[PRCo] Fwd: Clermont-Ferrand

[Schneider Fred]

Because Jack cannot forward to Pittsburgh Railways ... I'll try  
it.    Let's home it put the photos properly into links.   I'm  
sending separately to Jerry because he has shown an interest.   At  
least I know he will get it.
Begin forwarded message:

From: "Jack May" <jack.may at americomm.net>
Date: July 31, 2009 6:15:05 PM EDT
To: "Schneider Fred" <fwschneider at comcast.net>, "Skip Gatermann"  
<biker4 at sbcglobal.net>, "Craig Phil"  
<philgcraig204 at yahoo.com>,	"Bente Bruce" <bbente at bellsouth.net>,  
<pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Subject: Clermont-Ferrand

If it is reasonable to call a rubber-tired heavy rapid transit system  
a Metro (think Montreal, Lyon, Santiago, etc.) then I believe it is  
similarly reasonable to call Clermont-Ferrand's fixed guideway  
transit line a tramway.  In my opinion it is much more like light  
rail than any kind of a bus operation.  I found it very interesting  
to ride, as it contained most elements that I've seen in light rail  
systems throughout the world, such as traffic light preemption,  
signals, overhead wire and many different styles of right-of-way, all  
paved of course (like Phoenix).  The pantograph-equipped double-ended  
rolling stock, built by Translohr, the creator of this proprietary  
system, is 100-percent low-floor in the passenger compartment, with  
the drivers' cabs slightly raised.  Unfortunately I found this  
system, and also the one in Caen, slower, noisier and bumpier than  
almost all rail-based French light rail systems, but on the other  
hand, both perform much better than the guided trolleybus in Nancy  
and any regular buses (and the aesthetics are much better as well).   
It is beyond my understanding however, to see why there should be a  
significant cost savings in building this kind of tramway, and I  
would guess operations are more expensive than steel-wheeled systems,  
especially when you have to depend on parts that cannot be acquired  
on the open market.  It should be noted that Lohr has built rail- 
based LRVs, including the Siemens tram-train units for line T-4 in  
Paris.



I enjoyed riding and photographing it very much.  Here some photos.



Jack





6:  One of the 20 Translohr-built cars near the Maison de la Culture  
stop just south of Cleremont-Ferrand's downtown area, is shown  
passing a lovely church.  This city is the home base of Michelin  
Tires, which may help explain why a rubber-tired system was selected.



19:  A view of the pavement at a switch, showing the points and  
emphasizing the narrow portion of the concrete roadbed that takes the  
entire wear and tear from the full weight of the tram.  The single  
guiderail also serves as a conduit for the return current from the tram.



7.  The cars are equipped with regular pantographs, taking 750-volt  
DC current from standard overhead.  However, since rubber tires are  
used, a rail is needed to return the current.  Thus the "track" does  
not have to be made up of two rails, as a single one is also  
sufficient for guiding the vehicles, allowing for a simpler switch  
mechanism.  Since the cars are double ended a car may be reversed here.



11:  Two of the double-ended Translohr trams are shown at the La  
Pardieu Gare terminal, at the western end of the single-line system.   
Plans are underway for a short extension on the other (north) end of  
the line, while the conversion of bus line B to another rubber-tired  
guided system in the home of Michelin Tire may instead utilize  
optical bus technology.



12:  A car heading toward downtown and the northern reaches of  
Clermont-Ferrand from the western end of the system takes a sharp  
curve near the line's Margeride station.



13:  An outbound car heading toward the western end of Clermont- 
Ferrand's Line A enters a short cut at the La Chaux station.  Except  
for the number of rails, this could easily be a scene from a number  
of cities that have light rail lines.