Keihan Keishin line with water lubricated curves

[bill937ca]

 

Water lubricated curves on the Keihan Keishin line designed to reduce wheel squeal.  I've encountered this in Toronto, but never in Japan before.

 

From another angle.

 

[to2leo]

Interesting that the train needs to obey the road traffic signal.  I am also smiling when I saw how clean the water lubricated curves is versus the Toronto's version...basically running a water faucet the whole day and leaving rust marks from the rails everywhere...

[David]

How long has Toronto been using water on the curves? I don't go downtown much at all so I must have missed it - I was almost certain the last time I was on the streetcar there was sand under the seats behind the driver where the hopper would be loaded (maybe its never been cleaned). Is it only on certain lines or have I missed a change that's been around for a decade or more?

[bill937ca]

There has been water at certain curves for at least a decade.  Neville Loop comes to mind, the curve in the tunnel at Queens Quay Station, the Harbourfront loop at Union Station and the loop at Queens Quay and Spadina.  This usually follows noise complaints. I can't think of any curves in the heart of downtown.

 

More Toronto streetcar info here:

 

http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/index.shtml

[bill937ca]

Interesting that the train needs to obey the road traffic signal. 

 

Its not a train on the road, its a tram line and has a special exemption from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=34034786&postcount=7

[harukablue]

I only know of one water lubricated curve here in the UK at Barnt Green on the busy cross cityline.

 

Lew

[westfalen]

We have some tight curves around the depot at Mayne in Brisbane lubricated by water sprays activated by the approach of a train.

[Guest ___]

Interesting that the train needs to obey the road traffic signal. 

 

Its not a train on the road, its a tram line and has a special exemption from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=34034786&postcount=7

 

Seems pretty damn big to be a tram ^_^ but further more, for an eco-friendly country like Japan, it doesn't seem to be a terribly good use for a natural resource.

[Kabutoni]

Its not a train on the road, its a tram line and has a special exemption from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

 

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=34034786&postcount=7

 

Seems pretty damn big to be a tram ^_^ but further more, for an eco-friendly country like Japan, it doesn't seem to be a terribly good use for a natural resource.

 

It's not just Japan. It's all over here in Germany as well: http://www.bahnbilder.de/1024/strassenbahn-telekom-express-bonner-innenstadt-04032010-383325.jpg These trains can run 120km/h (about 70 mph?), but do run through shopping streets and through busy city traffic. Normal speeds on dedicated tracks is about 60 to 90km/h (between Bonn and Cologne on line 16 and 18) with even some freight mixed in on the Wesseling - Godorf part.

 

In Bonn the high-platform stadtbahn (city-rail) change to a subway in the Bonn city between Bonn HBf and Museumsmeile (line 16, 63, 66 and 68 (line 18 ends at HBf from dir. Cologne)) and Wurzerstrasse and Bad Godesberg Stadthalle (Line 16, 63 and 67) and two underground halts at Ramersdorf (Line 66, 68 and low-platform lines 65 and 65) and Robert Schumanplatz (line 66 and 68). Street running is between Stadthaus and Villich (Line 66 and 67) and Köningswinter Clemens-August-Straße and Bad Honnef (Line 66). In some way these trains are quite like the Keishin-line, but a bit more complicated as you can see. Between Stadthaus and Konrad Adenauer-Platz the tracks are even shared with the low-platform lines 62 and 65.

 

This is just a small example of the networks in Germany. Same thing is in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen (where even an official subway line, the U17, has street running), Dortmund, etc. etc. In some cities there are even a few examples of shared tracks with normal gauge (1435mm, metre-gauge 1,000mm and normal gauge freight!) It's a heaven for railway fans, but unfortunately it's not very lively as in Japan...

[bill937ca]

Calgary has high-floor LRVs running on city streets too.

[Mudkip Orange]

Portland Oregon has water lubrication on one section of the MAX light rail, the horseshoe curve under US-26 just west of Sunset Transit Center. It's actuated by the train presence.

 

Philly sprays *grease* on the Market Frankford line in two spots; one underground, at the east end of the Market St Subway where it turns north to rise up to the I-95 median, and one elevated, aboveground, where the El makes a 45-degree turn at the intersection of Kensington, Front, and York.