UK rural rail line "ultra" light train

[bikkuri bahn]

Interesting development in the UK, on the Watercress Line in the south of England.  The train appears to be a railbus type called the Parry People Mover model 50, diesel powered (Ford DSG423) with a flywheel energy storage mechanism :

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8799426.Ultra_light_train_make_debut_on_Hampshire_railway/

 

http://rail-news.com/2011/01/07/parry-people-mover-to-undergo-trials-on-heritage-railway/

 

GOCO website:

http://www.goco.coop/

 

PPM website:

http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/products.htm

[westfalen]

A pair of these has been running an apparently successful and, on the day I was there, seemingly well patronised service on the short branch between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town near Birmingham for some time. Why do we have an obsession with trialling everything to death, just do it.

[bill937ca]

Its a Parry Peoplemover. Basically a battery powered tram that recharges during stops at stations. not exactly conventional technology. They've been around since the late 1980s, and never seem to get beyond the test stage.

[Guest ___]

The look about half as sexy as the old Orion II low floor buses they built up in Ontario.

[Mudkip Orange]

Philly tried this on the Newtown line in '85, never panned out. Wiki says the ride quality was crap. Can't verify, I was still in diapers then.

[Nick_Burman]

A pair of these has been running an apparently successful and, on the day I was there, seemingly well patronised service on the short branch between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town near Birmingham for some time. Why do we have an obsession with trialling everything to death, just do it.

 

In the case of the Stourbridge Town shuttle, the PPM cut fuel consumption enourmously (compared to the "Sprinter" unit which ran there) and increased ridership exponentially in the process.

 

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

Philly tried this on the Newtown line in '85, never panned out. Wiki says the ride quality was crap. Can't verify, I was still in diapers then.

 

By any chance was the vehicle that SEPTA tested the Leyland LEV? The LEV shared poor riding characteristics with the "Nodding Donkeys" (BR "Pacer" railcars), even in the UK.

 

 

Cheers NB

[harukablue]

Many years ago, must be 2002 I was involved with testing the PPM on the Severn Valley between Kidderminster and Bewdley, it was then in its infancy with an adapted li-lo pump to act as a deadmans on the cab floor, it was powered by a 2.0 ford focus diesel engine but operated by gas with two bottles under the floor, when a bottle ran out you had to open the floor to change the bottle!!!, its a balance of keeping the RPM of the flywheel in motion ,in theory you have two throttle handles ones to increase the RPM of the underfloor flywheels off the engine and the other to release the flywheel drive to the wheels and then the air operated handbrake. The dash was then made of plywood with gauges that look like they had come fom Tandy radio shack, but the idea worked and they entered 7 day week service as for durability i dont think they will last he service life of a 153.