Page 37 of 154
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:21 pm
by Will409
urban wrote:Personally I hope it goes through Light Sq to make it easy for a North Adelaide loop to be added (can the tram make it up montefiore hill?)
If we turn back the clock a little bit, you will find that around the country, trams have been up some very steep hills and Syndey was a prime example back when it had a tram system just under 250kms long and a tram fleet of 1500 trams (including 600 of just the one tram type, the O class).
For the unitiated, I need to teach you some of the lingo when talking about gradients on railways/tramways. Using the average gradient on the Belair line of 1 in 45 as an example. For every 45 feet forward you go, you will rise one foot. The average maximum gradient for a tramline in the 1900s was a very steep 1 in 11 and if you have seen some of the streets in Sydney, you will get an idea of how steep this is! On a couple of lines near the coast (such as the Balmain line), the gradient was even steeper at a scary 1 in 8.5! You must remeber that they were using basic trams with timber bodies and somewhat crude electrics up this hills during the 1900s onwards. I think the Flexis will climb up any hill in Adelaide with ease! If Montefiore Hill is that uphill stretch in King William Road past the Women's and Childrens Hospital, I don't think we will see any problems.
You must also remember that back in the day, we had trams running up that hill and at one point, we even had a line running through the hills to Mitcham!
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:06 pm
by shuza
I'd kill to see the tram system of the glory days. What an extensivenetwork it was. Theres a map around somewhere of it...
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:12 pm
by Will409
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:53 pm
by shuza
Yeah thats it! God I love the North Tce KWS intersection shot. So magnificent!
Thanks heaps mate
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:33 pm
by Tom
shuza wrote:Yeah thats it! God I love the North Tce KWS intersection shot. So magnificent!
Thanks heaps mate
Im pretty sure that King William Street/North Tce, was the first Grand Intersection in Australia.
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:38 pm
by crawf
Amazing thanks mate
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:41 am
by Will409
Tom wrote:Im pretty sure that King William Street/North Tce, was the first Grand Intersection in Australia.
I have a strong feeling that Balaclava Junction in Melbourne is just that little bit older. There were only 3 'Grand Union Junctions' in Australia and Adelaide had 2 of them, one at North Terrace/King William Street and also at Victoria Square with the staue of Victoria in the middle of the junction. Balaclava Junction in Melbourne does still exist and was rebuilt with new track and overhead in 2005. Truly an interesting sight. I suppose when you go to Victoria Square and have a look at the statue of Victoria, take a little bit of time and imagine what the scene must have been like.
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 6:44 pm
by shuza
Updates:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/4753 ... 08.jpg?v=0
Looking down from the morphett street bridge below. Works going on at the time.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/4753 ... 8c.jpg?v=0
Blurry shit shot from railway station pedestrian crossing.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/4753 ... 1177751515
Looking right down North Terrace. Q: Why does the track merge to one track before the bridge and then splits as two again after?
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/4753 ... 03.jpg?v=0
Railway Station platform site.
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 6:57 pm
by Tom
Why? Because to have a full crossover like in Victoria Square, would take up alot more room which would very likely make North Tce 1 lane along the crossover, a crossover is also alot more expensive to install and maintain. The set up they have now, works just as well as a crossover and is cheeper to maintain.
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:34 pm
by rev
I dont understand why the government isnt playing that angle at all. There certainly are people out there who are opposed to it, so why not highlight that we had a tram network reaching out into the suburbs?
Surely with all the whingers about public transport, in particular buses, something like that would shut them up(for a while anyway until they find something else to whinge about)?..
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:31 pm
by Will409
After that trip back through time, it is time for me to return to the present
I was walking down North Terrace and I noticed a lot of work going on down King William Street. My eyes weren't deceived. 6 cement mixers and a couple of excavators. The entire road from the Franklin/Flinders St intersection to North Terrace. Depending on the section, one or two lanes were closed off. There is a main water pipe under the central median strip which is at the moment being blocked up and will be made redundant. Some holes were also being dug out for foundations for the caternary masts. Photos will be coming soon.
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:35 pm
by crawf
One of the biggest mistakes Adelaide has ever done by riping up all those tramlines.
That map looks awesome, a tramline along Glen Osmond Road, Goodwood Road, Unley Road and to Henley Beach would of been great.
Hopefully one day half of those lines will be rebuilt.
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:06 am
by bmw boy
I don't think rebuilding the tram lines into suburban areas would be a good idea, and nor is it really necessary, if our bus and train systems are updated.
I do however think in the near future the tram's should be extended to..
- North Adelaide, down oconell street
-The east end turning right on Nth Tce past adelaide uni and the RAH.. which could also go down to Norwood
- the governments future plans of extending the current extension down West tce .... past the central market/bus station and then back to Vic Sq.
Although, the govt has also stated its possible plans to extend the tram line to Port Adelaide once it has been redeveloped, i don't this this would be a good idea, it wouldn't be as fas as the train, and i think just putting a fully redeveloped train station there would be much better, with new modern trains....
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:15 am
by Tom
Trackwork comences again in the third week of May.
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:27 am
by Will409
bmw boy wrote:- North Adelaide, down oconell street
-The east end turning right on Nth Tce past adelaide uni and the RAH.. which could also go down to Norwood
I do agree that those route options should be explored (especially the line down the eastern end of North Terrace) but I do think some extensions beyond the CBD other then the Port line should be explored. Extension considerations should be based on bus patronage figures and distance. The top 5 bus routes in regards to patronage within 10kms of the CBD should be explored. The higher carrying capacity of the trams should be utilised and run to current or even superior bus frequencies on the selected routes. Where practical, the widest and straightest roads should be used (meaning some possible route alteration) so seperate tram 'lanes' like the ones being constructed in the CBD can be used. Normal tram lanes may be used beyond about 3kms from the CBD (with reserved tram lanes inside the 3km buffer) to reduce tram running times because of road congestion. Where possible, reserve track running (like on the Glenelg line) should be used to further speed up the timetable.
A bonus of adding tramlines out into the suburbs is a larger number of buses are then freed up allowing for better services on other bus routes or replacing the older buses in the fleet with newer buses that were displaced by the trams.
