, was inaugurated in 1853 for the upcoming [[Exposition Universelle (1855)|World’s Fair]], where a test line was presented along the [[Cours de la Reine]], in the [[VIIIe arrondissement|8th arrondissement]]. The [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] streetcar system is one of the few in North America still operating in the classic style on street trackage shared with car traffic, where streetcars stop on demand at frequent stops like buses rather than having fixed stations. Known as Red Rocket’s due to their color, they have been operating since the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century (horsecar service started in 1861 and electric service in 1892). Streetcar service dates back to the Toronto Street Railways horse-drawn cars and continues today with the current electric cars.
One of the advantages over earlier forms of transit was the low [[rolling resistance]] of metal wheels on [[steel]] rails, allowing the animals to haul a greater load for a given effort. Problems included the fact that any given animal could only work so many hours on a given day, had to be housed, groomed, fed and cared for day in and day out, and produced prodigious amounts of [[manure]], which the streetcar company was charged with disposing of. Since a typical horse pulled a car for perhaps a dozen miles a day and worked for four or five hours, many systems needed ten or more horses in stable for each horsecar. Electric trams largely replaced animal power in the late 19th and early 20<sup>th</sup> century. New York City had closed its last horsecar line in 1917. The last regular mule drawn streetcar in the U.S.A., in [[Sulphur Rock, Arkansas]], closed in 1926. However during [[World War II]] some old horse cars were temporarily returned to service to help conserve fuel. A mule-powered line in [[Celaya]], [[Mexico]], operated until 1956. Horse-drawn trams still operate in [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]], [[Isle of Man]]. There is also a small line operated on Main Street at DisneyWorld, outside of Orlando Florida. A small horse-drawn service operates every 40 minutes at [[Victor Harbor, South Australia]], daily with 20 minute services during tourist seasons. This service runs between the mainland and Granite Island across a causeway.[http://www.horsedrawntram.com.au/]
[[Image:SouthamptonTram1930.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Round topped Southampton Corporation tram decorated for the Duke of York's visit in July 1930.]]The tram developed after that in numerous cities including [[London]], [[Southampton]], [[Berlin]], [[Paris]], [[Kyoto]], [[Tokyo]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Melbourne]]. Faster and more comfortable than the omnibus, trams had a high cost of operation because they were pulled by horses. That is why mechanical drives were rapidly developed, with [[steam power]] in 1873, and [[electrical]] after 1881, when [[Siemens AG]] presented the electric drive at the [[International Electricity Exhibition]] in Paris.
The convenience and economy of electricity resulted in its rapid adoption once the technical problems of production and transmission of electricity were solved. The first prototype of the electric tram was developed by Russian engineer [[Fyodor Pirotsky]]. He modified a Horse tramway car to be powered by electricity instead of horses. The invention was tested in 1880 in [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]. The world’s first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], in 1881. It was built by [[Werner von Siemens]]. (see [[Berlin Straßenbahn]]).
In [[Japan]], the Kyoto Electric railroad was the first tram system, starting operation in 1865. By 1932, the network had grown to 82 railway companies in 65 cities, with a total network length of 1,479km. By the 1960s, however, the tram had generally died out in Japan.
==History of the different types of tram==
===Horse-drawn trams===
[[Image:Horsetram.jpg|thumb|right|Horse drawn trams in Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]), [[India]]—Life size model at City Centre arcade]]
[[Image:Gdansk tramwaj konny.jpg|thumb|right|A horse tramway in [[Danzig]] (late 19<sup>th</sup> century)]]
{{main|Horsecar}}
In the nineteenth century Calcutta (now [[Kolkata]]) was developing fast as a British trading and business centre. Transport was mainly by [[Litter (vehicle)|palanquins]] carried on men’s shoulders, [[Phaeton (carriage)|phaetons]] pulled by horses, etc. In 1867, The Calcutta Corporation, with financial assistance from the Government of Bengal developed mass transport. The first tramcar rolled out on the streets of Calcutta on [[February 24]], [[1873]], with horse drawn coaches running on steel rails between [[Sealdah]] and Armenian Ghat via [[Bowbazar]] and Dalhousie Square, (now [[B. B. D. Bagh]]). The Corporation entered into an agreement on [[February 10]], [[1879]] with three English industrial magnates: Robinson Soutter, Alfred Parrish and Dilwyn Parrish. Registered in London, the Calcutta Tramways Company came into existence in 1880 after the sanction of The Calcutta Tramways Act, 1880.
By 1902 Messrs Kilburn & Co completed the electrification of the Calcutta tramways and the first electric tramcar was introduced in the Kidderpore section.
Calcutta remains the only Indian city which has maintained a tramway system. As of now, it remains an unreliable{{Fact|date=August 2007}} but very comfortable and eco-friendly transport.
===Steam trams===
{{main|steam dummy}}
[[Image:RockhamptonSteamTrams1923.jpg|thumb|left|Steam trams in [[Rockhampton, Queensland]]—note the small boiler at the front of the leading tram.]]
The first mechanical trams were operated using mobile steam engines. Generally, there were two types of steam tram. The first and most common had a small steam locomotive (called a [[tram engine]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]) at the head of a line of one or more carriages, similar to a small train. Systems with such steam trams included [[Christchurch]], [[New Zealand]], [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], and other provincial city systems in [[New South Wales]].
The other style of steam tram had the steam engine mounted in the body of the tram. The most notable system to adopt such trams was in [[Paris]]. French-designed steam trams also operated in [[Rockhampton, Queensland|Rockhampton]], in the [[Australia]]n state of [[Queensland]] between 1909 and 1939. [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]], also had a steam tramline at the island of [[Södermalm]] between 1887 and 1901. A major drawback of this style of tram was the limited space for the engine, so that these trams were usually underpowered.
===Cable pulled cars===
{{main|Cable car (railway)}}
The next type of tram was the cable car, which sought to reduce labor costs and the hardship on animals. Cable cars are pulled along a [[rail track]] by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed on which individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required. The power to move the cable is provided at a site away from the actual operation. The first cable car line in the United States was tested in [[San Francisco, California]], in 1873. The second city to operate cable trams was [[Dunedin]] in New Zealand in 1881. Dunedin’s cable trams ceased operation in 1957.
Cable cars suffered from high infrastructure costs, since a vast and expensive system of [[cable]]s, [[pulley]]s, [[stationary engine]]s and vault structures between the rails had to be provided. They also require strength and skill to operate, to avoid obstructions and other cable cars. The cable had to be dropped at particular locations and the cars coast, for example when crossing another cable line. Breaks and frays in the cable, which occurred frequently, required the complete cessation of services over a cable route, while the cable was repaired. After the development of electrically-powered trams, the more costly cable car systems declined rapidly.
Cable cars were especially useful in hilly cities, partially explaining their survival in [[San Francisco]], though the most extensive cable system in the U.S. was in [[Chicago]], a much flatter city. The largest cable system in the world operates in the flat city of [[Trams in Melbourne|Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] and has 499 trams running on 249 kilometres of track with 1770 tram stops. <ref>http://www.yarratrams.com.au/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-47//74_read-117/</ref>
The [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco cable cars]], though significantly reduced in number, continue to perform a regular transportation function, in addition to being a tourist attraction. Single lines also survive on hilly parts of [[Wellington]], New Zealand (rebuilt in 1979 to a [[funicular]] system but still called the “[[Wellington Cable Car]]”) and Hong Kong.
[[Image:Bensinmotorvagn. Trafikerade linjen 19, Karlaplan - Frihamnen 1924 - 1929.JPG|left|thumb|180px|The only petrol driven tram of [[Stockholms Spårvägar]] on its line 19 in the 1920s.]]
===Other power sources===
In some places, other forms of power were used to power the tram. [[Hastings]] and some other tramways, for example [[Stockholms Spårvägar]] in [[Sweden]], used [[Petrol engine|petrol]] driven trams and [[Lytham St Annes]] used [[Gas engine|gas]] powered trams. [[Paris]] successfully operated trams that were powered by [[Pneumatics|compressed air]] using the [[Mekarski system]]. In [[New York City]], some minor lines used [[storage battery|storage batteries]] rather than installing an expensive [[conduit current collection]] system in the street.
===Electric trams (trolley cars)===<!-- This section is linked from [[Richmond, Virginia]] -->
[[Image:Post245.jpg|right|thumb|1923 postcard of [[Richmond Virginia]] showing the mass produced Pearly Thomas electric-powered trolley streetcars commonly seen in most US cities in the era.]]
[[Image:Piter ice tram.jpg|right|thumb|Tramways on ice of [[Neva|the River Neva]] in [[Saint Petersburg]]]]
[[Image:HCRY-Peter-Witt-TTC-2984.jpg|right|thumb|Fully restored 1920 [[Toronto]] streetcar.]]
Multiple functioning experimental electric trams were exhibited at the 1884 [[World Cotton Centennial]] World’s Fair in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]; however they were deemed as not yet adequately perfected to replace the [[Emile Lamm|Lamm]] fireless engines then propelling the [[St. Charles Avenue Streetcar]] in that city.
Electric-powered trams ([[Trolleybus|trolley]] cars, so called for the [[trolley pole]] used to gather power from an unshielded overhead wire), were first successfully tested in service in [[Richmond, Virginia]], in 1888, in the [[Richmond Union Passenger Railway]] built by [[Frank J. Sprague]]. There were earlier commercial installations of electric streetcars, including one in Berlin, as early as 1881 by [[Ernst Werner von Siemens|Werner von Siemens]] and the company that still bears his name, and also one in [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]], invented and tested by [[Fyodor Pirotsky]] in 1880. Another was by John Joseph Wright, brother of the famous mining entrepreneur [[Whitaker Wright]], in Toronto in 1883. The earlier installations, however, proved difficult and/or unreliable. Siemens’ line, for example, provided power through a live rail and a return rail, like a [[model train]] setup, limiting the [[voltage]] that could be used, and providing unwanted excitement to people and animals crossing the tracks.<ref>{{cite web|last = Wood|first = E. Thomas|title = Nashville now and then: From here to there|url = http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2007/4/27/nashville_now_and_then_from_here_to_there|accessdate = 2007-08-07}}</ref> Siemens later designed his own method of current collection, this time from an overhead wire, called the [[bow collector]]. Once this had been developed his cars became equal to, if not better than, any of Sprague’s cars. The first electric [[interurban]] line connecting [[St. Catharines, Ontario|St. Catharines]] and [[Thorold, Ontario|Thorold]], [[Ontario]] was operated in 1887, and was considered quite successful at the time. While this line proved quite versatile as one of the earliest fully functional electric streetcar installations, it still required horse-drawn support while climbing the [[Niagara Escarpment]] and for two months of the winter when [[hydroelectricity]] was not available. This line continued service in its original form well into the 1950s.
Since Sprague’s installation was the first to prove successful in all conditions, he is credited with being the [[inventor]] of the trolley car. He later developed [[Multiple unit]] control, first demonstrated in Chicago in 1897, allowing multiple cars to be coupled together and operated by a single motorman. This gave birth to the modern subway train.
[[Image:OldTram 700.jpg|thumb|190px|left|A 1925 [[Dick Kerr Type Tram]], a common sight in [[England]] until the 1950s. This example is from the former [[Leeds Tramway]].]]
Two rare but significant alternatives were [[conduit current collection]], which was widely used in [[London]], [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[New York]], and the [[Stud contact system|Surface Contact Collection]] method, used in [[Wolverhampton]] (The Lorain System) and [[Hastings]] (The Dolter Stud System), UK.
Attempts to use on-board [[Lead-acid battery|batteries]] as a source of electrical power were made from the 1880s and 1890s, with unsuccessful trials conducted (among other places) in [[Bendigo]] and [[Adelaide]] in [[Australia]], although run for about 14 years as [[Hague]] ''accutram'' of [[HTM Personenvervoer|HTM]] in the [[Netherlands]].
A Welsh example of a tram system was usually known as the Mumbles Train, or more formally as the [[Swansea and Mumbles Railway]]. Originally built as the Oystermouth Railway in 1804, on [[March 25]] [[1807]] it became the first passenger-carrying railway in the world. Converted to an overhead cable-supplied system it operated electric cars from [[March 2]], [[1929]] until its closure on [[January 5]], [[1960]]. These were the largest tram cars built for use in Britain and could each seat 106 passengers.
Another early tram system operated from 1886 until 1930 in [[Appleton, Wisconsin]], and is notable for being powered by the world’s first [[hydroelectric power station]], which began operating on [[September 30]], [[1882]] as the [[Appleton Edison Electric Company]].
There is one particular hazard associated with trams powered from a trolley off an overhead line. Since the tram relies on contact with the rails for the current return path, a problem arises if the tram is derailed or (more usually) if it halts on a section of track that has been particularly heavily sanded by a previous tram, and the tram loses electrical contact with the rails. In this event, the main chassis of the tram, by virtue of a circuit path through ancillary loads (such as saloon lighting), is live by the full supply voltage (typically 600 volts) relative to the running rails (and indeed the surrounding earthed land). In British terminology such a tram was said to be ‘grounded’—not to be confused with the US English use of the term which means the exact opposite. Any person stepping off the tram completed the earth return circuit and could receive a nasty electric shock. In such an event the driver was required to jump off the tram (avoiding simultaneous contact with the tram and the ground) and pull down the trolley before allowing passengers off the tram. Unless derailed, the tram could usually be recovered by running water down the running rails from a point higher than the tram. The water providing a conducting bridge between the tram and the rails.
====Low floor====
{{Details|Low floor}}
[[Image:923.jpg|190px|left|thumb|A Bulgarian built T8M-900 tram with low-floor middle section in [[Sofia]]. ]]
The latest generation of LRVs has the advantage of partial or fully low-floor design, with the floor of the vehicles only 300 to 360 mm (12–14 inches) above top of rail, a capability not found in older vehicles. This allows them to load passengers, including ones in [[wheelchair]]s, directly from low-rise platforms that are not much more than raised sidewalks. This satisfies requirements to provide access to disabled passengers without using expensive [[wheelchair lift]]s, while at the same time making boarding faster and easier for other passengers as well.
Various companies have developed particular low floor designs, varying from part low floor, e.g. Citytram [http://www.trampower.co.uk], to so called 100% low floor, where a corridor between the drive wheels links each end of the tram. There is no doubt that passengers like very much the ease of boarding and alighting from low floor trams but for the operator the restrictions of seating layout imposed by 100% designs limits the ability to provide seats, and to vary the configuration for different city needs. There is also some evidence that passengers do not like sitting in low floor areas, especially when trams run in mixed traffic, with larger vehicles looming above.
====Articulated====
'''Articulated trams''' are tram cars that consist of several sections held together by flexible [[Joint (disambiguation)#In science and engineering|joints]] and a round platform. Like [[articulated bus]]es, they have an increased passenger capacity. These trams can be up to forty metres in length, while a regular tram has to be much shorter. With this type, a [[Jacobs bogie]] supports the articulation between the two or more carbody sections. An articulated tram may be [[low floor]] variety or high (regular) floor variety. Since 1981 onwards, nearly 150 articulated [[LRV]]-trams of the last kind are e.g. to be found in The Hague Netherlands.
Ref.: [[HTM]] [[LRV]] [[:nl:GTL8]] / D.A. Borgdorff / The Hague—2000 / ISBN 9090139354
===Tram-train===
{{main|Tram-train}}
[[Tram-train]] operation uses vehicles such as the [[Flexity Link]] and Regio-[[Citadis]] which are suited for use on urban tram lines, but also meet the necessary indication, power, and resistance requirements to be certified for operation on main line railways. This allows passengers to travel from suburban areas into city-centre destinations without having to change from a train to a tram when they arrive at the central station.
It has been primarily developed in Germanic countries, in particular Germany and Switzerland. [[Karlsruhe]] is a notable pioneer of the tram-train.
===Cargo trams===
Goods have been carried on rail vehicles through the streets, particularly near docks and steelworks, since the 19<sup>th</sup> century (most evident in [[Weymouth]]), and some Belgian ''vicinale'' routes were used to haul timber. At the turn of the 21st century, a new interest has arisen in using urban tramway systems to transport goods. The motivation now is to reduce air pollution, traffic congestion and damage to road surfaces in city centres. [[Dresden]] has a regular ''[[CarGoTram]]'' service, run by the world’s longest tram trainsets (59.4 m), carrying car parts across the city centre to its [[Volkswagen]] factory. [[Vienna]] and [[Zürich]] use trams as mobile recycling depots. [[Kislovodsk]] had a freight-only tram system comprising one line which was used exclusively to deliver bottled Narzan mineral water to the railway station.
In the spring of 2007, [[Amsterdam]] piloted a cargo tram operation, aiming to reduce [[particulate]] [[pollution]] by 20% by halving the number of [[lorries]]—currently 5.000—unloading in the [[inner city]] during the permitted timeframe from 07:00 till 10:30. The pilot, operated by [[City Cargo Amsterdam]], involved two cargo trams, operating from a distribution centre at Lutkemeerpolder, on the A9 ring [[motorway]] near the Osdorp [[terminus]] of tram no. 1. They delivered to a ‘hub’ at Frederiksplein, where electric trucks delivered to the final destination.
The trial was successful, releasing an intended investment of 100 million euro in a [[fleet]] of 52 cargo trams distributing from four peripheral ‘cross docks’ to 15 inner-city hubs by 2012. These specially-built vehicles would be 30 metres long with 12 [[axle]]s and a [[Cargo|payload]] of 30 tonnes. On weekdays, trams are planned to make 4 deliveries per hour between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and two per hour between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. With each unloading operation taking on average 10 minutes, this means that each site would be active for 40 minutes out of each hour during the morning rush hour.
In 2008 negotiations over the location of the unloading sites are under way and are evoking opposition from some residents who object to the felling of trees and disappearance of parking spaces. Sites under consideration include Frederiksplein, Cornelis Troostplein, Mauritskade, Zoutkeetsgracht and de Lairessestraat. The Oud-West borough has refused permisison for a site at Bellamyplein, saying there is no space (although it is the site of an old tram depot).
(References: ''Samenwest'' 5 December 2006, NOS3 television news 7 March 2007, ''Amsterdams Stadblad 4 June 2008)
===Demise of trams / streetcars in the US===
US Auto and tire manufactures alledgedly conspired to illegally close down the US streetcar system—see [[Great American Streetcar Scandal]]
===Demise of trams in the UK===
Similar but more subtle pressures and events occurred in the UK.
Britain had the first European trams (invented in New York 1832), and until 1935 a large and comprehensive system. Including Chester, which had its own hydro power station on the River Dee. For example it was possible to go by tram across the West Midlands, from Pierhead Liverpool to Bolton by 4 different networks which met. These were mostly closed by a mixture of the same forces as in the US, but with political overtones, since most of the UK systems were municipally owned. The oil and car industries did not like the fact that the municipally owned tram networks were powered by electricity not coal, and to a large extent made car ownership unnecessary.
The 1931 Royal Commission on traffic argued that trams held up cars. When it is realised that there were only 1million cars then, what this meant was that trams with poorer people were holding up cars with richer people.
In the UK there was a big public reaction against tramway abandonment, much bigger than the present one against UK Post Office closures, and on a par with the reaction against the Beeching Rail closures in the 1960’s, and with the same result. Tram (train) passengers largely did not transfer to the new (flexible and cheaper) buses, but bought cars resulting in the congested cities in the UK today.
After the war continental countries had little choice but to rebuild their tramways as they could not import oil, or rubber but had steel and electricity.
== Model trams ==
{{Original research|date=October 2007}}
Models of trams are popular in [[HO scale]], which is 1:87 and [[O scale]], which is 1:48 in the US and generally 1:43 in Europe and Asia. They typically are powered and will accept plastic figures inside. Common manufacturers are [[Roco]] and [[Lima (models)|Lima]] with many custom models being made as well. The German firm [http://www.hoedl-linie8.de/ Hödl] and the Austrian [http://www.halling.at/ Halling] specialize in trams in 1:87 scale.
A number of HO scale tram models, especially kits, are made worldwide. In the US, [[Bachmann Industries]] is a mass supplier. Another manufacturer, Bowser [http://bowser-trains.com/hoother/trolleys/trolleys.htm], has produced white metal models for over 50 years. Con-Cor and Bachmann recently announced fine scale models of a Pre-War [[PCC streetcar]] and a Brill Peter Witt car [http://con-cor.com/PCC-Streetcars.html]. There are many boutique vendors offering limited run epoxy and wood models. At the high end are highly detailed brass models which are usually imported from Japan or Korea and can cost in excess of $500. Many of these run on 16.5 mm gauge track, which is incorrect for the representation of standard (4ft 8½ins) gauge, as it represents 4ft 1½ins in 4 mm (1:76.2) scale. This scale/gauge hybrid is called OO scale.
O scale trams are also very popular among tram modelers because the increased size allows for more detail and easier crafting of overhead wiring. In the US these models are usually purchased in epoxy or wood kits and some as brass models. The Saint Petersburg Tram Company [http://www.sptc.spb.ru] produces highly detailed polyeurathane non-powered O Scale models from around the world.
In the US, one of the best sources for model tram enthusiasts is the East Penn Traction Club [http://www.eastpenn.org] of Philadelphia.
It is thought that the first example of a working model tramcar in the UK built by an amateur for fun was in 1929, when Frank E. Wilson created a replica of London County Council Tramways E class car 444 in 1:16 scale, which he demonstrated at an early Model Engineer Exhibition. Another of his models was London E/1 1800, which was the only tramway exhibit in the Faraday Memorial Exhibition of 1931. Together with likeminded friends, Frank Wilson went on to found the Tramway & Light Railway Society [http://www.tramwayinfo.com/tlrs] in 1938, establishing tramway modelling as a hobby.
<gallery>
Image:Trolleys_buses_HO.jpg|German models of trams (Düwag and Siemens) and a bus in [[HO scale]]
Image:Sheffield 510.jpg|UK model of a Sheffield Roberts Car 510
Image:Ruraltramways.jpg|UK model of 3 UK tramcars
</gallery>
==Relative energy consumptions of trams and other forms of transport==
Swiss federal railways 0.23 kWh/passenger.km at a load factor of c. 0.33.
Diesel hybrid car, Golf-size, 0.26 at 1.3 people/car.
London buses 0.25.
Wikipedia quotes a figure for today’s trolley buses in Vancouver that corresponds to 0.75 kWh primary energy/ passenger.km.
ULR tram 70 passengers designed for operation in Mauritius is 1.4kWh/KM at a load factor of 20 passengers that = 0.07
===On balance===
Many of the pros and cons depend on the system design itself. A tram system with little distance between stops that has single unit vehicles which run in mixed traffic will see far less of an advantage over other transit alternatives than a tram system with a greater distance between stops, runs in multiple units, and runs in a dedicated right of way. Overall trams have a greater versatility in design, however as shown above, whether that is a pro or a con is debatable.
==Tram and light-rail transit systems around the world==
{{main|Tram and light-rail transit systems}}
Around the world there are many tram systems. Some date to the late 1800s. Many were closed in the middle of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, but some still operate much as they did when they were built, especially in Eastern Europe. Some cities that closed their tram networks are now reviving service.
==Tram manufacturers==
[[Image:HKtram-crossing.JPG|thumb|right|[[Hong Kong Tramways]] passing each other at [[Central, Hong Kong|Central]].]]
* [[Alstom]] {{FRA}}
* [[Ansaldobreda]] {{ITA}}
* [[TRAMKAR]] {{BUL}}
* [[Bombardier Transportation]] {{CAN}}
** [[Hawker Siddeley Canada]] 1962–2001
** [[Urban Transportation Development Corporation]] 1973–1990s
* [[CAF]] {{ESP}}
* [[Canadian Car and Foundry]]
* [[Commonwealth Engineering]] {{AUS}}
* [[Crotram]] {{CRO}}
* [[Dick, Kerr & Co.]] {{ENG}}
* [[Electrometal Timisoara]] {{ROU}}
* [[GRAS]] {{BIH}}
* [[Đuro Đaković (factory)]] {{CRO}} (produced trams, 1957–1993)
* [[English Electric Company]] {{ENG}}
* [[Firema Trasporti]] SpA
* [[:ja:アルナ車両|ALNA Sharyo]] {{JPN}}
* [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries]] {{JPN}}
* [[Kinki Sharyo]] {{JPN}}
* [[Niigata Transys Company]] {{JPN}}
* [[Nippon Sharyo]] {{JPN}}
* [[Tokyu Car Corporation]] {{JPN}}
* [[Hong Kong Tramways]] {{HKG}}
* [[Inekon]] {{CZE}}
* [[J. G. Brill and Company]]
* [[Konstal]] {{POL}}
* [[Premier Manufacturer]] {{IND}}
* [[Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.]] {{IND}}
* [[Jessop India Ltd.]] {{IND}}
** [[American Car Company]]
* [[Ottawa Car Company]]
* [[PESA Bydgoszcz]] {{POL}}
* [[RMT Protram]] {{POL}}
* Russell Car Company
* [[Rīgas Vagonu Rupnīca|RVR (Rīgas Vagonu Rupnīca) (ex—“Fenikss”)]] {{LVA}}
* [[Siemens AG|Siemens]] {{GER}}
* [[St. Louis Car Company]]
* [[TRAM Power Ltd—Citytram]]
* [[TDI]]
* [[Stadler]] {{SWI}}
* [[Škoda]] {{CZE}}
* [[Tatra]] {{CZE}}
* [[Ganz]] {{HUN}}
* [[UKVZ|Ust-Katav Vagon-Building Plant]] {{RUS}}
* [[U.R.A.C. Bucharest]] {{ROU}}
* [[Uraltransmash]] {{RUS}}
* [[PTMZ|Saint Petersburg Tramway-Mechanical Plant]] {{RUS}}
* [[Yuzhmash]] {{UKR}}
* [[Zagrebački električni tramvaj|ZET Zagreb]] {{CRO}} (produced trams, 1922–195x)
==Trams in literature==
[[Image:Tramway-grenoble.JPG|thumb|200px|Tramway in [[Grenoble]], [[France]].]]
One of the earliest literary references to trams occurs on the second page of [[Henry James]]’s novel ''[[The Europeans]]'': </br>
:''From time to time a strange vehicle drew near to the place where they stood—such a vehicle as the lady at the window, in spite of a considerable acquaintance with human inventions, had never seen before: a huge, low, omnibus, painted in brilliant colours, and decorated apparently with jingling bells, attached to a species of [[Groove (engineering)|groove]] in the [[Pavement (material)|pavement]], through which it was dragged, with a great deal of rumbling, bouncing, and scratching, by a couple of remarkably small [[horse]]s.''
Published in 1878, the novel is set in the 1840s, though horse trams were not in fact introduced in [[Boston]] till the 1850s. Note how the tram’s efficiency surprises the “European” visitor; how two “remarkably small” horses sufficed to draw the “huge” tramcar.
Joseph Conrad described Amsterdam’s trams in chapter 14 of ''The Mirror of the Sea'' (1906): ''From afar at the end of Tsar Peter Straat, issued in the frosty air the tinkle of bells of the horse tramcars, appearing and disappearing in the opening between the buildings, like little toy carriages harnessed with toy horses and played with by people that appeared no bigger than children.''
[[Danzig]] trams figure extensively in the early stages of [[Günter Grass]]’s ''Die Blechtrommel'' ([[The Tin Drum]]). Then in its last chapter, the novel’s hero [[Oskar Matzerath]], along with his friend Gottfried von Vittlar, steal a tram late at night from outside the Unterrath depot on the northern edge of [[Düsseldorf]].
It is a [[surreal]] journey. Gottfried von Vittlar drives the tram through the night, south to Flingern and Haniel and then east to the suburb of [[Düsseldorf-Gerresheim|Gerresheim]]. Meanwhile, inside, Oskar tries to rescue the half-blind Victor Weluhn (a character who had escaped from the [[siege]] of the [[Polish post office in Danzig]] at the beginning of the book and of the war) from his two green-hatted would-be [[executioner]]s. Oskar deposits his [[briefcase]], which contains Sister Dorotea’s severed [[ring finger]] in a [[Kilner jar|preserving jar]], on the dashboard “where professional motorman put their [[lunchbox]]es”. They leave the tram at the [[terminus]], and the executioners tie Weluhn to a tree in Vittlar’s mother’s garden and prepare to [[machine-gun]] him. But Oskar drums, Victor sings, and together they conjure up the Polish [[cavalry]], who spirit both victim and executioners away. Oskar asks Vittlar to take his briefcase in the tram to the police HQ in the Fürstenwall, which he does.
The latter part of this route is today served by tram no. 703 terminating at Gerresheim [[Stadtbahn]] station (“by the glassworks” as Grass notes, referring to the famous glass factory in Gerresheim).
[Reference: The chapter ''Die letzte Straßenbahn oder Anbetung eines Weckglases'' (The last tram or Adoration of a Preserving Jar). See page 584 of the 1959 Büchergilde Gutenberg German edition and page 571 of the 1961 Secker & Warburg edition, translated into English by Ralph Manheim]
In his 1967 [[spy]] [[thriller]] ''[[An Expensive Place to Die]]'', [[Len Deighton]] misidentifies the Flemish coast tram: “The red glow of [[Ostend]] is nearer now and yellow trains rattle alongside the motor road and over the bridge by the Royal Yacht Club [http://www.ryco.be]...” [Chapter 38, page 198 of the [[Companion Book Club]] edition.]
==Trams in popular culture==
* The [[W.V. Awdry|Rev W. Awdry]] made a small [[LNER J70 tram]] called [[Toby the Tram Engine]] which starred in a series of books called ''[[The Railway Series]]'' along with his faithful coach, [[Henrietta]].
* [[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (play)]]
* [[A Streetcar Named Desire (film)]]
* The children’s TV show ''[[Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood]] featured a trolley.
* The central plot of the film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' involves the Judge Doom, the villain, dismantling the streetcars of Los Angeles.
* “The Trolley Song” in the film ''[[Meet Me in St. Louis]]'' received an Academy Award.
* The [[1944 World Series]] was also known as the “Streetcar Series”.
* [[Malcolm (film)|''Malcolm'' (film)]]—an Australian film about a tram enthusiast who uses his inventions to pull off a bank heist.
* [[Luis Bunuel]] filmed ''La Ilusión viaja en tranvía'' (English: ''Illusion Travels by Stretcar'') in Mexico in 1954.
* In [[Akira Kurosawa]]’s film ''[[Dodesukaden]]'' a mentally ill boy pretends to be a tram conductor.
* The predominance of trams (trolleys) gave rise to the disparaging term [[trolley dodger]] for residents of the borough of [[Brooklyn]] in [[New York City]]. That term, shortened to “Dodger” became the nickname for the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] (now the Los Angeles Dodgers).
* [[Jens Lekman]] has a song titled “Tram #7 to Heaven”.
* The band [[Beirut (band)|Beirut]] has a song titled “Fountains and Tramways” on the album ''[[Pompeii]]''.
* ''The elephant will never forget'' is an 11 minute film made in 1953 by [[British Transport Films]] to celebrate the London tram network at the time of the last few days of their operations.
== See also ==
{{Modes of Public Transport}}
{|
|-valign=top
|
* [[Air brake (rail)]]
* [[Citytram]]
* [[Railway electrification system]]
* [[Cater MetroTrolley]]
* [[Tram controls]]
* [[Tram spotter]]
* [[Tram stop]]
* [[Tramway track]]
* [[Ground level power supply]]
* [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]]
* [[List of light-rail transit systems]]
* [[List of town tramway (urban tramway, streetcar) systems]]
| width=40 |
|
* [[List of transport museums]]
* [[TTC Presidents’ Conference Car|Toronto PCC]]—[[specification]]
* [[Streetcar suburb]]
* [[Tourist trolley]]
* [[Haytor Granite Tramway]]
* [[Heritage streetcar]]
* [[Talkoot]]
* [[Trams in Europe]]
* [[Tram accident]]
|}
===Types of trams===
{|
|-valign=top
|
*[[ALRV]]
* [[Birney]]
* [[Citadis]]
* [[Citytram]]
* [[CLRV]]
* [[Combino]]
* [[Double decker tram]]
* [[Eurotram]]
* [[Horsecar]]
| width=40 |
|
* [[Peter Witt streetcar]]
* [[Presidents’ Conference Committee|PCC]]
* [[Sirio]]
* Soviet Tramcars [[LM-49]] and [[MTV-82]]
* [[Tatra T3]]
* [[Ultra Low Floor]]
* [[ZET 2200]]
* [[Tramway Français Standard]]
* [[Trams in Germany]]
* [[Dick Kerr Type Tram]]
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Trams}}
{{wikinews|Tram derails in Geneva}}<!--biased?-->
{{Too many links}}
* [http://www.hkl.fi/tram Helsinki City Tram Transport] {{FIN}} (FIN) / [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g18SNcFFKw Video clip: almost a hundred years old restored streetcar]
* [http://www.lrta.org/ Light Rail Transit Association] (GB)
* [http://lightrail.com/ Light Rail Central] (US/CA)
* [http://www.lightrailnow.org/ Light Rail Now advocacy] (US)
* [http://www.lightrail.nl/ Light Rail Netherlands] (NL)
* [http://www.lostnewyorkcity.com/buildingphotos/Plate-51-b.html The Cable Building] New York
* [http://www.motat.org.nz Museum of Transport and Technology] Auckland (NZ)
* [http://www.streetcar.org Market Street Railway] (US/CA)
* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Tramway “Tramway” article of 1911 Britannica]
* [http://www.tramway.co.uk/ British National Tramway Museum](GB)
* [http://www.tramwayinfo.com/tramways/Articles/Compair.htm Compressed Air Trams] at Tramway & Light Railway Society (UK)
* [http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/weyrich.cfm#wia What is a streetcar?] at American Public Transit Association
*[http://members.optushome.com.au/cotma/ Council of Tramway Museums Australasia]
*[http://www.muzeum-cieszyn.ox.pl/tramwaje/indexen.html Trams in Cieszyn (Poland) 1911–1921]
* [http://museu-carro-electrico.stcp.pt/ Tramway Museum] Porto (Portugal)
* [http://public-transport.net Pictures about trams in Europe]
*[http://www.btm.org.au Ballarat Tramway Museum—Victoria, Australia]
*[http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/heritage/streetcars/index.htm Streetcars of Saint John, New Brunswick], Heritage Resources Saint John
*[http://sporvognsrejser.dk/ Tram Travels]
[[Category:Passenger equipment]]
[[Category:Tram transport| ]]
[[Category:Light rail]]
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